“Did you ask Dad to talk to Josh about something?” Lydia asked over the Bluetooth speaker as Autumn pulled her car into the parking lot of the Angel Sands Beach Club.
“No. Why would I?” She parked in a space a few cars down from the entrance. “I don’t have anything to say to him.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t like Lydia to stop at one word.
“Why do you ask?” Autumn grabbed her purse and checked her make-up in the mirror. “Has he said something to you?”
“I saw Josh coming out of Dad’s office yesterday,” Lydia told her. “I thought it must be something to do with your divorce.”
“The divorce is final. Everything is done. I never have to see him again.” And neither should her dad. Autumn frowned. Just the thought of him talking to her ex made her stomach contract, especially when she’d asked him not to. “What do you think they were talking about?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“Did they look friendly?”
“I don’t know. I was turning the corner and saw Josh walk out of Dad’s office door and into the hallway. I hid so he couldn’t see me. And when I saw Dad, he didn’t mention anything about it. Should I have asked him?”
Autumn sighed. “No. Don’t worry about it. It was probably nothing.” It had better be nothing. She gritted her teeth.
“Maybe he was asking Dad for a loan.”
“Ugh. I hope not. Listen, I gotta go. I’m about to head into a meeting.”
“Ooh, what kind of meeting? Is it with a guy?”
“There will be about fifty guys there. It’s a Chamber of Commerce meeting. I have to give a presentation about my plans for the charity day on the pier.”
“The one next month?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh! I have the most fantastic idea. I’ll come out to see you. I can help you with whatever you need.” Lydia’s voice rose with excitement. “Hey, and maybe I’ll get to meet that guy you keep pretending you don’t like.”
“I didn’t say I don’t like him.” Autumn shook her head with a smile. It was impossible not to be cheered by Lydia’s enthusiasm. “And it would be great to see you if you can make it. But I need to go before they drag me out of the car, okay?”
Lydia laughed. “Okay. Send me all the details and I’ll book a flight. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been forever.”
“It’s been a few weeks,” she pointed out.
“I know. But it’s usually me who flies off into the sunset while you stay in New York. I don’t like it when we reverse roles.”
Autumn shook her head. “Goodbye, Lydia.”
What the hell was Josh doing with her father? She pressed her lips together and climbed out of her car, grabbing her laptop before she walked across the lot to the Beach Club where the Chamber of Commerce was due to meet. They shouldn’t need to talk to each other ever again. Yes, they had mutual acquaintances, since Josh was a commercial realtor and her dad was a real estate lawyer, but there were hundreds of those in Manhattan.
The only conclusion was… her father was doing exactly what she’d asked him not to.
She could hear the babble of conversation before she made it to the ballroom. Shaking her head clear of thoughts – her father and Josh could wait for another day – she pushed the door open and stepped inside, trying to ignore the way everybody turned to stare at her.
“I’ve managed to secure the decorations for free, and the fairground rides will be set up at a reduced price. The kind owners of Déjà Brew have kindly agreed to do the catering as their contribution to the charity.” Autumn’s gaze roamed across the attendees until she saw Ally grinning out at her. She grinned back. “All we need are volunteers to help set up and assist throughout the day, so if you think you can help, please either come and talk to me after tonight’s meeting, or send me an email – the address is on my card, and you should all have one.” She looked around again. “Does anybody have any questions.”
A slender arm at the front shot up. “What about the restaurant?” Carla Delmonico asked. “I don’t think it’s fair that we have to compete with free refreshments. We’ll lose money.”
“The refreshments are drinks, cakes, and ice cream,” Autumn told her. “I don’t anticipate any competition between those and the restaurant. If anything, the extra influx of people will give you more customers. It should be a win-win for all of us.”
“Delmonico’s is exclusive,” Carla muttered. “Maybe we don’t want those kind of customers.”
Autumn ignored her, painting a smile on her face. “Any other questions?”
A woman on the far side of the room stood. “Is it true you’re going to host weddings on the pier in the future?”
Autumn blinked. Word sure got around fast. She hadn’t even talked to the Delmonico’s about her wedding plans yet. “I’m looking into all options for increasing income from the pier. Running events is one of them.”
“I heard you spoke to the permit department. I know someone who works there,” the woman added.
“You’re going to do this sort of thing regularly?” Carla asked, her brows pinching together. “When were you going to tell us about it?”
“I’ll be talking through all the options with the tenants on the pier as soon as I have a plan,” Autumn said, trying to keep her voice patient. “But right now the charity event is my main concern. And I can guarantee it won’t adversely affect your business.”
Another hand shot up, this time at the back. She couldn’t see who it was. “Um, yes, the person at the back?”
Griff stood, his lips curling into a smile as his eyes met hers. “As a tenant of the pier, I just wanted to say how refreshing it is to see the owner so involved in the community. Myself and my crew will be at your disposal to help with the event.” He leaned on the back wall. “We love a party.”
Carla rolled her eyes.
“Well that’s wonderful. It’s good to see some community spirit,” Frank Megassey said, walking across the stage to join Autumn. “And thank you very much for all your work on the charity event, Autumn. I for one am very much looking forward to it.” He gave a little laugh when he saw Carla’s scowl. “And of course I’ll be eating at Delmonico’s afterward. Now, let’s bring this meeting to an end. Please go help yourselves to coffee and baked goods in the corner, and if you have any questions about the pier, come and talk to Autumn or me.”
There was a scraping of chairs as people stood, then a murmur of conversation that increased as friends greeted each other. Autumn felt a hand on her back, and turned to see Ally grinning at her. “Here, take this,” she said, passing her a plate of chocolate cake. “You look like you need it. I’d have brought wine, but Frank would have had a fit.”
Autumn grinned at her. “I’ve had worse responses. Try telling a whole building of bankers that their executive bathrooms will be out of operation for a week. Until then, I’d never seen a man in an Armani suit cry.”
From the corner of her eye, she could see Carla talking furiously to Griff. “I think I might have caused some problems there.”
Ally followed her gaze. “Carla always has a problem with Griff.” Her voice dropped. “Has she said anything to you about him?”
“She told me to steer clear and that he’s a womanizer.” Autumn shrugged.
“I guess she hasn’t found out about you guys then?”
Autumn blinked. “What about us?”
Ally’s smile melted from her mouth. “Oh shit. I just assumed you two had a thing going on. I saw you at the beach the other day. You looked way too close to only be friends or workmates, or whatever you are.”
“We are just friends,” Autumn told her.
“It’s really not my business. I’m sorry for mentioning it.”
“With a few fringe benefits.” Autumn winked and Ally laughed, relief washing over her face.
“Still none of my business, but for what it’s worth, Griff is a good guy. Ignore what Carla has to say about him.”
“He is. But it’s nothing serious. Carla can think what she likes.”
“Does that mean you’ll come out with us for his birthday?” Ally asked, her shoulders relaxing.
“When is it?” Autumn asked. Griff hadn’t mentioned it to her. They’d been way too busy to talk dates of birth.
“On Saturday. Lucas and the guys are trying to persuade him to go to a club in White City. He was kind of reluctant. I guess now I know why.”
“But it’s his birthday!” Autumn said. “He has to celebrate. Let me make a plan.”
Ally nodded happily. “Sure.”
“What’s the name of the club in White City?” she asked. “I’ll call them. Make some arrangements.”
“I guess that’s one of the fringe benefits you were talking about,” Ally said, still grinning. “Sex and birthday parties. Griff’s a lucky guy.”