Page 20 of Denying Davis
“Thanks. I need at least three more trays of that.”
I set about doing the task, grateful she’d given me something mindless and easy to do as I counted down to the start of the party. When I finished the four trays, I moved on to a platter of miniature cheeseburgers and then to bite-sized crab cakes. Like at many of the parties in Palm Beach, the hosts had ordered too much food. Most of the socialites in town spent half their time at events turning it down, and their husbands refused it too out of principle. No one wanted to appear greedy during times when every conversation and every movement had implications.
Before long, the guests had arrived in the garden, a string quartet played, and some of Palm Beach’s richest and most well-connected residents mingled under twinkling lights as the team from Haute Holidays served craft cocktails and bite-sized quiches rebranded with exotic names. I forced a smile onto my face and hoped it would hide the tiredness that swept through my bones.
“Would you like a brie tartlet?” I asked one man, who I vaguely recognized as a former cabinet official I’d seen on several twenty-four-hour news networks. “They’re delicious.”
Not that I’d had a chance to eat any.
“Just one,” the man said then chuckled along with the woman hanging off his arm. She looked to be in her mid-fifties, but her tight skin and puffed lips told me she’d already undergone several rounds with a plastic surgeon. The man popped the appetizer in his mouth and slid a glance at the woman. “Maybe two.”
He took another piece off my tray just as I noticed Davis walk up behind him.
Oh God.My stomach lurched then pushed into my legs, and I cursed myself inside. Of course, Davis would be at this party. Of course, he wouldn’t miss it. And of course, I would run into him.
Even I could tell this party featured Palm Beach’s wealthiest residents, and Davis had never been anything but one of them.
“Secretary Newman,” Davis said, looking right through me. “It’s so wonderful to see you again.” He held out a broad hand.
The secretary shook it. “Likewise, Davis. Fantastic to run into you. And it’s great to be home from Washington.”
“DC is nothing but a swamp.” Davis wrinkled his nose. “A necessary one, though.”
“Sadly.” Secretary Newman and the woman next to him laughed. “As long as we keep making money and the Dow keeps going up, my work is done.”
I took a step to leave, but the secretary gestured at my half-full platter.
“How about a brie tartlet?” he asked Davis. “Maybe two?”
“Oh, yes, I wondered who had the food around here.” For the first time since walking up to us, he allowed his attention to slide over to me. A smile pulled at his lips. “How do they taste?”
“Delicious,” I replied, and my toes curled inside the thick black shoes I wore as part of my Haute Holidays uniform. “Exceptional. That’s what we strive for.”
“They’re okay. Perhaps a little bit too salty,” Secretary Newman interjected. “About what you’d expect in a place like this, on a night like this.”
“Well, let me try one then,” Davis said, his gaze fixed on me, and his eyes locked with mine. Without breaking it, he took a tartlet off the tray and popped it into his mouth. “Mmm,” he said after chewing it a few times. “I think you were right.”
“I usually am,” I muttered, unable to help myself.
“Davis, since we ran into each other tonight, I want to talk with you about the merger your grandfather is putting together between Armstrong Atlantic Sugar and Downton Global. You’ll need congressional approval.” He lowered his voice. “And while I probably shouldn’t mention it, I have a few inside tips for you on that.”
Davis raised a hand. “All of that can wait for one night, I think.” He raised his eyebrow. “Do we really have to talk about the family business?”
“Of course not.” Secretary Newman took another piece from my tray and popped it in his mouth. After a swallow, he said, “Especially given an open environment like this one.”
“Why don’t you shoot me an email, and we can set something up?” Davis reached into his jacket pocket and handed the secretary a business card. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.” He turned back to me. “You look a little surprised to see me, Samantha.”
The woman next to Secretary Newman let out a small gasp. “You don’t know her, do you?”
Davis regarded her. “As a matter of fact, I do. Her mother was one of our family’s best employees. That is, until she mysteriously left our employment.”
She scoffed. “I can’t remember the last time I considered myself friends with the help. Probably never.”
“Just not done, right?” Davis stepped closer to me, and I got a strong whiff of sandalwood and lavender. My toes curled a little tighter. “But this woman, and her mother, were always different. Now, will you please excuse us?”
Secretary Newman and his date clucked a few tsks and moved on when the secretary saw someone else he wanted to network with. For a few seconds, we were alone.
My mouth dried up faster than a puddle of water in the Sahara. “I should…I should…um—”
