Page 13 of To Have and to Scold

“You told me your name was Billy!”

He holds up a hand. “I never said it was Billy, my—”

The woman next to me snaps her fingers. “Oh, since you’re mentioning the other night, I was going to ask you about that.” I think at first that she’s talking to…Beck-not-Billy, but when I turn to look at her, she’s gazing at me. “What happened at the diner with the Kingston’s llama?”

I shoot out a laugh, even though it wasn’t very funny. “The esteemed Prince Harry spat on me.” This causes a round of laughter from the others.

“I happened to be there, Iris,” Beck says. “Dallas was simply enjoying her meal when Prince Harry let his affections be known. That’s all.”

“Georgie in the bakery across the street heard the scream. Said it was quite unsettling,” Iris says.

I’m aware that my mouth is dropped open. My cheeks begin to burn. “Oh! Well, I’m not used to llamas, so…” I laugh, trying to convey that it was not a big deal.

“Dallas.” Beck sighs and leans his bare forearms on the table. “You should feel honored. Prince Harry doesn’t spit on just anyone. And you’ve only been here a couple of days and already you’ve got the tongues wagging.

“And,” he continues, resting his head in his hand. Another splotch of dirt decorates his very capable-looking, muscular forearm. “There’s that actress, what’s her name? Ron Howard’s daughter. She’s called Dallas. So see?” He looks around the table, as if trying to convince everyone. “It’s not such a strange name.”

“Bryce Dallas Howard,” the woman directly across from me says, her finger going in the air. “I just love her. She’s so talented.”

I love her, too, and not just because of her name. Although, I can’t help but feel she really did all women named Dallas a solid when she starred in M. Night Shamalan’sThe Village. Brilliant performance right there. And she’s a ginger like me!

“Agreed all the way around,” Mayor Dobbs says definitively. “And we would do well to leave the comments on gender out of our meetings.”

Mary offers amhmmas she looks down at the meeting agenda. “So, Beck, you’ll get Dallas up to speed on all things Willow Wood Mansion pronto, correct?” She looks over her glasses at Beck and he nods. She turns to me. “Oh, and I have to mention that the very first wedding in the newly remodeled mansion is…drumroll please…Mayor Dobbs’s daughter, Lila’s.”

“The first bride now that Willow Wood is back in the family,” the mayor says. “Isn’t that wonderful? Also Dallas, Beck didn’t take over Integrity Construction from his father very long ago, but I’m confident with his leadership and your experience in the wedding field, you two will make this a successful venture. I have a lot riding on this, both personally and professionally.”

She begins speaking with Beck about permits for the city.

I squirm in my seat, trying to focus on typing notes on my laptop, while taking short breaks to squeeze a stress ball in my pocket.

The very first wedding in the venue is the mayor’s own daughter’s? The mayor…the person whose opinion matters most. The person who is restoring a piece of her family history. It would have been nice to cut my teeth here in Willow Cove on a wedding without the political and social pressure.

And then I have to deal with Beck. Beck-not-Billy is just a lot, filling up all the space in the room with his perfect jeans and perfectly placed splotches of dirt, just begging to highlight the cut of his jaw and the build of the sinews in his forearms.Besides, who smells as good as he does after clearly doing manual labor of some kind? It’s just not fair.

When the meeting ends, I close my computer, stand, and shove it in my bag. Beck is detained by no less than three people swarming him, saying things like, “Did you see the game on Friday?” and something about his mother.

I also overhear one of the women say, “How are you doing? It’s been months since Chloe…” She trails off and I don’t hear his answer.

Huh. Who is Chloe and what did she do months ago?

I slip out of the room and hurry down the hall, my neck growing hot. I just need to get to my office, shut the door, and get to work. I’ll make heads and tails of it all and create a plan to move forward.

Any and all plans I make have to be in keeping ofThe Plan, something that was threatened by letting Holden in my life.

I’ve learned from my mistake.

Except, Beck’s voice rings out behind me right as I open my office door. “Dallas, wait.”

Chapter Five

Beck

I reach the doorway to Dallas’s new office as she plunks her bag on her desk.

“Oh, heyBilly.”Her head tilt is accusatory. She clicks her tongue.

I can’t stop my lips from twitching in a smile. “Sorry about that. It’s a common mistake.”

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