“No, Estelle, no plans to announce,” I said lightly, wiping the corners of my mouth with my napkin and placing it on the table to signal I was done. “But thanks for asking. What about you? Isn’t it time for you to be planning another wedding?”
Phillip started coughing and reached for his water glass.
“We are planning a wedding,” Estelle said drily. “For Nicholas and Jillian—” she gave them a sideways glance— “though perhaps a little late.”
Nick sat up in his seat. “Did I tell you we found out the sex of the baby?” All heads swung toward him and Jillian.
Jillian suddenly looked nervous. “And we have a surprise.”
Estelle ignored them. “I wonder if we will ever be planning a wedding for you, Oliver.”
I shook my head. “Not in this lifetime.” I smiled pleasantly. “Thanks to you and Dad.”
“It’s a girl,” Jillian said loudly. “Well, actually, two girls—we’re going to have twins.”
Thankfully, that was a big enough distraction to divert Estelle’s verbal arrows. We all raised our glasses to cheer the twins and I relaxed as the waiter came with the check. Dinner was over. I’d paid my dues for another year and lived to tell about it. We just had to pay the check and get out of here.
I smiled at Alexis and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I think Lili is a beautiful name for a girl, don’t you?” For some reason, I was pleased at the blush that colored her cheeks.
“Oliver, darling.”
It was as if someone had pressed an ice cube against my skin and burned a path of fire and ice down my spine. All eyes shifted to someone standing behind me. Alexis turned to look at the newcomer at the same moment I did.
Simone wore a long fur coat and even though it was dark outside, her eyes were covered with big sunglasses, making her look like she’d just stepped from the pages of Paris Vogue. She swept the sunglasses from her face and held her arms out to me.
“Surprise, bebe!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Beast. I should have known.
“Simone,” Oliver gasped, looking like he’d seen a ghost. “What are you doing in Seattle?” Instead of answering, she leaned down and kissed him full-on, leaving red lipstick on his lips.
I so wanted to tell him it was not his color.
“And you are all my Oliver’s family?” She asked in beautifully-accented French as her gaze swept the table. Chairs scraped as all three men jumped to their feet. Her eyes narrowed as they landed on me. “Who is this? A sister?” The rest of the family looked like they’d been shot with stun guns. All except Estelle, who, curiously enough, looked extremely pleased.
“No,” Oliver stuttered. “She’s, uh—”
It was obvious I would need to save Oliver’s worthless ass, so I smiled sweetly and said, “Just a client.”
She muttered something in French under her breath. “I’ll have to keep a better eye on my Oliver, then. I was a client once too—” she slid an arm around his shoulders and pressed herself against him— “before we became lovers.”
The world tilted to the left and I had to grip the edge of the table to stay in my chair before it righted itself again. I’d known all along he was dating Simone. It was my own fault that I found myself in this humiliating position.
“Do sit down and join us, Simone, is it?” Estelle motioned to a nearby vacant chair which Nick promptly pulled around the table and positioned next to Oliver. “I take it you don’t live in Seattle?”
“Oh no,” Simone said as she slid gracefully into the chair and crossed those stupid pencil-thin legs that went on forever. “I have just flown in from New York, to surprise my Oliver.” She scrunched her nose at him. “He mentioned several days ago that you were having a family dinner tonight and I thought it would be a great surprise to join you.” She put her hand over Oliver’s. “It seems like the right time, doesn’t it, my darling?”
“Uh, yes. I mean, no. I mean—the right time for what?” Oliver slid his hand free and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing the dark strands. He still hadn’t gotten up the nerve to look at me. I kicked him under the table. Hard.
“Ow.” He reached down and rubbed his shin as he dared a glance my way. I held up my phone.
“Oh, would you look at the time.” I gave him a saccharine smile while I tried to kill him with my eyes. “I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to be going. Remember, I have that other commitment tonight?” I stood up, motioning for him to move so I could get out from behind the table. “Could I scoot past you, Oliver?”
He stood up and pushed his chair back, reaching to take my arm and assist me. I noticed he didn’t try to dissuade me from leaving. “I’ll walk you out.”
“No, don’t bother.” I awkwardly scooted past him, conscious of everyone’s eyes on me. “Stay with your family and girlfriend.” It was like reliving Ryan’s betrayal all over again. “I’ll take a cab like we planned.” I nodded at everyone, putting on my brave, lying face. “So nice to meet you all.”
Oliver started to follow me, but I turned and put my hand on his chest, keeping my voice low. “No, Oliver. Really.” The last word was barely audible but it came out through gritted teeth and my upper lip curled in a snarl. “Don’t.”
“Lexie—” his voice was soft, desperate— “I can explain.”
It was the first time he’d ever called me anything but Alexis. What weird timing. I leaned close and whispered, “I doubt it, darling.” Then I limp-stalked from the room.
LUCKILY THERE WERE cabs lined up outside the restaurant so I didn’t have to wait. I heard Oliver call my name as I slid into the backseat of the first cab, but I slammed the door and told the driver to go.
The drive home was one long moment of crystal clarity. Of course, Oliver was still seeing the Beast. In what crazy world would someone who looked like him not have a girlfriend who was also a Parisian supermodel?
Nandini had been exactly right. Why, oh why, had I not listened to her?
The cabbie drove us through the night and a cascade of memories clicked through my mind like snapshots: the beautiful Oliver married to the beautiful Simone and they lived in their ultra-glamorous jet-setting world with their black Porsche Carrera and beautiful children. As I had known all along, I did not belong anywhere in that picture. I didn’t even belong in the same universe.
LIKE SOME HORRIBLE do-over-day I replayed the moment when I turned and recognized Simone standing at our table over and over in my mind. Every single time I revisited the memory she dripped glamour from head to toe—and given how tall she was in heels—that covered a lot of ground. She was striking—like some exotic animal who had slinked into our ordinary lives to make sure we understood how truly mundane we were. She was the perfect match for Oliver.
I stared blankly at the blinking cursor on my laptop while I argued with myself in my head. You’re just an acquaintance to him, Lexie, nothing more. But he asked me to dinner. He needed a date to even out the table. But he introduced me to his family. He wanted protection from Estelle. He even told you that when he asked you. But— Shut up and quit acting surprised. At least Ryan likes me. Seriously—did you just say that?
I groaned and pushed my hands against my head. I was losing my mind. I needed to get a life. Right now. I slammed the lid of my laptop closed and limped down the stairs into the family room where my dad was watching golf on TV.
“Hey honey, how’d it go tonight?” He asked without looking away from the television. “You were home early.”
“It was fine.” I was pleased I’d used past tense. Everything about Oliver was now past tense. I sat down on the couch next to my dad. “I think I’ll take that job at the store.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
To say Simone surprised me was an understatement. She shocked the hell out of me. When she’d been questioning me on the phone about our dinner, it had never occurred to me that she might fly out and surprise me. I thought she was curious about Seattle and what I was doing
while I was home, but suddenly here she was—and it wasn’t like I could ship her home on the next bus.
Luckily, she had no reason to connect Alexis with that uppity waitress she’d gotten fired from Antoine’s in Manhattan. But it was obvious she sensed there was something more than a client / attorney relationship because we’d barely left the restaurant before she began to question me as we walked to the car.
“Who was that girl with you at dinner?”
“Just a friend.” I had avoided thinking about what Alexis must be thinking about now.
“She said she was your client.”
“She is.” I took the chicken-shit way out. It was just easier with Simone. “Our law firm is handling a partnership deal for her father. It was a goodwill dinner to make points with our clients.” I didn’t try to analyze why I was lying to Simone. Everything felt too complicated right now.
“Hmmm.” Simone lips were pursed. “That is very nice to invite her to a family dinner.”
I laughed. “Nice is hardly the word. I wouldn’t invite anyone I liked to dine with my family. Especially my stepmother.”
I SUSPECTED THE conversation wasn’t over and I was right. Twenty minutes later the questions began again.
“Oliver, are you happy I’m here?” She sat next to me in the car, her hand possessively on my thigh as I drove back to my father’s house. I’d asked what hotel she was staying at and she’d frowned at me with a hurt expression. “You stay at my apartment in Paris, why wouldn’t I stay with you here?”
She had a point.
“It’s always nice to see you, Simone,” I said gently, “but the timing may not be the greatest. My father is going to have open heart surgery in a few days and I’m swamped trying to keep up with his files.” Which wasn’t exactly the truth, but close enough. “I’m afraid I’m not going to have a lot of time to spend with you.”
Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “Well, I’m only here for a few days, anyway. I have to find a place to live in New York and Laurent has already scheduled a shoot with Chanel for me.”
An awkward silence filled the car. I worried that she was waiting for me to invite her to live with me in New York—but I wasn’t ready to make that kind of commitment. I was never going to be ready to make that kind of commitment.
“That’s great about the Chanel shoot. What part of town will you look for an apartment?”
She stiffened beside me.
“I haven’t decided yet.” She laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m still fighting jet lag from Paris. I need to go to bed.” She ran her hand down my thigh. “I always sleep better with you, Oliver.”
Instead of responding, I wondered again why I hadn’t mentioned Simone to Alexis.
IN THE END, I didn’t sleep with Simone. In fact, I didn’t sleep at all. Jet-lagged, she fell asleep within minutes of hitting the bed while I busied myself with things in the other room. When I was sure she was asleep I crawled into bed and tried to sleep but my thoughts went round and round until I finally gave up. I went into the kitchen and made myself a strong cup of coffee and watched the sun come up.
ON SUNDAY at her request, I gave Simone a tour of Seattle. We went through Chihuly’s spectacular glass garden at the Seattle Center, rode the Ferris wheel down on the waterfront then wandered through Pike Place Market, Seattle’s farmer’s market. While we were there, we drank coffee at the first Starbucks coffee shop. She suggested we go to the top of the Space Needle but I talked her out of it because of the long lines, even though I didn’t know if there were lines at all. I just didn’t want to go there—with her.
SIMONE WAS SCHEDULED to fly out very early Tuesday. She was still in bed when I left for the office on Monday morning. Dad’s surgery was scheduled for seven a.m. on Thursday and I wanted to be at the hospital, which meant I needed to get my /his cases settled for the next few days.
My nose was buried in a brief toward the end of the day when Phillip stuck his head in the door. “I didn’t know your friend Alexis was Charlie West’s daughter. How is it that you know her again?”
I lifted my head. “How do you know she’s Charlie West’s daughter?”
“Because he was just in my office signing the partnership papers and he mentioned his daughter Alexis was home from New York. I asked him a few questions and it wasn’t difficult to figure out that your Alexis was also his Alexis.”
My brother had a look in his eye that I recognized. That I’m not going to stop until I get some answers look. It was one of the things that made him a good lawyer. He sensed a weakness and he badgered until he understood how to use it to his advantage.
“So how do you know her?” he pressed.
I shrugged. “We ran into each other at a hospital event.” I tossed my pen on the desk and leaned back in my chair. “So he signed the partnership papers, huh?”
“Yep. It’s official. That family has been the best thing that’s happened to Ryan Leeds in a long time. He’s had a pretty rough go of it the last few years.” Phil glanced over his shoulder then pushed his jacket behind and propped his hands on his hips. “And what about Simone? Where the hell you been keeping her hidden?”
“Paris, actually.”
“Holy shit, Oliver. She’s something.”
Something was right. I wondered what Phil would think if he knew how Simone had gotten Alexis fired from her job. But knowing Phil, he would have been more impressed with her multi-million dollar deal with Chanel.
“Is she staying at Dad’s with you?”
I fought a vague sense of irritation. “Yes.”
He shook his head. “You have all the damn luck with women, Oliver. You always have.”
I lifted the paper I’d been reading. “Have you reviewed this brief on the Halstead case? I’m not sure this argument is going to stand up…”
I DIDN’T SEE Simone asleep on the couch when I got home Monday night. She jerked upright when I dropped my keys on the kitchen counter.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there—were you sleeping?”
Simone stretched like a cat. It wouldn’t have surprised me to hear her purr. “I must’ve dozed off.” She sat up and leaned her arms on the back of the couch. “How was your day? Did you catch any bad guys?”
I laughed. “That’s not really what I do.” I loosened my tie as I walked over to the frig and opened the door, wondering what I could scrounge up for dinner.
“Oliver, when will you be coming back to New York?”
“I’ve told you, Simone. I don’t know for sure. Depends on how quickly my dad recovers. Why?”
She traced an invisible pattern on the fabric of the couch. “I just wondered.”
I waited.
“It’s just that I need to find my apartment soon…” her voice drifted off and she raised hopeful eyes as she waited for my response.
I was tired, which wasn’t the best time to talk about life-changing events anyway, and Simone’s timing couldn’t have been worse. If I was truthful with myself, which I was having a hard time being lately, what was bothering me was that Ryan Leeds was now permanently connected to Alexis’ family and that I hadn’t spoken to her since Saturday night. I should have called her and apologized—to explain Simone’s arrival—to explain that I didn’t know Simone was arriving—but Alexis and I didn’t have any ties to each other. Christ, we barely knew each other. Why would I need to explain myself? Forget the why. How could I explain the situation? I’m attracted to you, Alexis, basically a complete stranger, even though I’m dating someone else, who happens to be a supermodel, and could be a critical stepping stone in my career.
I shook my head. It sounded completely deranged, even to me. Better to wait—wait for Simone to return to New York, wait until after my dad’s surgery, wait and see if maybe these inexplicable feelings for Alexis would go away.
I didn’t want to argue with Simone but I didn’t want to encourage her either. So, in typical fashion, I sidestepped the unspoken question. “Keep looking. I’m sure you’ll fi
nd a place you’ll love.” Inside, I was counting the minutes until she left.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I was oddly nervous on Tuesday as I drove to my first day of work. I’d grown up in this store—what was different now? But the answer was obvious: Ryan was what was different. He was part owner of the store now. That made everything different. I hadn’t heard from Oliver since Saturday, which was not a surprise. I don’t even know why I thought I might—he didn’t owe me any explanations. And I needed to stop thinking about him. I’d learned my lesson. Don’t. Trust. Anybody. Ever.
“Welcome to West Hardware,” Jessie chirped as I came in through the unlocked back door that led into the staff room. She handed me a bright green apron. “There’s a marker over on that desk. Write your name on the bib. When you leave you can hang it on one of those hooks.” She pointed to a far wall. “I put your name above that one on the end.”
“Wow, my own hook? It’s practically like getting my own office, isn’t it?” I teased.
“Don’t get grandiose ideas before you’ve even learned how to make the coffee.” She turned away and walked to a nearby counter. “Which is your next lesson.”
She walked me through the important steps of java origination then headed for the door that led into the store. “C’mon—let’s see if you can still remember how to use the cash register.”
Jessie and I had worked in the store every summer since we were old enough to ride our bikes into town. We walked out onto the floor where are the shelving was lined up parallel to each other and stacked with gleaming hardware essentials. Ropes, rakes, hoes and hose—garden that is. New keys, paint, stakes and a million other items that somebody was going to need eventually were displayed. There was a real sense of homecoming, but also a reminder of why I’d left in the first place. Working in the family hardware store wasn’t my dream. Maybe it was my dad’s and Jessie’s and even Ryan’s, our newest family member—but it wasn’t mine.
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