“Oh, trust me, that’s part of the gig. They’ll all make huge donations. I’m liking these SpaghettiOs.” Nikki giggled as she popped a tiny meatball into her mouth. “You used to serve these to Barbara and me for lunch on rainy days, do you remember, Myra?”

“I do remember, dear. You were both also partial to those gummy bears, too.”

Nikki laughed. “This is like a trip down Memory Lane.”

“Lincoln Moss is not here,” Isabelle said as she craned her neck to look over at the table he had purchased.

“I know. All you have to do is keep watching Amalie, who has not taken her eyes off the entrance door since she sat down. People keep staring at her. Someone needs to tell her to lighten up and pretend she is interested in the Director. Without even trying, she’s going to blow this whole deal.”

Kathryn leaned over and spoke to Dennis, who in turn alerted Rosalee, who then whispered to Amalie, who looked shell-shocked. She glanced over at the Welmed table, where Annie and Myra were sitting. Both women gave a curt, no-nonsense nod and narrowed their eyes at the stunning young woman, who immediately pasted a smile on her face and said something to Jack Sparrow, who blushed ten shades of red.

“Oh, dear, I don’t think our plan is working too well with those two,” Myra whispered to Annie.

“Well, we’ll just see about that,” Annie said, getting up and walking over to her own table, where she bent over and whispered in Amalie’s ear. It was anyone’s guess as to what was said, but both women smiled.

“What did you say to her?” Myra asked when Annie returned to her seat.

“What do you think I said, Myra? I told her if she didn’t start acting like she was having the time of her life and start flirting with Director Sparrow, I was personally going to deliver her with a big red bow on top of her head to her husband at the end of the evening.”

Myra gasped. “Tell me you didn’t say that?”

“You want me to lie to you, Myra?”

“Good Lord, no. Well, she does look like she’s enjoying herself.”

Annie smiled.

As the evening wore on, the group relaxed. Moving about, however, proved to be a challenge, what with all the Secret Service. One by one, the members of the group got up, took bathroom breaks just to head to the spacious lobby to see if there was any sign of Lincoln Moss or anyone who looked like he didn’t belong. All reports were negative, which then caused anxiety on Annie’s part.