Yup. That would do it.
Oh, God. I couldn’t meet Bunny Champion this way. I’d already been caught making out gauchely in the parking lot. I couldn’t do a meet-the-fucking-parents right then. Not on Emily Post’s life.
But as I started pulling away, Champ’s hand tightened around mine like a vise. The expression on his face never changed despite the bone-crushing pressure in his grip.
“I love to support local charitable endeavors, as you well know.” Bunny paused and sniffed delicately. “Or at least as you would know if you ever returned my calls.”
“In person?” Champ asked dubiously. “When’s the last time you were in the Thicket?”
“That’s neither here nor there.” She lifted her chin. “I heard the strangest rumor from none other than Carlotta Drakes that my son was engaged. ‘Engaged?’ I cried. ‘Carlotta, darling, that’s not possible!’ But she assured me that she’d heard it herself and even met my son’s affianced groom! And then that above-her-station harridan forced me to endure her fake sympathy noises about how the younger generation is terribly flighty—though not her daughter, of course.” Bunny smoothed a finger over her blonde helmet. “Honestly, Percival, whatever sins I have committed as a mother, I did not deserve that.”
A beat of silence passed, during which I struggled not to laugh.
Then Champ said, “Mother, I’d like you to meet Quinn Taffet of Taffet Events. He’s Licking Thicket’s premier event planner and will be overseeing this evening’s arrangements. Quinn, this is my mother. Bunny Champion.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and I was glad that I’d worn my one-and-only designer tux for tonight. “What happened to Lorraine Peevey? She’s overseen this event for years.”
I opened my mouth to mention the Villages all up in her lady bits, but Champ beat me to it. “Unfortunately, she fell ill while visiting friends. Quinn was chosen to take over.”
Mrs. Champion sniffed. “It’s probably for the best. She’s getting a little long in the tooth if you want to know my opinion.” She gave me an intrusive once-over. “Any relation to Cherry Taffet?”
This felt like a very strange reversal of what Champ probably went through every time he introduced himself, and I felt a pang of sympathy for him.
“Yes, ma’am. Cherry is my aunt.”
A reluctant smile appeared on her judgmental face. “Cherry and I grew up together. I haven’t seen her in ages, but she’s good people.”
I blew out a breath. “She is. Thank you for saying so.”
“Well. You and I will catch up more soon, but for now, you’d better get in there before all hell breaks loose.” She gestured toward the main entrance to the barn, where a line of attendees was already stepping through a dusting of fake snow and into the glittering winter wonderland the committee and I had created inside. “This event has been known to go off the rails from time to time.”
Thankfully, it didn’t go off the rails on my watch.
As soon as we entered the hall, time seemed to speed up the way it always did when I managed a live event. As the guests arrived and the band started, little fires popped up here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it was the most fun event I could ever remember attending, let alone working… and a huge part of that was thanks to my date.
Champ helped me solve a minor crisis involving a burnt-out fuse, made sure I always had a glass of sparkling water in my hand, and was able to help me clear the dance floor in plenty of time before the giant silver-and-white “snowball” drop—one glittery balloon for every three dollars donated to the fundraiser—that showed just how much money Ava’s group had raked in. Best of all was sensing Champ’s eyes on me throughout the night, watching him fight an eye roll while he danced with his mother, and letting myself sink into the feeling of what he and I might be like if we really were a couple.
When the evening was more than half-over, I got myself a plate of truffles and leaned contentedly against a pillar by the dessert table as I watched Tommy Drakes lead Marissa out on the floor. I believed Champ when he said that Tommy had some criminal connections, but I didn’t care. I’d heard Tommy bragging about his “beautiful, intelligent daughter” more than once over the course of the night, and I was pretty sure Marissa had too. Hopefully, that would make up for the fact that her asshole fiancé still hadn’t shown up.
“Sweet girl. Even if she does have terrible taste in mothers.”
I straightened as Bunny Champion parked herself against the other side of my pillar and watched Marissa alongside me. “Ma’am—”
“Oh, calm yourself.” She waved one hand imperiously while sipping from a martini glass with the other. “I’m not here to be impressed. I’m here to take a load off. I forgot how tiring these events can be.” She turned her gaze—which was really absurdly like Champ’s gaze—on me. “You seem to be handling the excitement just fine, though. I’ve been watching you off and on all night. You haven’t broken a sweat. And I’ve heard several people say this was the most fun SnoBall in years.” She reached over and grabbed a caramel truffle from my plate.