Page 21 of George’s Big Day

“No.” I chuckled, feeling myself bristle, but not about to let anyone see that. “I’m in private corporate security.”

And it wasn’t that I cared what he thought of my job, it was just the snide way he was asking that I didn’t care for.

“You’re a bodyguard?” He looked at Kurt. “Whatever do you find to talk about?”

“Why would they ever need to talk?” Addison simpered, giggling into her drink. “Look at him.”

Helene groaned. “Mother, Addie the lightweight is already drunk.”

“Girls,” Vanessa warned, treating them like children instead of adults in their early twenties. “Let’s try and be civil.”

“What do you do?” I asked Paul. “Wait, lemme guess, work for your father?” And before he could answer, I turned to Marcum. “You’re a real estate developer, I understand, sir?”

“Yes, that’s right.” He stood up. “In fact, we invited a couple of business friends of mine here to dinner as well.”

“Oh?” I turned to Vanessa. “So you were in town anyway, and thought to invite Kurt?”

“Well, yes. I haven’t seen my son in ages, but I know he lives here, so I thought, while we’re all here vacationing, that we could catch up.”

It wasn’t even a special dinner to see Kurt and introduce him to her family. He had been included because it was convenient.

As everyone stood to meet Marcum’s business associates, I turned to Kurt.

“What’d you guys talk about before I got here?” I teased him.

He was chuckling as the waitress set down my drink, told me to enjoy, and then turned her attention to the two men who had joined us.

Payton Ryerson and Jeffrey Wolf were from Ryerson & Wolf, a good-sized real estate development company. They did a lot of business downstate, and out of state, but not much in Chicago.

“Kurt,” Paul said suddenly, “we have some catching up to do, and some business to discuss, so since their wives are—oh, here they are,” he announced, his voice full of sugary sweetness. “What a wonderful surprise. Mrs. Ryerson, you’re a vision.”

“Oh, Paul.” She beamed. “Such a sweet-talker you are.”

“You look radiant as well,” Nelson put on thickly, reaching for Mrs. Wolf’s hand.

As Kurt and I were sitting and people were basically leaning across and over us, I waited until the women were about to sit, grabbed my drink, and stood up.

At six-two, I’m not small, so when I rose, the women both had to tip their heads back to look at me.

“Please take our seats so you can chat more easily.”

“Oh, how thoughtful,” Mrs. Wolf said.

Kurt and I moved a couple of chairs over around the large round table.

Vanessa was more interested in talking to the wives of her husband’s business partners than getting reacquainted with her son, and Addison and Helene knew the couples’ daughters and wanted to hear everything about them.

“FaceTime Thomasin,” I told Kurt.

“What?” He sounded surprised again, for the second time in one day, but this time, he sounded better, and I saw the evil glint in his eye.

“Now. Please.”

Holding the phone in his lap, he called his sister.

“You cannot be done with dinner,” she told him.

“Shhh. You need to see everyone.”