“I’ll come by tomorrow morning.”
A final nod, this one accompanied by two soft words. “Thank you.” Then Della tucked a strand of silvery-blond hair behind her ear and gave them both an awkward smile. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “There’s a ton of food out back. Why don’t we head out there.”
As Mari and Austin trailed after her, Della continued to chatter on, her nervousness so evident that Mari’s own nerves eased. Her heart went out to Austin’s mother—she could tell how badly the woman wanted to reconnect with her son. But Austin had extended an olive branch tonight with that photograph, which was a start.
“Everyone is already here,” Della was saying. “I wanted a small gathering, just family and close friends. You know how I feel about being the center of attention.”
“You have a lovely home,” Mari said as they entered a country-style kitchen with yellow walls, cedar counters and pretty white cabinets.
“Thank you,” Della said, sounding genuinely pleased. “Austin’s brother Owen designed it.”
They strode through the glass sliding door across the room and emerged onto a large deck that overlooked the yard. Near the bottom of the deck steps was a refreshment table laden with various salads, side dishes and beverages. The scent of barbecued meat wafted in the air, directing Mari’s attention to a gray-haired man flipping burgers on the grill.
“That’s Pastor Tom,” Della said when she followed Mari’s gaze. “He’s a lovely man. His wife passed away last year. It was very sad.”
As the three of them descended the steps, Mari glanced around and was happy to find that everyone was dressed casually. She was wearing the only “fancy” outfit she’d packed in her duffel, a filmy yellow dress, and she’d been hoping she wouldn’t be too underdressed.
The backyard was as pretty as the house itself, with perfectly manicured grass and flowerbeds overflowing with colorful bulbs. Chinese lanterns lined a little stone path that led to a small gazebo with a steepled roof at the very edge of the yard. Mari glimpsed a few shady figures inside the rustic structure, but couldn’t make out any details. She shifted her gaze and continued to admire her surroundings, which were quaint and homey and full of warmth that her own home had lacked thanks to her strict, rule-obsessed parents.
As Della excused herself and went to help Pastor Tom with the barbeque, Mari took Austin’s hand and brought her lips close to his ear. “That was really sweet of you, giving her that photograph.”
He seemed slightly embarrassed by the praise but didn’t get a chance to respond because someone had called out his name.
“Austin!” Two seconds later, a pretty brunette in green Capris and a white tank top rushed up and hugged him tight.
“Hey Maddie,” Austin greeted the woman. “It’s good to see yo—”
He’d barely finished his sentence when another female hurried over, this one with jet-black hair and vivid blue eyes. Austin endured another long, chest-squeezing hug, then smiled wryly and introduced Mari to his sister-in-law, Maddie and his brother’s girlfriend, Bree.
Mari had just finished saying hello when two more people wandered over—a stunning blonde in a white sundress, and a black-haired man who screamed bad boy.
“Mari, this is Lexie and her boyfriend, Cooper,” Austin explained.
“Fiancé,” the bad boy replied smugly. He leaned in to nuzzle the blonde’s graceful neck. “I finally convinced her to say yes.”
Mari tried to hide her surprise, but inside she was wondering how the heck Lexie, who looked so prim and proper, had wound up with Cooper, who, with his messy hair, black muscle tee and faded jeans, seemed incredibly rough around the edges. She made a mental note to ask Charlotte about the odd coupling later.
At the thought of Charlotte, Mari searched the yard for the singer and spotted her engaged in conversation with a couple that looked like they’d dressed for a cocktail party. The white-haired man was in a gray wool suit with an honest-to-God handkerchief artfully sticking out of the breast pocket, while the woman by his side wore a halter-style blue dress that fell to her ankles and a diamond pendant that sparkled in the growing darkness. The woman’s black hair and blue eyes, combined with the man’s resemblance to Bree, told Mari that they must be related somehow. Bree’s parents maybe?
“Owen’s pissed at you.”
Maddie’s frank declaration recaptured Mari’s attention, and she didn’t miss the groove of irritation that dug into Austin’s forehead.
“What else is new?” he said lightly, before shifting his head to examine the yard. “Where is he, anyway?”
Maddie hooked a thumb at the gazebo. “The three of them have been huddled in there for the past twenty minutes.”
Mari saw Austin’s shoulders tense. She didn’t need to be psychic to know that Nate must have divulged Austin’s confession to their twin brothers.