Before they were seated, Sara walked in with Alec, surprising Colby. She’d been waiting to tell Todd about Alec in person—and in private. Now he’d get blindsided.
Her pulse skipped. She tried signaling Alec with her eyes, but he was too busy kissing his mom hello to notice. He eventually sidled over to her and kissed her hello—a kiss intended to send Todd a message. To his credit, Todd’s wide grin barely faltered.
“I thought you were busy,” she muttered to Alec.
“Finished up early.” He grinned.
“Where’s Gentry?” Sara glanced around anxiously, tossing her purse on the table. “I have an appointment at three.”
Another vague “appointment” reference. Colby replayed her recent conversation with Hunter and wondered, for the first time, if Sara’s appointments had nothing to do with fertility. “Never fear. We’re starting on time, with or without my sister. Todd needs to get back to work, too.”
“Don’t rush me off so quickly,” Todd joked, his face full of good humor as they all took seats. “I know I missed the earlier meetings, but I’ve been thinking about the broad mission and urge you to reconsider. While it’s laudable to try to help everyone, it might end up creating more problems than it solves.”
“I like Colby’s idea. It gives us flexibility,” Alec challenged. His spine was straight as a ruler, and his right leg bounced beneath the table.
“In my experience, most people support pet causes. A diverse mission could hinder your ability to retain loyal donors,” Todd replied.
“Or we might attract more donors because we’ll be helping a wide range of causes,” Alec countered, his strained grin barely masking his tension.
Colby jumped in before Alec lapsed into the kind of meltdown she’d seen when anyone on the staff challenged his opinion. “Todd, is there a compromise that would work? Perhaps we could pick a theme, like “helping families” or something, that would allow us some flexibility while giving donors a clearer picture.”
“That might work,” Todd conceded.
“But then we’d be eliminating environmental issues, which are what Mark and Joe loved most.” Alec tilted forward, his gaze locked on Todd. “We already drafted a mission statement, which my mom and Leslie have been promoting to get the donations we’ve already received. We can’t change course now.”
“I’m not suggesting a wholesale change, Alec. Just a refinement.” Todd smiled politely, like Colby had seen him do many times with belligerent clients. She resisted the urge to sneak a peek to see if his legs were also jostling under the table.
She set her hand on Alec’s thigh, hoping to uncoil whatever had him ready to pounce. “We’ll give it more thought. For now, let’s focus on what needs to be completed before the party.”
“Fair enough,” Todd conceded with his usual pleasantness and slouched deeper into the dining chair.
Colby opened her notebook. “By the way, thank you for writing off your fees for preparing the organizational documents.”
“Anything for you.” Todd winked.
Beside her, Colby saw Alec’s jaw clench.
“How generous,” her mother added, which did nothing to wipe the sour look off Alec’s face.
“A great friend.” Colby hoped her words eased Alec’s ridiculous jealousy.
The group discussed the nitty-gritty planning details for the next thirty minutes, when Gentry finally showed up. She sat beside Todd and adjusted her skimpy skirt with a smirk. “Sorry.”
“Just in time for the last item.” Colby refused to give Gentry the satisfaction of having annoyed her by being so late. “Sara, I assume you’ve been keeping track of the donations and sending out tax letters?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Hunter was planning on contacting some friends. Has he mentioned anything to you?”
“No. He’s been preoccupied.”
Looking at Sara now—serene and collected—one would have no idea that she and Hunter were struggling. Like Colby had done, Sara hid her marital problems from the family. Having learned the hard way what a mistake that had been, Colby wanted to reach out. Then again, Hunter and Sara weren’t Colby and Mark. Whatever rough patch they’d recently hit, they’d work it out.
She had to believe that, because if Hunter and Sara couldn’t make love last, no one could.
“If that’s it, how about we get the photos out of the way,” Gentry said. “I’ll take some of the whole group, then the board. Lastly, I’ll shoot Alec and Colby, the proud parents.”
Sara’s head snapped toward Colby, as did everyone else’s, in a tense moment of silence. If a pin dropped ten blocks away, it would’ve been audible in the room.
“Is there news?” Julie’s face filled with so much hope it broke Colby’s heart to disappoint her.
“No!” Colby perspired even as Gentry laughed.
“Parents of this idea, people. Jeez, why does everyone always have babies on the brain?” Gentry shook her head, pulled out her Nikon, and pointed toward the wall where the ironwork artwork had been hung. For a split second, Colby fantasized that Gentry was somehow trapped behind that metal, until she learned better manners. “Everyone, over there.”
Gentry arranged them in a variety of positions. When it came time for the board photograph, she sandwiched Colby between Alec and Todd. Alec possessively linked his arm around her waist. If Todd had any feelings about that, he didn’t show them.
After the photography session, people gathered their things and left for the day. When Alec started to follow her and Todd outside, she shot him a do-not-follow-me look. Thankfully, he stayed behind, allowing her a few minutes to speak with Todd.
Once alone in the parking lot, Todd said, “Looks like you decided to dip your toe back in the dating pool.”
“Todd,” she started, but he cut her off with a quick wave of his hand.
“No need, Colby. I’ll survive.” He set his briefcase on his back seat and closed the door. “We’ve always been friends. Nothing will change that. If Alec makes you happy, that’s what matters.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him goodbye. “For everything.”
“See you at the event!” He got into his car and returned to Portland. To the office where they’d become friends. To the life she’d mostly left behind.
She turned and studied A CertainTea. The flower beds were in full bloom. The grass between the pavers was neatly trimmed, and the lake twinkled in the sunlight. Tomorrow evening the restaurant would be bustling again, having a full slate of reservations on the books. She’d even received her first inquiry for a private party—a golden wedding anniversary in October. Little by little all her plans and hopes were coming to fruition. “If Alec makes you happy, that’s what matters.” He did make her happy . . . when he wasn’t acting jealous.
She found him sprawled out in a chair in some kind of power pose. He’d appear relaxed if she didn’t notice his white knuckles fisted on the arms of the chair, or the tilt of his chin.
“What was that?”
“What?” He sat up now, alert and ready to battle. Well, if he thought to intimidate her into silence, he’d thought wrong.