She grabbed her purse off the side table in the entryway, dug out her phone and tapped out a quick note to Kir.

Just now leaving. Tell Lizzy I swear I’ll make it up to her for being late.

She rushed out the front door, hit send on the text and scampered down the brick-laid sidewalk to Sam and Abel waiting by the Mercedes in the street.

Abel met her before she made it to the iron fence lining the property and quickly divested her of her bags. “You should have called me, Mrs. Vasilek. I’d have hauled those out for you.”

“Well, I just now finished packing, and I’m late already, so calling for help when I could carry them just fine didn’t make sense.” She slid into the back seat and aimed a playfully exaggerated look at her guard. “And PS—I’m not married yet.”

Already behind the wheel, Sam chuckled and waited for Abel to take his place in the passenger’s seat. “Mr. Vasilek was very clear that an engagement was as good as married and we could use the practice.”

“Did he now?” The words might have been suited for a woman warming up for a fight, but the truth was, she thought it was sweet.

Her phone chirped and vibrated in her palm.

Kir: Lizzy says fashionably late is a requirement in the music business. Take your time.

The little bubbles that indicated another text was on the way rolled beneath Kir’s last message, then a new one popped up.

Kir: I should probably warn you. There are some people here to meet you.

Cassie: Who?

Nothing happened for a long time. No bubbles. No text. No nothing. Then all of a sudden...

Kir: The women from Dallas.

Holy crap. All freaking day long she’d managed to keep her nerves in check, but all of a sudden, her body hummed like she’d firmly stuck her finger in a light socket. In the last three months, she’d heard all kinds of stories about Sylvie, Ninette and the rest of the women from Evette.

Cassie: Which ones?

Kir: All of them.

Shit.

Boyfriend jeans rolled up to her shins, a loose pink T-shirt and simple tan flats might’ve been a good choice for bending, stooping and kneeling to get the right shot, but they made a lame first impression.

Cassie: The mothers, too?

Kir: They were off the plane first.

Eek! Seeing Lizzy perform live, her first real live action shoot and meeting a good chunk of her extended family all in one night. Kind of made her old reporting gig look tame in comparison. But then, every single day since she’d apologized to Kir at Bacchanal had been a sublime whirlwind. A life not just worth enjoying, but celebrating.

Cassie: Is Frieda there yet?

Kir: Already has on her all-access pass and is making eyes at the stage manager.

Well now, that wasn’t exactly a shock. Though, her aunt better get her flirting in early, because as Cassie’s one and only employee, Frieda was going to have her work cut out for her juggling camera equipment and keeping up with Cassie once the show started.