Chapter Sixteen
DELANEY
Cheryl, Adele, and I entered the local Firehouse Hall and were immediately hit with a wall of noise, expensive perfume, and the kind of collective feminine energy that meant a significant portion of the guests had not come just to donate to charity.
They had come to shop.
I’d been expecting folding tables and a raffle for a gift basket by the front door. Maybe a cash bar that ran out of ice. Something adequately civic and mildly depressing.
Instead, the entryway featured gold rope lining both sides, black lanterns glowing along the floor, and twinkle lights threaded across the ceiling and rafters in a deliberate imitation of the night sky.
Draped black curtains framed the main entrance with warm lighting pooling against the parted fabric, and the sliver of the main room I could see from my current vantage point was giving wedding venue vibes for people who made considerably better money than I did.
I stopped walking, and Cheryl slammed into me.
“This is your Firehouse Hall?” I turned to Adele.
She giggled. “Courtesy of the Kingsley family.”
Of course. I should’ve known.
“Ticket, please.” A teenage girl held out her hand just inside the doorway.
“Hey, Mia,” Cheryl greeted her. “Have you made any decisions for next year?”
The teen smiled, and for a second, that professional composure cracked into something genuinely hopeful. “Fingers crossed, I’ll be going to my top pick art school. We just have to figure out finances first.”
We handed over our tickets. “Good luck,” I told her, and meant it.
She smiled her thanks, handed us our programs, and moved on to the next group, with an efficiency that put most adults to shame.
“Want to grab a drink before we snag a table?” Cheryl asked. She was already eyeing the volunteer fire department members who’d donated their evening to stand behind the bar and look good doing it.
“Obviously,” Adele and I said at the same time.
Adele tugged me along as I gaped at the room. The black and gold theme continued inside—sheer black fabric draped the walls, balloon arches anchored the corners, and round tables were strategically placed within the room.
Impressive didn’t even cover it.
I sipped my spiked berry lemonade and tried not to feel like I’d accidently wandered into a holiday party for people in a higher tax bracket. “I feel very underdressed.”
Adele ran her eyes up and down my body. “I think you look great.”
“I’m wearing a leather jacket.”
“You look great.”
I turned to her, wanting to acknowledge her chic style, resplendent in a gold and black sequined dress with long sleeves that hugged every generous curve, the deep V-neck and high leg slit doing things that should probably require some kind of permit.
“You look like you’re here to make someone regret every decision that led them away from you.
” I linked my arm through hers. “Any particular reason you got so dolled up?”
She shook her head, and pink tinted her cheeks so fast she might as well have answered out loud, “yes!”
“Mm.” I would not push. I was a good friend. And I was absolutely not going to mention that she’d glanced at the door four separate times since we walked in.
“Dessert table?” Adele asked, clearly desperate to change the subject.
“Dessert table,” I confirmed.
We loaded up two plates and an extra for Cheryl, who was apparently still in active negotiations with the bartender and had just handed over her phone for him to type his number into. She winked at him as she took it back, and his heated gaze tracked her to our table.
“Well look at you, you goddess.” I grinned when she sashayed over.
She grinned back, and the slight turn caused the gold sequins to catch the light. “I finally have a free night. I’m going to use every single minute of it.”
“Good.” I squeezed her arm because she deserved every one of those minutes and then some. “Now grab a dessert plate. Penny made it all.”
I took my first bite and made a sound that was genuinely embarrassing in public.
Penny, already seated front and center at a table with a prime view of the stage, waved us over. “Come sit with me! Grace is helping backstage, and everyone seems to think this is VIP because they keep sitting elsewhere.”
We settled into three of the seven remaining chairs, and I took a second bite of whatever the chocolate thing was. Penny caught my blissed out expression and laughed. “I’m so happy you like it. Glamma and I took weeks dreaming up the perfect recipes for tonight.”
“It shows,” I said reverently. “I missed dinner, and I feel nothing but gratitude.”
Two women approached our table. I recognized one—Victoria—and the other woman beside her had perfected looking both bored and annoyed. Victoria, ten years older than me, had babysat me when I was younger and Aunt Jem had plans.
“Oh hey, Victoria. Sit down.” Penny waved them over.
“How’s your mom enjoying retirement?” Cheryl asked, making room.
Victoria laughed, settling into her seat. “About as well as you can expect for someone who taught third grade for almost fifty years. She keeps herself busy though, and has gotten incredibly involved with that town meetup group for dog owners.”
“I loved having her as a teacher. Third grade was a tough year for me, and she really made it better,” Cheryl added.
Victoria’s face lit up. “I’ll let her know.” She gestured to the woman beside her. “Everyone, this is my boss, Janine. I’ve told her so much about Ruby River, she just had to come experience it herself.”
Janine gave us all a patronizing smile that didn’t reach her eyes, or her cheekbones, or anywhere above her throat, really.
Before Victoria could even begin introductions, she asked, “So tell me more about this Kingsley family?”
Victoria, to her credit, tried. “I told you, they’re one of the founding families of Ruby River. Glamma practically runs this town. Three sons—Ted, Robert, and James. Robert and Ted run Kingsley Jewelry—”
“Fascinating.” Janine’s tone suggested the opposite. Her gaze swept the room with the calculating efficiency of a woman running a cost-benefit analysis on every man within a fifteen-foot radius. “Are there any eligible bachelors among them?”
I looked at Cheryl. Cheryl looked at Adele. And Adele looked at Penny. We shared the kind of conversation that required no words.
This woman!
Victoria’s hands waved slightly, an involuntary flinch toward apology on behalf of her own boss. Poor thing. “Well, yes, there are quite a few grandchildren.” Her eyes scanned the room.“Over there—that’s Adam.”
“Ohh,” Janine said. “He’s yummy.”
“He’s a great guy,” Victoria said tightly. “Does excellent work on my car. And doesn’t try to screw you over when you bring it in.”
“He’s a mechanic?” Janine frowned. “I thought their family had money?”
The lie arrived so fast I didn’t even fully formulate it in my head.
“Yeah, but he hates spending any of it. I hear he’s actually living paycheck to paycheck,” I said, lowering my voice to the conspiratorial register, the one that implied genuine insider information.
“Between us?” I did a quick glance of the room for effect.
“I heard they don’t even get their inheritance until they’re fifty. Minimum.”
Around the table, Cheryl, Adele, and Penny nodded with the solemn conviction of a well-established fact.
“Oh,” Janine deflated. “Well. That’s unfortunate.” She picked up her phone, and we ceased to exist.
Thank you, Victoria mouthed.
I winked at her. It was the least I could do. The Kingsleys were the most down-to-earth people I’d ever met in my life. You’d have no idea they had a dime if you spent an afternoon with them. The last thing they needed was someone triangulating their net worth while Glamma was on stage.
The microphone squealed a protest, and the entire room groaned.
I laughed. We’d all heard Mayor Everly speak at events long enough that the squeal was practically a theme song, and yet every single time, without fail, the same reaction. I caught Adele’s eye, and we both bit back smiles.
Everly gave her welcome speech. “I just wanted to thank everyone for attending our fifth annual bachelor auction. This year, all funds raised will go to the Ruby River Animal Shelter. And in honor of that, we have a very special surprise tonight. Each bachelor has been paired with an adorable animal companion. In your programs, next to each bachelor listed, we have the animal just below their name with their stats. On the back page is the information you’ll need to inquire to adopt any of our cute furry models.
And with that, I’ll hand everything over to the emcee of the evening, Glamma! ”
“What kind of name is Glamma?” Janine said, not very quietly.
Gasps sounded from two nearby tables. Victoria went rigid. I pressed my lips together and stared very hard at my dessert plate.
“Janine!” Victoria whisper-hissed.
Janine shrugged and tossed her long blonde hair, apparently unbothered by the social temperature of the room, which had dropped about fifteen degrees.
I wanted to say something. Several things. I wanted to kick her ass to the curb. But I held my tongue. The shelter deserved every dollar in this room tonight, and causing a scene wouldn’t help a single dog or cat.
Or goat. I snickered.
I focused very intently on my chocolate dessert.
“Please tell me these two seats are free,” Vivi, Wyatt’s business partner whispered, appearing at the edge of our table with her fiancé, Henry, trailing behind her.
“Vee! Yes, absolutely.” Penny scooted her chair.
Adele smiled at Vivi, warm and genuine, then glanced at Henry, and something in her expression dimmed by a few watts. I’d heard enough about this guy from Grace and Penny to form opinions I kept to myself.
Glamma’s slight drawl filled the room, with effortless authority. “Hello, my favorite people. To everyone here for a good time, the baked goods—thank you Penny—and for the ten most eligible bachelors of Ruby River, you are in for quite the treat.”