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“Let’s go downstairs first.”
After running a brush through my hair, we made our way down. During our nap, the house wasdecorated with streamers and balloons. There were vibrant, beautiful flower arrangements laid out in a row on the giant kitchen table, with intricate, gold dishes that seemed to sparkle, porcelain soup bowls and polished silverware. The flowers were like a splash of color among the black and silver balloons. What I liked about it all was that it was minimalistic. None of it was overdone.
Luke’s aunt was sitting in the breakfast nook, sipping a cup of tea. She smiled at us. “Come, sit!”
A plate with a neat pile of cucumber sandwiches sat in front of her. I took a seat and grabbed a sandwich. It was light and delicious.
“Thanks so much for making these.”
“Don’t mention it.” She reached over and pinched Luke’s cheek. “Your uncle will be so thrilled that you’re here for his birthday. Did you visit your father?”
All the humor evaporated from Luke’s face. “Yeah, I visited him. It wasn’t pleasant.”
She smiled. “The poor man is in a lot of pain. People can be nasty when they’re suffering.”
“Aunt Beth, he’s always been nasty.” The sandwich crumbled in his fingers. “You should have heard the things he said to Jessica.”
She looked at me for my reaction, but I shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. I don’t think he meant it.”
“Your father is a complicated man. When your mother passed we all saw a side of him we'd never seen before. He was very devoted to her.”
His clenched fists saton the table. I reached down and touched his leg. Don’t make a scene, Luke.
“He’s cutting me off,” he blurted. “He will give everything to Uncle Dominic and your kids.”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but notice how his auntregistered little shock. The sandwich in my mouth suddenlytasted foul. Was this whole ‘nice aunt’ thing for show?
‘Course it is.
Luke had seen it, too. His face was a mask of pain; I don’t think he realized that his aunt might be in on it until now.
“But I suppose you know that already.”
The teacup rattled inside the saucer as she set the cup down, looking upset. “Luke—listen. Your uncle and I talked about it. We both agreed that you should have your inheritance. Even if Giacomo’s will leaves everything to us, we'lltransfer everything back to you.”
“What if your sons don’t want to part with their millions? Isn’t that why they’re visiting him all the time?” Luke’s eyes flashed.
“Luke!”
He sank into his seat, looking cowed as I glared at him.
She stood up from the table. “I must get ready for the party,” she saidbefore she left the room.
“What’s wrong with you?” I hissed when she was out of earshot. “Now you’ve upset her, and she was being so nice!”
“Nice?” he said in a harsh whisper. “Give me a break! You saw her face; she knew about itand did nothing. I can’t trust any of these people. They might think fondly of me, but they wouldn’t hesitate to screw me over to get my inheritance.”
“But she said she would give it back to you!”
He scoffed. “Even if she meant that, she wouldn’t be able to. It’s my uncle’s decision.” His face softened at my bewildered expression. “I know that you want to believe her. Hell, I do too. Aunt Beth was my favorite growing up. She was sweet with me, but everything’s different now.”
I bit my lip. Was he right? Was I naïve? I knew nothing about his world, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Luke was being paranoid. “All I know is that if you keep being unpleasant, she’ll want to help you less. Don’t bring it up again.”
He got up and slammed his chair under the table. I could feel his stress balling inside me. All of it was unfair. There were millions of dollars at stake—his millions, and sharks surrounded him.
“Let’s try to get through tonight. We've got to fly back toSan Francisco tomorrow.”
