Page 52 of Playing for Keeps

“The girls?” Corey stepped out from around the corner, his smiling face screwed up as he pretended to be hurt. “You act like Mitch and I haven’t been here helping all day long.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot.” Marco smirked. “You guys have done a fine job of sipping those drinks and shooting the breeze.”

Corey clutched his chest, eyes wide and mouth dropped open, but he couldn’t hide that smile that painted his face.

“Nice try, Tiger.” I jabbed him in the gut with a finger as I passed, and my brother grabbed me around the neck, rubbing his knuckles into my scalp as I tried to get away. “Corey, stop!”

“Really, Jenny?” Corey taunted, refusing to let go. “That’s how it’s going to be?”

I jabbed him again, over and over and over, until his laughter was loud enough to wake the dead. Until he was squirming away from me as much as I was wriggling in his grasp.

He finally let me loose, the both of us breathing hard. I tried to smooth down my hair, but the long strands were a tangled mess.

“Corey,” Mom chastised, coming to my aid. “Look what you’ve done to your sister’s hair.”

“She started it.”

“Did not!”

“Kids,” Dad said, all laughter and smiles. “Time to settle down.”

“And get back to work.” Frankie peeked her head around the corner, this gorgeous smile on her face.

Mom squealed, throwing her arms up and racing toward Frankie. “There’s my girl!”

We wandered into the dining room, where the giant oval table was covered in tulle and ribbons and tea lights, glass pebbles and vases and sprigs of dried lavender. Mom settled in at the table next to Vivian and Frankie while Dad ambled over to the sidebar where Mitch was mixing drinks.

“Hey, sis.” Corey came up beside me, acting like he was going to jab me in the side. But when I put my hands up to stop him, he raised his in surrender, this warm smile playing on his lips. “I wanted to give you something.”

Scrunching up my nose, I waved my hand in front of my nose and teased, “Ah, man! Did you have to?”

“Funny.” Corey rolled his eyes, then pulled me to his side, but not before getting in a quick poke to my ribs. “Here, this is for you.” My brother pulled a small box out of his pocket, handing it to me.

“What is it?”

“Open it, silly,” Frankie told me.

The shiny silver and lilac paper was thick and smooth to the touch, and so pretty I didn’t want to rip it as I slipped my finger under the flap. Under the wrapping paper was a small, white leather jewelry box, and inside that, a diamond necklace and earrings.

“Corey. It’s beautiful.” I fingered the teardrop-shaped diamond before pulling my eyes up to meet his.

“I wanted to get you something special to wear at the wedding, for everything you did to help me and Frankie out last year.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I told him as I threw my arms around his neck and dragged him down to me. “Thank you.”

“Let’s see, Jen,” Mom said. I walked around the table carefully, as if I might trip and fall and break the diamonds or the white gold chain. “Oh, it’s beautiful. It’ll look perfect with your dress.”

“I don’t know,” Vivian mumbled from my mother’s side. “She’ll have to take that other one off first.”

My hand went to my chest, to the blue-green stone hanging from my neck, and Vivian turned her pale blue eyes, so similar to her brother’s, on me.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her without it since she got it.” Vivian’s brow quirked up and I stumbled back a step.

“Oh, she’ll take that off,” Mom assured her, unaware of the piercing look the girl was giving me. “It’s very pretty, but it won’t go with the color scheme.”

Mom fingered the stone of my necklace before smiling up at me. “It’s very pretty. Your favorite color. Where’d you get this, sweetie?”

“Yes, where did you get that?” Vivian asked. “I really like it.”