The Sparkling One

by Susan Mallery

  Had this been another time, had David been older, more ready, more mature, Zach couldn’t have asked for better in-laws. He would have considered him and his son incredibly lucky to be a part of this amazing family.

  But David wasn’t any of those things. As much as he loved his son, Zach saw his faults clearly. The marriage was destined for failure and most of the blame would be David’s.

  “Ladies,” he said easily as he took a seat.

  “Zach!” The women greeted him. Katie gave him a quick smile, then ducked her head.

  “How was the drive?” Colleen asked. “Did you bring David with you?”

  He sat in the chair and stretched out his legs in front of him. “The drive was fine. Yes, David is here. He and Mia went for a walk.”

  “Are you hungry?” Grandma Tessa asked. “We’re having lunch in a hour, but if you need a little something…”

  He reached over and patted her wrinkled hand. “I can wait. I wouldn’t want anything to spoil my appetite.”

  Francesca picked up Mia’s half-finished lace flowers. “Want to help?”

  He grinned. “Nope.”

  “Me, either.” She sighed. “Sewing isn’t really my thing. I practically destroyed a sewing machine when I took that quilting class. I keep telling Katie that I constantly prick my finger. I’m getting blood all over the place.”

  “I can get blood out a whole lot easier than I can bead everything myself,” Katie retorted without missing a stitch.

  “So is the dress about finished?” he asked, not sure why he wanted to know.

  Katie gave him a quick glance. “Don’t even bring it up. I’m heading for panic mode.”

  “The wedding invitations are due any day now,” Colleen told Zach. “I think Mia said we had your list of names. We’ll be addressing them in the next week or so. In the old days they had to go out six weeks in advance, but now everyone says just a month is enough.”

  “Where’s Brenna?” he asked.

  Grandma Tessa frowned. “She said she had to go to Santa Barbara, but didn’t say for what. She’ll be back in time for lunch.”

  Katie rose. “It’s too beautiful to stay inside. I’m going to follow Mia’s lead and take Zach for a walk. We’ll be back in an hour.” She glanced at him. “If that’s all right.”

  He hadn’t been alone with her since Thursday night.

  “Great idea,” he said, coming to his feet.

  “Have fun,” Colleen said, not taking her gaze from her beading.

  When they were out on the porch, Zach pulled Katie close and lightly kissed her. She responded, holding on to him and sighing.

  “It’s good to see you,” she admitted.

  “Same here. I missed you.”

  They stared at each other. Zach suddenly wanted to say more, although he didn’t know what. He also wanted to take her upstairs and make love with her, which wasn’t possible. Instead, he took her hand in his and started down the stairs.

  “Do you think they’ll start speculating about us right away or will they give us a head start?” he asked.

  “Five minutes at the most,” she said with a laugh. “I’m torn between going for the walk I promised you and sneaking back around to eavesdrop.”

  “I have a feeling that would embarrass us both. Let’s take that walk.”

  “Okay. Have you seen the tasting room?”

  “No.”

  “Then let’s go that way.”

  As they headed for a path that circled left around the house, Zach tried to figure out why he didn’t mind that Katie’s sister, mother, and grandmothers were talking about them. He generally didn’t like people butting into his private life, but this time it was different. Not that he could say why. For now it was enough just to be with Katie on such a beautiful day.

  They strolled past acres of vines, then turned again. A mile or so ahead he saw a beautiful two-story building, surrounded by impressive gardens. Dozens of cars were parked in front and on the side. Obviously the public part of Marcelli Wines.

  “Why so quiet?” he asked her.

  “I’m still a little tired,” she admitted. “And I have a lot on my mind.”

  “So you’re thinking about me?”

  She turned toward him and swatted his arm with her free hand. “You are not the center of the universe.”

  “I’m the center of yours.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You and that ego. It’s amazing you have room for anyone else in your life.”

  He bumped her shoulder with his. “Come on. You’re impressed by me. I can tell.”

  “Not even close.”

  He chuckled. “Katie, you’re amazing at a lot of things, but you’re a lousy liar. Besides, you’ve had a thing for me since the second we met. Don’t forget, you told your family I was hot.”

  She stopped in the center of the path, pulled her hand free, and glared at him.

  “Number one, I’ve told you before—I never used the word hot. Number two, you’re not all that. Number three, the only reason I mentioned you at all to my family is that they were bugging me about not having a boyfriend. I pretended to be attracted to you so they would get off my back and I could have a pleasant weekend. The only flaw in the plan was you showing up ten minutes later.”

  She planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze. “Is any of this sinking in?”

  Temper flared from her brown eyes. Annoyance colored her cheeks. But under that was amusement and affection. He saw it in the way the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

  She was beautiful. Funny. Smart. A hell of a lover. A hell of a woman.

  He grinned. “Nope,” he said as he put his arm around her. “You adore me. Now let’s go to the tasting room and you can buy me a drink.”

  20

  “Try this,” Katie said, pouring from another open bottle. “It’s a table wine, which means it’s a blend. We do a Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot blend, with a bit of Cab Franc thrown in for interest.”

  Zach sipped the wine she offered. “I like it. I still like the straight Cabernet Sauvignon best, but this would be good for casual dining.”

  She laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell my grandfather. Considering this little table wine for casual dining sells for about seventy-five dollars a bottle, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with your assessment.”

  Zach winced. “Okay. So I was wrong.”

  She leaned toward him. “There is no wrong, just personal preference. Frankly, I’m a white wine drinker, which is blasphemy in this family. When Brenna found out, she threatened to never speak to me again.”

  Katie smiled as she spoke and her light brown eyes glinted with humor. She wore her hair long and loose. She was so beautiful, he thought suddenly.

  He crossed to a large set of arched glass doors. A well-manicured lawn stretched out for about sixty or seventy feet. At the far end two women were on step-ladders decorating a gazebo. White chairs had been set up in rows.

  “A wedding?” he asked as Katie came to stand next to him.

  “Yes. They’re scheduled all through the spring and summer. Upstairs there’s a whole suite of rooms for the use of the wedding party. If the reception is held here, it has to be outside, but once we’re into June weather isn’t usually a problem.” She glanced at him. “It’s a romantic setting.”

  He shrugged. “Where are the family weddings held?”

  “In the private garden.” She dropped her gaze.

  He didn’t know what she was thinking, but he sensed her uneasiness. The topic of Mia and David’s engagement was still a sensitive area of conversation. It was time to come to an understanding.

  “They can’t get married,” he said flatly. “Even if Mia’s ready, David isn’t. Not by a long shot.”

  Katie sighed. “I know.”

  He’d already mentally outlined his verbal strategy, but her quiet response caught him off guard.

  “What do you know?”

  “That you’re right. As much as I didn’t want to be
lieve you when you first told me about your concerns, I remembered them. I’ve been watching Mia and David together. At the beginning they were happy, but something has changed. I don’t know if they’ve been fighting or if she found out about Julie or what. I guess the reason doesn’t matter.”

  “You agree with me?”

  She smiled. “Is that all you got out of that?”

  “It’s the most important part.”

  “Zach! We’re talking about the future happiness of my sister and your son. Isn’t that slightly more important than my agreeing with you?”

  He considered the question. “It’s a close second. Come on.”

  He opened one of the glass doors and drew her outside.

  She leaned against him. “Now what?”

  “Now we talk to Mia and David.”

  “Do you think they’ll listen?”

  “I don’t know. If David gets stubborn, he’ll tune it all out. What about Mia?”

  Katie shrugged. “She hates to admit when she’s made a mistake, but I don’t think she’d be willing to get married just to be right. I agree we should talk to them. If we’re logical and rational—”

  “Oh, so I’ll be doing the talking,” he said, cutting her off.

  She glared at him. “Remind me to toss you in a fermenting vat when we get back to the house.”

  “You and what army?”

  “I can be tough.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Sure you can, Katie. Tough and mean.”

  “I am.”

  “Uh-huh. So we have a plan?”

  “Yes. We’ll corner the unsuspecting couple and talk them into submission.” She smiled. “I’ll go first.”

  “If you insist.”

  “Are you okay with this? Us tackling them together?”

  “Yes.”

  Which surprised him. He’d always done everything alone, especially with respect to his son. He had to admit that after eighteen years of being a single parent, it was nice to have someone to share things with.

  “So what are the odds of me getting struck by lightning if I sneak into your room tonight?” he asked as they headed back for the house.

  Katie raised her eyebrows. “Gee, nearly all of my extended family will be under the same roof with us, including my very crabby grandfather. And let’s not forget that I have two grandmothers who take a trip around the beads at the drop of a hat. Lightning is the least of your concerns.”

  He considered the embarrassment of getting caught—literally with his pants down. “Good point. I’ll keep to my side of the house.”

  She grinned. “I figured you’d say that. So I’ll sneak into your room.”

  They walked into the house twenty minutes later to find the place in an uproar. Grandma Tessa was in tears, Colleen kept saying it would be fine, while Grammy M was pouring a drink. Mia huddled over someone sitting in a chair.

  “It’s Brenna,” Mia said, looking more amused than upset.

  “Was she in a car accident?” Katie asked instantly. “Is she all right?”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “She went to Santa Barbara to get her hair cut.”

  Zach waited for the rest of the story. Like in Santa Barbara she’d been attacked or, at the very least, been caught up in a bank robbery, but there was no more information.

  “And?” he asked.

  Mia shook her head. “That’s it. She cut her hair.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  Katie patted his arm. “I know. Just try to fade into the woodwork. You’ll never understand and trying to will just give you a migraine.” She glanced at Mia. “They got over you streaking your hair.”

  “Yeah, but I’m the rebel. Brenna is about to be divorced. How is she supposed to catch a man if she has short hair?”

  Katie groaned and stepped toward her relatives. Zach felt as if he’d stepped into an alternative universe. So Brenna had cut her hair? If no one liked it, wouldn’t it just grow back?

  “Enough,” Brenna said, and stood up. Her long hair was gone. In its place was a short style that grazed her chin.

  Zach studied her. She had a rounder face than her sisters, and bigger eyes. Somehow the layered cut flattered her features, making her look sexy.

  “I like it,” he said, before he could stop himself.

  Katie and Mia looked at him with something like pity, but the Grands and Colleen turned on him instantly.

  “Her crowning glory is gone,” Grandma Tessa said as she brushed away her tears.

  Grammy M sighed and took a sip of her drink. “’Twas lovely hair.”

  Colleen simply muttered something about “Men.”

  “Hey,” Zach said, “as a man I think it looks good on her.”

  Mia moved close. “And you looked so bright, too,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re in trouble, now.”

  “She was attractive before and she’s still very attractive,” he insisted, ignoring the sensation of falling into a pit where he would be trapped forever.

  Brenna sighed. “Okay, enough everyone. I agree with Zach. I like it. If I decide I don’t like it, I’ll grow it out. In the meantime, my hairstyle is off limits. Does everyone understand?”

  Grammy M and Colleen nodded. Grandma Tessa sniffed.

  Brenna muttered something under her breath, then grabbed his arm and drew him down the hall. “I’m going to have a private conversation with my lawyer,” she yelled back. “It will take about ten minutes. That should be enough time for you to recover from the shock and finish getting lunch ready.”

  They entered the library and she slammed the door shut behind them.

  “Family,” she said with exasperation. “Sometimes I want to run away and never come back.”

  “You don’t mean that,” he said, studying her. There was something different about Brenna today. Something that didn’t have anything to do with her new haircut. An energy and a purpose.

  “I don’t,” she admitted, sinking down on one of the leather sofas. “I love them all and would be lost without them. But every now and then they really get on my nerves.” She fluffed her newly shorn hair. “This would be one of those times.”

  He settled on the other sofa. “Fair enough. So did you really want to talk to me about something or did you just need to escape?”

  “No. I have an actual thing. When you called to tell me that Jeff’s lawyer had been in touch to formally withdraw the question of the winery inheritance, you told me to think about what I want from Jeff.”

  “Did you come up with a wish list?”

  “Yes, but little of it is legal. As I already pushed the limits of the law with the taping stunt, I’m not going to try it again.”

  “But getting Jeff on tape worked.”

  Brenna fluffed the ends of her hair and shrugged. “I guess.”

  “He backed off. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Sure. It’s just…” She shrugged again. “Katie was right.”

  “About?”

  “Francesca. I wanted her help and I’m glad to have the tape, but listening to my husband saying he wanted to fuck her brains out didn’t exactly make my day.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t you doing the talking. I know Francesca would never have anything to do with him, but it still makes me feel weird.” She shook her head. “None of which is your problem. My actual point for having this conversation is to tell you I don’t have a wish list. All I want from Jeff is repayment for putting him through school. You showed me that chart before, remember?”

  He nodded. “The state has a schedule.”

  “Then that’s fine.”

  “I could probably get you more.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve been tacky enough for one divorce. Plus, if I’m out for blood, that means I’m still putting energy into our relationship. The whole situation makes me sad and angry and frustrated, but I want to move on. He doesn’t matter anymore. I want to act like that’s actually true.”

  “It’s your call
,” he told her. “I’ll do exactly what you say.”

  She smiled. “Now see? If Jeff had acted more like that, our marriage might have worked.”

  “Don’t go wishing for miracles. I’m only agreeable because I work for you.”

  Her smile broadened. “So the secret is to pay someone to be my husband and then he’ll do exactly what I say?”

  “Something like that.”

  After his meeting with Brenna, Zach stepped out of the library and found Katie waiting for him. They’d agreed to try and corner Mia and David before lunch.

  “The Grands have already announced lunch is ready,” she said. “We’ll have to do this after.”

  “I don’t want to wait.”

  “Because you want what you want when you want it?”

  “Something like that.” He wanted to get the conversation over. He wanted to know that the engagement was off.

  “It’s lunch,” she reminded him. “How long could it take? Besides, they’re already engaged. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  He didn’t have an answer for that, but something in his gut told him time was important. If he waited too long, the situation might be unrecoverable.

  She grabbed him by the arm. “Listen to me, Zach. Look into my eyes and listen very carefully. You have to wait. You can’t take this on during lunch. Not with my family there. For one thing, the loud shrieks will be a distraction. For another, it will get very ugly. Remember what happened when I pissed them off? This is way more important and serious.”

  “You’re right,” he said.

  She didn’t look convinced. “Somehow I don’t believe you. Do you promise you’ll wait to talk to them privately?”

  He bent down and brushed her mouth with his. Brenna walked out of the library just in time to see.

  “Get a room,” she told them with a grin.

  Katie leaned against Zach. “You only need a room if there’s tongue.”

  “Yuck. Don’t be talking about that sort of thing with me.” Brenna shuddered. “At least not with Zach standing right there. How can I ask any really good questions?”