No such luck. So now, I was just going to have to take it. Somehow.As soon as I can stop holding the entire family together with duct tape and silent rage.
“Colin,” I called down the hall, pushing away from the master bedroom’s doorframe. “We’re leaving in five.”
He appeared in the hallway, tugging at the collar of his shirt, his tie looking like it was trying to choke him. “I’m ready, but she’s not, is she?”
“Nope.”
My brother let out a long, slow breath, then nodded, stopped fidgeting with his collar, and straightened his shoulders. Once he joined me, we both strode into the room where the once mighty Nora Thayer was still fluttering around like a startled bird.
“Mom.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “Shoes. Coat. Purse. That’s all you need. It’s just dinner. At someone’s house. Not even a restaurant.”
She blinked up at me in the reflection of her dressing table mirror, her steel-gray eyes much too wide. “I don’t even know why they invited us. They’re theWestwoods, Jane.”
Sure,nowshe was acting like they were the be-all and end-all, but in the past, she’d referred to them as “middle-aged”money. Our family had been in Chicago so much longer than theirs, and even though their money hadn’t beennewenough to lock them out of our social circles entirely, she hadn’t gone out of her way to include them either.
I’d always thought the whole thing was ridiculous but nowtheywere the reigning kings of this city and we’d been summoned, and she was fretting like we’d been granted an audience with an actual king.
“They’re just people, Mom,” I said calmly, inhaling and motioning for her to follow my lead. “You don’t have to speak. I’ll handle it.”
It felt like I’d been saying that my whole life, but a few minutes later, after approximately eighteen micro-panic attacks and one existential crisis about whether her earrings made herlookapproachable, I finally got her out the door and into Colin’s car.
I slid into the front seat, my very bones sighing with relief that we’d made it this far. Colin turned the key in the ignition and blew out a breath. “Okay. We can still be on time if we hit green lights.”
“With traffic?” I snorted. “It’s cute that you’re so optimistic.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m nervous enough. Don’t mock me.”
“You’re the CFO of a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing company,” I reminded him. “You survived Dad. You’ll be fine having dinner with some bankers.”
“They’re not just that. They’re… whatever they are.” He paused. “At least Zach’s pretty cool.”
“Exactly. Just think of it as dinner with a friend’s family.”
“Yeah, okay. If your friend has the most intimidating family ever.”
“What’s so intimidating about them? It’s only the brother who’s the CEO now who’s in a higher position than you.”
“That’s the one I’m nervous about.”
I felt my face scrunch up. “Why?”
“He’s got that… power thing.”
“Power thing?” I arched an eyebrow at him. “That’s makes no sense whatsoever.”
“Sure, it does. You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s that leadership aura. The vibe. The ‘I could run a small country’ energy.”
Ugh. But unfortunately, I did, in fact, know exactly what he was talking about because my mind flashed, very unhelpfully, to him. The stranger in the taxi with his snow-dusted hair, those unbelievably bright green eyes, and the smirk that had made me want to kiss him, murder him, or both.
I’d thought about him more times than I cared to admit since last week, which was ridiculous. Absolutely idiotic. I didn’t have time for attraction. I barely had time for sleep.
Still… God, the way he looked at me.
I clenched my jaw and forced my brain back to the present. “Westwood or not, it’s just dinner, Colin.” I cleared my throat. “Anyway, we need to talk about Uncle Andrew.”
Colin groaned. “Don’t say his name. I’ll get hives.”
“I’m serious. What’s he done now?”
