Between that stop and Wanda showing up nearly fifteen minutes after she’d promised to be there, I arrived at the ballroom a few minutes later than expected, fumbling into the room with my arms full. I’d brought Jinx, my black-and-white Norwegian forest cat, to model my wares. She was penned up in a black wire cage to prevent her from slithering off into trouble, but she didn’t seem to mind. She groomed herself vigorously, ignoring the people who stopped to admire her fur-trimmed purple track jacket. “Let’s get this party started,” Rena said. I knew I needed to tell Rena about Phillip’s threat. Heck, it wasn’t even a threat. . . . It was a plan he’d already put into action, and my business partner had a right to know about it. But the time and place were all wrong. Rena had a good head on her shoulders, but she also had a wicked temper. I was afraid if I told her about Phillip in the midst of the ballroom, she’d storm off to find the man and punch him right in the face.
