Neither she nor Zoe were wearing stilettos, but the walk over didn’t do their shoes any good. They picked their way through the mulch and gravel, trying not to sink too deeply into the soft, sandy soil.
Jeff met them at the front door, and Zoe motioned Amanda to go in without her while she stopped to talk to him. Once inside, Amanda did a quick walk-through of the spaces set up for the party. She had to admit it had come together every bit as beautifully as they had envisioned. Snowy linens with black toppers added elegance to the tables, where the candles in the centerpieces cast warm, flickering light. The fairy lights in the garlands made all the pricked fingertips worthwhile. The effect was truly magical.
She went over to the band, checked to make sure the microphones were working, and thanked them again for coming. The tall metal heaters were scattered around the area, but so far the evening was still balmy enough to leave them unlit.
“Well, Ms. Adams, you and Ms. Silvercreek seem to have exceeded even my expectations,” Mrs. Wyndham said from behind her.
Amanda turned with a satisfied smile on her lips, the butterflies in her stomach no longer in frantic flight.
“I’m glad you’re pleased, Ma’am. I know this party means a lot to you and the Admiral.”
“Yes. Well. The Admiral would have been just as happy to get his boat and skip the party, but I told him it was a package deal.” She chuckled. “The ice sculpture your handsome artist friend did will be the highlight of the party for Henry. That young man is very talented.”
“Yes, he is. You should come by the gallery soon. Zoe is displaying an entire collection of his works.”
“Perhaps I shall. Right now I’m interested in the mystery singer you’ve hired. Has he arrived yet?”
“He has. Dev drove him here from the airport. They’re changing at your old house right now. They’ll be along any minute. Can I get you a glass of champagne while you wait to greet your guests?”
“How kind of you, dear, thank you.”
Amanda went over to the bar. On a round table next to it a champagne fountain was burbling cheerfully. She held a flute under the stream of pale gold liquid and took the filled glass over the Mrs. Wyndham. As usual, the woman appeared as though she had just left a salon—hair and makeup perfect, nails manicured, a fragrant gardenia tucked behind one ear. She wore a stunning red sheath, which bared one shoulder and outlined her figure. There was no doubt about it; for a woman in her sixties, Mrs. Wyndham was still a knockout.
“Come on, man, I can already hear the band tuning up.”
Dev adjusted his bow tie one last time. He paced the living room, thinking about what Amanda had said to Zoe. She loved him? Sweet Jesus, that revelation blew him right out of the water. He’d been rehearsing his entire speech on the drive to the airport. Explaining his friendship with Danny, his guilt over causing Danny’s death, his promise to watch over her till she got over his loss.
Actually he wasn’t sure he’d even get to those other parts. When she found out how Danny died, she may well show him the door and politely, but firmly erase him from her life. But if she loved him? That would make things so much worse.
He checked the clock again. Arnold had insisted he needed a quick shower before he changed into his tux. He’d come straight from the wedding reception, where he had time only to swap his tux for street clothes and grab a cab to the airport.
“I get pretty hot under those lights. I’m not going out there all sweaty like I’ve been working on a chain gang. Chill, buddy. I won’t need more than five minutes in the shower. Besides I’m not singing for the band’s first set. We decided to wait until most of the guests had arrived to do the vocals. They’re going to be playing background music for the first hour. People will be eating and drinking, chatting with friends. The band will break, you’ll do your thing for thirty minutes or so, then I’ll come on and get the party going.” Arnold clapped Dev on the back and headed for the bathroom.
Dev did his best to wear a path in the ancient shag carpeting while he waited. He’d planned on dancing with Amanda one time tonight. One magical dance under the stars with the most beautiful woman in the world. It might be selfish but he didn’t care. He wanted those few minutes with her in his arms to remember after his world came crashing down around his ears.
He’d almost swallowed his tongue when he got to the door and saw her in that dress. All that creamy skin waiting for his touch when he put his arms around her. Tall and slender, her glorious hair captured in a sleek twist that left her neck bare, she was a vision in black. His fingers itched to trace the graceful line of her neck, to plant tender kisses from her hairline to her waist following the delicate curve of her spine.
Then her words managed to penetrate the haze of desire that had him hard as stone, standing on the doorstep.
She loved him. And she’d been berating Zoe for something. He didn’t know what. After she’d said those words, he didn’t really listen to anything else. He felt a little lightheaded as what little blood remained above his neck rushed south. Thank God Arnold had stepped up to the plate and introduced himself. Now that he had thought about it, he understood the definition of tragedy. The truth would hurt so much more now that she cared for him. The betrayal would be deeper, and he could only hope that her anger with him would help to cushion the blow when he left. He thought he’d been doing what was best for her, but Chris was right. The longer you, lied the worse things got.
Dev took a deep breath. For the next five hours he would ignore the future. He would do his part to make this night a resounding success and insure Amanda’s financial stability. Her emotional stability? Well, he had convinced her to move on, to open her heart to someone new. Hopefully she could do it again.
He groaned. He cursed himself. But in the end, there was nothing to do but play his final part in her life tonight. He donned his gloves, shot his cuffs, put a smile on his face, and walked through the door to the Wyndham’s Cottage, Arnold Katzenbaum at his side.
Guests had already begun to arrive and the Wyndham’s stood by the door, greeting each couple as they entered. Dev took Arnold’s arm and sidestepped them past the receiving line. Zoe stood unobtrusively near the fireplace, checking the crowd for trouble spots. She noticed them and immediately made her way over.
“I’m glad you’re here. Maybe now Amanda can relax a little.”
“Where is she?”
Dev scanned the room and discovered why Amanda and Zoe had chosen to wear black. It was the choice of over half the women here. But if Amanda thought it would make her blend in with the crowd, she was sadly mistaken. Her beauty and grace drew the eyes of more than a few male guests. He scowled and wished there was a way to brand her as ‘taken’. As his. Something . . . like a wedding ring. If only he’d done everything differently.
CHAPTER 23
The party was in full swing and Amanda was so full of mixed emotions she felt barely able to maintain her composure. There was no doubt she and Zoe had produced an affair that would be the talk of Mrs. Wyndham’s social circle for months.
She could hardly believe it herself. Not one glitch. The food was excellent, the champagne flowed like a river, and she overheard so many compliments about the décor, she knew they had scored a home run in that department. The band’s repertoire was wonderful and their selections had more couples out on the dance floor than Amanda had anticipated. The partygoers obviously loved it.
When Arnold Katzenbaum took his place in front of the band, Amanda was in the kitchen checking with the caterer to make sure there was plenty of food left. She’d lost track of Zoe as they split up to keep tabs on different areas—moving unobtrusively through the crowd in a fairly continuous circle.
At first she thought Dev was still playing recorded songs, because the voice sounded like Frank Sinatra. But when applause followed his first song and he tossed out a one-li
ner that had a wave of laughter rippling through the crowd, Amanda made her way to the French doors.
He began “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and the guests quieted so there was barely a murmur to compete with him. Arnold was not a particularly imposing entertainer. Medium height, average build, brown hair, brown eyes—there was nothing remarkable about him. Until he opened his mouth and let his voice transform that average persona into a reincarnation of Sinatra in his early years.
Amanda realized her mouth was agape and snapped her jaw shut. She searched the deck and caught Zoe coming up the walkway from the pavilion. Their eyes met and mirrored each other’s amazement. Zoe broke into a big grin and gave her a surreptitious thumbs-up, to which she could only nod.
Amanda scanned the crowd. She had to find Dev and thank him for pulling such a fantastic rabbit out of his hat. Where was he? Most of the couples who had been dancing in the pavilion had thronged the walkway to get a better view of the singer causing such a stir up on the deck. She couldn’t see past them to the small area where Dev had been spinning his CDs while the band took a break. She stretched her neck in an attempt see over the press of bodies.
“Looking for someone?”
The warm breath on the back of her neck at his whispered words sent a wave of heat through her that had every erogenous zone in her body tingling with desire. Only the fact that they were in full view of the guests kept her from turning and wrapping her arms around him.
Instead, she leaned back against his broad chest and tilted her head to whisper, “You are an amazing man, Dev of the Dream Machine. It appears you can make all my dreams come true tonight.”
Dev didn’t reply but she swore she felt the heat from his body ratchet up several degrees.
Finally, his voice rough with emotion, Dev whispered, “Your wish is my command, darling. Remember that.”
She nodded, smiling to herself at the wishes she intended to make later tonight. His warm breath in her ear peaked her nipples and sent a flash of heat over her skin. She was glad the audience was so taken with Arnold’s singing that they wouldn’t notice her body’s reaction to Dev’s nearness.
“Sometime tonight I am going to dance with you, so make sure you’re down by the dance floor during the band’s final set,” he continued sotto voce.
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dev. Mrs. Wyndham won’t be pleased with the idea of the hired help behaving like guests.”
“By then she’ll have had so much champagne I don’t think she’ll be in any shape to notice. In fact, she’s been flirting with the sax player outrageously since they began playing, so I expect she’ll be too busy to pay any attention to us.” He dropped a tender kiss on the back of her neck. “Surely I deserve one dance for bringing Arnold to this shindig.”
She sighed. He deserved more than a dance, but that could wait till later. Arnold encouraged the guests to get up and dance then began “Let’s Do It” to scattered applause. Following his advice, the dance floor filled. Amanda turned to face him. “You’re irresistible, Mr. MacMurphy. I’ll meet you in the pavilion at midnight.”
For a minute she was afraid he might kiss her, the heat in his eyes was so intense, so she backed away a step and ducked around him to escape to the relative coolness of the deck.
Automatically scanning the area for potential trouble spots, Amanda stayed by the deck railing inhaling the sharp, salty scent of the bay carried by a light breeze. The full moon banished all but the brightest stars from the cloudless sky and the temperature had dropped enough to send a little shiver up her bare back. Better have one of the waiters light the heaters. She swept the room but didn’t see any of the wait staff. Instead she found the Admiral bearing down on her like a schooner under full sail.
“Ms. Adams, good evening.”
“Good evening, Admiral. I hope you’re enjoying your birthday party.”
“You and your partner have done a first-rate job, Ms. Adams. The guests all seem to be having a wonderful time.”
He surveyed the crowd, his eyes lingering on his wife dancing with someone up near the bandstand. Amanda sensed he wasn’t happy about something.
“And you, sir, are you having a good time?”
“Well, these parties aren’t my type of thing. This is really more Mrs. Wyndham’s cup of tea.” He tore his eyes away from the lady in question. “I wanted to thank you for your efforts. Caroline is quite happy, especially with the band and the singer you found. She has always been a big fan of live music and dragged me to more concerts than I can remember.”
“I’m so glad we were able to find someone so talented for tonight, Admiral. I suppose you know it was not until the last minute that your wife requested a singer, so it was quite a challenge.”
“Yes, once she gets an idea in her head she’s harder to turn around than an aircraft carrier.” He gave a brief chuckle. “I was curious where you found the combo. They remind me of another group that used to be one of Caroline’s particular favorites.”
“Actually I asked one of the men from the quintet my dad used to play with. He gave me the names of this group and a couple of others to check out. Mrs. Wyndham did mention that you and she had seen the Alex Carr Quintet on a number of occasions, back when my dad was playing saxophone.”
The sharp look the Admiral shot her took her by surprise. But seconds later his genial smile was back in place, forcing her to wonder if she’d imagined it. He certainly was a strange bird. She decided to switch to a topic more to his liking.
“I understand your birthday present is a new boat, Admiral. If the ice sculpture is any indication, it will be beautiful. Will she be delivered soon?”
“Can’t deliver her till the channel to the dock is dredged. Right now the water isn’t deep enough to float her. I wanted to start that weeks ago but Caroline was afraid the machinery would ruin the ‘atmosphere’ for this party.”
He sounded a little disgruntled but resigned to his wife’s priorities. No doubt he would have been happier to have his boat sooner and skip the party altogether.
Amanda hid her smile at the idea the Admiral ordered hundreds of sailors around but couldn’t overrule Mrs. Wyndham’s plans.
“Well, I hope it doesn’t take long to do the dredging. I know you must be anxious to take the helm.”
He gave her another sideways glance and Amanda ordered herself to shut up. She knew little about boats and the Admiral’s aura of command intimidated her. Did captains ‘take the helm’ on anything less grand than ocean liners? She had no idea. This conversation was uncomfortable on a number of levels. She was about to come up with an invented task to use as an escape mechanism when he nodded abruptly, thanked her again, and headed toward the bar. Relieved, she went to find Zoe. After checking that there were no problems, she headed for the bandstand. She needed to speak to Arnold.
Dev surveyed the couples that crowded the dance floor and congratulated himself for his part in making this party the fantastic success it was. Standing behind the small table on the landing that led from the pavilion down to the dock, he stacked his CDs in the order he intended to play them—barring requests from the party goers. They loved this music and asked for any of the big hits from the forties the live band and Arnold hadn’t already performed. Arnold was a smash and even though most of the women here were a good deal older, he was still getting phone numbers tucked into his pockets from a few cougars in the crowd.
Dev put “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” on and searched the group for Amanda. The band was about due back from their break to start their last set and he intended to have his dance while he wasn’t needed to man the recorded music desk.
Both Zoe and Amanda had checked in with him several times as the evening wore on, each barely able to contain their delight that everything was going so well. What a great kick-off for their new event-p
lanning business. Word would be all over town by tomorrow considering how many of the locals they had hired to help out tonight.
He caught the column of red that was Mrs. Wyndham chatting with friends up by the bar. She appeared to be enjoying herself, though she wasn’t spending much time on the Admiral’s arm. He saw her glance over at the band’s empty chairs as though anxious for them to return. They had been gone for a little over thirty minutes now, and sharp as that lady was, she probably had a stopwatch on their break time. She broke into a wide smile and excused herself from the group she was with to make her way over as the band members returned. She whispered something in the ear of the sax player—probably a request for some favorite song—and he nodded. Dev faded out his music as Arnold stepped up to the microphone. He checked his watch. Five minutes to midnight. Time to find Amanda and claim his dance.
The crowd on the dance floor thinned as couples headed toward the main deck for the band and Arnold’s final set. He opened with “Taking a Chance on Love” and Dev watched Amanda come down the walkway, her slender form and the graceful sway of her hips taking his breath away as usual. He met her at the edge of the dance floor. The fairy lights seemed to put twinkling stars in her eyes and her tender smile had his heart pounding double-time.
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