“I’ll go talk to her,” Colin said, giving her back the tablet. “Can you get Katelynn something to drink while I do that?” He didn’t wait for either of us to respond and was out the door in a second.
“What would you like to drink?” Malia asked me.
“Uh… nothing,” I said, twisting my fingers awkwardly. “I guess I’ll sit here and wait,” I said, sitting on an upholstered bench by the stairs.
“It’s his ex-fiancée,” Malia said.
This revelation certainly piqued my interest. “Oh?”
“She was after him for his money and connections,” she said.
“Yes, he mentioned something about posting things online.”
“Hmph. She has a lot of nerve showing up here today,” Malia said.
“But what does this have to do with his brother’s wedding? Why tonight?” I asked, hoping the older woman would help me connect the dots.
“You’ll have to ask Colin that,” she said and walked away, leaving me by myself in the large foyer that connected to the living room.
I wandered around anxiously after a few minutes, admiring the impeccable white and beige coastal design choices for the furniture and natural wood elements throughout. It looked like a house out of a magazine.
There were no pictures anywhere. I roamed the length of the living room looking for evidence of life, and I finally found it on a built-in shelf lined with frames and family photos. The pictures must have been of their summers there. Most were of the three boys together, silly grins plastered on their faces. A couple ofthe photos included the family of five. None were from the last twenty years.
When the sound of the front door opening brought me back to the present moment, I raced back to the foyer, wishing I’d brought a different pair of shoes to go with that dress.
Colin stood in the middle of the foyer, watching the tablet again. “She’s gone,” he said in a flat tone. “The guests were able to get through to the party.”
“Who is Andrea, and why does she want to crash the party?” I asked, purposely leaving out the fact that Malia had told me who she was. I didn’t want to get the housekeeper in trouble for gossiping.
“Remember the influencer ex-fiancée I told you about?” He put the tablet on its dock on the wall. “That’s Andrea. And she merely doesn’t want to crash the party. She wants to ruin the wedding.”
“I don’t understand. What does your ex have to do with your older brother?”
His entire body seemed to stiffen. “They’re both shitty people. That’s what they are. And they slept together a few weeks ago. She’s threatening to tell Haley, Stephen’s fiancée.”
I crossed my arms.His own brother?Gross. “Well, maybe Haley should find out who she’s marrying. Or do you approve of all of this?”
Any interest I’d had in eating the smorgasbord of food down by the beach was suddenly gone.
“Haley knows. She caught him right after it happened. But she still wants the Gordon name and money, I suppose, and didn’t leave him. She comes from money, but her father won’t finance her ventures. Her own company is in a growth phase. Now, if the affair is called out in front of all the guests… I guess that would force a situation in which she’d have to leave him. At the very least, it would cause a scandal.”
“Hmmm. So, Andrea slept with your brother?” I whispered, half-fascinated, half-disgusted. “Aren’t you furious?”
“My older brother and I have never gotten along, so it doesn’t surprise me that he feels no brotherly loyalty toward me. What surprises me is that he would go for Andrea, even though he was aware of the money-grabbing mischief she was capable of.”
“Some men only care about one thing,” I said. Then I realized how hopelessly naïve I must have sounded. As if I were an expert on men. No serious relationships. Less than a handful of sexual partners.
He smiled. “I’m glad you realize that it’s onlysomemen.” He took a few steps toward me and slid his hand up my arm. “I’m caring about a lot more than that with you. Though I have to admit to fantasizing about what it’s going to be like to haveallof you.”
My face grew hot quickly. “I have to admit to thinking about the same thing.”
“I’m sorry about all of this. That I dragged you inside without an explanation to take care of my brother’s mistakes.” He was sliding his finger up and down my arm, goosebumps prominently taking over my body.
I looked at the stairs, wishing he’d carry me up them and throw me on the bed so we’d both quit thinking so much and startdoing. But the glow from the tent on the beach was visible through the living room window and beckoned.
“We should go back to the party,” I said reluctantly.
He nodded, took my hand, and we made our way back.
