Pieces Of Us (Angel Sands 6)

her make-up in the mirror. “Has he said something to you?”

“I saw Josh coming out of Dad’s office yesterday,” Lydia told her. “I thought it must be something to do with your divorce.”

“The divorce is final. Everything is done. I never have to see him again.” And neither should her dad. Autumn frowned. Just the thought of him talking to her ex made her stomach contract, especially when she’d asked him not to. “What do you think they were talking about?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Did they look friendly?”

“I don’t know. I was turning the corner and saw Josh walk out of Dad’s office door and into the hallway. I hid so he couldn’t see me. And when I saw Dad, he didn’t mention anything about it. Should I have asked him?”

Autumn sighed. “No. Don’t worry about it. It was probably nothing.” It had better be nothing. She gritted her teeth.

“Maybe he was asking Dad for a loan.”

“Ugh. I hope not. Listen, I gotta go. I’m about to head into a meeting.”

“Ooh, what kind of meeting? Is it with a guy?”

“There will be about fifty guys there. It’s a Chamber of Commerce meeting. I have to give a presentation about my plans for the charity day on the pier.”

“The one next month?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh! I have the most fantastic idea. I’ll come out to see you. I can help you with whatever you need.” Lydia’s voice rose with excitement. “Hey, and maybe I’ll get to meet that guy you keep pretending you don’t like.”

“I didn’t say I don’t like him.” Autumn shook her head with a smile. It was impossible not to be cheered by Lydia’s enthusiasm. “And it would be great to see you if you can make it. But I need to go before they drag me out of the car, okay?”

Lydia laughed. “Okay. Send me all the details and I’ll book a flight. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been forever.”

“It’s been a few weeks,” she pointed out.

“I know. But it’s usually me who flies off into the sunset while you stay in New York. I don’t like it when we reverse roles.”

Autumn shook her head. “Goodbye, Lydia.”

What the hell was Josh doing with her father? She pressed her lips together and climbed out of her car, grabbing her laptop before she walked across the lot to the Beach Club where the Chamber of Commerce was due to meet. They shouldn’t need to talk to each other ever again. Yes, they had mutual acquaintances, since Josh was a commercial realtor and her dad was a real estate lawyer, but there were hundreds of those in Manhattan.

The only conclusion was… her father was doing exactly what she’d asked him not to.

She could hear the babble of conversation before she made it to the ballroom. Shaking her head clear of thoughts – her father and Josh could wait for another day – she pushed the door open and stepped inside, trying to ignore the way everybody turned to stare at her.

* * *

“I’ve managed to secure the decorations for free, and the fairground rides will be set up at a reduced price. The kind owners of Déjà Brew have kindly agreed to do the catering as their contribution to the charity.” Autumn’s gaze roamed across the attendees until she saw Ally grinning out at her. She grinned back. “All we need are volunteers to help set up and assist throughout the day, so if you think you can help, please either come and talk to me after tonight’s meeting, or send me an email – the address is on my card, and you should all have one.” She looked around again. “Does anybody have any questions.”

A slender arm at the front shot up. “What about the restaurant?” Carla Delmonico asked. “I don’t think it’s fair that we have to compete with free refreshments. We’ll lose money.”

“The refreshments are drinks, cakes, and ice cream,” Autumn told her. “I don’t anticipate any competition between those and the restaurant. If anything, the extra influx of people will give you more customers. It should be a win-win for all of us.”

“Delmonico’s is exclusive,” Carla muttered. “Maybe we don’t want those kind of customers.”

Autumn ignored her, painting a smile on her face. “Any other questions?”

A woman on the far side of the room stood. “Is it true you’re going to host weddings on the pier in the future?”

Autumn blinked. Word sure got around fast. She hadn’t even talked to the Delmonico’s about her wedding plans yet. “I’m looking into all options for increasing income from the pier. Running events is one of them.”