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“That's all I'm asking.”
Someone cleared their throat.
One of the crew members had brown bags for us. “The chef packed a lunch for you to enjoy at your leisure.”
Sure enough, we were docking. The rest of the crew were moving like they were in a ballet, all synchronized and in their whites.
I circled the table and reached my hand out. Luna hesitated, but only for a moment before taking it. We walked hand in hand back to my car, and I drove her home, a comfortable silence between us. Something that felt a hell of a lot like respect and understanding.
CHAPTER28
Luna
I setmy large-ass purse on the counter of the county office. “I'm here to see Delaney Taylor.”
Turned out, I knew someone who worked for the county, and I damn well planned to leverage every connection I had to get this final permit.
Who knew meeting Carter’s new girlfriend would have such immediate benefit?
“Your name,” asked the woman behind the counter. She rocked a stylish silver bob and matching silver earrings. “And an ID, please.”
“Luna Marks.” I fished my ID out of my bag and handed it over.
After she jotted down my information, I signed the sheet on the clipboard in front of me and was asked to take a seat. “She’ll be right with you.”
I tapped away on my phone, slinging messages to Parvati and a few others. Parvati prepared me for the meeting this morning so I had all the latest info and paperwork to tackle this meeting.
Suddenly, the woman I was here to see strutted down the hall like a willowy model. For a second I wondered what made Carter go from me to her. We were as opposite as they come. With my silk cami and leather knee-length skirt, I balanced professional and edgy. She was the epitome of an ethereal runway goddess with her blonde waves contrasting with my red A-line.
Shoulders squared, I stood and shook her hand. “Nice to see you again, and in broad daylight too.”
Delaney chuckled, her hand squeezing mine a little tighter than I would have expected given her delicate aesthetic. “I was surprised when my assistant said you wanted to meet.”
She led me down a corridor straight out of an eighties procedural drama before waving me into an office that had her name on it. “Come sit down and tell me what's going on.”
The woman had a legal pad and a pen and was ready to take notes.
I wasted no time launching into my spiel. At this point, I could talk about the Chateau in my sleep. “It's going to be the first woman-owned casino in Atlantic City. It's for women, by women. I want it to be the place for bachelorette parties and for women to feel like they can have fun and let loose all while being safe in my casino. I'm here to turn this city around and offer a menu of fun opportunities for people even if they don't drink or gamble, although there will definitely be plenty of that, of course.”
She glanced down at her notes, then back at me. “Tell me what permit it is that you're having difficulty acquiring. That will help figure out next steps.”
There was something in her tone that caught me off guard, but only for a second. I immediately dismissed it given the caffeine deficit I was working with.
I relayed the info from Parvati, sliding over a few documents that demonstrated what we applied for and how we completed the forms.
She read through them carefully, dragging a nude fingernail across the forms, reviewing the paperwork with a fine-toothed comb.
I glanced down at my nails, then scanned the room, basically trying everything to keep from squirming in my chair.
A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Hmm.”
That little hum set my Spidey senses tingling. “Hmm?”
She clicked her tongue and set down her ballpoint pen. The woman across from me no longer resembled the sweet-as-pie person I’d met at my club. Not with the groove between her brows and her lips set firmly in a straight line.
“Unfortunately, this form is incomplete.”
I counted to ten in my head before speaking. My internal bullshit detector rang like a siren for a five-alarm fire.