A Silken Thread

by Brenda Jackson

  She shook her head, smiling while thinking that her grandmother had turned into a regular cardsharp. When April was a child the older woman wouldn’t even let her play a game of old maid. Connie North had been convinced playing cards were tools from the devil’s arsenal. Evidently over the years Melba had somehow changed Nana’s mind about that.

  “Out rather late tonight, aren’t you?”

  April swung around at the same time she threw her hand over her chest to calm her startled heart. She drew in a deep breath and glanced over at the man who stood almost towering over her. Hell, where had he come from? It was a good thing she recognized her late-night intruder.

  “I could say the same about you, Griffin.”

  She had gotten her shocked heart to slow down, so now she could work on the desire fluttering around in her belly. Griffin had always managed to elicit that sort of a reaction from her even though she’d fought it.

  “Yes, you could say the same,” he said, smiling warmly. “But my folks are out of town and I promised to go over twice a day to let Pebbles out.” He chuckled. “I went this morning but almost forgot to do so this evening. Luckily I remembered before I went in for the night.”

  April nodded and glanced down at the Saint Bernard on the leash. Fluffy had returned to her side and was staring over at Pebbles as if the dog was definitely an object of interest. Didn’t big and little dogs usually get into barking matches? Surprisingly, the two seemed to like each other.

  April returned her gaze to Griffin and then wished she hadn’t. He was dressed casually, as if he’d been out on a date. She didn’t want to think of him with another woman; in fact over the years she’d done a pretty good job of not thinking of him at all. A busy career and three husbands followed by three divorces had helped to keep her from pining over a lost love.

  But seeing him now was reminding her of just how handsome he was and why she’d fallen head over heels for him back in high school. He’d been the guy all the girls had wanted, except for Erica.

  In addition to loving him, April also liked him. Although he’d been born with a silver spoon planted firmly in his mouth, he hadn’t acted obnoxious like some of the others guys around town. He’d always treated her with respect, and not with the mere tolerance some of the upper echelons had be stowed upon her as Erica’s best friend.

  “I guess remembering your duties to Pebbles before going home was a good thing,” April decided to say. “I would hate to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t.”

  He chuckled. “Hey, come on now. Do you for one minute believe my parents didn’t have a backup plan? It probably wouldn’t surprise me if Pebbles knew how to get to the phone, use her paw and punch in nine-one-one.”

  April couldn’t help but laugh. Another thing she’d always liked about Griffin was his sense of humor. Seldom was he a serious kind of guy. But she figured that was the norm when you were born to a life without a care in the world.

  She would give him the benefit of the doubt since she knew he’d left town and attended college before returning home to take over running his family’s rubber company. As long as there were tires on the road Hayes Rubber Plant would probably remain in business, which made her question the recent rumor her grandmother had shared with her that he was thinking about going into politics.

  Fluffy tugged on his leash drawing April’s attention and when Fluffy began trotting in the opposite way of home, April figured the dog wasn’t ready to settle in for the night just yet and decided neither was she. Evidently Pebbles had the same notion and began trotting beside Fluffy, which made Griffin join April in what had to be a somewhat comical stroll.

  “So when did you come home?” Griffin asked, glancing over at her.

  She glanced back at him and wished she wasn’t so hopelessly conscious of how handsome he looked tonight and how good he smelled. “A couple of days ago.”

  “Does Erica know you’re in town?”

  “Of course. We had dinner together at Ryder’s tonight.”

  He laughed and the sound carried through the trees. “That means the two of you only had a salad.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh as well, since his remark had been right on the money. She’d always been one to watch her figure, and over the years Erica had fallen in line right along with her. She was surprised that he would remember something like that.

  “I saw your spread in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition earlier this year. It was nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  The thought that he’d seen her in that skimpy swimwear made her bite down on her lips. What had he thought when he’d seen it? She really shouldn’t care since modeling was her life and she enjoyed what she did. She had been a Victoria’s Secret model for a few years before being asked to pose for that issue of Sports Illustrated. She’d agreed without batting an eye, so why was she suddenly feeling like she should have added a wrap to the bikini she’d posed in?

  She drew in a deep breath as she looked over Griffin and decided to take the conversation off herself for a while. “What’s this I hear about you thinking about running for mayor?”

  He glanced over at her and smiled. “Yes, that’s my plan. Do I have your vote?”

  She shrugged. “Not sure I’m still considered a legal resident.”

  “Sure you are. You own property in this town.”

  Yes, she certainly did. Although she’d bought her grandmother the house, the property was in April’s name. And the house where she’d been born still belonged to her, too, although she had fixed it up and was renting it out. She’d wanted to tear it down but Nana hadn’t let her. “Well, we’ll see. Does Erica plan to vote for you?”

  “By the time the election comes around she’ll be married and moved out of town.”

  April studied his reaction. Erica had always sworn she and Griffin didn’t love each other, but for some reason April needed to know for certain. She had to know just how Griffin truly felt about Erica marrying another man.

  “I know. It’s hard to believe she’s going to marry and move to Texas,” she said.

  He went quiet, as if he was considering what she’d just said. “Yes, it is hard to believe. I’m truly going to miss her,” he finally responded.

  For a moment April felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. And then Griffin added, “But maybe now the town will finally accept what Erica and I have been trying to tell everyone for years.”

  April swallowed. “Which is?”

  “That the most we could ever be is friends. We love each other but we’re not in love with each other. There’s a big difference.”

  April didn’t say anything as they continued walking. Yes, there was a big difference and she would be the first to agree on that point. How could she not? She’d been married three times. She hadn’t loved Mark although she’d liked him. They had gotten along well but then Mark voiced regrets over their union less than a year into their marriage.

  She’d married Campbell less than a year later because it had seemed the right thing to do at the time. He was her friend, gay and wasn’t ready to come out of the closet. His parents and some of his so-called friends had begun getting suspicious and she’d agreed to marry him to keep the skeptics at bay. It had worked for a while until he’d fallen in love with someone and then hadn’t cared who knew of his sexual preference.

  Then there had been Green, whose brothers were actually named Red, Blue and Black. The four Englishmen were musicians in the well-known rock band Colors. She and Green had met at a concert when he’d practically plucked her out of the audience onto the stage to sit beside him while he beat mercilessly on his drums. They’d dated a few times after that, and then decided to be wild and reckless and marry when the tabloids figured they wouldn’t. It took her less than a year to figure out that they really shouldn’t have, when Green refused to give up the drugs.

  “So do I have your vote?”

  His question pulled her out of her reverie and she smiled up at him. “Thi
s is some shameless campaigning you’re doing at eleven o’clock on the sidewalk, Griffin. But you haven’t said what you plan on doing for the city.”

  He lifted a brow. “Do you really care?”

  She chuckled. “No, but like you said, I own property here and for some reason my grandmother is determined to die here.”

  “And how is Ms. Connie?”

  His question made her remember that Nana had been his first nanny and had worked for the Hayeses until Griffin had started school. When Nana spoke of him it was with fondness. “She’s fine. She mentioned you’ve dropped by a few times.”

  In fact, according to Melba, Griffin was the only one who’d bothered to drop by to welcome her grandmother to the neighborhood when she’d moved in, and he still dropped by to see if they needed anything.

  He shrugged. “Not as much as I’d like. The last time I saw her she and her companion were in the park and I happened to be jogging by. She mentioned your divorce.”

  April glanced up at him and grinned. “Which one?” When a woman had married three times for all the wrong reasons, she found it easy to make light of them.

  “Your most recent…from that rocker guy in England.”

  “Oh, that one,” she said, smiling.

  He smiled back. “I take it you weren’t left with a broken heart?”

  “Good grief, no. I gave him an ultimatum. It was either me or the drugs. He chose the drugs so I walked.”

  “Good for you.”

  They’d stopped walking and she noticed they’d come to the end of the lane. As if they’d known what to do, Fluffy and Pebbles turned around and were trotting back in the direction they’d come. So she and Griffin did likewise. It was a beautiful night in March. Stars dotted the sky and a full moon was overhead. A chill was in the air and she pulled her jacket tighter around her.

  As they strolled back toward their destinations, for the moment the chat between her and Griffin had come to a standstill. In a way she appreciated the absence of conversation. It gave her time to wonder if her breakup with Green was really good for her, as Griffin had said.

  Here she was twenty-seven, a three-time divorcée, and the one man she’d ever loved was walking beside her and didn’t have a clue.

  Chapter Four

  “I can’t believe the outfit Brian’s mother is wearing.”

  Wilson followed his wife’s gaze and glanced across the room to look at Rita Lawson. He would be the first to admit that he’d been surprised when their maid had escorted Brian, and his mother and grandparents to the area of the house where the engagement party was being held. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected but it wasn’t the very attractive woman on her son’s arm.

  He glanced back to his wife, grateful they were alone, and hoped no one had overheard her thoughtless remark. “I see nothing wrong with what she’s wearing.” In fact, he thought the long flowing skirt and lace peasant blouse, belted to highlight the woman’s small waistline looked pretty damn good on her. He would even go so far as to say that she exuded more grace, femininity and elegance in her outfit than his wife and her friends who were dressed to the nines in their designer attire.

  Karen rolled her eyes. “Of course you wouldn’t see anything wrong with it. You’re a man.”

  He could only smile at that. Yes, he was a man. A man who could still admire a beautiful woman when he saw one.

  “I can only imagine what she plans to wear to the wedding. It would be most embarrassing if she didn’t show up dressed her age.”

  When Karen didn’t get a response from him, she went on to add, “Even Marva had something to say about her outfit.”

  Wilson took a sip of his wine. He couldn’t imagine Marva not having something to say about it. After all, Marva Hayes was Griffin’s mother and, like Karen, she’d had high hopes for their only offspring to tie the knot. Both women had to be fit to be tied right now. Served them right that all their planning, prodding and manipulations over the years hadn’t worked.

  “I’m curious to know why you invited Marva. She’s not family,” he decided to point out, although he knew doing so would get a rise out of his wife.

  She cut him the look he’d expected. “Marva is my dearest friend, so of course she and Herbert were invited. I’m just disappointed that Griffin refused to come.”

  Wilson shrugged. That showed him the boy had good sense even if his parents didn’t. Why would he have come? Erica had made her choice. Still, he was sure Griffin wasn’t heartbroken over the decision. Wilson had long ago seen what his wife had refused to see. What Griffin and Erica shared was a close friendship and nothing else.

  Personally, he could tolerate the Hayeses most of the time, but he’d hoped like hell they wouldn’t ever become his in-laws. He’d known Marva and Herbert all his life and they still ran around in the same social circles. But lately Wilson had felt that circle tightening, grating on his last nerve.

  “Oh, my, the woman has started mingling, Wilson. Do some thing.”

  Wilson raised a brow. “And there’s a problem with her mingling?”

  Karen glanced over at him like he was daft. “Yes. The less she has to say to the family and my friends the better.”

  He took another sip of wine and then said, “I don’t know why you feel that way. She’s an educated woman, well versed in numerous topics. I had the pleasure of talking with her earlier and found her to be most refreshing.”

  Karen frowned. “Then please go across the room and take the refreshing widow off my hands. I haven’t been able to mingle much myself. I’ve been too busy trying to make sure she doesn’t make a fool of herself and of us. Look at her. She’s staring at our aquarium like she’s never seen one before.”

  He figured the woman probably hadn’t—at least not one like that. The aquarium Karen had had built off the patio a few years ago was huge and gaudy. What Karen thought was a masterpiece was nothing but a waste of money. But then his wife didn’t care about the cost of anything. The important thing was making sure she had something her friends didn’t have.

  “Well, will you do what I asked, Wilson, and go spend some time with the woman?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “Is there any reason you can’t display some of those Delbert–Sanders manners you think everyone else around you is lacking and go spend some time with her yourself?”

  “Don’t be an ass, Wilson. Just do what I ask.”

  He frowned down at her before glancing over to where Rita Lawson stood still staring at the aquarium. “Gladly,” he said, while grabbing a glass of wine from the tray of a passing server.

  He smiled as he moved across the room. No doubt he would appreciate Ms. Lawson’s company more than his own wife’s.

  “It would be nice if everyone who told us how happy they are for us truly meant it,” Brian whispered in Erica’s ear.

  She tilted her head up and was relieved to see he was smiling, which meant her family’s phoniness was not getting next to him. But it was getting next to her. He had ignored the sugarcoated insults for the sake of peace but she wondered how long his tolerance would last.

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said, turning and wrapping her arms around his neck. “They’re just jealous.”

  “And I’m plain lucky.”

  She shook her head. “No, sweetheart, I’m the lucky one.” She then raised on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his lips, not caring who saw and who didn’t approve.

  “Don’t look now but your mother is glaring over at us.”

  Erica tilted back her head and laughed. “In that case…” She kissed him again.

  He shook his head and smiled. “Hey, what are you doing? Trying to get me into trouble?”

  “Who, me?” she asked innocently. “Not on your life. Just reminding whoever needs reminding that you’re the only man I want. The only man I will ever love.” She enjoyed telling him stuff like that because she meant every word of it.

  “I wish I had you alone someplace,” he leaned down to murmur in her ear.
<
br />   She wished he had her alone someplace, too, but since that was not the case they needed to make the most of it. Besides, even with the hypocrites present, the engagement party had turned out to be a nice affair. At least Brian’s family seemed to be enjoying themselves. His grandparents seemed amused by her mother’s outlandish extravagance. It would probably surprise Karen to discover most people would feel the same.

  “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?”

  “Yes,” she said, remembering when he’d done so. It had been when he’d arrived at her parents’ home with his mother and grandparents. After introductions had been made he had eased to her side, slid his arms around her waist and whispered the words in her ear. He had also told her just what he intended to do when he got her alone later. She had looked up at him with a hopeful look in her eyes and smiled.

  Trying to quell the heat she felt at the memory, she glanced around the room. Was that her father talking with Brian’s mother? Well, at least one of her parents had the sense to display good manners.

  “It seems your dad and my mom have a lot to talk about,” Brian said, grinning and following her gaze across the room to the couple.

  She smiled back at him. “Yes, it looks that way. It’s good to know there’s another Lawson and Sanders pair getting along besides us.”

  “So you enjoy traveling, Rita?”

  Rita Lawson glanced up at the tall, refined and handsome man. Erica’s father. She wasn’t stupid. She was well aware that Erica’s mother had sent him to keep her entertained. Karen Sanders had downed her snooty nose at her the moment they’d been introduced.

  Brian had warned her about what to expect. She just hadn’t expected his tip-off to be so darn accurate. There was definitely a distinct chill in the air. But Rita would be the first to admit she wasn’t feeling any negative vibes from Wilson. He seemed to be a genuinely kind man with smiling eyes. He may have been drafted to keep her out of the way but she had no problem with his doing so. She enjoyed their conversations.