Page 45 of Mountain Security

She sighed. It wasn’t hard to answer his question, but it was hard to decide just how much detail to go into. She didn’t want to fob Alex off with the generic answer she gave most people, aboutwanting to make a difference. Alex deserved better.

“My mother named me Yvette because she thought it sounded sophisticated and lady-like. She took it from a soap opera she used to watch whenever she had a day off. And she didn’t have many of those. She worked a lot before my father died, and worked even harder afterwards, so my sister and I wouldn’t starve. But she gave me that name, not because she liked it, but because she thought it sounded like the kind of name that would give me the best chance in life.” She paused and took a deep breath. When she started speaking again, she could hear her voice shaking.

“Jesus, Yvette,” Alex said, and though his expression was rigid, his cobalt blue eyes were full of emotion.

“I went into politics to ensure all children, regardless of their name or of who their parents are, have the same chance of being successful in life. And Pierre believes the same thing. That’s what we’re working to change.”

Speak of the devil.

Pierre knocked on the door, looking haggard and tired.

And he hasn’t even heard about the missing keyloggers yet.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said. “I need to move our lunch appointment. Something urgent has come up.”

“Do you need help with anything, Pierre?” Yvette asked. At some point, she was going to have to be more direct and ask him what was going on.

“No. No. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Tonight?” she asked, surprised.

“You haven’t forgotten about the event, have you?”

Shit.

Completely.

“No, of course not. I’ll be there early, Pierre.”

When the mayor was gone, she looked up at Alex. “Something’s going on with Pierre. I’ll speak with him tonight.”

“What’s tonight?”

“You ever heard of the Pre-Christmas Ball?” she asked.

“No. But it sounds awful.”

Yvette laughed. “Well, the town’s biggest donors love it. I hope you have a tux.”

15

* * *

Yvette

Not only does he own a tuxedo, he looks damn fine in it, as well.

Even from across the room, it was impossible not to notice just how well the jacket fit him.

“Un bel homme,” Celine said. Unsurprisingly, their Head of Protocol looked perfectly put together tonight. She was one of those women who had managed to go gray without looking old. Tonight, her effortless silver bob paired beautifully with her elegant black gown.

“He is,” Yvette said honestly. She and Celine, while not friends, had always worked well together, and Yvette valued the woman’s intellect and sharp intuition.

Of course, she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of said intuition.

“You look nice as well,” Celine said, looking her up and down, a knowing look in her eyes.

Yvette felt her skin heat, and hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. She’d gone home early to change and had spent half an hour trying on everything in her closet before deciding on the sleeveless emerald green V-neck dress with crystal appliques on the waist and shoulders.

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