Page 56 of Between the Lines

He nodded. “Figured we could both use this.”

“You figured right.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cece arrived at The Bee’s Knees ten minutes early and immediately wished she hadn’t.

She paused just inside the door, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer light as she got the lay of the land. It was busy, but that wasn’t anything new. It was a popular spot and, technically, neutral ground. A safe place. She conducted a lot of interviews here for that reason.

But today, it felt like a stage. One Darcy Lane was already on.

Darcy was seated at a table near one of the front windows. Cece had to wonder if that was on purpose because she wanted to be seen. That felt like something Darcy would do.

Her posture was relaxed, her sunglasses pushed up into her hair as if she’d been there long enough to forget she’d put them on. A glass of iced tea sat in front of her, a condensation ring forming on the tabletop.

And beside her, angled just slightly toward Darcy and laughing at something Darcy had said, sat Gigi DeLuca.

Cece stopped short.

Of course she’s here, Cece thought. Of course.

Darcy looked up first. Her gaze landed on Cece and stayed there, a small smile forming as though she’d been waiting for this exact moment. Gigi followed her line of sight and lit up instantly.

“Cece!” Gigi called, waving. “Over here!”

There was no pretending Cece hadn’t seen them. No backing out gracefully now, not that she would have. She was committed to this interview. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and walked over, her expression pleasant, professional, and, she hoped, friendly.

“Hi, Gigi,” Cece said, then turned to Darcy. “Ms. Lane.”

“Call me Darcy, please,” Darcy said smoothly, standing to greet her. She was in a Lilly Pulitzer sheath dress of navy, pink, and white. The joyous print didn’t suit her at all. “I’m so glad you could make it. I hope you don’t mind that Gigi’s here. We ran into each other and thought it would be nice to have lunch together.”

Ran into each other, Cece repeated internally. At a scheduled interview. At a specific time. At a specific table. She didn’t believe a word of that.

“Of course,” Cece said. She pulled out the chair across from them and sat, placing her bag on the empty chair beside it. “I didn’t realize this was a group lunch.” She got her phone out, ready to record the audio.

“Oh, I won’t stay,” Gigi said at once, even as she made no move to leave. “I just thought I’d say hello. Darcy and I were chatting.”

Darcy smiled, forearms resting lightly on the edge of the table. “Gigi’s been such a wonderful welcoming committee. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I’m so glad we’ve become friends.”

Gigi beamed. “Well, we take care of our own around here.”

Cece nodded, filing that away.

A server appeared, menus in hand. Cece ordered water and the house salad with chicken, keeping it simple. Darcy didn’t need a menu. She ordered the lemon chicken and asked for another iced tea. Gigi followed Darcy’s lead, ordering the exact same thing, obviously forgetting that she was supposed to be leaving.

As the server left, Darcy leaned back slightly, studying Cece with obvious interest. “You’re even more composed in person than I expected,” she said. “It’s impressive. But I imagine as a journalist, you have to keep yourself collected no matter the circumstance.”

“Thank you,” Cece replied, not quite sure what Darcy meant by that. “Comes with years of experience, I suppose.”

“I imagine it does,” Darcy said. “Just like journalism has a way of teaching you how to keep your reactions private.”

There it was.

Cece felt the impact of the words, exactly as Darcy had intended, no doubt. She met Darcy’s gaze without blinking. “Did you think otherwise? That I might be biased in some way?”

Darcy’s mouth opened, then closed again. She laughed. “No, of course not.”

But it was too late. Cece had ruffled her feathers. She gave herself points for maintaining her composure and immediately felt a kinship with Paige, who’d already been Darcy’s target.