The staff had carefully hung the clothes she’d brought to wear for the next five days. One garment was a black sweater dress that accentuated her curves. The embarrassing part about slipping into it was realizing that she wanted to appear sexy. The thought made her cover her face with her hands. Oh goodness, Chance Sterling was affecting her in a way she hadn’t seen coming.
Rosalie didn’t have time to stand there and make sense of her feelings. She brushed her long dark hair until it was fluffier and applied a light coat of pink lipstick to make her lips look naturally rosy. She took one last look in the mirror then rushed over to the closet to put on her red suede flats, which had the strap around the ankles, and hurried downstairs.
Before Rosalie reached the dining room entrance, a recognizable voice asked, “Where’s my ex-wife? I heard she was here.”
She stopped and pondered running in the opposite direction. Instead of doing that, she collected every kernel of bravery within her and sashayed into the dining room.
Conversation came to a grinding halt as she walked over to Edna and kissed her on one cheek. “I apologize for being late.”
“Sweetheart, how are you?” Edna asked, offering her other cheek for a kiss.
Rosalie kissed her. “Fine. It was a long drive and a long week, and the bed and the temperature were just too delectable, I guess.”
“Hello, Rose,” Peter said.
“Hi, Peter.” Her eyes glared at him, but her lips smiled deceptively. Gosh, she wondered what in the world she had ever seen in him.
The temperature of the room was moderately warm, which made it cozy, but there was no doubt everyone felt the chill the two ex-life partners emitted. Peter hadn’t gained any weight, lost any hair, or developed any wrinkles, at least not yet, and that was a shame. If fate were kinder, then he would look like Humpty Dumpty.
“You drove all the way from LA to join us for dinner?” he asked.
Rosalie’s glare circled the table as she looked for an empty seat. She was also surprised to see Baylor Sterling, who was sitting to the right of Chance, and his wife Ruby, who was directly across from her husband.
“Hello, Ruby,” Rosalie said in a delightful tone as she sat in the chair on the woman’s right.
Ruby barely smiled before taking a drink of wine. Poor Ruby. Rosalie rarely met people who looked as miserable as her. However, Rosalie didn’t take her response personally. As far as the Sterling men went, she and Ruby arguably had matrimonial ties to the two worst of them. Rosalie stole a glance at Baylor, who had his general sour disposition written all over his face. The last time Rosalie had counted, he had four marriages under his belt. Ruby had been around for a little over six years, but by how miserable both she and Baylor appeared, she too would probably be looking at divorce papers soon.
“Hello, Baylor,” Rosalie said, testing her supposition that he was avoiding looking at her.
“Hello,” he mumbled as his eyes swept across her face and back down to his plate.
As Rosalie leaned forward to scoot her chair closer to the table, her eyes landed on the one face she had never seen before. A brunette woman was sitting to the right of Susan and to the left of Ruby. She was pretty but wore a lot of makeup, even those long and thick fake eyelashes that made her look as if she were wearing tarantulas over her eyes. The woman sat directly across from Chance. Rosalie found herself wondering if the brunette was his date.
“Darling, we’re nearly finished with our salads,” Edna said.
Rosalie raised a hand and smiled. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind starting with the second course.”
Edna smiled graciously. “I also didn’t know we would have four others joining us this evening. Cook had to make extra, so we were slightly delayed anyway.”
Peter shifted his finger between Rosalie and Chance. “I didn’t think the two of you knew each other.”
“Chance came alone,” Susan said. “Isn’t that right?”
Chance frowned at her. By the way his lips were pressed together, Rosalie could tell he wasn’t going to answer that question. However, it had just occurred to her that she was looking directly into his eyes. Her heartbeat sped up. It was as if the flow of air through the room had stalled.
Two servers entered from the kitchen to collect the salad plates and silverware. Rosalie found that once she ripped her eyes off Chance, she could breathe easily again.
She cleared her throat. “So, Edna, are you excited about your party on Saturday?”
“I can’t say that I am.” Her tone was so casual that for a second, Rosalie took her reply as a positive response.
“Oh, come on, Grandmother, it’s going to be a blast,” Susan said. “We have a lot of surprises in store for you. Lots of them.”
Peter moved abruptly, causing his chair to scrape the marble. Rosalie knew exactly why he was so bothered. Earlier, Susan must have reported that she saw Rosalie and Chance together in the sitting room, which made him curious to know whether or not they were sexually involved.
Finally, the second course, which was cold beet soup, was served. Just for a moment, everyone at the table focused on the two men who served the food. It still felt sort of out-of-date to be served by a full-time kitchen staff. Edna may have considered herself someone who was flexible enough to change with the times, but her aristocratic tastes remained intact.
“So, Chance,” Baylor started abruptly. “How’s Lord and Lord working out for you?”
Rosalie almost choked. Certainly Baylor wasn’t referring to the Lord and Lord Enterprises. Her heart had once been set on applying for a job with them, but after having dinner with a group of recently graduated colleagues, she took the option off the table. Her colleagues had said that landing a position at the company as a newbie was virtually impossible. Competition was too high because almost every corporate lawyer in the world wanted to work for Lord and Lord. They were the Harvard University of corporations. If someone worked as a legal advisor for Lord and Lord Enterprises, that person would never have a problem finding another job.
Chance grimaced. “Fine.”
“And they’ve made you general counsel?”
“Yes.”
Baylor grunted as though he had something negative to say about it. “I thought you would’ve come running back to the trust by now.” His eyes flickered to Edna. “Unless that’s why you’re here. Couldn’t cut it for Jack Lord?”
Rosalie stifled a gasp as she watched Chance’s face turn red. Then it sank in that she was sitting at a dinner table where the Jack Lord was being casually mentioned. And goodness gracious, Edna had never told her that she had a grandson who was the general counsel for Lord and Lord Enterprises.
Chance suddenly began tapping the table with the tip of his finger. It was obvious he wanted to blow a gasket. “Why are you concerned that I’m here, Baylor?” he finally asked.
It felt as if the air had left the room.
“I wouldn’t call it concern.”
Nephew and uncle glared at each other. It was evident that their relationship was filled with contention and blatant dislike.
“Well, this is not how I want to begin the celebration of my eighty-second year of being alive,” Edna said.
The two men ripped their glares off of each other.
“I apologize, Grandmother,” Chance said.
“Regardless, the company’s doing fine without you.” Baylor always made sure he got the final jab.
Chance responded by pressing his lips together. Rosalie thought that was big of him. She was sort of reeling from the fact that they were both lawyers. Again, it was just very strange that Edna had never mentioned him to her. Edna even knew that she was interested in working at Lord and Lord Enterprises but had steered her in another direction.
“So, Chance,” Susan said, loudly enough to claim the attention of the table. “Do you still live in Russian Hill?” She turned to the brunette. “He has a Victorian, beautiful,” she said as if his house was the fairest of them all.
The brunette smiled at Chance. “Wow. I would love to see it one day. Victorians are my specialty.”
His eyebrows furrowed then released as he focused on Edna. “Grandmother, on my run, I saw the construction on the southwest grounds. That’s at least an acre of premium vineyard land gone.” Chance’s curious tone hinted that he was requesting a response.
“It’s the board’s project,” Edna said before calmly spooning beet soup into her mouth.
Rosalie could tell that Edna’s energy was directed at Baylor, who checked the time on his expensive wristwatch, although she didn’t look at him.
“What’s happening on this vineyard is none of your concern,” Baylor said to Chance.
“They’ve decided to start building a second winery and warehouse only three days ago,” Edna said.
“Three days ago?” Chance asked as if he couldn’t believe it.
“It’s more than an acre. It’s one and a half to start.”
“And you approved this, Grandmother?”
“No. Actually, I did not.”
Chance glared at Baylor as though he wanted to rip his head off.
“We’re expanding the business, Mother, not hurting it. We’re finally taking this company in the direction it should’ve gone a long time ago.” Baylor quickly stood and looked at his watch again. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stay.”
“Mission complete,” Chance said under his breath.
Baylor scowled at him then turned to Ruby. “Let’s go.”
Ruby stood right up. “Thank you for dinner, Edna,” she said with an apologetic smile.
Baylor kissed Edna on the forehead as if it pained him to do it. He walked out without giving his wife a second look, and Ruby followed as though it was her duty to keep up.
“So, Rosalie, have you remarried yet?” Susan asked.
Rosalie was jarred by that question since it had come out of left field. Not to mention, she was instantly bothered by Susan’s tone because the woman sounded as if she already knew the answer and it satisfied her.
Rosalie sneered at her. “Nope, but the second I decide to tie the knot, I’ll send you the memo.”
“Please do, so that Pete can stop paying you alimony.”
She wiggled her head in disbelief. “Ha! Is that what he tells you?”
“That’s what I know,” Susan snapped.
“I really don’t care what you believe.”
Rosalie looked at Peter to see what he was willing to lend to the topic at hand. He was looking at her with eyes that dared her to contradict what his wife had said. He was the kind of person who would lie until the bitter end.
The fact was that Rosalie had revoked alimony soon after graduating from law school a year ago. When Peter was giving her money, his lawyers wouldn’t stop harassing her. Before she’d learned how to fight them back, they would make her complete a quarterly form, which had questions that ranged from asking how much money she spent on a daily basis to how many times a month she went on a date. Peter had called her out of the blue exactly six times to inquire about a guy she was dating. It didn’t take long to figure out he had someone following her. She found it interesting that when they were married, he’d behaved as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough, but after they were divorced, he’d wanted to punish her for leaving him. Regardless, instead of continuing to fight Peter’s illegal, unorthodox, and mean tactics in court, she had decided to cut him out of her life like she would a large boil on her ass.
She wasn’t afraid to stand toe to toe with Peter and box it out. He was obviously still lying to his wife, and Rosalie was willing to defend the truth if need be. It was a fight she would not lose. But out of respect for Edna, she grunted dismissively and put another spoonful of the delicious soup into her mouth.
“So, Rosalie, where do you work?” Chance asked.
She snapped her eyes to Chance. “Oh, I’m—”
“She’s a lawyer. You didn’t know?” Peter asked as if he couldn’t believe it.
Rosalie rolled her eyes. She was positive that Peter still believed she and Chance were screwing each other.
“Is that so?” Chance asked.
“Yes.”
“Where do you practice?”
“Claire is an interior designer in New York,” Susan said.
“But I’m moving to San Francisco soon,” Claire added, flapping her fake eyelashes and flashing her perfect dimples.
Chance watched Claire with a perplexed expression before turning his gaze back to Rosalie. “Where do you practice?” he nearly demanded to know.
For a second, Rosalie wished she had a more impressive answer. She sat up straight. “I’m a public defender for LA County.”
“Oh, wow.” Chance nodded as if he were impressed. “Then you live in LA?”
“Yes.”
Tickling sensations leapt across Rosalie’s heart and stomach. She looked down at her plate as she felt a flush creep across her cheeks.
“I’m very proud of her,” Edna said.
Peter grunted with disdain. “Oh, come on, Grandmother, you should’ve left well enough alone.”
Edna adjusted in her seat. “And what was well enough, Peter?”
Peter snorted dismissively.
“Do they pay public defenders enough to take care of themselves?” Susan asked.
Rosalie felt the switch flip inside her. She jerked her head in Susan’s direction. “I told you this already; your husband does not pay me alimony. I stopped the payments because I chose not to keep jumping through his goddamn hoops or keep putting up with his harassment. So if the money’s missing, then check the bank and credit card statements. I’m sure you’ll find a tie to the Pink Kitty.” Her narrowed eyes landed on Peter. “It’s his happiest place on earth.”
Peter’s nostrils were flaring. “Fuck you, Rosalie,” he barked.
Rosalie could feel a vein pulsating in her neck. “Never again.”
Edna clapped her hands. “Enough. Either we transform ourselves into nicer people, or I’ll have to disinvite those who weren’t invited.”
“You’re taking her side, Grandmother?” Peter asked. “Did you hear what she said to me?”
Susan glared at Edna with her mouth agape as though she’d just been slapped in the face. “You’ve never cared for me, have you, Edna?”
Edna rolled her eyes as she shook her head. Apparently, the dramatics were in full swing.
“It doesn’t matter, honey,” Peter said.
“No… It’s been her.” She aimed her finger at Rosalie. “I could never compete with her.”
Rosalie hated the fact that she had allowed Susan to make her break poise. But for some strange reason, Peter was lying to his wife, and she suspected that it had a lot to do with his ancillary activities. Sure, she had stood up for herself, but she still mostly wanted to disappear into the fabric of her seat.
“Cut it out already,” Peter shouted.
Susan aimed her finger at Peter. “No, you cut it out!”
“What’s your problem?” he asked, just like Rosalie knew he would. Her ex-husband remained blameless as far as he was concerned. Whenever he engaged in bad behavior, he believed someone else had made him do it. He was also prone to throwing full-blown man tantrums, which consisted of cursing, standing over his target, and yelling accusations he knew weren’t true just to win the argument.
Susan shot to her feet and stormed out of the dining room, passing the servers as they brought in the main course.
Unsurprisingly, Peter remained seated. It was Claire who excused herself from the table to go see after her friend.
Rosalie turned to Edna. “Forgive me for my disturbance, Edna. I didn’t mean to disrespect your table.”
“You’re fine, darling.”
Peter snorted.
“Go see about your wife, Pete,” Edna demanded.
“She’s fine, Grandmother.”
Edna slapped the table. “Now!”
After looking at the fac
es watching him and ending with a glare at Rosalie, Peter threw the napkin that was in his lap on top of the table. But before he could stand, Susan and Claire reentered the dining room and took their seats. Rosalie noticed the look of relief on Peter’s face, which once again confirmed he had a problem loving anyone other than himself. Although she wasn’t sure Peter truly practiced self-love, either.
Dinner continued. Peter and Susan acted as though they had never caused a disturbance earlier. As long as Susan was in the room, she would make sure she was the center of attention. She mostly asked Edna question upon question about redecorating the house, asking Claire to interject with her expertise. Rosalie actually found Susan’s interest in Sterling Manor sort of weird. It was as if it was written in the stars that very soon, she would be the new lady of the manor.
“Anyway, so, Grandmother, how does it feel to be free from the business?” Susan asked.
Rosalie sat up straight, and Chance coughed as they looked at each other then at Edna, who smiled graciously.
“It feels”—she turned her smile toward the big, open window, through which there was a view of the lit rows of grapevines stretching as far as the eye could see—“revolutionary.”
Chance was unable to hide his shock, which was written all over his face. “You’re free from the business?”
“Wait. You didn’t know?” Peter asked.
Chance glared at Peter as though he wanted to rip his head off.
“That’s right, you’re out of the loop,” Peter said, rubbing salt in his wounds.
Rosalie gritted her teeth. Peter was at his best when being immature and cruel. She hadn’t planned on ever again sitting at a table with him and his crazy wife. If she had known they were present, she would’ve probably feigned cramps or something. His behavior brought out the worst emotions in her. For example, at the moment, she actually pictured her hands around his neck, wringing it.
She decided to focus on choking down the final entrée so that this dinner could be over and she could head upstairs and finish decompressing from the long day. Before being surprised by the extra faces at the table, she had been looking forward to having a nice intimate dinner with Edna and possibly getting to know Chance better, hoping to learn he was more than the dick she had met in the sitting room. He had tried to make her feel as if she didn’t belong.
Secrets & Chance (The Sterlings Book 1) Page 5
