by Ivy Layne
I didn't want their money, but my dad would have hit them up for cash while they were still shaking hands.
"It doesn't matter now," Evers said. "I talked to Aiden yesterday. They want to meet you before the party."
"I… I wasn't going to… I saw the guest list and…"
Evers laughed and shook his head. "What were you going to do? Hide? I've seen you run parties before, you're out on the floor the entire time. How are you going to manage the party from your office?"
My shoulders slumped, and I gave a little shrug, laughing at myself. "I hadn't worked that out yet. Honestly, I've had enough to worry about getting the party put together. And, just so you know, I could absolutely run the party from my office if I had to."
"Well, now you don't have to. They want to meet you. It won't be all of them. Vance and Maggie, Aiden and Violet, Charlie and Lucas, and Lise and Riley. The rest of them can't make it. Lucas and Riley work for us. They'll be at the party doubling as security, working undercover."
"Can we put it off? Do it another time?" I asked, nerves creeping in. The Winters family was larger than life. I wasn't ready to meet them. Not yet. Not with everything else that was going on.
"You might be able to put off the rest of them, but if you try to hide from Charlie, she'll hunt you down. Nobody told her about you, and she is pissed. You don't want to see Charlie when she's pissed. It was all Lucas could do to convince her to wait until Friday."
"But why? Why would they care? I'm a nobody."
Evers' eyes narrowed on my face, confusion and annoyance flashing through them. "You're not a nobody, Summer."
"I'm a nobody compared to the Winters family."
"No, you're somebody no matter who you're compared with. And you're a part of the Winters family. You think they have relatives coming out of the woodwork to hassle them, but they don't. You and your father. That's it. Daniel had two sons who are both dead, and Amelia never had children. They've lost enough family."
"This is weird, " I blurted out. "You don't understand, Evers, my dad made me promise. He doesn't get worked up about much, but he made me swear I'd stay away from them."
"Your dad's not here."
An idea occurred to me, and I looked down at my phone, wondering. "My dad's not answering my calls," I said slowly, gears turning in my mind, "but I wonder what would happen if I told him I was going to a party with the Winters. I wonder if that would get him to call."
Evers gave me a speculative look. "Do it. Call him. If you call now, he'll have plenty of time to try to stop you."
I pulled up my dad's number and hit the call button. As I'd expected, it went straight to voicemail. When I finished listening to my dad's vague half-asleep voice invite me to leave a message, I did.
"Dad, it's Summer. I've been trying to call you. Listen, remember how you told me not to get in touch with the Winters? Well, I'm doing a party next week, and they're all invited. They said they want to meet me. So if that's a problem, if you still want me to stay away, call me back, okay? I don't want to break my promise, but I'm not sure I can get out of it without a good reason."
I paused, the whole crazy situation swirling in my head, wondering what else to say. Where are you? What have you done? What are you mixed up in?
All I said was, "I love you, Dad."
There was nothing more we could do in the abandoned ranch house. I got back in the car while Evers locked up, clutching my phone in my hand. I willed it to ring. Willed my father to reach out. To call. To give me answers.
The party grew closer, and still, he didn't call. Every day that passed without hearing his voice, my worry grew.
Finally, the day of the party arrived.
Smokey Winters was out of time.
So was I.
Chapter Thirteen
Summer
I paced the hall outside my small office, every click of my heels on the hardwood floor winding my nerves tighter. Everything was ready for the party.
I was dressed, Angie was taking care of Cynthia, the caterers were set up, the band was here, and all of the guests had yet to arrive.
Almost all of the guests. The Winters family was assembled in the parlor. Waiting for me.
I glanced at the phone sitting beside my laptop on my desk. My father had never called. After making me promise, making me swear I'd never contact the Winters family, I told him we were meeting, and he said nothing.
I didn't have time to think about how much that scared me.
Part of me hadn't really believed that my dad was in trouble. Smokey Winters never got in trouble. He always managed to squirm his way out, leaving someone else holding the bag.
Not this time. This time, something was really wrong. I did not have time to worry about it. Not tonight. I stopped pacing and smoothed my hands down my skirt.
I was being ridiculous. I'm an adult. A professional. I'm successful and smart, and there was no reason to be nervous about meeting the Winters.
The flutters in my stomach intensified. All of that might have been true, but I was still terrified. I ran a hand over my hair, tucking a stray wisp into my chignon.
For the party, I'd chosen a cobalt silk wrap dress accented with a silver scarf and matching silver heels. Elegant and striking enough to fit in, understated enough that I wouldn't draw attention from the real star of the party.
A quick glance at my watch told me that I'd better get this thing with the Winters over with before the rest of the guests arrived and Cynthia made her grand entrance.
I still couldn't believe we'd managed to pull this off. A last-minute party for seventy-five, and so far, everything was ticking along right on schedule.
I allowed myself just a moment to revel in the depth of my awesomeness. There was a reason my clients are loyal. I'm damn good at my job.
I clenched my hands into fists, letting my nerves run rampant through my body before I forced my hands to relax, rolled my shoulders back, and took a deep breath.
I could handle this. They were just people. If they didn't like me, well, that was their loss.
Just as I reached the end of the hallway, Evers appeared, taking my elbow in hand and walking beside me. Under his breath, he said, "Don't be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," I lied.
He was nice enough not to call me on it. We entered the room, and everyone turned. A man broke free from the group and strode forward, hand outstretched. This had to be Aiden Winters, the eldest and current head of the family.
He clasped my fingers in his, giving me a warm, friendly shake. Looking down at me in curiosity, he said, "You have the Winters' blue eyes. It's hard to tell from pictures, but I'd know those eyes anywhere. Just like Charlie's."
"I told you," a man said. He stood next to a woman about my age with chin-length auburn curls the same shade as Aiden's and ocean-blue eyes that were an exact match to mine. The man who'd spoken was a little scary despite his perfectly tailored dark suit.
He was tall, and that was saying something in a room full of men who all had to be over six feet. This guy could have been 6' 6", with broad shoulders and long legs. He would have made me nervous except for his friendly smile and the way he held his date in his arms.
"I'm Aiden," the first man said, confirming my suspicions.
"Summer. Summer Winters." I flushed. "But you already know that." My nervous laugh made me flush deeper. I hate being nervous. Almost as much as I hate blushing.
"Well, I didn't know. These guys are all in big trouble for not telling me," said the woman with my eyes and Aiden's hair. She strode forward and pulled me into a short hug, squeezing tight.
"I'm Charlie Jackson, but I used to be Charlie Winters. I'm this one's little sister," she said, nodding at Aiden. "And this is my husband, Lucas. He works at Sinclair with Evers and Riley and Griffen and the rest of the guys wandering around here. Sorry we're all ambushing you at once when you're supposed to be working, but we figured it would be less weird than running into you at the party."
&nb
sp; Charlie's open friendliness disarmed me, scattering my nerves and leaving me grinning.
"It's a little weird, either way," I said, "but this is much better than bumping into all of you at the party. I, uh, I should have gotten in touch before, but—"
"I was about to say the same thing," Aiden said. "We shouldn't have let it go for this long."
"Life has been a little crazy," a tall, blonde woman cut in. She stepped forward, tugging her date along with her and held out her hand. "I'm Annalise. Lise. Aiden and Charlie's cousin. This is my husband, Riley. He works with Lucas and Evers and the rest of them. Over there is my twin brother Vance and his wife Maggie. Everyone else can't wait to meet you. They would have rearranged things if we'd had a little more notice, but—"
I shook my head, smiling. "Cynthia said it had to be today. She wouldn't hear of waiting another week or two."
"Summer sent out the invitations less than twenty-four hours after Cynthia sprang the party on her," Evers said, smiling down at me with something that looked like pride.
A gasp came from beside Aiden. With silvery blonde hair and lavender eyes, his date was so composed, so beautiful, she was a little intimidating. "A week?" she asked with disarming admiration, "How did you manage to throw this together in a week?"
"She's going to say it's no big deal," Evers said, "but she's been working around the clock to make it happen."
"Cynthia keeps me on my toes," I said diplomatically.
She might drive me nuts half the time, but she was a client and a good one. I'd never admit to anyone else how hard the last week had been. How exhausted I was, and how much I was looking forward to sleeping for twelve hours straight once this whole thing was done.
I soon learned that the woman beside Aiden was Violet, his girlfriend, named perfectly for the color of her eyes. Vance and Maggie came over, Vance giving me a firm handshake and Maggie a hug.
They were all so… normal. I mean, aside from being gorgeous and draped in designer clothes. Underneath all that polish, they were normal. They were friendly, and kind, and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me better.
We chatted about this and that, mostly the Winters telling me about the various siblings and cousins who hadn't been able to make the party and planning an impromptu get together at their house. It was all so easy and comfortable, I lost track of time until Angie popped her head in the parlor and lifted a hand to draw my attention.
"Excuse me for just a second," I said and met Angie at the door.
"Cynthia's almost ready, but she has a plan for her big entrance, and she wants to go over it with you. She needs you upstairs, now."
"One minute. Thanks, Angie."
Evers stood, signaling Lucas and Riley. Lucas said, "Time to go to work." Leaning down, he kissed his wife's temple and murmured something in her ear that made her laugh.
"I'll try," she said with a sparkle in her eyes. Lucas winked and followed Evers and Riley from the room.
Vance shook his head at his younger cousin and said, "Like you could stay out of trouble."
His wife, Maggie, elbowed him in the side. She reminded me a little of my best friend, Emma, with her red hair, bombshell figure, and kind eyes.
Proving that I hadn't read her wrong she said, "Don't let us keep you. I know you've been working hard to make this happen, and the next few hours are going to be busy. We'll make sure we catch up, set up something with the whole family so you can meet everyone."
"That would be great. I'd love to do this again when I don't have so much on my plate. I'm sure you've got my number," I said with a wink. "I'll see you around the party. Have fun," I said over my shoulder as I hustled out into the hall and up the stairs to Cynthia's side.
If only the rest of the evening could go as well as meeting my long-lost family, I'd be in good shape. Funny, I'd been so nervous, and in the end, they were just… really nice. Nice was good. I liked nice.
I was a little dizzy at the thought of suddenly having so much family. All these people who were connected to me going back generations.
A spike of resentment snuck in. My father had kept me from this, from those people. People who'd been happy to welcome me. Who wanted to be a family.
Why did he keep us apart?
Because everything is always about him, that resentful voice murmured in the back of my mind. Because the only person he really cares about is himself.
I pushed my father from my thoughts. Personal time was over. I'd met my family, they were great, and I'd think more about them later.
From now on, the night was all about Cynthia. This was her party, and she was the Queen Bee.
I pushed open the door to Cynthia's suite to find her sitting in front of the vanity, smoothing another coat of lipstick over her deep red lips. Angie had pulled her hair away from her face to highlight her dramatic cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, gathering it at the crown of her head with a jeweled clasp and letting the rest fall in a wave of tousled platinum curls.
Narrow straps held up her dark red dress, the deep V in the front and back showing plenty of cleavage and highlighting Cynthia's perfectly-toned arms. The chiffon skirt floated around Cynthia in panels that shifted and swayed when she moved.
Standing still, the length was perfectly demure. When she danced it would show her legs almost to her hips. Tiny, perfectly-placed crystals gave the dress a shimmer that went perfectly with her hair. Cynthia sparkled with jewels and excitement.
I said with complete honesty, "You look fantastic. Just amazing."
Cynthia smiled at me, scanning me from head to toe. "You don't look so bad yourself. I love that scarf. It's perfect with that shade of blue."
"It is, isn't it? I bought it the last time I was out in California with you. It's just the thing to liven up the dress."
"I am so excited for this, Summer. You've done a wonderful job. I know I'm demanding. You're the only one who can put up with me. You're a miracle worker."
"I love putting up with you," I said, and despite how crazy the party had made me, I meant it. Cynthia could be a pain in the ass, but I loved the challenge. I'd get bored if I didn't have to scramble every once in a while.
Nothing is quite like the sense of triumph I get from knowing I'd faced the impossible and pulled it off with flair.
"Guests should be arriving any moment," Cynthia said, her words punctuated by the sound of voices coming from below.
"It sounds like the first are already here."
"Not exactly the first," Cynthia said, eyeing me curiously. "Why didn't you tell me you're related to the Winters?"
I shook my head. "Because. It's complicated. I'll fill you in after the party. Seriously, we do not have time right now."
"As long as you promise. I don't like missing out on gossip. Give me the TLDR."
The TLDR. Too Long Didn't Read. I smiled at the term coming from Cynthia, who looked so much like an old-school silver screen goddess it was hard to imagine she'd ever seen an Internet forum, much less knew what TLDR meant.
"Okay, and then we have to focus. Short story, my father is their father's cousin. Which makes them my second cousins. I think. My grandfather was estranged from the family and my dad made me promise never to talk to them. But he's not around right now, and it was time. That's it."
Cynthia's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's it. I think there's a lot more to the story, but you're right, now is not the time. So," she said, shifting gears, "obviously, I want to make an entrance. I was thinking, if you can let me know when most of the guests have arrived, we'll signal the band to play something fun. Lively. Then I'll come down the stairs and the party can really get started."
"What about Shut Up and Dance? When the band auditioned they played it—instrumental and a little slower than the radio version. It was fantastic. High energy and fun."
"That sounds perfect. Exactly what I want."
"I'll go let the band know. They should start playing any minute now. I don't think we should wait too long to—
"
There was a brief knock on the door before it swung open to reveal Evers, his brow knitted, lips pressed in a firm line.
"What is it?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
"Clint is at the gate," he said, biting off the words in irritation. "My guys aren't letting him in, but they can't exactly conceal his presence, considering they're checking in other guests. I don't think he knew about the party in advance, but it's bad timing. With so many people coming through the gates, we're limited in how we deal with him. He's insisting he wants to talk to you," he said to Cynthia.
All her joy drained away, leaving her eyes strained, her smile flat. I wanted to march down the driveway and smack Clint Perry in the face. Or worse. Maybe Evers would let me borrow his gun.
It had been a hard year for Cynthia. She was excited about the party, and now he was trying to ruin this, too.
Cynthia stared at the ceiling, apparently lost in thought. Evers and I waited. After what seemed like a year, she sucked in a sharp breath, blinked hard and said, "Get him on the phone. He is not ruining my night."
"Cynthia," Evers said, "I don't think that's a good idea. He—"
"Get. Him. On. The. Phone."
"Okay," Evers said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He called the guard at the gate who was keeping Clint off the property. "Put him on the phone. She wants to talk to him."
He brought the phone down from his ear, covering it with his hand as he said, "You talk to him on speaker, understood? I need to hear what he says."
Cynthia nodded. "Is he there?"
Evers took his hand off the phone and said, "Perry, you're on speaker. Cynthia's here. She wants to talk to you."
"Baby?" Clint's familiar low husky voice sounded through the speaker. "Baby? I'm sorry, but I need to see you. I didn't know what else to do."
"Clint, I could call the police," Cynthia said, and I would have thought she was simply exasperated except for the pain hiding beneath her words.