They drove the mile or so to the ranch house. The car stopped and Gray got out and held his hand out for Evelyn.
She stepped out and he wanted to pull her against him and kiss her. She looked so fresh and cute in her white pants and navy striped top. She’d pulled her hair up today since it was hotter than a blazing forest fire out here. That was the one thing he remembered about the family Fourth of July barbecues. You could always count on them being blistering hot. Then again, there was the pool to cool things down.
Maybe Evelyn would don her bikini today. He had that thought to look forward to.
“You ready for this?” she asked.
He cocked her a grin. “Are you? There are lots of family members here. Plus, I might have invited some of my friends.”
Her brows rose. “You did?”
“Yeah. A few of my college buddies are in town for a charity golf tournament. They asked me to join in, but I wanted some downtime at my place in Florida so I turned them down.”
“Oh, that’s too bad, but I’m looking forward to meeting your friends.”
He laughed. “Wait ’til you meet them before you say that.”
He led her through the front door of the house, a blast of cold air instantly cooling him down.
“Oh, this is lovely,” Evelyn said. “It has your mother’s mark on it.”
“Yeah,” he said, smiling as he saw the simplicity that was the earmark of his mom.
He’d always loved the two-story house. When he was a kid it had seemed like a mansion. Hell, even now it was oversized and his mother complained that she was waiting for him and Carolina to fill it with grandkids. He sure as hell wasn’t ready for that, and Carolina was busy becoming the next great fashion designer, so he doubted she’d be popping out babies anytime soon.
Speaking of his mother—ever the eagle-eyed hostess, she spotted them in the crowd and moved in a hurry to greet them. She enveloped Gray in a hug.
“Thank you for coming,” she said, and after he hugged her back, she pulled away, but didn’t let go of his hands. “I wasn’t sure you’d show up.”
“With my bodyguard here? You think I had a chance to say no?”
His mother glanced over at Evelyn and grinned. “So, she’s doing a good job?”
“She’s a pain in my ass.”
“Grayson. Watch your language.” His mother let go of him and hugged Evelyn.
“I’m so happy to see you. Is my son being mean to you?”
Evelyn gave Gray a once-over. “Nothing I can’t handle. Don’t forget I swim with sharks every day.”
His mom patted Evelyn on the shoulder. “That’s so true. But don’t take any guff from him. He can be . . . difficult to manage at times.”
“Hey. I’m standing right here, Mom.”
She winked at him, then looped her arm in Evelyn’s. “Let’s go find you two something to drink. Come along, Grayson.”
And just like that, he was eight years old again, tagging along behind his mother. He rolled his eyes and followed them out to the back patio. There were kids in the pool and at least a hundred people spilled out over the back lawn. Shade tents had been set up all over the property, beer and whiskey were plentiful, and the smell of barbecue permeated the whole area. It was controlled chaos, and there were plenty of staffers present to make sure everyone was catered to.
Typical Preston holiday party.
His mother had disappeared somewhere with Evelyn while he’d been gaping, so he grabbed a beer and settled in against the wall, greeting a few cousins and aunts and uncles and doing his best to ignore the obvious political types he could spot ten miles away. Despite everyone being in casual dress, he knew who was here to enjoy the holiday and who was here to gain political favor with his father.
Speaking of, he spotted his dad surrounded by a circle of men, no doubt talking the state of the country and how their political opponent couldn’t possibly solve those issues. His dad appeared to be reveling in being the center of attention as the men hung on his every word.
Yeah, some things never changed.
“I can’t believe you showed up.”
At the nudge in his back, he swung around and grabbed his sister in a hug. “I can’t believe you showed up.” He kissed her cheek, then set her down. “Aren’t you afraid to be gone from New York for more than fifteen minutes? What if a fashion trend changes and you miss it?”
“You are such a smart-ass.”
“And you cut your hair. I like it.”
She swept her now chin-length brown hair behind her ears. “It was long, and always in my way. This is easier. And thanks. Look at you, being all complimentary.
You’ve hardly even noticed me before.”
“I’ve noticed you plenty,” he said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “I’ve noticed you being a pain in my ass my entire life.”
She laid her head against his shoulder. “You’ve always said the sweetest things to me.”