I’d dressed up, knowing I’d be heading to Alaric’s the second dessert was through. I’d curled my hair and put on a new dress—a cute pastel pink one with tiny black polka dots, a ruffled hemline, and a gathered-and-tied waist. It wasn’t wrinkled, and yet my mother fluffed at me anyway, as if pruning her precious rose bushes.
“Okay, now I know for sure—you’re up to something. What is it?” I scowled, stepping away from her and appraising her with skepticism.
“Don’t be silly. I was just admiring your dress. It’s very pretty,” Mom commented as she avoided meeting my gaze head on.
“Thanks.” I pursed my lips, sensing something was amiss.
Mom turned and walked down the hall to the dining room. I arched my brows, the air escaping my lungs in a whoosh.
Yup, she was definitely up to something. I trailed after her, coming to a full stop when I realized an additional person sat at the table in the vacant chair beside mine. Grant Hernandez was filling that seat now, and he looked up at me, his lips pulling into a slow smile, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Grant, you remember Gwen, don’t you?” Dad said, clearing his throat awkwardly. He avoided looking at me, likely knowing how livid I was.
And I was. I was angrier than a cat that just got tossed into a tub full of water, and I was mortified, to boot. I peered at Kelsey for help, but she seemed just as uneasy as me. I knew from looking at her that she wasn’t involved in…whatever this was. Elliott sat beside her, appearing as if he’d swallowed glass.
Clearly, I had my meddlesome parents to thank for this interjection. I scowled at my father, hurt that he’d done this after our conversation aboutwhyI didn’t like coming to these dinners. This was abundantly worse than sitting beside a vacant chair.
“Yes, I do. Hey, Gwen,” Grant said with a wink, standing and pulling the chair out for me, practically giving my mother a coronary in the process.
If she could get away with clapping her hands and squealing with excitement, she probably would. Instead, she smiled pointedly at me, her brows raising, her look alone telling me not to screw this up with my sarcastic bite.
“Grant,” I managed, forcing my lips into a smile and moving my feet forward. I sat, shooting another glance at my father, who was strategically avoiding looking directly at me. “I’m a little surprised to see you here.”
“Your father invited me,” Grant replied easily, sitting back down in his chair. I had to give him credit; he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable by the tension rolling off practically everyone’s shoulders. Except for my mom—she was the only one buzzing with excitement. Dad at least had the common decency to look ashamed of his hand in things.
“Oh, that’s nice. Dad sure loves his charity causes,” I responded sweetly. My father stifled a laugh, masking it quickly with a cough.
“Gwen,” Mom scolded, frowning deeply.
“I know she’s teasing,” Grant interjected, sending me a bemused smile. “It’s kind of our thing.”
“I wasn’t aware we had a thing,” I muttered, stabbing a piece of roast with my fork and moving it to my plate. I wasn’t hungry anymore, but I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell my mother would let me leave without eating, and I was determined to get this night over with as soon as humanly possible.
Kelsey sniggered, and Mom sent me another withering look. I bit down on my tongue, hard, to keep myself from verbally lashing out further and pitching an epic temper tantrum.
Grant was a guest in their house, and my parents had raised me better than that. Plus, he was one of our best engineers, and I knew Dad valued him. I wouldn’t jeopardize my father’s company, and it maddened me that my mother used those things to her advantage.
* * *
Painful.The whole thing was utterly and completely painful. My mother asked Grant a hundred questions—about where he grew up, what his plans for the future were, what he did for fun—information that someone he was dating might want to know.
Dad could pretend all he wanted that it was business-related, but this was a setup, and everyone in the room knew it. I was vibrating with anger. This was a new low for my mother—and my father.
It was more than likely that my poor father had been caught in the crossfire. He may have mentioned Grant hitting on me to Mom, who jumped all over it like some mid-century housewife, desperate to see all her daughters married off. Since Dad literally didanythingto make my mother happy, I could see him bending to her will.
Knowing this didn’t make my anger lessen, though.
“Well, this has been a very entertaining evening, but I need to go,” I said tightly, standing as soon as I’d finished the tiny sliver of pie my mother insisted that I eat. I wasn’t about to let her rope me into staying any longer than I already had.
“It’s barely nine o’clock, Gwen,” my mother said, frowning with disappointment.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted,” I replied, yawning and stretching a little. I waved at Kelsey and Elliott, too pissed to offer more than that.
“I should get going, too. It’s a long drive back to Toronto,” Grant said as he stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious. I’ll walk you out, Gwen.”
I glanced back over my shoulder, scowling. Mom’s frown instantly faded, and she smiled with notable relief.
My heels clicked against the tiled floor in the foyer, and I paused to grab my purse off the side table, my hand reaching instantly into the little pocket I kept my phone in.
