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Yeah, she was serious about something.
I ordered a gin and tonic. Single.
She took a long sip of her drink when it came, and then finally looked at me. “Lacey, I know you’re wondering why I asked you here.”
“Yeah, it had occurred to me.”
“It’s going to take me a while to gear up to this, okay? Bear with me.”
“Sure, Riley. Whatever you need.” Now I was really confused.
“Tell me a little about what you do.”
Clearly, she was trying to break the ice, feel more comfortable with me. But she knew what I did. I was a trusts and estates lawyer.
“I’m a trusts and estates lawyer.”
“Interesting. I’m a model.”
Yes, I know that.
“Riley, forget the small talk, okay? If you need some time, we don’t have to talk. We can finish our drinks, order some food. Whatever works for you.”
“Sorry. I’m just not very good at small talk. It’s stupid. I know you’re a lawyer, and you know I’m a model.” She smiled timidly.
“I do.” I took a sip of my gin and tonic. Refreshing. “But I don’t know what kind of work you’re doing. Are you still doing mostly runway work?”
She nodded. “I do a lot of it. But I do have some big news. I’ve just been signed to be the face of Dominique Cosmetics. It’s a French brand.”
An expensive French brand. I knew it well. “That’s wonderful! Will you be traveling?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to leave for Paris next week. I haven’t told my brothers yet.”
“They’ll be thrilled for you.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“They’re really protective of me. Except for Rock, of course. I hardly know him. He left when I was only six or seven.”
Military school. Maybe Riley would have some answers.
“Reid told me he went to military school.”
“He did. He and Dad had some kind of falling out. We never talked about it.”
“Oh?”
“Well, if they did, I was too young to remember. No one even mentioned Rock after he left. Mom and Dad didn’t, anyway. Sometimes Reid or Roy would reference times before he left, but it was always something I had no memory of.”
Wow. This young woman had a brother she didn’t even know. That was a shame.
“Rock seems like a good guy,” I said. “A little brash, but a good guy.”
“I honestly have no idea. The will was a complete surprise to all of us. We all thought Reid would be put in charge.”
“I know. Like I’ve already told you, I tried to talk your father out of it, but he was determined.”
“I don’t understand it at all. Dad never even mentioned Rock. It was like he didn’t exist. And then, to put him in charge of the company? It’s crazy.”
I nodded. Though I had come to believe that Rock, once he believed in himself, could accomplish anything.
Silence for a few moments. Clearly Riley wasn’t quite ready to divulge why she’d invited me here, so maybe I could open her up a little by asking about her brothers.
“Tell me about your family. I know you and Rock don’t really know each other. What about Roy and Reid?”
“You must know that Roy’s an artist. He’s a genius, really. His paintings hang all over my apartment.”
“I’d like to see his work sometime.”
“He has some work at the Gallery Galileo on Fifth.”
Fat chance I’d get over there. “I’ll try to pop in sometime.”
“Anyway, he’s a quiet and studious type. He spent most of his time alone in his room. He had very few friends when we were younger. Then Reid is the total opposite.”
I’d heard stories about Reid Wolfe. He’d always been completely professional with me, but he was known as a womanizer. “He’s definitely not shy.”
“No. He’s broken a lot of hearts, including some of my model friends.” Riley smiled timidly. “I warned them all beforehand, but Reid has this bizarre effect on women. They love him.”
“It’s his charisma,” I said. “He oozes it. Plus he’s devastatingly good-looking, but so are your other two brothers.”
“They are. Our family got blessed with good-looking genes, I guess.”
“Are you kidding? All of you are beautiful. Even your father, at his age, was a very handsome man.”
Riley’s cheeks reddened a little. “He was.”
“And your mother is still a beautiful woman.”
“She is.”
More silence. Family talk seemed to be over.
The waiter came to take our order. I chose a ten-ounce strip, rare—couldn’t help thinking of Rock—with broccolini and rosemary polenta. Riley ordered a tilapia filet broiled without oil or butter with brown rice and carrots. Clearly a model’s meal.
Still silence.
Until my phone buzzed in my purse. Normally I wouldn’t check it during a dinner meeting, but we weren’t talking. “Would you excuse me?” I fished my phone out of my purse.
A text from a number I didn’t recognize. A number with a Montana area code.19RockI’m exhausted after my first day. Can I buy you a drink?
I texted those words to Lacey. I didn’t tell her who I was, but I figured she’d know.
