Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series

by Ainsley St Claire

  “If only you weren’t married to the most amazing woman,” Ryder laments with a smile.

  “Let me see that gift you got from Caroline,” Toni says.

  I hand over the box as Caroline repeats her sales pitch.

  “I need to get one of these. I’m getting tendonitis,” Toni laments.

  When we’re done laughing, I stand. “I’d like to tell you all how much it means that you’re here. Thank you.”

  “Always,” Caroline says.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Toni asks.

  I shake my head. “Not yet.”

  “Fuck this guy,” Caroline exclaims. “We’re going to have fun in Maui this weekend.”

  Chapter 21

  Mia

  After a whirlwind day of expert-guided shopping yesterday, I feel much more ready for my weekend in Hawaii. Which is a good thing, because Peter arrives to pick me up at five a.m. this morning. I’ll most likely be the first to arrive at the airport, but I find it too stressful to have people waiting on me.

  It’s bittersweet going by myself to the airport. I still wish Axel had changed his mind. As I packed yesterday, I jumped each time my cell phone pinged. But none of the messages was from him. I remind myself that I have great friends. I’ll get to play some poker, where I always shine, and Corrine and Jackson’s wedding will be fun.

  As Peter works his way through the crowded streets, I realize I might not be as early to the airport as I thought. The traffic even this early on a Thursday morning is stunning—bumper to bumper. I shake my head in disgust. “Where do this many people have to go so early?” I ask.

  “It gets worse every minute until it evens out around midnight, and then it starts all over again,” Peter tells me.

  When we get to the airport, he parks quickly and walks into the terminal with me. I’m surprised to spot Nate’s fiancée, Lilly, and Jim’s wife, Kate, huddled at a table in the lounge.

  “Good morning,” I say. “You’re up early.”

  They break out in toothy smiles. I fill a paper cup with free coffee from the carafe and join them.

  “Nate’s not slept,” Lilly cautions. “I should warn you. He’s going to bend your ear.”

  I blow on the coffee before taking a sip. “What happened?”

  “He met with Tatyana Turgeneva yesterday.”

  I hold my breath. “And?”

  “He was so upset after it, he couldn’t even tell me.”

  My eyes pop wide. “Viviana confessed to him, and it was caught on a wire. What could her lawyer have said that got him so upset?”

  “I think they went after Cecelia,” Kate says.

  “She went after his dead wife? That wouldn’t win her any points in court.”

  Kate shakes her head. “No, but it is a hot button for him, and her job is to push the buttons.”

  “I don’t know.” Lilly sighs. “I think it’s more than that.”

  “She wasn’t prepared for me to be so assertive,” I tell them. “She probably was better prepared for Nate.”

  Lilly nods. “He promised me that once we set foot on the ground in Hawaii, he’ll put it all behind him.”

  I see Caroline and Mason walking in, and Caroline is clearly half asleep. She’s the friend to call if you have insomnia. She’s always up late, but she doesn’t do all-nighters and usually likes to sleep between three and eight.

  I stand and pour her a cup of coffee. “Here’s a refill when you’re done with the one you’re drinking.”

  “You’re a supreme goddess.” She sits, closes her eyes, and smells the coffee. “I don’t know how I ever married a morning person.”

  Jim steps in from outside. “Okay, ladies. Everyone is here and we’re ready for you.”

  I walk out to the plane with him. “How’s Nate doing?”

  “I don’t think pissed comes close to covering it,” he says quietly.

  “Should I talk to him?”

  “You can try. Viv did some underhanded things and scorched earth. It’s ugly.”

  I close my eyes for a moment. “She’s such a bitch.”

  Jim stops at the base of the stairs. “You’re a lot kinder than I am.”

  I walk up into the plane with Kate, Lilly, and Caroline before Jim follows her in.

  I find a seat. I’m prepared to sit alone during the flight, so I’m surprised when Nate plops down next to me. “How are you doing?” I ask him.

  “I almost reached across the table and killed her lawyer yesterday,” he growls.

  “Marci must have been apoplectic.”

  His jaw clenches. “She was, but she hid it well.”

  “What did Tatyana do?”

  “She went into my history in the Marine Corps and made me out to have broken the rules and killed mercilessly. She then attacked Cecelia and the fake memes Viv had sent to Katrina. She attacked Lilly and how we got involved. I expected that shit. It’s a way to goad me, but I saw it for what it was. But I lost it when she went after Katrina.”

  My head whips up. “What? She’s sixteen,” I screech.

  He nods. “I can’t even say her name without a lot of expletives with it, but she left it that she wanted to depose Katrina tomorrow. Marci is going to fight it, given that Katrina has nothing to offer that can contribute to Viviana’s case. She and Walker left last night and will meet us at Jackson’s, but she’s all over it and hopefully will have information for us when we arrive.”

  “I don’t remember if Viviana and Katrina ever even met.” I shake my head. “Does Marci think she can prevent Katrina from having to testify? Depositions are pretty broad.”

  “Katrina’s out of town with her aunt tomorrow, and obviously I’m out of town. We’re asking that it not happen. Marci’s going to tell them Katrina needs a legal guardian with her, and I’m out of town, returning in two weeks.”

  “Oh, where are you going?”

  “I was going to come home after the wedding, but right now the team is on the road, and I think I need to go with them.” He gives me a look.

  I shake my head. “She is such a piece of work.”

  “I’ve meant to ask you—did Viviana ever tell you she had feelings for me?”

  I think back over my conversations with her. “I’m sure it could be painted that way. We both agreed you’re a twenty on a ten-point scale in the looks department, and we thought you were a great catch, but we knew Cecelia left big shoes.”

  “When Viviana made her declaration of guilt to me, she said she’d wanted to be my first after Cecelia’s death. But I can’t recall that she ever made any overtures to me after Cecelia died. Then today her lawyer indicated we’d been involved and hinted that it had been going on before Cecelia was killed and maybe I even manipulated Viviana into killing Cecelia.”

  I snort. “No way. I would have known. Viviana told me everything. I knew when she was involved with Jackson and…” I lower my voice. “Landon.” I search my brain for any hint, but I’m confident that had she and Nate fooled around or even flirted, I would have known. “Okay, I didn’t know anything, but several of us get together regularly, and the group used to include Viviana. We call ourselves the Stiletto Sisters. It’s a free environment to talk openly. Caroline is often there. She can corroborate that Viviana talked about broken hearts and how hard it is to date if you have a healthy bank account, but she never once talked about you. The only thing I can recall is that we discussed you being single forever because you’d lost your soul mate.”

  Nate scrubs his hands over his face. “Thank you. I know she’s putting you through the wringer, too. Is that why we’re not seeing Axel today? I thought he was going to join you for the wedding.”

  “We talked about it, but his sister flew in with four kids, and his life is upside down right now.”

  Nate eyes me suspiciously. While I may want to throw Axel under the bus, I’m the one who freaked out. Anyway, Axel and Nate work together. I’m not about to mess that up. My challenges with Axel shouldn’t affect Jeremy, Crispi
n, or Jake—not that Nate would ever be vindictive that way, but I won’t take the chance. Plus, who wants into my drama? Nate’s life is already full enough.

  Chapter 22

  Axel

  “Uncle Axel! Watch this!” my nephew Clay cries.

  He swings high, full of giggles. Nina, the new nanny, waits at the base of the slide for Laird to rush down, and Duke is in the sandbox. I didn’t realize how wonderful my nephews were until they came to live with me—not that it’s all enjoyable, or easy in any way. They are a flurry of activity all the time, and there are crumbs and orange fish crackers hidden in every crevice of my house. When they move out, my place will need a deep cleaning and, chances are, new furniture, too.

  My mind drifts to Mia as I continue to watch the boys race through the playground, flying down the slides and trying to swing above the trees. I still don’t know what to do or even what to think about everything I saw online the other night. And I haven’t been able to bring myself to look at it any further. I did watch the news a little, but there was nothing about her there… I have no one to talk with about this, so mostly I just feel like an idiot. I sigh. My youngest nephew is sitting in the sandbox, digging himself a huge hole and running his favorite truck over the piles of sand. That’s the life.

  Alana has heard from Marco, and he’s full of apologies. He wants to come to meet her in San Francisco, but he doesn’t have the money. I’m certainly not going to help him. I want him out of her life. He may have been my best friend when we were kids, but he’s not a friend anymore.

  I wish Alana would talk to a divorce attorney, but first I need to get her into a house with a yard and big enough for a live-in nanny and a bodyguard, if she ever needs it.

  My phone rings, bringing me back to reality.

  “Jeremy, what’s up?” I say in greeting.

  “Just checking in. Are you coming to the game today?”

  “Yep. I’m taking care of SoBe right now, and I’ll walk over. Everything okay? Ready for another no-hitter?”

  He laughs. “I’m trying to be realistic, but I seem to throw best when your girlfriend is at the game. Is she coming with you?”

  Crap. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious. I can’t tell Jeremy things have fallen apart with Mia, but at least I know she’s out of town right now. “Sorry, man. She’s at a friend’s wedding in Hawaii.”

  “Why aren’t you with her? Isn’t that like candy to a girl—having her man with her at a romantic event?”

  “I’m here for you, and plus, weddings aren’t really my thing.”

  He snorts. “Worried you’re going to get down on one knee and propose?”

  I laugh. “Not likely.” I need to change the subject. “How did you sleep last night?”

  “I did okay. I like being over here at the Lancaster compound. There’s always something happening.”

  I smile, but then catch myself. I honestly don’t know what to think about Nate anymore either. If he’s caught up in something shady with Mia… Fuck. How did I get myself into this mess? Have I put my player in harm’s way? Is my whole life going to come crashing down around me?

  “…but some of the players say I’m kissing up to him and making moves on his daughter,” Jeremy says.

  My stomach tightens. I think I missed a bunch of what he said. Get it together, Axel. Surely this is just his teammates trying to get in his head again. “Are you messing with his daughters?”

  “The youngest, Bex, will hang out with me if she’s around, but she sees me as a big brother. And while Katrina is hot, I’m not going there. I wouldn’t want to lose my place on the team or my spot living here in the guest house.”

  A wave of relief splashes over me. He gets it. Of all the things I have to worry about, he’s not one of them. “Then just ignore Raymond and keep your head down.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you over at the stadium today.”

  “Yep,” I assure him. “I’ll see you there.” I need to make sure I’m focused on the right things. “Why don’t you and the guys come over tonight and we can order pizza and play some Fortnite? I’ll try to send my sister and her kids out for the night so we can hang.”

  “I don’t mind the kids,” Jeremy says. “They can be there.”

  “Are you sure? They wouldn’t mind a suite and the swimming pool at the Fairmont.”

  “No. Clay reminds me of my little brother.” Jeremy chuckles. “The kids don’t bother me. They remind me of home.”

  I look over at Clay, whose middle name should be Trouble, on the swings. “How are your parents doing?” I ask Jeremy.

  “Good. I bought them a new corn harvest machine. It’s state of the art. Life will get easier for them.”

  “I’m glad. They deserve it.” I rub my hand over my face. “You have a few days off. Should we schedule a trip home for you?”

  “I can do that?”

  “I’ll talk to the GM and make sure it’s okay, but I don’t see why not.”

  “That’d be great. Oh, and tell Mia I’m sorry about all the fake publicity she’s getting right now. I can’t believe someone did that to her. I hope people don’t believe everything they read on the internet. Bryan tells me she and Mr. Lancaster are fighting this every way they can. People are trying to smear him too, and the government isn’t doing anything to stop the trolls. They’ve had to enlist Clear Security to help.”

  Oh my God. In that moment, my world stops cold. Who’s the big brother here? All the nagging questions that have been swirling through my mind finally crystallize into something solid. What I was reading didn’t seem like Mia because it isn’t Mia. The big news outlets aren’t reporting the same things as the gossip rags because it’s not true. I’m an idiot. I’m worse than an idiot. My emotions have carried me off the deep end, and I should absolutely have known better. What have I done?

  “Axel?” Jeremy says. “You still there?”

  “Yeah, sorry. Uh, she’s dealing with a lot right now.” I don’t know what else to say.

  “I’m sure knowing she has your support makes it easier,” he adds. “I know what having you in my corner does for me.”

  Ooooh, fuck. “Well, thanks, buddy. That’s a great compliment. I appreciate it.” I feel like my head is floating away from my body. Just how badly have I messed this up?

  I finish with Jeremy and let Nina, the new nanny from Clear, know I need to head back to get over to the ballpark shortly. She agrees to bring the boys home in a little while.

  I wave goodbye to my nephews and walk back to my condo.

  Alana looks up from the kitchen table when I come in. Her arms are crossed and her eyes swollen and red rimmed.

  My stomach sinks. “What happened?”

  “Mom called.”

  I look to the heavens for a moment. I have really pissed someone off, somewhere in the universe. “What did she want?”

  “For me to forgive Marco and take him back.”

  I stop short. “Does she know Marco was in jail for domestic battery?”

  “She does. She said he needs counseling, he’s sorry, and it’s more important that we’re together as a family.”

  I narrow my eyes. “What he did was a million times worse than whatever Dad did to her.”

  She shakes her head. “Marco has been talking to them, and I think they’re going to pay for his flight here to San Francisco.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “We can get a restraining order,” I tell her.

  “What if he’s really learned his lesson?”

  I sigh. “He’s an unhappy person. When he uses, he takes that out on you. What happens if he takes it out on Clay or maybe goes right for Tavish?” I let SoBe off his leash. “Until he gets counseling and can pay his own way home, he can’t be around you or the kids. Alana, tell me you agree.”

  She nods, but I’m not convinced she does.

  I walk past her into my home office. I have to unlock the door, since I’m keeping it secured after someone smeared pea
nut butter all over my computer keyboard.

  I open a blank email message to my parents and attach the pictures I took of Alana when she arrived. I want them to see what Marco inflicted on her.

  This is how Alana arrived—48 hours after Marco had beaten her so badly that she called me to fly her and the boys out of there with six hours’ notice. Marco cannot be trusted, and he certainly doesn’t deserve to have you fly him here. Ask yourself why his parents won’t foot the bill to fly him back to the US. Don’t do this to Alana. Her mental health is precarious at best, and I promise we’ll have him served with a restraining order if he comes. For once, do something for your children because it’s right, not because it makes you look good.

  My father calls almost immediately. “Axel, he deserves to see his children.”

  “Maybe so, but not at Alana’s expense, and only when we can be sure that’s safe for them. If you violate her trust by flying him here, I promise you, Dad, you’ll not only never see your grandchildren again, you’ll never see your children again. Be very careful about your next move.”

  “Axel,” I hear my mother from the speakerphone. “You’re putting us in a very difficult position.”

  “No, actually I’m not. It’s black and white. Choose your daughter and her children and put their safety first. Leave Marco alone. Do not talk to him, and whatever you do, do not fly him to San Francisco.”

  “It’s too late,” my father says quietly.

  “What did you do?” I demand.

  “He got on a flight a few hours ago. We thought Alana would be happy to see him.”

  I’m holding my phone so tight it’s a miracle the glass face doesn’t shatter. “If Alana wanted to see Marco, I would have brought him with her. You’re both done. I will be filing a restraining order against you on behalf of Alana and the boys.”

  “You can’t do that,” my mother yells.

  “Watch me. I discreetly told you what happened. You knew Alana and the boys were hiding here in San Francisco, and Marco knew just what to say to you to get you to pony up. No. As far as we’re concerned, you’re dead to us. I hope you’re happy.”