He met her eyes. “Yes, Avery, we’re all set. We’ll be right down.”
CODY SCANNED THE CROWDED BAR. A trio currently occupying the stage played something soft and bluesy. Two couples danced on the small parquet floor.
Between the glow of the overhead chandeliers and the light provided by the candles on the tables, he could see everyone. And if the even ratio of men and women at the bar and tables was any indication, Avery’s Singles Mixer was achieving its goal.Brie was safely tucked away in a booth for now with Reese, Molly and another woman who’d been introduced to him as Miss Emmy Lou Pritchard, the town librarian.
The men were in position. Colonel Jenkins, a man Cody had met on his previous visit, was standing near the exit door at the far end of the bar. It opened into a corridor that accessed the gardens and meeting rooms. Jenkins reminded him of Paul Newman in his later movies, and although he had to be in his early sixties, Cody figured the colonel could handle Radtke’s partner if the man entered or tried to exit using that door.
No one who came anywhere near fitting the description of Ichabod Crane was in the bar right now. That didn’t surprise Cody. The man hadn’t evaded capture this long by being careless. And the death of his partner must have made him wary.
The way Cody figured it, Radtke’s partner would spend as little time in the bar as he could—just long enough to take out his target.
When the knot in his stomach tightened, Cody firmly ignored it.
Nate had positioned himself at the archway to the lobby. He had his deputy, Tim, stationed behind the reception desk. If their hit man entered the bar from that direction, Nate would have him.
Mac stood at the bar a few feet away from the women, and Avery was circulating among the guests. Cody had chosen a position next to one of the tall potted trees that framed the little stage. His vantage point gave him a good view of all parts of the bar with the exception of the lobby. It also put him within a few feet of Brie once she climbed onto that piano.
He thought he had everything covered. Then again, that’s what he’d thought from the moment he’d taken Maxine Norville’s call. He’d been so positive he could do the job. But the feeling was still there, nagging at him—he was missing something.
He shifted his gaze back to Brie and put it out of his mind. For now, he needed to focus all his attention on keeping her safe.
REESE TAPPED A FINGER on the parchment envelope beneath the folded hands of the woman seated across from her. “Now that you’ve drawn it out of the box, you have to read it, Miss Emmy Lou.”
“I never should have taken it,” Miss Emmy Lou said. “I’m too old for this.”Molly leaned forward. “My grandmother always said, ‘The day you’re too old for dreams, you’re ready to push up daisies.’”
“Happy thought,” Miss Emmy Lou said. “But you’re probably right. It’s just that—”
“You’re nervous about what you’ll find,” Reese finished for her.
Miss Emmy Lou nodded. “Scared to death.”
“You should have seen me earlier today,” Molly said. “My hands were shaking.”
“And Reese had to practically dare me to open mine,” Brie said. Sitting at the table and talking about Hattie’s fantasies had eased some of her tension. At least it had gotten her mind off of Cody.
But even as the thought occurred to her, she slid her gaze to where he stood near the stage. He’d be there, she told herself, her guardian angel, when Avery finally introduced her.
“Taking out that parchment was the best thing I ever did,” Reese said.
“Ditto.” Brie and Molly spoke at the same time.
Reese narrowed her eyes on them. “You two act pretty fast.”
“Once I saw what was on my parchment, I realized I’d wasted way too much time,” Molly said. She slipped it out of her pocket and read aloud: “‘You will recapture all of the sensuous delights you discovered with your first love.’ After I read it, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted. That’s been my fantasy ever since I returned to the island.”
“You’re still in love with Nate,” Reese said. “I thought the fantasy was supposed to get you beyond that.”
“That was the plan,” Molly admitted. “But when I read it this afternoon, something shifted in my mind. It started me thinking. When I was seventeen, my big dream was to go to fashion school in New York. Then Nate and I started dating and I knew that he was the one. I’m not sure I can explain it—but it’s a feeling you get right in your gut. And you know.”
“Yeah,” Reese agreed with a smile.
Brie only managed a nod. The fact that she knew exactly what Molly was talking about sent her stomach into freefall. Cody couldn’t be the one for her. He was her onetime fling.
“The thing is—if Nate hadn’t dumped me, I would have stayed here,” Molly continued. “I never would have left him to go to New York. So, I had a talk with him this afternoon.”
“Just a talk?” Reese asked.
“Yeah.” She made a little face. “He’s working on something. But I asked him, point blank, if he dumped me on purpose so that I’d go to fashion school. And he admitted that he had. As it turns out, he still has some crazy idea that I only came back here because my grandmother got ill. He thinks I still want to go back to New York.”
“What did you do then?” Brie asked.
Molly smiled slowly. “I set him straight on that. And—” she turned her palm over to reveal a key card “—I’m going to meet him in his room later to finish our discussion. Only we’re going to do a lot more than talk.”
Reese clapped her hands together, and Brie found herself joining in the applause.
Then Molly turned to Miss Emmy Lou. “Your turn.”
“You don’t have to tell anyone what it is,” Reese reminded her.
Brie noted that before she opened the envelope, Miss Emmy Lou’s gaze shifted, too—all the way to the back of the bar. The instant the older woman turned her attention to the envelope, Brie risked a glance over her shoulder. A tall man with distinguished-looking gray hair stood near the door. He reminded her a bit of Paul Newman. By the time she looked back at Miss Emmy Lou, the woman was frowning at the opened paper.
“Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to fit,” Reese said. “Hattie works in mysterious ways.”
“I’m supposed to discover all the joys of being with a younger man.” Miss Emmy Lou blushed. “At my age.”
“I checked Colonel Jenkins out online last month after he asked you to have coffee with him,” Molly said. “He’s only eight years younger than you are.”
Brie glanced over her shoulder again. “We’re talking about the Paul Newman look-alike standing near the back door, right?”
“Correct,” Reese said. “He’s also the son of Hattie’s lover. And Samuel Jenkins the first was at least ten years younger than Hattie.”
“That was then,” Miss Emmy Lou said.
“And this is now,” Brie said. “Age isn’t such a big deal anymore. Look at Demi Moore and that Ashton whatever his name is.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Avery approaching. Her cue was coming up, and she never missed one.
“My advice to you, Miss Emmy Lou, is to grab him. He’s a hottie.” Then, drawing in a deep breath, Brie looked at Reese. “Has anyone ever drawn a second fantasy out of the box?”
“Not that I know of.”
Brie turned to Avery. “I’d like another crack at the box after I sing.”
“Fine with me.” He gave her his megawatt smile as he led her toward the stage.
As he introduced her, Brie’s eyes collided again with Cody’s. Yeah. She had a different fantasy in mind entirely for Cody Marsh. And the first chance she got, she was going to let him know.
CODY KEPT BRIE IN HIS peripheral vision as Avery drew her onto the small stage and lifted her onto the piano. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Avery said. “We have a special treat tonight. New York City lounge singer Brie Sullivan has agreed to perform for us.”
There was a smattering of applause. The bass player and the saxophonist joined Avery as he left the stage. Conversation faded as the light from the overhead chandeliers dimmed.Out of the corner of his eye, Cody was aware that Brie crossed her legs and leaned back against her hands. Chanteuse position. He might have smiled, but he kept his focus on the guests, scanning faces. Avery had begun his circuit around the U-shaped bar. He, too, watched the crowd.
Then she started singing. Without any accompaniment at first. Just her voice. Soft and dreamy, it slowly swelled until it filled the room and went straight to his gut. After a few bars, the piano came in beneath her.
It was an old song, “Someone to Watch Over Me.” But he’d never heard it sung with such wistful sadness, such longing. It tugged at something deep inside of him.
And he wasn’t the only one being pulled in. The room had gone quiet. Everyone within his view was watching Brie. Cody focused on the faces, knowing Nate, the colonel, Avery and Mac were doing the same.
When the last note hung on the air and then faded, the crowd burst into applause. Cody joined them, but he kept his gaze on the faces. The only expression that stood out was Mac Davies’. He looked surprised. Cody stiffened, but when he caught Mac’s eye, the man shook his head.