“That’s a cool concept,” I said.

“After dinner, we can show you some of the books.”

Meggie looked up at me, nodded, and then went back to her plate.

“Have you ever done something like this before?” Emma asked me.

“No, I haven’t,” I said. “But I’m excited to learn more about the line. I think, if done right, the paintings could—”

I was halfway through the sentence when Patrick said something across the table to Andrew, and they both laughed. It was something about the food, and I raised my voice a little to finish the conversation with Emma. But she’d turned to answer a question from Beverly, and suddenly, I was talking to no one, finishing my sentence only because it seemed silly to stop halfway through.

“—serve as a great complement to the clothes,” I said quietly. I looked up to see that Joshua was watching me with a slight smirk on his face as if he enjoyed seeing my discomfort.

“I’m listening,” he said softly with a wink.

The rest of the dinner was filled with several more awkward moments, and I wondered why Emma had invited me. Maybe she was just feeling in a good mood the other day and regretted the invitation this morning. Maybe she hadn’t expected me to actually accept the last-minute invitation. I reached out and finished my glass of wine, smiling and nodding as one of the servers appeared to offer me some more.

By the end of dinner, I was feeling a lot better, thanks in large part to the three glasses of wine I’d consumed since I’d arrived. I wasn’t alone in my revelry—the entire table, it seemed, was talking and laughing much louder than they had only an hour or so ago.

“I’m going outside for a smoke,” I heard someone say at the far end of the table, and then Beverly stood and stepped around the table.

“I’ll join you,” I heard Meggie say, and the two women walked toward the kitchen. A moment later, I heard the sound of the patio door slide open. Emma stood and walked over to talk to the women from the catering company, who were packing up some of their bags. Patrick and Andrew were deep in conversation at my side, discussing something about real estate.

That left Joshua, who was staring at me from across the table. To avoid any more awkward conversation, I pretended to be listening to Patrick and Andrew, even though they barely seemed to notice that Joshua and I were still sitting there.

I continued to avoid the store owner’s leering gaze and then finally stood and excused myself.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, deliberately looking at Patrick and Andrew, who nodded briefly and then jumped back into their conversation.