You Say It First
Page 30
“That’s because he’s really successful. Must be nice.”
“Tell me about it.” She leaned forward. “Whenever I go into the studio for something, it’s like stepping into another dimension. I work with paper and found objects—it’s totally different than using a chainsaw or making glass. Sometimes they intimidate me. Not that I would tell them.”
“Absolutely no. You’re brilliant.”
Natalie laughed. “You’re very sweet. I do okay. I’m in a great place and I love what I create, so that’s what matters, right? It’s like you at your work. You love Weddings in a Box and making people happy.”
Pallas nodded.
Her friend was reminding her of something important, not to mention something else she would’ve had to give up if she’d gone to work at the bank. Despite her mother’s claims that she’d missed her opportunity, Pallas wondered if Libby would make another run at trying to convince her to sell the business.
“What?” Natalie asked. “What are you thinking?”
“That I’ve always had to work to make my mother happy,” Pallas admitted. “And I’ve always failed. With Gerald, it was different. He was such a kind man. I never expected him to leave me his business.”
“He loved you like the daughter he never had. We could all see it.”
“I feel guilty.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t do anything to earn it,” she said, feeling foolish and defensive, even though she knew she spoke the truth. In her family—no, that wasn’t fair—with her mother, love had to be earned.
“It’s not supposed to be like that,” Natalie said quietly. “Your mom’s wrong.”
“I know that in my head. It’s my heart that’s having trouble getting the message.”
She looked up as her cousin Drew approached the table. “Ladies. Can I buy anyone a refill?”
“I’m good,” Pallas told him.
“Me, too.”
Drew nodded, then rested his hands on the back of the empty chair. “I’ll be at the dinner with your mom tonight,” he said. “If things get ugly, give me the high sign and I’ll step in.”
“Thanks. With Cade around, I’m sure everything will be fine. Besides, I’m bringing a fake boyfriend as my own distraction.”
“A great idea. I need to look into something like that.”
Natalie’s mouth turned up at the corners. “Gee, Drew, I didn’t know you played for that team.”
“You know what I meant,” he grumbled.
“Do I?”
“I’m ignoring that.” He looked at Pallas. “Between the three of us, we should be able to keep Libby in line.” He stretched over and ruffled the top of Pallas’s head. “Gotta protect family.”
She leaned out of reach and smoothed her hair. “You are sweet and annoying at the same time. How do you do that?”
“It’s a gift.” He grinned. “Besides, you’re one of my favorite cousins.”
“You say that to all the girls.”
“Only family members. Otherwise it gets weird.”
With that, he waved and left. Pallas smiled at her friend. “He’s single and you obviously share a sense of humor. Any thoughts?”
“That I have no interest in him that way. Which is sad because I might enjoy being the queen of the manor.”
“Actually that would be Grandpa Frank’s house and my mom lives there, so you need to rethink your manor fantasies. Still, Drew’s a great guy.”
“Not for me. I wish, but there’s no chemistry.” Natalie’s smile returned. “If you ask me, I think he’s still in love with Silver.”
“You know about that?”
“Everyone knows about that. What I can’t figure out is how Silver feels about him.”
“I think she’s made it pretty clear she hates his guts and all his other pieces.”
Natalie didn’t look convinced, but then she’d only heard what had happened secondhand. She hadn’t been a witness.
Back in high school, Drew had been the young prince and Silver had been the beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks. They’d fallen madly in love and everyone had assumed they would live happily ever after.
When Drew had gone off to his Ivy League college, he’d promised to be faithful. Three months later, he broke up with her via email and didn’t return to Happily Inc for two years. When he did come back, he brought the first in a long series of well-bred, pedigreed, smart coeds. After earning his MBA, he’d returned permanently with a fiancée. Ashley Lauren Grantham-Greene. She’d been as snooty as her name, more beautiful than a perfect sunrise and as mean as a snake. It had taken Drew until four weeks before the wedding to figure out he’d made a horrible mistake. By then Ashley had been past the point of forgiveness. She’d trashed his car and tried to set fire to his house. Since then, Drew had kept his private life fully private.
For her part, Silver had spent the better part of two years getting over Drew. Pallas remembered how her friend had nearly been destroyed by the breakup. Not only because she’d lost the man she’d planned to spend the rest of her life with, but also due to everyone’s assumption that he’d done it because she wasn’t good enough.
She’d moved to LA after that and had, from what Pallas had heard, traveled with a wild crowd. There had been rumors of jail, rehab and a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style bank robbery. Pallas didn’t believe any of it.
One day Silver had returned to Happily Inc and started working in her uncle’s bar. When he’d wanted to sell and travel in his RV, he’d given the bar to Silver. She’d promptly sold it and used the money to fund AlcoHaul. As for men, there was always someone interested. From what Pallas could tell, Silver took what she wanted and walked away when she was finished. Not exactly the actions of a woman still pining for her first boyfriend.
“If you don’t want him, I’m going to have to keep looking for the right woman,” Pallas said lightly. “Drew needs to be married.”
“Does he know about your plan?”
“No, and it’s better that way. I don’t want him to freak out. Plus, right now my efforts are more theoretical. I haven’t put much effort into introducing him to anyone.”
“Probably better for you both.”
Pallas picked up her latte. “What about you? Are you looking?”
Natalie shook her head. “Thanks, but no. Love isn’t in the cards for me. The women in my family have horrible luck with men.” She smiled. “Just in case you try to convince me I’m different, I’ll remind you that my ex-fiancé dumped me only days before the wedding.”
“That was horrible. Okay, yes, he was awful but what about the right guy?”
“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t exist.”
* * *
PALLAS’S FAMILY HOME sat on a hillside. Even from the large, circular driveway there was an impressive view of the town and the valley beyond. Nick ignored the play of light on the rocks at the edge of acres of landscaping, reminding himself this wasn’t the time to indulge his artistic side. He was here to offer support to a very nervous Pallas.
He’d known she had trouble dealing with her mother but didn’t expect her to be so obviously stressed. Despite her makeup, she was pale. He would swear she was shaking in the seat next to him and as they got out of his truck, he half expected her to collapse.
“Tell me about it.” She leaned forward. “Whenever I go into the studio for something, it’s like stepping into another dimension. I work with paper and found objects—it’s totally different than using a chainsaw or making glass. Sometimes they intimidate me. Not that I would tell them.”
“Absolutely no. You’re brilliant.”
Natalie laughed. “You’re very sweet. I do okay. I’m in a great place and I love what I create, so that’s what matters, right? It’s like you at your work. You love Weddings in a Box and making people happy.”
Pallas nodded.
Her friend was reminding her of something important, not to mention something else she would’ve had to give up if she’d gone to work at the bank. Despite her mother’s claims that she’d missed her opportunity, Pallas wondered if Libby would make another run at trying to convince her to sell the business.
“What?” Natalie asked. “What are you thinking?”
“That I’ve always had to work to make my mother happy,” Pallas admitted. “And I’ve always failed. With Gerald, it was different. He was such a kind man. I never expected him to leave me his business.”
“He loved you like the daughter he never had. We could all see it.”
“I feel guilty.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t do anything to earn it,” she said, feeling foolish and defensive, even though she knew she spoke the truth. In her family—no, that wasn’t fair—with her mother, love had to be earned.
“It’s not supposed to be like that,” Natalie said quietly. “Your mom’s wrong.”
“I know that in my head. It’s my heart that’s having trouble getting the message.”
She looked up as her cousin Drew approached the table. “Ladies. Can I buy anyone a refill?”
“I’m good,” Pallas told him.
“Me, too.”
Drew nodded, then rested his hands on the back of the empty chair. “I’ll be at the dinner with your mom tonight,” he said. “If things get ugly, give me the high sign and I’ll step in.”
“Thanks. With Cade around, I’m sure everything will be fine. Besides, I’m bringing a fake boyfriend as my own distraction.”
“A great idea. I need to look into something like that.”
Natalie’s mouth turned up at the corners. “Gee, Drew, I didn’t know you played for that team.”
“You know what I meant,” he grumbled.
“Do I?”
“I’m ignoring that.” He looked at Pallas. “Between the three of us, we should be able to keep Libby in line.” He stretched over and ruffled the top of Pallas’s head. “Gotta protect family.”
She leaned out of reach and smoothed her hair. “You are sweet and annoying at the same time. How do you do that?”
“It’s a gift.” He grinned. “Besides, you’re one of my favorite cousins.”
“You say that to all the girls.”
“Only family members. Otherwise it gets weird.”
With that, he waved and left. Pallas smiled at her friend. “He’s single and you obviously share a sense of humor. Any thoughts?”
“That I have no interest in him that way. Which is sad because I might enjoy being the queen of the manor.”
“Actually that would be Grandpa Frank’s house and my mom lives there, so you need to rethink your manor fantasies. Still, Drew’s a great guy.”
“Not for me. I wish, but there’s no chemistry.” Natalie’s smile returned. “If you ask me, I think he’s still in love with Silver.”
“You know about that?”
“Everyone knows about that. What I can’t figure out is how Silver feels about him.”
“I think she’s made it pretty clear she hates his guts and all his other pieces.”
Natalie didn’t look convinced, but then she’d only heard what had happened secondhand. She hadn’t been a witness.
Back in high school, Drew had been the young prince and Silver had been the beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks. They’d fallen madly in love and everyone had assumed they would live happily ever after.
When Drew had gone off to his Ivy League college, he’d promised to be faithful. Three months later, he broke up with her via email and didn’t return to Happily Inc for two years. When he did come back, he brought the first in a long series of well-bred, pedigreed, smart coeds. After earning his MBA, he’d returned permanently with a fiancée. Ashley Lauren Grantham-Greene. She’d been as snooty as her name, more beautiful than a perfect sunrise and as mean as a snake. It had taken Drew until four weeks before the wedding to figure out he’d made a horrible mistake. By then Ashley had been past the point of forgiveness. She’d trashed his car and tried to set fire to his house. Since then, Drew had kept his private life fully private.
For her part, Silver had spent the better part of two years getting over Drew. Pallas remembered how her friend had nearly been destroyed by the breakup. Not only because she’d lost the man she’d planned to spend the rest of her life with, but also due to everyone’s assumption that he’d done it because she wasn’t good enough.
She’d moved to LA after that and had, from what Pallas had heard, traveled with a wild crowd. There had been rumors of jail, rehab and a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style bank robbery. Pallas didn’t believe any of it.
One day Silver had returned to Happily Inc and started working in her uncle’s bar. When he’d wanted to sell and travel in his RV, he’d given the bar to Silver. She’d promptly sold it and used the money to fund AlcoHaul. As for men, there was always someone interested. From what Pallas could tell, Silver took what she wanted and walked away when she was finished. Not exactly the actions of a woman still pining for her first boyfriend.
“If you don’t want him, I’m going to have to keep looking for the right woman,” Pallas said lightly. “Drew needs to be married.”
“Does he know about your plan?”
“No, and it’s better that way. I don’t want him to freak out. Plus, right now my efforts are more theoretical. I haven’t put much effort into introducing him to anyone.”
“Probably better for you both.”
Pallas picked up her latte. “What about you? Are you looking?”
Natalie shook her head. “Thanks, but no. Love isn’t in the cards for me. The women in my family have horrible luck with men.” She smiled. “Just in case you try to convince me I’m different, I’ll remind you that my ex-fiancé dumped me only days before the wedding.”
“That was horrible. Okay, yes, he was awful but what about the right guy?”
“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t exist.”
* * *
PALLAS’S FAMILY HOME sat on a hillside. Even from the large, circular driveway there was an impressive view of the town and the valley beyond. Nick ignored the play of light on the rocks at the edge of acres of landscaping, reminding himself this wasn’t the time to indulge his artistic side. He was here to offer support to a very nervous Pallas.
He’d known she had trouble dealing with her mother but didn’t expect her to be so obviously stressed. Despite her makeup, she was pale. He would swear she was shaking in the seat next to him and as they got out of his truck, he half expected her to collapse.
