“Happy to do it,” he said.
The voices in the main room rose to a swell. “I think her car just pulled in!” someone squealed.
“Deanna must have arrived,” Lara said, hearing the excitement in her own voice. “Excuse me, Chris, but I need to catch up with Aunt Fran.”
He nodded and waved, and Lara hurried toward the main room. Three long tables covered in lavender linen formed a horseshoe of sorts at the rear of the room. In the center table, three china teapots sat on a silver tray. Delicate and fancy, each teapot was pale pink with a golden spout, the finial at the top shaped like a butterfly.
Twenty or so eager-looking people, most of whom were women, milled about the room. According to Deanna, each of the historical society members had been permitted to bring a spouse or a guest.
The main room evidently had central air, but in Lara’s opinion it could have been ten degrees cooler. She spied Aunt Fran chatting with a sixtysomething woman in a garish orange muumuu. Her aunt spotted her and motioned her over.
“Lara, this is Joy Renfield. She owns a tea shop in Moultonborough, and she also reads tealeaves.”
The woman, whose graying hair stuck out from a wide purple headband, shook Lara’s hand briskly. “I’ve been following Ms. Daltry’s career for a long time, so I volunteered to supply the teas for this reception. If you enjoy them, and I’m sure you will, I hope you’ll visit my shop one of these days. It’s right on the main drag, in a little strip mall. I also do psychic readings, if you go for that sort of thing. May I give you a coupon for a free reading?”
Lara felt bombarded by the woman’s enthusiasm. “Um, yes, sure, that would be great.”
She knew that her aunt didn’t put much faith in psychics, but Lara had always enjoyed having her tarot cards read. The predictions had always been somewhat generic, but it was fun believing someone might be able to see into her future.
Joy whipped out a pink card from her cross-body leather wallet and gave it to Lara. “I’ll be looking for you, okay?”
“You bet. I’ll try to get there soon.” Lara took the card and slipped it into one of her deep pockets.
Voices around them rose. The actress was walking in their direction.
“Here’s Deanna now,” Aunt Fran said brightly. She tugged her niece’s arm. “Nice meeting you, Joy.”
Joy whirled toward the commotion as if someone had announced the arrival of the Queen of England. Her eyes glittered, and a wide smile split her somewhat plain face. “Oh my, it really is her. And she’s on time,” she added in a near whisper. “Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom.” She turned and bolted.
Lara pulled her gaze from Joy’s retreating form and greeted Deanna. “Thanks again for inviting us,” Lara said quietly.
“My pleasure,” Deanna breathed, taking Lara’s hand. Her face was made up to perfection, her silver hair framing her delicate cheekbones in stylish wisps. Wearing a teal wraparound dress that highlighted her trim figure, she leaned closer and murmured in Lara’s ear. “I understand you’ve approved my application. Can you bring the kittens to my place tomorrow?”
“To your place? Oh, absolutely. We’d be honored.”
Lara had checked out Deanna’s references, one of whom was a well-known celebrity who’d nearly made her swoon. She’d stammered over her words, feeling like a silly star chaser. The man had been genial and kind, even if Lara had sounded like a giggling groupie.
Deanna nodded, and then moved on to give Aunt Fran a firm hug. “You’ll come along as well, Fran, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Aunt Fran said.
A stout woman came up behind Deanna, almost bumping into her. Her brunette hair was worn in a style reminiscent of the 1980s, a bit too large for Lara’s taste. She wore a shiny gold dress that strained slightly at the bust, divulging some serious cleavage. An engraved name tag pinned to one shoulder identified her as “Evelyn Conley, Special Member.” Lara wondered what made her more special than the regular members.
“Deanna,” the woman said in a slithery voice, “I think it’s time I gave my announcement welcoming you to our lovely town. After that you can mingle and chat with all the Ladies’ Association members.”
“Nice to see you again, Evelyn,” Aunt Fran said.
Evelyn’s eyes popped wide open. “Oh. I— Do I know you?”
“Your granddaughter, Trista, was in my class the year before last.”
“Oh, yes. I remember you now. Didn’t someone say you quit teaching?”
“Only for this past year,” Aunt Fran said. “I plan to return in the fall.”
Evelyn flashed her a weak smile. “Well, that’s…nice. Deanna, we really need to get moving. Come with me and I’ll introduce you. Not that you need an introduction,” she added coyly, slipping her arm through the actress’s. “I still can’t believe that I, your biggest fan ever, am right here with you in my own hometown!”
Deanna winked at Lara, then followed Evelyn’s lead. The two stood before the center table, blocking the view of the teapots.
Joy had returned. She came up quietly to stand beside Lara. She gave Evelyn a dark look. “I didn’t even get to say hello to Deanna,” she grumbled. “And I’m the one who supplied the teas free of charge.”
“Don’t worry,” Aunt Fran said kindly. “I’m sure you’ll have a chance to meet Deanna in a bit.”
Evelyn’s booming voice made up for the lack of a microphone. Her glossy, cherry-tinted lips moved in exaggerated fashion, as if she’d rehearsed her spiel. After introducing herself, she gave a rousing welcome to Deanna. The guests tittered and clapped, waving their smartphones in the air to capture the moment.
Deanna spoke only a few words. She thanked everyone for the warm welcome but said she would prefer to greet each guest personally. She said nothing about having lived in the area as a child. In Lara’s view, Deanna was the truly gracious woman she’d always thought her to be.
“I’d like to say one last thing,” Deanna said. “I recently adopted two kittens from the High Cliff Shelter here in town. The owners, Fran and Lara, are two of the most delightful women I’ve ever met. They’re completely devoted to their feline charges. For the remainder of the month, I’m offering to pay the adoption fee for anyone wishing to adopt from their shelter—subject to their approval of your application, of course.”
Murmurs filtered through the crowd, and several people clapped. A woman standing behind Lara bleated, “Application? For a cat? How silly is that?”
Aunt Fran turned and graced the woman with a radiant smile. The woman flushed and pretended to search for something in her handbag.
After Deanna concluded her speech, she began mingling with the guests. Evelyn swiveled toward a rear doorway and snapped her fingers. Two teenage boys wearing starched white jackets appeared, each holding a sizeable tray of goodies. At Evelyn’s nod, they began moving through the room, offering delectable-looking delicacies to the guests.
Lara plucked a round of sliced baguette topped with smoked salmon from the tray. She sampled a bite and said, “Aunt Fran, try this one. It’s to die for.”
Her aunt smiled. “I don’t want to go that far, but I’ll take your advice.” She tasted the canape and nodded. “I agree, but I’m more interested in those mini-cheesecakes that other young man is offering.”
“I’m going to amble around, see if I can drum up some goodwill for the shelter,” Lara said.
“Good plan.”
Lara strolled among the guests,