She’s breathtakingly gorgeous in a light yellow dress that sits off her shoulders. Her hair is pulled up, diamonds in her ears, and her make-up so minimal, if she has any on at all, that she looks like an angel.
“She’s pretty, all right,” Red Lips says, sidling up to the bar again. She sighs a rough, smoker’s cough. “I wonder what it’s like to be one of them.”
“I have no idea,” I say, fascinated by Camilla. She smiling, not looking at all like the mellow woman I just talked to on the phone. She laughs, teasing the interviewer, before posing for a few pictures and disappearing inside the hotel.
“I’ll never know,” Red Lips admits. “Hell, you could dress me up in one of those dresses and dot me with diamonds and I’d still look like a poser. You can take the girl out of the trailer park but you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl.”
She laughs at her joke, repeating it to the guy that joins her at the bar. He laughs too.
I, on the other hand, do not. Not because she isn’t funny. Because she’s right.
Camilla
“ARE YOU TIRED OF SMILING yet?” Sienna whispers in my ear. “My cheeks ache.”
“Mine too. And my feet hurt.”
My twin sister, sheathed in a navy blue strapless dress, stands with me in the back corner of the room. “At least we’re at the point where they’re drinking enough to want to talk to themselves and not us.”
“Excellent point,” I laugh.
“Who has an excellent point?”
We look over to see Mallory and Ellie headed our way. Ellie’s stomach is just starting to be noticeably more round than usual, but only if you’re looking for it.
“Ellie, you are beyond adorable,” I say.
“She is, isn’t she?” Mallory adds.
“Trust me, this doesn’t feel adorable,” she groans, her hand resting on her belly. “I’ve been sick for weeks straight. I’m over it. Can I have this baby yet?”
We laugh as she slumps into a chair and looks at us in defeat. “I’m not kidding, guys. I’m exhausted.”
“Just sit there and I’ll grab you some water. Okay?” Sienna asks.
Ellie looks grateful and Sienna takes that for a yes and disappears into the crowd. I feel Mallory’s eyes on me.
“What?” I ask, giving her a look.
“I just want to say I’m thrilled you and Graham made up,” she says. “He was this close to being thrown out of his own house.”
“You should’ve. He deserved it,” I huff. “But he acted like a man today and apologized, so I forgave him.”
She pulls her brows together. “You know why he apologized, right?”
“Don’t tell me you made him.”
“No, not me.” She flashes me a mischievous grin. “Dominic.”
“What?” I gasp. “What are you talking about?”
“Dominic called Graham.”
“When?”
“This morning. Graham let the cat out of the bag on the way over.”
“Oh, my God,” I breathe, only imagining that conversation. “Did he give you details?”
“No. Just that Dominic made some valid points and . . . I think he made an impression on your brother, Cam.”
Burying my face in my hands, not even bothering to worry my make-up will smudge, I wonder just what transpired and why no one bothered to tell me. “You know,” I say, dropping my hands, “Graham just went off. I’ve never seen him that mad and I get why. I do. But it was still so . . . weird.”
“He’s been that way recently,” she says, her voice dropping. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s rash, temperamental, not the Graham I know. I’m worried about him.”
“You have no idea what’s wrong?”
“None.” She looks down, inspecting her perfect manicure. “Maybe he’s trying to figure a way out.”
“Out of what? A business deal?”
“Me.”
The one-word answer is enough to have me reaching for her.
“Don’t hug me or I’ll cry,” she laughs, batting my hands away playfully. “Besides, it makes me feel all dramatic and I hate dramatic.”
“Since when?”
She just laughs in response. “I’m being dumb. I know. He probably has something going on at work and doesn’t want to weigh me down with it. I just need to be patient. This, too, shall pass.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
Looking up, I see Graham watching us from the other side of the room. He looks distinguished with his silver tie and perfect posture, holding a glass of something dark in his hand.
I flash him a look of shame and he holds his palms out as if to say, “What?” I huff a breath and look back to Mallory. “It’ll be fine. Like you said, just give him some time.”
“Where’s Dominic?” she asks, not-so-smoothly changing topics.
“He didn’t want to come.”
“That’s too bad. We all want to meet him.”
“Are we talking about Dominic?” Alison says from beside me. She leans forward, kissing my cheek, before pulling back and grimacing. “This pregnancy thing is for young people.”
“Like you’re old,” I laugh.
“Much older than I was when I had Huxley,” she admits. “Ellie? Care for some company?”
“Please,” she says, opening her eyes. “I think I just fell asleep.”
“Welcome to my world, sister.”
Sienna comes back with two bottles of water, one for Ellie and one for Alison. Mallory and I chat for a while about yoga and pizza, our two favorite things, before Huxley appears at our side.
“Miss Camilla,” he says, bowing. “My father would like to speak with you about an urgent matter.”
“Is that so?” I grin. “You are too cute in that suit, Mr. Huxley.”
“It’s Mr. Landry,” he winks, “and let’s use ‘handsome,’ please. ‘Cute’ is for kids.”
“Oh,” I say, making a face at his mother. “Handsome. Yes, Mr. Landry. Please lead me to your father.”
He offers his elbow, making me giggle. I take it and we wind through the room until we’re in a smaller room to the side. Barrett and Graham are chatting in the middle of the space.
“Oh, I get both of you?” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Thanks for the escort, Hux.”
“No problem.”
I hear the door swing closed behind me as I look at my two oldest brothers. “What can I do for the two of you?”
It’s a rhetorical question. The look on Graham’s face tells me exactly what this is about. I shoot him a look and brace myself for another onslaught.
“Easy, Swink,” Barrett laughs, setting his glass on a table. “You’re getting that killer look in your eye I’ve been hearing about.”
I shoot another blast of it towards Graham for good measure. They both laugh, which only puts me more on edge.
“Look, before you two go—”
“Cam,” Barrett interjects. “Wait a second.” He walks towards me and stops a few feet in front of where I’m standing. “I know about Dominic. I know about Nolan.”
“He can’t help who he’s related to. Look,” I say, almost frantically, “I know Nolan tried to bomb you, Barrett, and I hate him for that. But Dom—”
“Stop,” he laughs.
My shoulder slump as I heave in a breath and watch my brother’s face.
“Graham and I have been talking about it. I’ll admit, I was pissed off at first. But then, you know what?”