Into the Flames (Jupiter Point Book 3)

by Jennifer Bernard

  "Now?"

  "Yes, now. Mother isn't home yet. That gives us at least two hours to get you presentable."

  "What about your father or your brother?"

  "No one's home. Right, Rollo?"

  Rollo grunted as he grabbed a suitcase in each hand. It was obvious that the doorman wanted that task, but Brianna knew Rollo would never allow someone else to carry stuff while he was around.

  "Is it okay if Mace takes us?" Sidney asked her brother. Mace was the driver, Brianna had learned during Sidney's mile-a-minute rundown of the people in the Warehams’ orbit.

  "Sure, just don't be long. Cocktails at five." Rollo barely looked their way as he and the doorman carried their bags through the highly polished glass and gilt door of the apartment building. He'd ignored her during the flight as well. He'd slipped on sunglasses, tilted his seat back, and folded his arms over his massive chest. She wasn't sure if he'd been sleeping or just tuning out Sidney's chatter.

  But she was sure of one thing. They were over.

  They hadn't made it official because they didn't have to. They both understood what was happening. The last few times they'd made love, she'd felt the change in him. He was withdrawing, preparing himself for the end.

  She had, too. She'd prepared by spending their last night in Jupiter Point in her cabin, crying herself to sleep.

  Then had come the flight—first class. Sidney's manic excitement. The fancy Bentley picking them up at the airport. This intimidating tower of an apartment building. And now shopping. Or as Sidney put it, shopping!!! With extra exclamation points.

  "See you later, Rollo," she called as Mace opened the passenger door of the Bentley again. Without looking back, he gave a gruff wave, then the front door closed behind him.

  Brianna swallowed hard. He'd warned her. This was how it had to be. She was here with Sidney. It had nothing to do with Rollo.

  "Maybe I should check into my hotel first," she told Sidney as the Bentley pulled away from the curb. She’d insisted on staying at a hotel instead of with the Warehams, no matter what Rollo said. The last thing she needed was a front row seat for the big bride hunt.

  "Later. After we shop. You'll have so many packages by then. And we'll pick out the perfect outfit for you for tonight." Sidney practically rubbed her hands together in glee. "This is going to be the most fun Christmas ever."

  "You aren't planning to dress me up like an elf, are you?" Brianna asked suspiciously. "Because I'm trying to get away from that look."

  "No more elf look. Guaranteed. This look will be history too." The girl waved her hand at Brianna's outfit, which consisted of corduroy pants and a ruffled blouse that she thought of as her fanciest top. She wore it to Sunday dinners at the McGraws and for other special occasions.

  "This look? What's wrong with this?"

  "Considering I call it 'blind person orders from Lands’ End catalogue,' need I say more?"

  Brianna's face flamed. Sidney laid her head on Brianna's shoulder.

  "Don't be mad. You're my favorite adult, by far. But your fashion sense…it's just a good thing I'm here, that's all."

  Brianna hugged one arm around the girl's shoulders. "Just go easy on me, okay? I've never had a makeover before."

  "My entire life has been one long attempted makeover," Sidney said in her snarky way. "Attempted, but failed."

  For the next few hours, they zipped from boutique to vintage shop to thrift store. It was all a blur to Brianna. Sidney's mood dipped during their shopping spree, as if Manhattan had a gravitational force field she couldn't fight.

  "How does it feel to be back?" Brianna asked her while she tried on a cashmere top the color of delphiniums.

  "I don't know yet. I'm putting off the fateful moment."

  "That's what we're doing here? Procrastinating? It's always better to face things head-on, if you ask me."

  Outside the dressing room, Sidney muttered something.

  "What was that?" Brianna called.

  "I said, some things, maybe."

  Brianna slid open the curtain that shielded the dressing room. Sidney was sitting cross-legged on the floor, chewing on her thumbnail. "What do you mean? What is it you don't want to face?"

  Sidney looked up and scanned her. "That looks good on you. You should get it."

  "Really? It's not too feminine for me? I'm usually such a tomboy." Brianna smoothed her hand down one sleeve. Darn it all, she'd been too blunt with Sidney. She should have asked her question more indirectly. Suzanne would be so much better at drawing out a teenager.

  "Of course not. It looks awesome. Let's get it."

  Brianna checked the price tag and blanched. "Um…maybe not."

  Sidney sprang to her feet. "I'm getting it for you. And don't even argue. It's my thanks to you for coming. You have no idea what it means to me."

  "Well, what does it mean…?"

  But Sidney was already thrusting another outfit at her. "Cocktail party tonight. This is the perfect thing. Go on. Back in the dressing room with you."

  Rollo had been back on Park Avenue for less than five hours and already he was twitchy. The collar of his dress shirt was trying to strangle him and the air inside his parents' apartment didn't have enough oxygen. Scented taper candles were set around the "Grand Salon," where the cocktail party was taking place. The candlelight was lovely but the fragrant smoke was driving him nuts. Worst of all, his jaw itched and his face felt naked.

  An hour ago, he'd shaved off his beard.

  Special request from his mother, and also a symbolic gesture. His time of freedom was over. No more living in the woods and battling wildfires with a chainsaw. "Iron Man" Rollo was gone. Rollington "Money" Wareham III was back.

  He kept glancing at the gilt mirror over the mantelpiece. His face looked so strange, with the bottom half so pale and exposed. His beard had given him a gentle-giant look, like Grizzly Adams. Without it, he looked…intimidating. Sort of ruthless. Just like the rest of his family. The Warehams were all tall and blue-eyed and Nordic, with a “masters of the universe” vibe. The beard had softened him. Now he looked just as arrogant as everyone else in the room.

  He tuned back into his father and Brent's conversation. They were talking about a business acquaintance who was about to file for bankruptcy. Their gloating tone annoyed him. He tuned back out again and looked desperately around the room, like a parched man hunting for water.

  Where were Sidney and Brianna? They were late. Or maybe Sidney was boycotting the party. Maybe Brianna had decided to skip it and hang out at her hotel. Naked in bed.

  He rolled his neck, trying to get the tension out. He had to stop thinking about Brianna like that. It was over. Even though it didn't feel like it was over—he could still taste her, feel her—it had to be over.

  Across the room, his mother caught his eye and gave him an approving smile. Right—the missing beard. He ran his hand self-consciously across his jaw.

  She cocked her head, the enhanced blond of her bob gleaming in the light from the many candles. She raised her eyebrows in the direction of a poised young woman chatting with someone on the loveseat in the corner. "Cornelia," she mouthed. Her glance very clearly said, “go talk to her.”

  Cornelia. Absolutely, he should introduce himself in person. Obviously. They'd exchanged at least twenty emails by now, though only two in the last three weeks. Her emails were intelligent, cheerful. From what he could see, she was attractive. Slim as a ballerina, her hair in a loose knot at the base of her neck. Dressed in a classic little black dress.

  Yes. He should go talk to her. Right this minute, if he could ever get his feet to move. Just go, do it.

  And then…

  Brianna walked in.

  He felt the floor drop away beneath him.

  Brianna…but not Brianna. More like the fairy-princess-wood-nymph-Botticelli version of his friend. She wore a filmy, frothy pink dress the color of strawberry ice cream. It gathered under her breasts and flowed to just above her knees. Her bare shoulder
s were covered with some kind of glittery body powder. She wore a pretty amber and bronze choker around her neck; he thought it might be Sidney's. Her hair had been blown out into long, loose waves, so different from her usual tumbled ponytail. It was pinned like a crown on top of her head, with long tendrils left to frame her piquant little face. Soft pink lipstick, a light touch with the blush—or maybe that was her natural embarrassment shining through.

  Even though Sidney held her by the hand, she looked about ready to turn and flee.

  Her gaze landed on him—probably because he was staring—then slid away. Then came back. Recognition flashed across her face, followed by shock. Her mouth fell open and she gasped loud enough to make heads turn.

  Pink flooded her cheeks.

  Uh oh—maybe he should have warned Brianna about his missing beard. He put his hand to his jaw and pulled a face of apology. Her mouth snapped closed and she shot an embarrassed glance around the room at the guests who had turned to look at her.

  Sidney scowled at him. She circled a hand around Brianna's wrist and towed her across the room toward their mother.

  Abruptly, he walked away from his brother in mid-sentence and strode after them. No way was he letting his mother meet Brianna without him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

  He kept devouring Brianna with his gaze as he walked. She wore little crystal-studded high-heeled sandals that showed off the incredible muscle tone of her calves and the cute shape of her feet, with that little toe that curved inwards…

  He tripped over the edge of the carpet. His turn to draw everyone's eyeballs.

  Straightening up, he cast a general scowl around the room and hurried the last few steps to his mother, Brianna and Sidney. Sidney was in the midst of introductions. She was wearing a garnet velvet dress with long sleeves that came to points at her wrists. Her hair was smoothed over one shoulder. For once in her life she looked like a proper daughter.

  "Mother, this is my friend Brianna Gallagher from Jupiter Point. She's been really nice to me. I've been working for her, can you believe it? Me, working. Aren't you proud?"

  "You were meant to be working on your schoolwork." Alicia Wareham sniffed, then took Brianna's hand for a cool fingers-only handshake. "Welcome to New York, Brianna. Thank you for joining us tonight. Now may I ask what sort of work you hired my wayward daughter to do?"

  Brianna made an awkward motion with her other hand, as if she wasn't sure of the proper etiquette. "Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Wareham."

  Her smile was a more self-conscious version of her usual grin, but even so it felt like a ray of sunshine in this formal environment. Rollo smiled stupidly down at her. Damn it, he didn't have his beard to mask his emotions anymore. His reaction to Brianna was probably written all over her face.

  "I'm a landscape designer," Brianna was explaining. "Sidney helped me build a fence around Old Man Turner's garden."

  Alicia's eyebrows lifted, as if not a single word of that sentence made sense. "Build?"

  "Well, yes, although she actually did the digging."

  "Digging?"

  "Yes, she dug the post holes. I have a special post-hole digger that I use, and Sidney got the hang of it right away. She earned every bit of that hot fudge sundae."

  "And the twenty dollars," added Sidney. "Which actually paid for two more of those babies. You know, I really think they might be the best in the galaxy."

  "Right?" Brianna beamed. One of the long tendrils curling against her cheek snagged on her eyelash and she blinked it away. She was so adorable. He couldn't drag his eyes away from her.

  Alicia turned to Rollo. "May I speak with you, Rollington?"

  Her use of that name set his teeth on edge. With an apologetic glance at Sidney and Brianna, he walked with his mother to the little bar. One of their servants was manning it. Without being asked, he made her another Pimm's Cup. All of the Wareham staff was well-trained; his mother wouldn't stand for anything less.

  "What has been going on out there in California? It sounds like obscenely exploitative child labor to me."

  "Don't be ridiculous, mother. She dug some holes and got some ice cream. It kept her out of trouble."

  "Ice cream sundaes are not on her diet. Sweet Lord, she's grown even bigger in California. She must have put on ten pounds. You should have kept a better eye on her."

  He blinked at her. "Sidney isn't overweight. She's a Wareham, we're all that size."

  "She's a girl, so she can't let herself get so muscular. Really, Rollington. You've been in the wilderness too long." She accepted the Pimm's Cup with barely a glance at the server. "This time in New York will be just what you need to ease you back into civilized society." She sipped from her glass, Breton brightening her eyes, which were just a shade bluer than his. "I think you'll be very happy with what I have planned this Christmas. Now you must go chat with Cornelia. She came tonight specifically to meet you." She waved to a newly arrived guest.

  Rollo clenched his jaw so tight it hurt. "I will when I'm ready."

  She fixed him with a stern flash of her blue eyes. "She's perfect, Rollington. Don't ruin your chances with her."

  As soon as she left to greet the new guest, he ordered a bottle of beer, only to be told none was stocked. Great. This just got better and better. With a club soda in hand, he went to join Brianna and Sidney, who were now chatting with Brent. Brent was studying Bri with an air of fascination.

  "Power tools?" he was saying. "Like what, a nail gun?"

  "Sure." Brianna shrugged. "Nail gun, screw gun. Table saw. Jigsaw. I'm no expert, but I can run all those. To tell the truth, I'm a lot better with a nail gun than with a blow dryer."

  Brent laughed a little too long and hard. Rollo wondered how many vodka martinis he'd already consumed. His brother would probably be hitting the club scene after the family thing wrapped up. This cocktail party was a warmup for him. "What happens when you use a blow dryer?"

  "Oh," Brianna laughed uncomfortably, "I honestly don't know. I don't even own one. DryBar did this." She waved at her lovely, romantic-looking hairstyle. "All they do there is blow dry hair. Can you believe it?"

  Brent cocked his head at her. "You're quite the country cousin, aren't you? It's cute. Ish."

  An expression of hurt confusion drifted across Brianna's face. Rollo would have given anything to be able to coldcock his younger brother.

  "Go have another Grey Goose, you asshat," he said instead. "Or Brianna will use her nail gun on you."

  "Fearsome." Brent drained his glass and set it on the mantel. He always did that; at the end of every party there would be a lineup of Brent's empty martini glasses.

  Funny how his firefighter crewmates felt much more like brothers than his actual brother.

  "Come on, lil sis." Brent slung his arm over Sidney's shoulders. "I'll buy you a Virgin Mary. Right up your alley."

  Rollo caught a flash of distress on Sidney's face before she was hauled off in the direction of the bar. Then he forgot all about his siblings and turned back to Brianna. Her arms were folded across her chest. Sparkles of light danced across her skin.

  "Why did you shave off your beard, Rollo? I really wish you'd warned me. It's hard enough not to trip in these shoes without a shocker like that."

  He made a face and put his hand to his bare chin. "I keep forgetting about it. Then I remember and it's like I cut off a limb. It's a freak show, isn't it?"

  Her expression softened. "Of course not. It doesn't look bad. It's just different. When I walked in I didn't recognize you at first. You looked so formal with the suit and the, you know," she waved her hand at him, "face. I thought you were a Danish prince or something."

  He tilted his head back and laughed. The sound drew the attention of his mother. He watched her eyebrows draw together, a speculative look passing from him to Brianna. Oh hell. He'd just put poor Bri in the line of fire. He should step away from her right this second. He should cross to that loveseat and introduce himself to Cornelia.

&nbs
p; He didn't budge.

  Brianna watched him with those wide green eyes of hers, the light from the chandelier striking notes of bronze and fire in her hair. "I'm so tempted to take a picture of you like this and send it to the hotshots back home."

  "Is that right? I might have to confiscate your phone, Miss. This is a private gathering. No photos."

  She chuckled, the sound traveling into his bloodstream like sunshine. "It's a really good thing I know you're still the same Rollo underneath it all."

  "Don't be so sure of that. Six hours with my family and I'm already turning into an asshole."

  God, it was true. He'd been rude to his mother, he'd insulted his brother, barely said a word to his father. Blown off Cornelia. This place…he hated the still air, the smell of luxury perfume, the sounds of party chatter. Not even Brianna could completely erase his misery.

  "Stop whining, big guy." She gave him a playful swat on the sleeve. "I liked you better when you were the hotshot who rescued Josh. You know, the nice guy who moved to Jupiter Point to support his friend."

  "Believe me, I like that guy more too," he muttered, swirling his drink in his glass. "Don't get too attached to him."

  "Well, too late. I am attached." He felt her gaze on him, urging him to pay attention. So he forced himself to meet her gaze. "I can tell you hate being back here, but you're still the same person. Think of all the lives you've saved. Think about nearly dying in Big Canyon. You can handle this. Did you ever think that destiny has something in mind for you?"

  "Destiny?" He felt as if he was drowning in her green eyes. She didn't know what she was talking about. Destiny? Try doom.

  "Yes, destiny." She touched the lump his bear-tooth pendant made under his dress shirt. "Your true self. We all have a destiny, right? Something written in the stars. Something we're meant to do on this Earth."