Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Paige adjusted the ring light by half an inch and checked the framing on her phone, then inspected the overall visual.
Good light. Clean background. Beautiful new Chloe floral blouse that complimented her coloring.
An older pair of gold Gucci hoops that caught the light every time she turned her head. Makeup and hair were perfect.
She smiled at her reflection. She looked good and there was no sign of stress on her face. She pressed Record using the remote hidden in her hand.
“Okay,” she said, keeping her tone warm and easy. Like she was talking to friends, because really, that’s what she was doing. “Let’s talk about reinvention myths for women over fifty. Because there are a few that refuse to die.”
She was halfway through her second point when her phone buzzed.
Paige didn’t break stride, despite the fact that she’d forgotten to put her phone on Do Not Disturb.
She usually did that, but lately, because of the Queen Bees, she hadn’t been.
She tried to stay focused so she didn’t have to do a retake.
But when her phone buzzed again, her eyes flicked to the notification despite herself.
Incoming messages to the Queen Bees text group. She finished recording the first video, turned the camera off, and took her phone out of the tripod grip.
Maude had sent a text. I think Darcy’s organizing something.
There’s a new group forming. Saw it on the Colony forum when I was researching her.
It’s got a vague description and no name attached.
Their first meeting is Thursday at the Community Hall.
Same time as book club, which I don’t think is a coincidence.
Cece chimed in right after her. I don’t think it’s a coincidence either.
Paige reread the first message, her attention sharpening. She sat back on the edge of the seat. A new group, hosting at the Community Hall, but with no name attached? It felt like Darcy’s fingerprints were all over that, even without proof.
She typed out a response. That’s interesting timing to say the least.
A pause, then Blaise responded. What kind of group is it?
Essie added, Are we sure this is connected to Darcy? Could it be Gigi?
Althea was a little less forgiving. Nothing good ever starts with vague.
Paige let out a small breath and started typing again. We can’t be sure who’s behind it yet. But given what Maude and Cece are seeing, and given my run-in at the fitness center, I’d say Darcy could be involved in some way. Possibly it’s her project. Possibly with Gigi attached.
She hesitated, then added, For now, let’s just observe. No one do anything yet. It might be completely unrelated. But she didn’t think that at all.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately with another response from Maude. I’m already working on figuring out who booked the space.
Cece came in again. I’m on it from my end too.
Paige smiled faintly. She hadn’t even needed to ask and those two were digging in. If there were ever two women to have on a squad, it was those girls.
She silenced the notifications, stuck her phone back into the tripod grip, and turned the ring light on again. She needed to get Part Two of her new post done. The script she’d been following sat half-finished on her notebook.
Paige checked her reflection to be sure there wasn’t a hair out of place, then tapped Record again.
“As I was saying, reinvention doesn’t require permission. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Especially not in relation to your age.”
She spoke clearly and kept a smile on her face, the way she always did. Whatever Darcy Lane was up to with this new group at the Community Hall, Paige wasn’t going to pause her life, or her voice, because of it.
When she finished, she saved the video, then got to work editing both so she could get them posted. Soon, she’d be doing a video about her new partnership with Luminelle, and wouldn’t that be exciting?
Hmm. Should she do a teaser? Something vague meant to build excitement? She was already dressed and made up. She did a quick one, a very brief ten-second spot that hinted at exciting news coming soon. She posted it immediately.
Paige had a lot going on. She would not let Darcy derail her. If Darcy wanted a group, she could start her own, if that’s what she thought she needed to do.
Paige already had hers. The perk of Darcy’s group was it ought to keep Gigi busy, too.
She tweaked a few things on the videos, added a gentle filter that softened everything just a smidge, then got Part One uploading. She scheduled Part Two to publish an hour later. Her phone buzzed in her hand while the second video was uploading.
Paige didn’t reach for it right away. She’d been sitting too long. She got up and stretched, rolling her shoulders. She refilled her ice water, took a sip, then returned to where she’d been sitting and picked up the phone.
The Queen Bees thread had lit up again, with Cece leading the way. Okay. I have something.
Paige braced herself and read the messages that had come in.
Blaise: That was fast.
Essie: What did you find?
There was a pause while Cece typed. I checked with someone in the admin office about the Community Hall reservation. It wasn’t booked under Darcy’s name.
Paige felt something that might have been relief, but she waited.
Althea’s text appeared next. Then who?
Maude added a squinty-eyed emoji. That figures.
Get this, Cece added. The name on the reservation is Gigi DeLuca.
Paige let out a soft snort. Might as well have been Darcy, now that the two had teamed up.
Blaise seemed to agree. Well. That answers that.
Essie was next. So not a coincidence then, because we know they’re friends now.
Althea sent an eyerolling emoji. That woman does enjoy a spotlight.
Paige typed her reply. So Darcy stays in the background and Gigi puts her name on the paperwork. I bet she thinks making Gigi the face of things means she can stay hidden.
Yep, Maude texted. That’s exactly how it reads to me.
Cece added, Same here. Gigi’s visible. Darcy’s insulated. Or would be if we weren’t smarter than she is.
Thanks for doing that research, Cece. Paige exhaled slowly and gripped her phone a little tighter. The pieces lined up too neatly to ignore. The beach walk. The timing. The choice of night. The choice of venue. This all felt like it was being carefully orchestrated.
She sent another text. Okay. That tells us a lot. Still no reacting yet. We watch. We gather information. We don’t give them anything to react to. No hint that we know what’s going on.
Maude sent a thumbs-up. So you don’t want any of us to go to that meeting in disguise? She added a laughing emoji to show she was teasing.
No, Paige texted. We let them do their thing and we do ours. Maybe that’s how this all plays out. Maybe that’s how we get them to leave us in peace.
Cece: Sounds good to me.
Blaise: I’m in.
Essie: Same here.
Althea: Fine with me, but it’ll be interesting to see what comes of their meeting.
Paige smiled at that. She was interested to find out, too, but there was a part of her that was glad they were doing their own thing. It would give them something else to pay attention to. Something that wasn’t the Queen Bees.
She stood and carried her phone into the kitchen. Whatever Gigi and Darcy thought they were doing, good luck to them. Paige didn’t care, so long as it didn’t involve her.
Paige set her phone on the counter and put the kettle on to heat up. She’d been meaning to make a pitcher of iced tea for a while now. But as the kettle heated, she picked her phone up again. She didn’t intend to dwell on things, but questions didn’t go away just because you ignored them.
She opened a new message thread and typed a note to Cece alone. Hey, just curious. Any word from Darcy about the interview?
It didn’t take long for Cece’s reply to come through. No. Nothing yet. Starting to wonder if I’m being ignored.
Paige stared at the screen for a second, then typed again. Okay. I figured as much, but I wanted to be sure.
A second passed, then another text from Cece arrived. On the slim chance she does say yes, is there anything specific you’d want me to ask? Or avoid?
Paige leaned back against the counter and considered that. The kettle was just beginning to steam. There were a dozen things she could suggest. Angles she’d like explored. Questions that might provoke Darcy. But that wasn’t how Cece worked, and Paige knew it.
She typed her response. Honestly? No. I trust your experience and your judgment. You know how to dig for what matters.
Another pause, then Cece’s reply came in. All right. I’ll handle it the way I always do. You never can tell when someone might surprise you.
Paige smiled faintly and set the phone down as the kettle started to whistle. Whatever Darcy decided to do next, Paige knew one thing for certain.
Cece would hear more than Darcy intended to say.