6. Delilah #3
“Middle school. Probably thirteen or fourteen. Dancing with Aunt Suzy paid better than helping my dad around the orchard. Plus, it got me out of the house for a little while. Gave me something to do besides go looking for trouble.”
“You don’t seem like much of a troublemaker.” Her hand tightened on my shoulder.
I hadn’t been much of a troublemaker at all. Not like my older brother. Thinking about Colin was one way to wring the fun out of a night.
“You okay?” Delilah’s voice drew me back to the present.
“Yeah. It’s getting late though. You ready to turn in for the night? Tomorrow’s a big day . . . your first day in town.”
She let her hand fall from my shoulder. I immediately missed her touch. I offered my elbow and she wrapped her hand around it as I led her back to the table, where Adeline and Lacey were caught in some kind of a glare-down.
Lacey looked up as we approached. “Jasper, would you like to walk Adeline to her truck? I want to make sure she doesn’t have any trouble finding her way out of town.”
“I was just leaving.” Adeline pushed the chair back from the table. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Stone.”
Delilah’s lips curved into a tight smile. “It was nice to meet you, too, and I can assure you, I’m quite comfortable here in Ido.”
Score one for the beauty queen. I gestured for Adeline to walk ahead of me. I didn’t dare touch her. Men had been turned to stone in her presence for far less. “Shall we?”
“We wouldn’t make you park in the back of a greasy burger joint if you were our guest.” Adeline backed away, her cheeks flushing.
I wondered how Adeline knew where Delilah’s trailer had been set up.
I didn’t know what she was up to, but I was concerned about her next move.
Adeline wasn’t a woman who liked to lose.
I’d heard stories about her recent rivalry with Mayor Cherish.
She’d even started up her own wedding-planning business across the river in an effort to beat out Lacey when she’d transformed the town.
She wouldn’t let anything stand in her way of besting her old rival, even if it meant trashing Swynton in the process.
“Does your dad know you’re out here causing trouble?” I muttered as the two of us walked away from the crowd.
“Who do you think told me what was going on over here?” She turned on me, her hands clamped to her hips. “Y’all don’t deserve this title. You don’t even deserve to be in the running, and I’m going to see to it that you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of bringing home the win.”
“Snowball’s chance in hell, huh?” I gritted my teeth.
“That’s right. You disagree?”
“I’d say if anyone has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning this title it would be the town who managed to create a whole winter wonderland wedding last summer, wouldn’t you?”
Adeline let out a huff. “We’ll see about that. I’d suggest you keep your eyes and ears open, Jasper.”
“And why’s that?” I could handle a little friendly across-the-river competition, but if Adeline wanted to start slinging threats, she’d best be prepared for the fallout.
“Because I’m going to be waiting for you to screw up. And when you do, I’ll be there to turn Miss Lovin’ Texas’s eye where it belongs—on Swynton.”
I waited until I was sure Adeline had gotten in her truck and was well on her way to hauling ass back across the river before I rejoined Delilah.
I wouldn’t put it past Adeline to stoop to low levels to turn things her way.
It wouldn’t be the first time she’d tried to derail me.
I was already unsure enough about my involvement in this crazy competition.
Knowing Adeline would be waiting for me to slip up put an extra heaping helping of pressure on my already overburdened shoulders.
“Sorry about that.” I stepped to the table where Lacey had engaged Delilah in what appeared to be some lighthearted conversation.
“Did Ms. Monroe-Hawk make it to her truck okay?” Lacey smiled, her halfhearted grin barely covering her disdain for Adeline’s antics.
“Seems so. Ms. Stone, I know you’ve had a long day. Are you ready to go?”
“I would like to turn in early. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Delilah glanced back and forth between me and Lacey.
Hell, I had no idea what her schedule entailed. All I knew was that I was the one who’d be ferrying her around and making sure she got the most picture-perfect impressions of life in our little town.
Lacey pulled a thick binder out of her diaper bag.
“I’ve taken the liberty of putting it all in here.
I’m hosting an intimate brunch with the ladies’ group tomorrow morning to let you settle in and get your bearings.
Then Jasper will take you on a tour of town in the afternoon.
Ortega’s has planned a special dinner tomorrow night. ”
“That sounds lovely.” Delilah stood and pushed her chair back in. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
Lacey held baby P’s hand in hers and waved. “Have a good night.”
I gestured for Delilah to go ahead of me. One night down, twenty-nine more to go.