He curled his hands into fists.Do not rise to the bait. “Miss Wright, I’d like you to meet my former friend and brother-in-law, Lowell Jeffries. Lowell, meet Charlotte’s nanny, Delaney Wright.”
Her smile was tenuous when she extended her hand. “Mr. Jeffries.”
Smirking, he shook her hand but eyed Noah. “‘Nanny.’ Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
Miss Wright snatched her hand away.
Noah rounded the table so fast that Lowell took a step back.
“Move along, Jeffries.” He shifted forward into Lowell’s space, so close he could smell beer on the man’s breath. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Back off the merger, Aylett, before your whole life falls apart.”
“Is that a threat? Because your buddy Hayes already tried that tonight. You can tell him his intimidation tactics failed. I’m not going to back off the merger, not today, not ever.”
“Tidewater’s going to figure out pretty quick that your business can’t be trusted any more than your name can.”
“Your sabotage failed,” Noah said. “My business is as strong as ever, and the merger is on track.”
“It’s going to fall apart,” he said confidently, “and when it does, I’ll be popping a cork to celebrate.”
Worry and anger churned in Noah’s gut. What did Lowell know? Or was he just blowing smoke, trying to throw Noah off his game?
His friend-turned-enemy reached past him, snatched a french fry from their platter, and popped it in his mouth. Hefocused on Miss Wright. “Sorry to interrupt your date. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
She said, “He’s not my?—”
“Don’t bother,” Noah said. “He’s not worth your breath.”
Noah watched him leave, only the Holy Spirit’s self-control keeping him from tackling his old buddy and pummeling him.
When Lowell disappeared into the crowd, Noah took a deep breath, forcing his muscles to relax before he turned back to Miss Wright. She flicked her gaze from Charlotte to him, head tilted to one side, eyes more curious than alarmed.
The encounter had left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Sorry about that.” He slid back into his seat.
“It’s fine.” She glanced toward the playground, where Charlotte was talking to a woman. After a moment, the woman turned and waved.
When the light hit her face, he realized it was Heather, Miss Wright’s friend. Something about her didn’t sit right with him, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
Miss Wright waved back, and he had to stifle a groan. The last thing he wanted was for that stranger to join them.
But Heather said something to Charlotte, then headed toward the dance floor.
The swings were empty, and Charlotte and her friends ran that way. His niece was so much more confident than she’d been even a month ago. If only adult relationships could heal as quickly as children did.
“He seemed intent on causing trouble.” Miss Wright’s voice was soft, barely audible over the music and the crowd’s chatter.
“That’s his specialty. Lowell and I were friends once. Best friends. Then I married his sister.”
“And divorced her.” It wasn’t a question.
“She divorced me.” Noah didn’t usually talk about his marriage, but something in Miss Wright’s eyes encouraged himto continue. “Marianne left after rumors started circulating that I was having an affair. Lena Monroe started the rumors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Marianne fed them.”
“You weren’t, though,” Miss Wright said. “Unfaithful.” Again, her words held certainty.
“Never. But… I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. We weren’t happy. Before we got married, Marianne seemed sweet and easygoing. After, she was miserable and demanding. She hated my house and wanted to completely redo it. If it had been up to her, she’d have removed all the memories of my family and replaced them with high-dollar knickknacks that held no meaning at all, except to show the world how wealthy we were. Actually, what she really wanted was to tear the house down to the studs and rebuild.”
