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detail.” Sylvia poked her husband’s chest with her forefinger. “Listen to me. It’s our property. You don’t intend to back down and give it to them because they insist, do you?” Sylvia barked out a laugh. “What am I saying? Of course you do. You always take the easiest road.”
    â€œThe doors are opening,” Emily said.
    Sylvia swiveled her head to the right. “Look, there’s Tina. I’ll get her to secure the two best seats.” Abandoning her husband, she charged in the direction of their niece, a long-limbed, dark-haired, twenty-year-old who was an usher at the theater. Tina often stopped into The Nook Café to talk about food with Katie. She hoped to become a chef, but first she needed to graduate from junior college. She didn’t seem thrilled to see Sylvia approaching.
    â€œWell, that was fun,” Shane gibed.
    â€œFun? Ha!” Emily said. “She’s so evil, I’m surprised no one has done her in yet.” She cut a quick look at Ronald. “Sorry, sir, that was rude of me.”
    â€œForget it,” Ronald said. “You’re not the first to utter the words. You won’t be the last.”

Chapter 4

    A fter the movie, Rhett and I headed downstairs to The Nook Café. The sun was setting as we arrived. An orange-pink glow graced the horizon. A number of families with picnic baskets and blankets were filing through the archway between the café and Beaders of Paradise to take the stairs to the public beach below. Their happy chatter mixed with the caws of hungry seagulls made me smile.
    Rhett opened the door to the café and allowed me to pass through first. A solo guitarist seated at the far end of the restaurant was singing a lovely rendition of “Cielito Lindo,” a song I remembered from my school days, the title roughly translated as
lovely sweet one
. A few of the engagement party guests sang softly along with the chorus, “Ay, ay, ay, ay.”
    â€œHey, you two.” Bailey, dressed in a sparkly summer shift with metallic sandal heels and noisy, fun jewelry, dodged a knot of people and met us at the entrance. “I’m so glad you’re here! Hello, handsome.” She kissed Rhett on the cheek. “And you. Very chic.”
    She gave me a boa constrictor–worthy hug.
Oof!
This close up, I could feel her heart chugging double time. Was she nervous or excited?
    â€œFollow me,” she said. “I’ll show you to your table. There are nametags at all the places. I know, because I put them there.”
Nervous.
She was talking so fast I could barely make out the words. “How was the movie?” She threw a look over her shoulder. “Tell me all about it. Were there lots of people?”
    â€œSlow down,” I said. “Breathe.”
    â€œI am breathing.”
    â€œCalmly.”
    Bailey giggled. “Yeah. I guess I’m a little uptight. I want the night to be perfect with a capital
P
. Tell me about the movie.”
    â€œIt was a blast. Even though everyone knew the ending, we all cheered when Gary Cooper won.”
    â€œLet’s hear it for men in white hats.” Bailey spun around and high-fived me, nearly knocking me off balance. “Oops. Sorry.” She steadied me. “Don’t know my own strength.” She scooted ahead and stopped at a setting for ten. “Here we are. This is the head table. Jenna, you sit there.” She pointed. “Rhett, you’re next to her.”
    â€œOoh,” I cooed, noticing the table decorations. Yes, the tables were covered with white tablecloths, per usual, but the centerpieces—a trio of tall rectangular vases filled with blue orchids and floating candles, each vase tied with blue gingham ribbon—were new and elaborate. On a side bar to our left sat an array of similar floral vases as well as photographs of the happy couple and their families. “Did you put all this