Page 26 of Fire and Ice Cruise

“So he knew where the bodies were buried.”

“Metaphorically speaking.” She pauses. “Though I suppose literally now, too.”

I wince at the dark humor, but she just shrugs.

“The thing about Gideon,” she continues, “is that he understood power. He knew how to make someone famous overnight—or infamous. And in today’s world, reputation is everything. Lose that, and you’ve lost everything that matters.”

“Sounds like he had a lot of leverage over people.”

“He did. And he wasn’t afraid to use it.” Nicolette finally meets my eyes. “I’ll be honest with you, Trixie. I liked Gideon, but I didn’t trust him. Nobody really did. He was always working an angle, always looking for the next big story. This whole Second Act Society thing? I think he was developing an exposé about reinvention culture—about how people sell this mythology of transformation when really, they’re just running from their pasts.”

“That’s pretty cynical.”

“That was Gideon.” She takes another bite of cruller. “He had backing from one of the major platforms. I don’t know which one, but he mentioned it was going to be huge. Career-defining.”

“Did he tell you who he was planning to feature?”

“No, he was cagey about that. But I got the sense he already had his subjects picked out.” She glances around the room. “Could be anyone here, really. That’s the thing about this group—everyone’s reinventing themselves for a reason.” She takes a moment to give a good look around the room. “And those reasons aren’t always pretty.”

“Agree,” I say. “You mentioned that you went out on a blind date with Gideon. Any prospects on the romantic horizon for you? A cruise is a great way to meet people. Just saying.”

She laughs, and this time there’s genuine warmth in it. “Honestly? I’m terrible at dating. Never married, twice engaged, and both times I called it off at the last minute. After spending twenty-five years watching marriages implode, I have a hard time believing in the institution. But I’m also tired of being alone.” She sighs. “Hence at least a part of my second act. I’m trying to figure out if I can actually let someone in, or if I’m destined to be the woman who dies surrounded by cats and legal briefs.”

“That’s an honest answer.”

“I’m too old to pretend anymore.” She brushes a crumb from her blouse. “The thing is, Gideon understood that. He was good at getting people to open up, to share their vulnerabilities. And then—” She stops, her expression darkening. “Well, I guess we’ll never know what he planned to do with all those secrets.”

A commotion erupts near the refreshment table.

Nettie has apparently decided to see how many donuts she can stack on a single plate, and a small crowd has gathered to watch this architectural disaster in the making.

“Eleven!” someone shouts as Nettie carefully places a glazed donut on top of the teetering tower.

“And here we go,” I mutter under my breath. “My friend has never met a challenge she couldn’t turn into a circus,” I say to Nicolette with a sigh of resignation.

“She’s going for twelve!” Bess calls out, though she sounds more alarmed than encouraging.

Nicolette and I watch as Nettie reaches for a chocolate frosted donut with the concentration of a brain surgeon.

“This is going to end like a bad game of Jenga,” I say just below a whisper.

“Twelve!” the crowd chants. “Twelve! Twelve! Twelve!”

Nettie positions the twelfth donut with painstaking care, and for one glorious moment, the tower holds.

Then physics remembers it exists.

The tower gives one dramatic wobble—then detonates. Donuts explode outward in a sugary avalanche. One cannonballs into a cup of coffee with a heroic splash. Another clocks Silas Rowen square in the temple before ricocheting off his perfectly styled hair. A third does a long, humiliating slide across the polished floor and parks itself neatly against Quinn Riddle’s sensible black shoe as if it meant to be there all along.

The crowd erupts in riotous laughter and applause.

Quinn does not look amused. Come to think of it, neither does Silas.

But that doesn’t stop Nettie from taking a bow. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all week!”

“That woman is a menace,” Nicolette says with a laugh.

“That woman is my best friend,” I say, shaking my head.