Charlotte cringed. She tried to picture that woman raising a child and couldn’t. Surely she wasn’t always like that.
Liam led her through an airy foyer where a man dressed in a black-and-white uniform took their coats before leading them into a room with a Christmas tree decorated in silver and white. In fact, the entire room was composed of white furniture and chrome fixtures, including the floor, which was white marble identical to what was in her mother’s ritual room. Natural light brightened it all thanks to a wall of windows. Charlie had nothing against white, but this room looked like no one had ever been in it before.
“Come say hello to your brother.” Mrs. Morris pointed her cigarette at a chubby, balding man in a red sweater.
He popped out of one of the chairs, his blue eyes widening when he noticed her. He slapped a thick hand into Liam’s. “Liam, buddy. Nice to see you again. Who’s this?”
“Spencer, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, my younger brother Spence.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Charlotte said, trying the hand trick again. Thankfully he shook it, although she was repulsed by his sweaty palm. To her surprise, he kept hold of her hand and kissed the back. She turned wide eyes on Liam.
“You’ve outdone yourself with this one, little brother. She is an absolute angel.”
Charlie snorted, unable to hold it in, and tore her hand away, not sure what to say.
Liam glared down at his brother, who was a good two inches shorter. “Are Katherine and the kids joining us today?”
Spencer cleared his throat. “Katherine and I are spending some time apart. It’s temporary. Sorting out a few things. She has the kids at her mom’s this year.”
“You cheated on her. What did you expect?” Mrs. Morris blew smoke out of the corner of her mouth.
Charlie stiffened, embarrassed for the man. Whether it was true or not, he didn’t deserve to have it shared with a stranger in that way.
“We’re working it out, Mom. We’re in counseling.”
Mrs. Morris turned those icy blue eyes on Charlie. “I think all this marriage counseling crap is just a scheme to part a fool from his money. What marriages need today is a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman. It’s time you man up and rein her in, Spencer. Tell her she won’t get a dime if she divorces you. You’ll hire a team of lawyers who will bury her so deep in paperwork she’ll never be free anyway.”
“Jesus, Mom,” Spencer mumbled.
“Your father and I never went to counseling, Spencer. Roger was a man who knew how to lead a household. There’s no reason adults can’t have their own lives, but once you marry into this family, you stay married to the family.”
Liam stiffened beside her, and Charlotte squeezed his hand supportively. He turned her toward the bar. “Let’s get a drink.”
Charlie wiped her palm on her dress and nodded. She wondered if it was hard for him to remain silent when his mother spoke about his father in those terms. This family was strange. In Paragon, she would have thought they hated each other based on the energy in the room. She hoped she wasn’t contributing to the tension. Maybe coming today was a bad idea.
They hadn’t even made it to the bar when a woman strode in from the hall and stopped directly in front of them. She didn’t have to introduce herself as Liam’s sister. Her features matched their mother’s, although her hair was the color of a brown mouse and she didn’t wear glasses.
“Liam. Oh my god, I didn’t think we’d see you today after you didn’t show at Dad’s funeral.” The greeting wasn’t exactly friendly, although Charlotte caught a hint in her tone, as if his appearance at today’s festivities was somehow a relief to her.
“Merry Christmas, Kara. Where’s Bill today?”
Her eyes darted toward Mrs. Morris before settling back on him. “Working, unfortunately. The firm needed him on a case in Japan.”
“Japan! Wow. So far away on a holiday. Too bad.”
“It was unfortunate.”
“Second year in a row,” Mrs. Morris chimed in from across the room.
“I’m sure he’ll make it next year, Mother,” Kara protested, rolling her eyes. When they settled again, they perused her with a critical gaze. “And who is this?”
“This is my girlfriend, Charlotte,” Liam said.
Kara offered a wide smile and shook her hand. “Wherever did he find you? Let me guess, lingerie model or actress?”
Although she held no judgment against either of those jobs, Charlotte didn’t like Kara’s dismissive tone, as if her following those career paths invalidated her as a person. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liam open his mouth to deliver a retort, but she beat him to the punch. “The North Pole,” she said through a smile. “We worked together on a project.”
Kara made a choking sound. “You’re a scientist?”
