Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries)

didn’t look so good, and it took him several minutes before he met my eyes.
    “Addison,” he said, nodding his head. “You look lovely tonight.”
    I nodded a polite thank you and was extremely proud of myself. Civil was my middle name tonight. In fact, I wished I could have returned a compliment equally inane in value, but I couldn’t lie. Next to Nick, Greg was wallpaper. Sure he was dressed up in his tuxedo and looked like the up and coming insurance salesman he was, but he was pale and boring next to Nick.
    “I didn’t think you’d be co ming tonight, Greg,” Kate said. Bless her soul for trying to keep the conversation away from me so I didn’t say anything I’d regret later.
    “I’m always looking for new clients,” Greg said, a pinched smile in place.
    This bit of news made me smile a big toothy grin because if Greg was out schmoozing for clients it meant Kate had been right and the gossip was true. Probably no one wanted to buy insurance from a known cheater.
    I leaned over to Nick and whisp ered in his ear. “I think there’s something wrong with Greg,” I said, only marginally concerned.
    “That’s a no brainer. The man left you for a blow up doll. He’s probably wishing he wasn’t such a moron.”
    I grinned and kissed Nick on the cheek spontaneously. That was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever said to me.
    “Thank you for the compliment, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. Greg looks like he’s about to keel over from a heart attack. Look how red his face is.”
    “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Nick said, taking a sip of beer. “It would make me nervous too if I was sitting in a room full of cops when I was wanted for police questioning.”
    “What?” I hissed in his ear. “You can’t be serious. What happened?”
    “It seems that you and Greg share a common hangout. The Foxy Lady is a popular place for Whiskey Bayou residents.”
    “Greg was at The Foxy Lady?” And then I thought about it for a minute and realized what that meant. “He saw me dance on stage?” I asked horrified.
    “Yes and yes. I’ll explain later. Just keep a smile on your face and pretend you don’t know anything.”
    “I don’t know anything.”
    “Perfect. And remind me later to give you some techniques on the art of stripping. I wouldn’t mind you trying on that little leather number for me some night.”
    “In your dreams,” I said, but I was smiling like he asked even though I wanted to move to Alaska.
    We made it all the way through the first few courses in strained silence and awkward tension. Nick seemed to be the only who was oblivious to the undercurrents at the table, or at least he was a better actor than the rest of us.
    I’d also managed to drink three glasses of wine before dessert was served, so I was at the point I didn’t really care about undercurrents, though Veronica had yet to stop sending Nick sultry glances and massive flashes of cleavage.
    The dancing and glad-handing had started, so Greg used it as an excuse to work the floor, shaking hands and smiling his phony smi le. Both Nick and Mike were up and out of their seats as well, doing whatever it is men do when they have to wear a tuxedo in a crowded place with no sports available to watch.
    So that left me, Veronica and Kate sitting cozy as little clams at the table all by ourselves. I decided some kind of variation was in order to keep things interesting, so I asked for white wine with dessert instead of the red I’d been drinking.
    “So I hear you’ve had to get another job because you’re having financial troubles,” Veronica stated, dropping the gloves as soon as the men were out of sight.
    “John Hyatt’s just full of information, isn’t he?” I signaled to the waiter to fill up my glass.
    “I guess it’s a good thing you have a friend like Kate to give you a job because I heard you made a lousy stripper.”
    Kate and I both gasped al oud but for different reasons. Kate, because this was the first she’d heard of me being a stripper. Me, because my secret was out. Greg was the only person to blame. He had to have been the one who told her.
    Veronica gave me her prayi ng mantis smile and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay on my best behavior. I sent a mental apology to Nick and Kate in hopes they understood and another out to my mother who was bound to be mortified once word got back to her.
    I’ve mostly been the cause for every gray hair my mother has to color, so I figu