Chapter 4

The air inside the private nook of the marina’s event hall still held the crisp, metallic tang of the harbor, mixed with the faint, lingering scent of champagne and expensive perfume. It was nearly midnight, and the world outside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls had transformed into a spectacle of light and sound. The annual Christmas boat parade was in full swing, a slow-moving procession of decorated yachts gliding past the marina like silver ghosts against the black water. Every so often, a burst of fireworks would erupt from the deck of a lead vessel, sending showers of gold and crimson sparks cascading into the night sky, reflecting off the wet pavement and the dark, choppy water below. The distant thrum of classical music from the main ballroom had faded into a dull hum, leaving us in a bubble of relative silence, save for the occasional pop of corks and the rhythmic *whoosh* of waves lapping against the hulls of the docked vessels. I sat on a plush, velvet-upholstered banquette that curved around the corner of the room, my legs crossed at the knee, the silk of my cocktail dress sliding softly against itself. The space was secluded, hidden behind a