Page 5 of The Main Event

That made sense. “I saw on the list of upgrades that the ballroom was redone around the same time as the lobby. Do we get a lot of parties?”

“Parties and weddings,” Tammy confirmed. “People come from Boston because they like the small-town feel that we boast in Salem.”

“And there’s a party planner, right?”

Now Tammy outright scowled. “Yes. That would be Daisy Reynolds.”

Her expression told me there was something she was sitting on regarding this Daisy person. “Let’s get a drink in the bar, huh?” I smiled to encourage her, and then led her into the bar. It was a Monday, which I’d learned was one of the slower days of the week, and there were only two people in the bar other than the bartender.

“You’re Levi, right?” I asked the bored-looking man behind the bar.

He immediately straightened and pretended he’d been wiping down the counter. “That’s correct. Levi Gordon.”

“Levi has been with us for four years now,” Tammy volunteered. “He’s a local who gets off on all the witch stuff.” Disdain practically dripped off her tongue.

“You don’t like the witch stuff?” I asked as I hopped onto one of the stools.

“I find it very immature,” Tammy replied without hesitation.

“See, I’ve always loved the witch stuff,” I volunteered. “I don’t get it all, but I like it. The idea of a Halloween town—because that’s basically what Salem is—makes me smile. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.”

“Oh, me too,” Tammy said on a breathless whisper.

I frowned. Wasn’t that the opposite of what she’d just told me?

Seemingly reading my mind, Levi let loose a chuckle. “And here I thought your favorite holiday was Talk Like Shakespeare Day,” he drawled. “That’s April 23rd, in case you’re wondering,” he said to me.

I was amused despite myself. “How do you know that?”

Levi shrugged. “I have a friend who likes tossing out weird fun facts when drinking. I’ve learned many odd things from her.”

“She sounds fun.”

“The friend he’s referring to is the party planner,” Tammy volunteered out of nowhere. “The one you were just asking about.”

I stilled. That was a twist I wasn’t expecting, and yet it wasn’t all that surprising. “Oh. Daisy, right? That’s her name.”

“Daisy Reynolds,” Levi confirmed. “We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.”

“That’s nothing to brag about,” Tammy said darkly.

Levi stuck his tongue out at her, apparently not caring that I was his new boss and that was unprofessional, and then focused on me. “What will it be?”

“It’s a bit early for alcohol, so I’ll just have an iced tea,” I said.

“Me, too.” Tammy shot Levi a sneer, telling me they likely had a tempestuous relationship. If they’d grown up in a town the size of Salem together, though, it was to be expected. In Boston you could go weeks without seeing someone you knew. That was not going to happen in Salem.

Levi provided us with iced teas. He didn’t leave when his job was done, though. “Why were you talking about Daisy? For the record, she does more than plan parties. People love her. She’s … an event.”

“She talks nonstop and acts as if unicorns are going to fly out of her butt at any given moment,” Tammy countered. “She’s not even that organized. Someone else could double the bookings and do her job for less money.”

Levi’s eyebrows looked as if they were on a violent collision course. “People say that about you, too.”

Tammy rolled her eyes. “This conversation really doesn’t concern you, Levi,” she snapped.

“He asked,” Levi replied calmly.

“I really didn’t,” I countered.

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