Killer Summer, Lynda Curnyn [books suggested by bill gates .txt] 📗

when it comes to that kid. She’s taking Sophia out to see family early tomorrow and she didn’t want me bringing her back on the boat late at night.”

A boat? Well, that was even more promising. A beach house, a beautiful man and a boat. He was getting better by the minute. “I didn’t know you kept a boat, Vince.”

“Of course.” He smiled at me. “I love being out on the water.”

And I’d love to be out on the water with him.

“Let me get you a drink, buddy,” Tom said, leading Vince into the living room.

A moment later Zoe came in through the sliding glass door in running shorts and a T-shirt. “What’s going on?” she asked, looking at the spread.

“What’s going on is dinner, Zoe. I told you we were celebrating my promotion tonight. Where’ve you been?”

“I had a photo shoot,” she said sarcastically, as she yanked on her sweaty T-shirt. “Where do you think I’ve been? Did a nice long run. All the way out to the Jones Beach Tower. Remember that thing we used to pass on the way to Jones Beach? We called it the giant penis, remember? Oh— Hi!” Zoe said, her face turning red when she spotted Vince, who had just returned to the kitchen, martini in hand, with Tom.

“Vince was at the Fourth of July party, but I’m not sure you two have had a chance to meet yet,” I said, eager to introduce them. I had already told Zoe a little about Vince. Though she was surprised at my attraction for a man with a kid, she gave a somewhat tentative approval, seeing as I had at least set my sights on someone with a little stability in his life. “Zoe, this is Vince, Vince, Zoe.“ Then I smiled. ”I’ve probably known Zoe for about as long as you’ve known Tom, Vince. She’s my oldest friend.“

“After Nick, of course,” Zoe said. “You’ve known Nick longer.”

“Only by about six months. We all went to high school together.”

“Now that’s scary, huh, Vince?” Tom said. “We’ve got as many years of friendship between us and we’ve only known each other since the beginning of Luxe.”

“Age is just a number,” I said, smiling again at Vince.

“So, Sage tells me you have a daughter,” Zoe said.

I watched Vince nod, his glance moving to me briefly. Did she have to make it so obvious that I had been chatting away about him? “Zoe, don’t you think you ought to take a shower before we eat?”

Zoe caught my look, thank God. I feared she was going to go into her usual rapid-fire line of questioning. And the last thing I needed was for Vince to be uncomfortable. He was a guest at my party.

But he wasn’t, I discovered, a short while later, the only single male guest. Because just moments after I had sat down on the back patio for some pre-dinner cocktails with Vince, Tom, a freshly-showered Zoe and an ultra-primped Francesca, Nick came home, with none other than Les Wolf in tow.

“Hey,” Nick said, his smile broad as he slid open the door, allowing him and Les to step outside.

I narrowed my gaze at him. No wonder he had been so vague about the guest he’d told me he was bringing.

“Sage, you remember Les, right?”

“Hello, Les,” I said, smiling tightly as Nick introduced Les around. I watched as Les mumbled “hello” at everyone. It didn’t take me long to figure out just what Nick was up to, if the way Les kept glancing at me was any indication. I was going to kill Nick for trying to use my celebration to serve his stupid little schemes. He knew I wasn’t interested in Les. In fact, the guy creeped me out, especially the way he stared at me all night at Don Hill’s last week.

As it turned out, however, I didn’t have to worry about Nick’s scheme, because Francesca latched on to Les from the minute he sat down, leaving him to stare numbly at the considerable cleavage she was sporting tonight.

But Nick wasn’t the only one trying to rain on my parade tonight. Because once Donnie and Amanda Havens arrived, Zoe took over.

“I’d like to propose a second toast,” Zoe said, once we were seated around the dinner table and Tom had finished a lovely little speech in my honor. “To Maggie.”

I nearly choked on the champagne I’d just sipped.

Not that anyone else noticed.

In fact, Donnie said, “Here, here. After all, it is the three week anniversary of her death. May she rest in peace.”

“God, I still can’t believe she’s gone,” Amanda said, her eyes beginning to tear up as she touched her glass to her lips.

“Did you know her well?” Zoe asked, standing to refill everyone’s glasses.

“Maggie and Amanda grew up together,” Tom said, his expression turning grim as he held out his glass to Zoe to fill.

“If it wasn’t for Maggie,” Donnie said, “I wouldn’t even be working for Luxe, isn’t that right, Tom?”

Tom smiled. “That’s right. It was Maggie who brought us together.”

“I don’t think I knew that,” Vince said.

“Oh, yes,” Amanda chimed in, “Donnie was out of work, and Maggie talked to Tom, and the rest, as they say, is history. She was always so good to us.”

“To Maggie, then,” Vince said, raising his glass.

“To Maggie,” everyone echoed, clinking glasses.

Of course, I toasted, too. I mean, I had something to be grateful to Maggie for, too—her job. Even so, I resented Zoe for turning the tide of my dinner party. Because turn the tide she did. Soon enough, Donnie and Amanda began reminiscing about Maggie, the dinner parties she threw, the generosity she showed to everyone around her. Even Vince went on a jag about how Maggie had cooked many a meal for both him and Tom when Vince came back from China and his wife surprised him with a divorce. “I don’t know what I would have done without her and Tom to help me through that tough time,” he said, his