“I do,” she assured her child with a laugh.
Once we were all seated, Palmer reached his hand out to me. “We haven’t met, but I’ve seen you around, waiting to pick up Cel.”
Taking the offered hand quickly and then letting go—cold and damp I was not a fan of—I smiled at him. “And I’ve seen you putting everyone through their paces. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I saw your new work,Brocéliande, last year when I was in Washington, DC, and it was phenomenal. I’m looking forward to the fundraiser and seeing yourSwan LakeDeconstructed.”
He put his hand over his heart and gave me a deep nod. “Thank you so much.Thatballet was such a joy to create and cast.”
It was odd, but he looked almost like he was going to cry. It seemed as though he was remembering a much happier time and was nostalgic. As I studied him, I noted the dark bags under his eyes, how gaunt he appeared, and how pale his skin was. What was also interesting was how he was sitting in his chair. He was turned so that he was not at all in Senan’s space. As they were lovers, the purposeful separation seemed peculiar.
“And thank you for your kind words on my present production. I’m certain Celso’s told you that there have been some hiccups.”
“No,” I lied quickly. “All he’s said is how excited he is to work with you.”
He glanced at Cel. “Really.”
“Of course,” Cel said, his voice sounding hollow.
The manager showed up then, welcoming the mayor’s wife and her party to the restaurant. She asked everyone if there were any dietary restrictions, and before I could open my mouth, Cel answered.
“I’m vegetarian, and he’s Jewish,” he explained, smiling.
“Not an issue in the least,” she assured us. “We have excellent replacements.”
“That’s amazing,” Cel replied, and her face lit up. He was Celso Harrington after all.
The servers arrived then, asking each of us if we would like the wine and sake pairing or the juice pairing if we didn’t drink alcohol. Cel and I both picked the booze.
I wasn’t listening to what the food was as it was brought out, instead enjoying watching Cel hold court.
“Already I can tell you, we’re going to have to get burgers,” I muttered, leaning sideways to whisper in his ear when the first course came out on a spoon.
“As you wish,” he said like I was stupid, patting my knee.
I had my arm around the back of his chair, so I lifted it from there, put it around his shoulders, and drew him close. “Don’t make fun of me in front of serious people,” I warned him, trying not to smile.
He snorted, turned his head to say something in my ear, but I was still close, so his parted lips grazed my jaw. The shiver that went through me was unexpected. Stranger still was that when he chuckled and cupped my cheek before he leaned back to have another sip of wine, I was left feeling like I’d been dropped through a trapdoor. Like the floor had suddenly given way under me. I had no idea what was going on.
“So, Lydia,” Cel began, “tell us what you’re looking for from the marshals service. Anything beyond actual security with CPD backing them up?”
“Oooh, you know the lingo,” she said playfully.
“Not much to parse,” he told her. “It’s pretty cut-and-dried.”
She nodded and then explained to him, not me, that she wanted all the marshals in tuxedos and would be beyond grateful if the chief deputy would smile.
Cel turned to me. “Can you deliver a smile from your boss?”
I grimaced, and she laughed.
“No, huh?” she teased me.
“The Chief Deputy does not enjoy black-tie affairs,” I told her, chuckling.
“Oh, I know,” she replied, shaking her head. “And what’s funny is that he has the loveliest daughter, with whom I’ve been to many events. They could not be more different.”
Just then the roses were delivered to the table in a gorgeous crystal vase.
“Oh my, those are beautiful,” she gushed, and Cel told her they were from my office and had the server place them on the sideboard near the table.