called his room.” As smoothly as if we’d choreographed it, Kaz spun me in the direction of the table at the front of the room with the “Reserved” sign on it. “No answer.”
“But I—”
“I checked the bar, too. He’s not there.”
Kaz deposited me in a chair between Helen and the empty spot where Thad was supposed to be sitting and went around to the other side of the table.
“You said Mr. Wyant would be here.” Until Daryl spoke to me, I didn’t realize my chair was back-to-back with his.
“Of course he will be.” That was the perky me. And just to prove it, I glanced around both my table and his, a confident smile on my face. “Thad’s just been delayed for a few minutes. You know how these things are.”
“How?” Daryl’s question was so sincere that I didn’t have the heart to answer. Good thing I didn’t have the opportunity. From the pocket of his orange-and-brown-plaid sport coat, his cell phone rang, and Daryl checked the caller ID, excused himself, and left the ballroom.
I turned back toward my table just as a waitress deposited my salad in front of me, and honestly, it looked as delicious as the picture I saw when I went through the hotel catering menu and ordered tonight’s dinner. Fresh field greens, diced pears, a sprinkling of blue cheese. Too bad my stomach was too jumpy for me to enjoy it. I did another quick scan of the ballroom. No Thad. I pushed my chair back from the table.
“Sit down.” Kaz mouthed the words. “Calm.” Like abaseball umpire signaling safe, he made a gesture over his salad and smiled.
I knew what that meant, too. Upbeat. I was supposed to remain upbeat. Even though the program was scheduled to start in exactly forty minutes and my speaker was nowhere to be seen.
Chase Cadell was walking back from the bar, a bottle of beer in one hand, and he leaned over and purred in my ear. “Told you you should have picked me. I’m actually here, Josie. And that son-of-a-gun Wyant—”
“Will be joining us in just a jiffy.” I wasn’t sure how my popping out of my chair and heading out to the lobby was supposed to help accomplish that, but I did it anyway, and it was a good thing I did. I was just in time to see a tiny woman in a black suit disappear around the corner toward the vendor room.
Beth Howell.
Yeah, the timing was bad, but this was the first time I’d caught up with Beth since the incident on the boat, and I wasn’t going to let the moment pass me by. I took off down the hallway, and I would have caught up to her if the door to the vendor room hadn’t swung open and stopped me in my tracks.
“Langston!” He stepped out of the room so quickly that he surprised me, and I pressed a hand to my heart at the same time I dodged to my left. “You just—”
“Need to get into the banquet.” Langston stepped to his right.
“And I need…” I looked around him, but by then, the hallway was empty. Wherever Beth Howell was headed, she was nowhere in sight now. “I’ll go back to the ballroom with you,” I told Langston, and I hoped I didn’t sound disappointedbecause of that, so I added, “You’re late for the banquet. The salad’s are already being served.”
“Is it really that late?” He looked at his watch. “The time just got away from me. I was taking care of some last-minute details at the booth.”
“And I…” I suppose I could have told him I was hotfooting it after Beth Howell, but I never had a chance. But then, that’s because Ralph the security guard came racing across the lobby, caught sight of me, and headed my way.
“You’ve got to see this. I mean, you really don’t have to, but you do. You know what I mean?”
I would have gladly told him I didn’t if I could have gotten a word in edgewise. But then, with the way Ralph latched on to my arm and dragged me back across the lobby, I didn’t exactly have a chance.
“You were asking about him and all,” Ralph said, his voice high-pitched and panicky, the
“But I—”
“I checked the bar, too. He’s not there.”
Kaz deposited me in a chair between Helen and the empty spot where Thad was supposed to be sitting and went around to the other side of the table.
“You said Mr. Wyant would be here.” Until Daryl spoke to me, I didn’t realize my chair was back-to-back with his.
“Of course he will be.” That was the perky me. And just to prove it, I glanced around both my table and his, a confident smile on my face. “Thad’s just been delayed for a few minutes. You know how these things are.”
“How?” Daryl’s question was so sincere that I didn’t have the heart to answer. Good thing I didn’t have the opportunity. From the pocket of his orange-and-brown-plaid sport coat, his cell phone rang, and Daryl checked the caller ID, excused himself, and left the ballroom.
I turned back toward my table just as a waitress deposited my salad in front of me, and honestly, it looked as delicious as the picture I saw when I went through the hotel catering menu and ordered tonight’s dinner. Fresh field greens, diced pears, a sprinkling of blue cheese. Too bad my stomach was too jumpy for me to enjoy it. I did another quick scan of the ballroom. No Thad. I pushed my chair back from the table.
“Sit down.” Kaz mouthed the words. “Calm.” Like abaseball umpire signaling safe, he made a gesture over his salad and smiled.
I knew what that meant, too. Upbeat. I was supposed to remain upbeat. Even though the program was scheduled to start in exactly forty minutes and my speaker was nowhere to be seen.
Chase Cadell was walking back from the bar, a bottle of beer in one hand, and he leaned over and purred in my ear. “Told you you should have picked me. I’m actually here, Josie. And that son-of-a-gun Wyant—”
“Will be joining us in just a jiffy.” I wasn’t sure how my popping out of my chair and heading out to the lobby was supposed to help accomplish that, but I did it anyway, and it was a good thing I did. I was just in time to see a tiny woman in a black suit disappear around the corner toward the vendor room.
Beth Howell.
Yeah, the timing was bad, but this was the first time I’d caught up with Beth since the incident on the boat, and I wasn’t going to let the moment pass me by. I took off down the hallway, and I would have caught up to her if the door to the vendor room hadn’t swung open and stopped me in my tracks.
“Langston!” He stepped out of the room so quickly that he surprised me, and I pressed a hand to my heart at the same time I dodged to my left. “You just—”
“Need to get into the banquet.” Langston stepped to his right.
“And I need…” I looked around him, but by then, the hallway was empty. Wherever Beth Howell was headed, she was nowhere in sight now. “I’ll go back to the ballroom with you,” I told Langston, and I hoped I didn’t sound disappointedbecause of that, so I added, “You’re late for the banquet. The salad’s are already being served.”
“Is it really that late?” He looked at his watch. “The time just got away from me. I was taking care of some last-minute details at the booth.”
“And I…” I suppose I could have told him I was hotfooting it after Beth Howell, but I never had a chance. But then, that’s because Ralph the security guard came racing across the lobby, caught sight of me, and headed my way.
“You’ve got to see this. I mean, you really don’t have to, but you do. You know what I mean?”
I would have gladly told him I didn’t if I could have gotten a word in edgewise. But then, with the way Ralph latched on to my arm and dragged me back across the lobby, I didn’t exactly have a chance.
“You were asking about him and all,” Ralph said, his voice high-pitched and panicky, the
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