Page 181 of Pucking Wild

I look up at Ilmari, giving him a little nudge with my elbow. “Wanna go meet the gopher tortoise?”

An hour later,I’m trapped in the middle of a nest of vipers, also known as city council members. Ilmari slipped this particular net fifteen minutes ago, and I’ve just been trapped here with my empty wine glass, pretending to listen as Bill Peterson pulls attention away from tonight’s cause yet again and back onto rezoning for a golf course.

This is such bullshit. None of these old turkeys are even going to donate to Out of the Net. They’re only here because we need them to be on our side when we introduce our joint proposal with the North Florida Land Trust this summer to expand current preserved land areas near a popular sea turtle nesting site.

We’re calling that phase two. Phase one is establishing our organization, building a donor base, and getting our name out there. Phase two is enacting meaningful change and pushing for better protections of sea turtle nesting grounds along the Jacksonville beaches.

But I can kiss ass with the best of them. The Bill Petersons of the world will always stand in the way of progress, so you have to find ways to either charm them or work around them. For now, I’m sticking with charm.

He makes some golf joke that has the other three laughing. I flash the fakest smile you’ve ever seen, using my empty glass as a cover when I raise it to my lips and say, “Oh—well, will you look at that? Empty.” I tap the side of my glass with my manicured fingernail. “Excuse me gentlemen, won’t you?”

They release me with polite nods, and I slip away, hurrying off in the direction of the cash bar. The bottom of my dress swishes around my ankles. It’s a cute, ocean blue number with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a sweetheart bodice. The dress reaches the floor, with knee-high slits to either side. I’ve paired the look with my hair up and some fake, chunky emeralds in my ears.

Rachel meets me halfway to the cash bar, a glass of white wine clutched in either hand. She holds one out to me. “I was on my way to rescue you.”

“My hero,” I sigh, taking a sip of the chilled chardonnay. I glance over my shoulder to make sure I’m far enough away before adding, “Those might be the three dullest men on the planet.”

“But they all sit on the city council,” she says with a shrug, leading the way over to a standing table where Caleb waits, guarding several small plates of food. “I made him get you one of everything,” she says, gesturing at the plates.

“Oh, I can’t eat now,” I say with a wave of my hand. “I need to mingle—”

“Tess—” She grabs my arm to reel me back in. “Look around you, hon. It’s a smash hit. People are already saying we should do this again next year. Take a second, take a breath, and eat some food.”

I glance down at the rainbow array of appetizers. “Ooo, did you try the mac and cheese?” I snatch up the mini serving, complete with panko breadcrumbs browned on top. I couldn’t believe it when the caterer had it on her menu.

“Yeah, it’s delicious,” Rachel replies.

“I ate, like, six of them,” Caleb adds. “What’s in it? Crab?”

“Lobster,” I say, taking a bite. The white cheddar is melty and warm around the noodles, pairing well with the sweet notes of the lobster meat. “Ohgod,that’s good.”

My stomach has been growling for the last thirty minutes, but I’ve been too busy to eat. I finish my helping of mac and cheese in four bites, then I pop a couple bacon-wrapped dates before munching on the crudités.

“You all good?” Caleb says at Rachel. “Need anything?”

“We’re good,” she replies, smiling up at him. “Thanks, babe.”

He leans over the table, pecking her lips before wandering off in the direction where all the other Rays have congregated. I glance around him to see Ryan mingling in the mix. He’s been casting me flirty winks and smiles all evening.

“Cay seems to be settling into married life,” I say, nibbling on another carrot stick.

Rachel smiles. “He’s my mystery boy. The other two are so easy to figure out. Ilmari because he does exactly what he wants when he wants, and Jake because he has no filter and speaks his every thought and desire out loud. Cay is harder to read. He makes us all work for it.”

“But you like a challenge,” I say. “If they were all easy to read, you’d get bored.”

“True,” she says, taking a sip of her wine.

“So…that thing about the pageant babies—”

“Notpregnant,” she says, cutting me off. “Are you kidding me? We only just got married. I have four very big personalities living in one house. Five if we count Poseidon—”

“Which we do,” I chime.

“We all need time to settle. I want us to feel like…us,” she says, not finding a better word. “We need to be us before we can be more.”

“But you want more? Eventually, I mean?”

“Oh, yeah,” she says with a smile, and my stupid little heart flutters for her. “We all do. And yes, if and when I spawn, I will name you their godmother,” she adds.

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