Now he’d gone and compounded his mistake by deciding to drag a perfectly nice woman into his aunt’s web of intrigue, when he should have been doing everything in his power to keep the two of them as far apart as humanly possible. His head pounded just thinking about what dinner was going to be like.
Hoping for backup, he picked up the phone and called his brother Mack.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the newly proclaimed Romeo of the family,” Mack taunted when he heard Richard’s voice.
“Go to hell.”
Mack laughed. Mack was used to having his name bandied all over town, linked with a different socialite each time. Richard was not.
“As soon as you’re through enjoying this, I have a favor to ask,” Richard announced grimly.
“Anything,” Mack said, instantly sober. “You know that. Should I go over to the paper and put the fear of God into Pete Forsythe? I’ve been dying to have a legitimate excuse for a long time now. Unfortunately, most of what he reports about me is true. The man’s a menace to the privacy of all bachelors.”
“Not worth getting your knuckles roughed up,” Richard said.
“I wasn’t planning to resort to brute force, despite my reputation from the football field,” Mack said, sounding wounded that Richard thought so little of him. “I can be intimidating in other ways.”
Richard chuckled despite his lousy mood. “Believe me, I am aware of that. Actually, though, I was hoping you’d back me up at Destiny’s tonight. Intimidate her a little.”
“Oh, no,” Mack said. “She is obviously on one of her matchmaking tears. When she gets this way, I prefer flying under her radar.”
“Believe me, she’s going to be too busy focusing on me tonight to worry about you,” Richard told him. “I’m taking Melanie Hart to dinner.”
Mack whistled. “Oh, brother, you are living dangerously, aren’t you? Or is something really going on between you and this woman?”
“There is nothing going on,” Richard assured him. “But I want Destiny to think otherwise.”
“Why the hell would you want that?”
“I’m hoping Destiny will back off if she’s convinced I’m doing exactly what she wanted,” Richard explained. “And if you tell another living, breathing soul I said that, I’ll make sure that Destiny tries to hook you up with the most avaricious, impossible female in this entire region. Believe me, I know some of the worst. I’ll give her a list of candidates guaranteed to make your life miserable.”
“Speaking of intimidation,” Mack said quietly, “you’re not bad at it yourself.”
“Thank you. Will you be there?”
“How could I possibly refuse such a gracious invitation to dine with my family?” Mack said with a sarcastic bite to his voice. “Are you calling Ben?”
“No, I think you’ll do for now.”
“But baby brother might enjoy this,” Mack objected. “He’s never seen you on the ropes before. We’ve always thought you were invincible, afraid of nothing.”
“Very amusing. Besides, Ben doesn’t enjoy anything that means he has to leave his farm in Middleburg and stop brooding for an entire evening. On top of that, he’s too honest for conspiracies.”
“And I’m not?” Mack inquired with a touch of indignation.
“Not even close. You thrive on them. That’s why you’re so good at using sneaky, clever tactics to lure the best, most unavailable football talent to your team,” Richard said. “Seven-thirty, okay?”
“Despite the number of times you’ve insulted me in this conversation, I’ll be there,” Mack promised. “Hope I can keep a straight face.”
“Consider the alternative,” Richard told him grimly.
After he’d hung up, he kept staring at the phone. He loved his brother. He knew Mack would go to the mat for him or for Ben, but an actor? No way. It was entirely possible he’d just made his second-worst mistake of the day. Apparently he was on a real roll.
Melanie had anticipated a barrage of last-minute instructions from Richard on the drive to his aunt’s. Instead, beyond an approving once-over and a friendly-enough greeting when he’d picked her up, he’d remained stoically silent. It was getting on her nerves.
“Don’t you think maybe we should go over our plan?” she asked finally.
He glanced at her then, the line of his jaw hard. “You think I actually have a plan?”
“I was hoping for one, yes. You have a reputation for being very organized, for leaving nothing to chance.”
His laugh sounded forced. “So I do. Apparently it’s my day for doing the unexpected.”
“So there really is no plan,” she surmised, feeling suddenly queasy. She could wing it with a mob of reporters, but this? This was definitely not a situation in which she should be flying by the seat of her pants. Surely, Richard should understand that. She cleared her throat. “Um, don’t you think maybe we should stop for a second and get a few things straight?”
This time when he glanced her way, his gaze lingered. “You really are nervous, aren’t you?”
“Well, duh! What do you think? I am about to face a woman I like and respect and pretend that I’m falling for her favorite nephew. I anticipate a lot of questions. Don’t you?”
“I’m not her favorite. Destiny doesn’t have favorites. She’s always been very clear about that.” He grinned. “Mack and I both know it’s Ben. He has her artistic talent, if not her quixotic nature. Mack loves sports, which she doesn’t get at all, and she thinks I’m stuffy.”
“Okay, whatever,” Melanie retorted, not sounding remotely sympathetic. “The point is that we’re lying to her and we don’t have our stories straight.”
“Mack will be there. He’ll be a good buffer. He’s quite a talker. We may not have to say much.”
She stared at him in shock. “Oh, goody. I get to lie to your brother, too.”
“No, he gets that this is a sham.”
Her stomach dropped. “And that’s better? You expect him to lie, too?”
“No, I expect him to take some of the heat off of us. Mack has a way of stirring Destiny up. You’ll see. It’s actually rather fascinating to watch.”
“Why on earth would your brother agree to be a party to this?” When Richard didn’t answer, she reached her own conclusion. “You bribed him, didn’t you? Or threatened him?”
He frowned at that. “Only in a brotherly kind of way,” he insisted as if that made it so much better. “I told him if he didn’t help, I could see to it that Destiny turned her misguided attentions on him.”
“And?” She knew there was more. There had to be.
“I might have hinted that I could influence the choice she made and that the woman might not be to Mack’s liking.”
Melanie regarded him with dismay. “Do you hate your brother that much?”
“Of course not,” he said, staring at her as if she were crazy.
“Then why would you even suggest such a thing, given how thrilled you are to be in this particular mess?”
“Misery loves company,” he suggested glibly.
Melanie merely buried her face in her hands and prayed for a quick end to the entire evening.
Melanie didn’t seem happy, which made two of them, Richard concluded as he pulled into the three-car garage at what had once been his home. The brick town house in Old Town Alexandria combined two old homes into one gracious enough for entertaining and big enough for the large family his parents had anticipated. It had black shutters and brass trim and an occasional tendril of ivy that had escaped the gardener’s attention climbing up the pink brick.
In recent years Destiny had remained there as first he, then Mack and then Ben had moved into homes of their own. For the first time he considered that maybe his aunt was doing all this matchmaking craziness because she was lonely. Too bad he couldn’t fix her up. Maybe that would end this madness.
Unfortunately, even the thought of trying to turn the tables and hook Destiny up with some man made him smile. His
aunt would not be amused. Her personal life was not a topic he or his brothers approached without serious trepidation. She always cut them off before they could complete their first query. He would have thought that a woman so tight-lipped about her own intimate secrets would be more careful about sticking her nose into his.
As he got out of the car, he took a second look at the flashy red convertible she’d bought recently and shook his head. It was entirely possible she was going through some sort of midlife crisis, though come to think of it the convertible suited her personality a whole lot better than the minivans she’d driven when they were boys.
“Your aunt loves that car,” Melanie noted. “I was with her when she bought it.”
He regarded her with surprise. “You were?” Then he recalled the rest of the story. “You were the woman who ran into her car that day and totaled it? That’s how the two of you met?”
Melanie winced. “I thought you knew.”
He shook his head. “This just gets better and better. I thought she’d met you on some committee or other. I figured she’d seen you doing PR and recommended you because of that. Instead, she met you in a traffic accident.” He rubbed his now-throbbing temples. “It all makes perfect sense.”
Melanie blinked. “It does?”
“Sure. She really has gone ’round the bend. Instead of going in there and trying to convince her we’re involved, I ought to be trying to convince her to see a shrink.”
Melanie glowered at him. “Do you know how insulting that is? To both of us, in fact.”
He heard the anger in her voice and knew this whole evening was within a nanosecond of blowing up in his face. He forced a smile. “Sorry. My head hurts.”
“It should. Given the size of your ego, I’m shocked it hasn’t exploded.”
He grinned. “Nice one. Are we even yet?”
“Not by a long shot,” she said, sweeping past him. “Let’s get this over with.”
“By all means,” he said as he shut the garage door behind them, then led her toward the front entrance. The door was open and light was spilling out onto the street. “Mack must have beat us here.”
Sure enough, his brother was in the foyer and his aunt was chiding him for not wearing an overcoat.
“Destiny, I parked less than ten yards away from the front door,” Mack said, defending himself as if he were twelve, rather than a grown man. “It’s not that cold out. Besides, I have all this muscle.”
“Between your ears, mainly,” Destiny said, cuffing him gently. “I really thought I raised you with more sense.”
“You did,” Mack said, kissing her. “You made me the man I am today, no question about it.” He grinned at Richard over her head. “Look who’s here. Big brother and his new girl.”
Destiny whirled around, a smile spreading across her face. She rushed forward and embraced Melanie with genuine affection. “Darling, I’m delighted you’re here. Don’t mind Mack. Too many sacks on the football field knocked out most of his manners.”
“I had fewer sacks than any quarterback in the National Football League,” he countered. “I’m very quick on my feet.”
“You were,” Richard agreed. “Unfortunately it only took one sack to wipe out your knee and destroy your career.” He pulled Melanie forward. “Melanie Hart, this is Mighty Mack Carlton, ex-football hero who is still reliving his glory days on the field every chance he gets, especially if it’ll help him score with some female.”
“A fine way to talk about your brother,” Destiny scolded, linking her arm through Melanie’s. “Pay no attention to either one of them. They’re barbarians. I’d disown them, if it weren’t too late.”
Mack grinned at her. “Destiny, there’s still time to change your will. You can leave all your money to your cats. Sad, lonely spinsters do that all the time.”
Destiny scowled. “I’m neither sad nor lonely, and I don’t own any cats.”
“Then get some,” Mack advised. “You’re going to need the company when you run all of us off.”
Destiny turned to Melanie. “See what I have to put up with? Consider this fair warning. If you continue going out with my nephew, you’ll find that we’re a tough crowd to love.”
Richard wondered if that was an out he could use. While he was pondering the possibilities, Mack jumped in.
“Listen to her,” Mack advised Melanie. “Get out while you can.”
Melanie glanced toward Richard, her expression hopeful. She clearly wanted him to give her some signal whether this was indeed the moment she should cut and run for the nearest exit.
Richard winked at her. “Have a drink instead. It’ll make the rest of the evening more bearable.”
Between Mack’s teasing and Destiny’s quick retorts, Richard and Melanie remained safely off the hot seat at least through the appetizers. But when Destiny led the way into the dining room and seated Melanie right next to her and him at the opposite end of the long table, Richard knew the gloves were about to come off. There was nothing he could do to protect Melanie now. He hoped she really was quick on her feet with diplomatic evasions.
“Darling,” Destiny said to Melanie over the soup, “have I told you how delighted I am that Richard invited you to join us this evening?”
Melanie managed a weak smile. “Thank you.”
“The two of you have so much in common,” Destiny continued in the same slick tone she might use if she were about to sell her a used car.
“We do?” Melanie said skeptically.
“Of course you do. Or perhaps I should say that your talents and interests are complementary. You have exactly what Richard needs to fulfill his destiny.”
Richard choked on a sip of water. He hadn’t expected his aunt to go quite this far. It was beginning to look as if she wanted to seal this deal tonight. He wouldn’t be surprised to see her whip out an engagement ring.
“I’m sure Melanie appreciates the intended compliment, but I think you’re embarrassing her,” Richard said, giving Melanie a bolstering smile. “Mack, why don’t you tell us about the team’s chances in the play-offs?”
Destiny cut Mack off before he could utter the first word. “There will be no talk of football over dinner,” she said firmly.
Mack rolled his eyes. “You say that as if it involves talk of blood and gore.”
Richard sat back happily, his mission accomplished. He knew from past experience that Mack and Destiny could spend hours debating whether football was a real sport or simply some macho excuse for a bunch of men to pummel each other senseless. Only the mention of boxing set her off more.
To his shock, Destiny waved off the comment. “I will not be drawn into this discussion tonight.” She frowned at Richard. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re up to.”
“Me?” Richard asked innocently. “What did I do?”
“You’re trying to keep me from asking Melanie too many personal questions. You seem to have forgotten that I knew her before you did.”
“Believe me, I have not forgotten that,” Richard said grimly. “Not for an instant.”
“Did she tell you about her sisters?”
“Yes.”
“You know that she graduated from college magna cum laude?”
“I did not,” Richard admitted. “Are you planning to trot out her résumé over the fish course?”
Destiny gave him a look that might have terrified him a few years back. Now he knew there was no real anger behind it. It was simply an intimidating tactic she’d found handy. He grinned at her. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to get it through your thick skull that she’s very talented,” Destiny said. “Talk to him, Mack. Tell him he’s cutting off his nose to spite his face by trying to defy me.”
Mack bit back a grin. “I think he heard you, Destiny.”
Richard gave his aunt a bland look. “So if I were to hire Melanie right here, right now, you’d be happy?”
“That’s all I ever wanted,” Des
tiny said, her face the picture of innocence.
Richard shrugged, then turned to Melanie, who was listening to the exchange with an increasingly bemused expression. “You’re hired.”
She stared at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he confirmed, then glanced at his aunt. “Satisfied?”
“I think you’ve made a very wise decision,” she said happily. “That means the two of you will be working very closely together. Melanie, dear, would you like to move in here?”
Melanie choked on a sip of water. “Excuse me?”
“I thought it might be more convenient,” Destiny said blithely.
“I have my own place.”
“Not even two miles from here,” Richard said, amused by his aunt’s blatant attempt to maintain complete control over her protégé. “The only thing more convenient would be for her to move in with me.”
Destiny’s expression immediately brightened. “Perhaps until the election—”
“Absolutely not,” Melanie said before Richard could gather his wits after the audacious suggestion. “I really don’t need that much access to my clients, believe me. Sometimes a little distance is best for all concerned.”
“Oh, I can’t imagine that’s true,” Destiny said. “The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to represent Richard.”
Melanie forced an insincere smile. “Something tells me I’m going to have plenty of inside information.”
Destiny made no attempt to hide her disappointment. “Well, if you think that’s best, dear. After all you are the expert. I’ll certainly help all I can. Mack?”
Mack nodded, fighting a grin. “Believe me, I’ll be Johnny-on-the-spot, whenever Melanie needs anything.”
Richard didn’t like the gleam in his brother’s eye when he spoke. He gave him a warning scowl. “I think maybe it’ll be best if Melanie and I work out my marketing strategy on our own with no outside interference. Too many cooks have a way of muddying the waters.”
“I think they spoil the broth,” Mack corrected, laughing. “But it’s your call, big brother. If you want to keep Melanie all to yourself, I’m sure Destiny and I will respect your wishes, won’t we, Destiny?”
Isn't It Rich? Page 10