The Begonia Bribe Read Free Page B

asked.
    “Why wouldn’t it be?” Petunia sneered.
    Cam started to help, but Annie pushed past. “Let me do it first. She won’t refuse me,” she whispered.
    It was true. Petunia liked Annie a lot, in spite of Annie being Cam’s best friend and the daughter of a former state senator, a position Petunia’s reverse-snob tendencies would normally shun. It was largely because they both were a bit snarky, though Annie’s snark held significantly more humor than Petunia’s, in Cam’s opinion. But Annie also shared Petunia’s reverse classism.
    Cam waited until Annie had grabbed a box without being yelled at before she joined. Petunia still glared but didn’t stop Cam from taking a tray.
    “Dining room!” Cam called. She hoped they’d find it. The parties Spoons had catered at the Patricks’ before had been outside or upstairs. When Cam arrived at the room, she was relieved to see Petunia opening wine bottles and Nick heading back outside for the last bowls of fettuccine.
    The table looked lovely. Cam had rarely seen a table that could comfortably seat thirty—most dining rooms couldn’t hold one—but this one had extra room. It was set elegantly with the Patricks’ fine china and crystal glassware.
    “Are you two staying?”
    Petunia shook her head decisively. “You’ll get the pans, won’t you, Cam?” Petunia blinked innocently. Cam found her sarcasm annoying.
    “We’ll be back in about ninety minutes,” Nick said, taking his wife by the elbow. “We need to get the dessert, which is ice cream.” Cam knew it was for the best if they left anyway.
    “Sheesh. Petunia’s crabbier than usual, isn’t she?” Annie said.
    “No kidding,” Cam agreed. For Annie to say it, it had to be pretty obvious.
    Cam started to follow Petunia to see if there was a real problem, but was intercepted by a very late Jimmy Meares—probably the parker who had been in Nick’s way. Jimmy was Kyle Lance’s manager. Kyle was the tween pop star who had agreed to help with the pageant, and Cam thought it was cheeky of Jimmy to show up without Kyle, but she led him upstairs. She waited about ten minutes before she called the guests down to supper as Annie took pictures to document the gathering.
    * * *
    I n the dining room, Cam suggested seating as people came in. She hoped to avoid the judge issues, so she sat Clancy Huggins and Telly Stevens at opposite ends on the same side of the table. She tried to alternate sponsors, pageant staff, and media, hoping it would encourage camaraderie, and took the last empty chair between Barbara Mackay, the third judge, and Jimmy Meares for herself.
    “He did
not
just spike his tea.” Evangeline’s voice was quiet, but she looked scandalized. Cam thought only she, Neil, and Barbara had heard, but all of them turned to see Telly Stevens pouring from a silver flask into his goblet of sweet tea.
    Evangeline made a point of pouring wine. It wasn’t as if they were asking people to teetotal. There’d been cocktails upstairs, and Cam wondered why Mr. Stevens hadn’t just brought a drink down if he preferred bourbon over wine.
    Each quadrant of the table had a large bowl of pasta and one of salad, along with garlic bread, fancy olives, and fresh Parmesan. Cam helped her neighbors get served before serving herself.
    When everyone had full plates, she surveyed the table. For the most part, people looked content. Cam thought it was possible Telly had his hand on Trish Tait’s leg, but Trish didn’t seem to object, and Judith Towers-Stevens was engaged in conversation with Holden Hobbes, who Cam knew could be terribly charming.
    She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when her scanning reached her dad, down a few chairs on the same side of the table as she sat. Older women always latched onto him, and there he sat, with Lydia Fennewick on one side and Nell Norton on the other. Both looked completely enthralled by some story he was telling. Thankfully Nell was happily married, so this was