She brightened. “Could you please? Any excuse to talk to Merit.”

Grace pointed at Dabney. “His head is big enough already, thank you very much. I don’t need pretty little things like you fawning over him.”

She smiled and turned as a group of partygoers approached for ham biscuits.

“Is that weird?” I asked. “Having girls love your son like that?”

She nodded. “Yeah, like he was all mine and now I have to share him. But I just want him to be happy.”

“Don’t we all,” I said.

At that moment, there was a visible shift in the energy of the party as a very debonaire Elliott Palmer entered the room. Maybe it’s dramatic to say a hush fell over the crowd, but, well, it did. Juniper Shores’ leading bachelor was back.

“God, I’d forgotten how much I love Belle Epoque,” Grace said.

Despite my discomfort, despite my run-in with Laura, I couldn’t have agreed more.

JUNIPER SHORES SOCIALITE

@junipershoressocialite

Sharing bad behavior and delicious drama in North Carolina’s most exclusive coastal zip code. DM with tips, pics, and juicy deets.

SEPTEMBER 7, 7:30 P.M.

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You didn’t hear it from me, but…

PIC 1: The Belle Epoque Ball is well underway, and I’ll be coming to you all night long with the can’t-miss moments from tonight’s already extremely eventful evening. Tongues are wagging all over town about the group who, until tonight, were something akin to the Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse. Yes, our mommune mothers came out in force tonight, looking like a million bucks. No, in a town where a million bucks is vacation money, they looked like a billion, sauntering in wearing, undoubtedly, the ball’s finest costumes, with glowing skin, bright smiles, and perfect hair—beach wind be damned. It’s safe to say that all eyes were on these four as they made their way from the check-in table—where they handled a sponsorship snafu with all the grace of the ladies they are. This evening, they are Capote’s Swans, and, I’d dare say, Alice is their Babe Paley, ruler of all. With her elbow-length kid gloves, a lavender confection of a gown, and the only tiara I have ever found not to be tacky, laced with fresh blooms, I proclaim her—not to be too cutesy—the belle of the Belle Epoque!