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Blake pulled her shoulders back, bristling. "That might be true, but he makes lots of money, anyway. Because he works very, very hard."
"Thank you, baby." I threw my arm around her and pulled her against me. Now that she'd practically grabbed my ass and stuck her tongue in my mouth, the physical lines I'd drawn around us seemed penetrable.
Penetrable. Huh. I was really going to need to work on my inner word choice.
"It's so nice to finally have someone in my corner." I squeezed her against me as I looked pointedly at the faces across the table from us.
Serena drained her wine glass, looking simultaneously frustrated and disgusted. She ignored me and spoke directly to Blake. "He only gets the money if he's married by the time he's thirty-five and if it lasts for a year. But it has to be real. He can't just be doing it for the money. You, either."
Blake ran her fingertips over the rim of her wine glass. "No offense, but how would you verify that? That someone's marriage is real?"
Serena arched an eyebrow, one of her signature, snotty moves. "I have my ways."
"Maybe I should go back and question Robert," I said, referring to her ex-husband. "And ask him how real your relationship was."
A glimmer of something, possibly the real human emotion of hurt, flashed in Serena's eyes for a moment. But it disappeared so fast, I assumed I'd imagined it. "You go right ahead. What Robert and I had was real, no matter how disappointing he turned out to be." Serena had packed her husband off when he began suggesting, on a regular basis, that she quit the Boston social scene and either focus on a career or on having a family. Or both. I'd always liked Robert, but he'd pushed my sister too far.
Serena sat back in her seat, taking us both in. "Let's get back to you two because you're the ones on the hot seat. Not me. I paid my dues and complied with the terms and spirit of the trust. The only way that you're getting that money is if you do the same. I can and will run a background check on you, Blake. You're too stunning to never have graced a society party before. I can check to see if you've received any money or property in exchange for marrying my brother. I'll see if any legal documents have been filed at the Registry of Deeds—if Lucas has gifted you any property, for instance. I could also check to see if any large sums of money have been transferred from his accounts."
I leaned forward, wanting to smack the smug look off of her face. "You'd need a subpoena to check my accounts, and you know it. Good luck getting one."
"I don't need luck," Serena said. "I have a team of top-notch attorneys that I'm going to put on this. They'll find a way."
I sat back in my chair and put my arm around Blake. "I wouldn't spend all that money on legal fees, seeing as you're only getting half of the inheritance you've been expecting."
A pulsing vein appeared on my sister's forehead, and I wished it would pop. "Don't you start threatening me—"
"Not only are you being rude, you're jumping the gun a little bit, my dear," my father told Serena, interrupting her. "They haven't even gotten married and hit the one-year mark yet. No one gets the money until then. Not even you."
"Except I would be inheriting the money in three weeks if he wasn't pulling this," Serena said, indignant.
The server brought our entrees, but none of us ate. We all just pushed our food around angrily, the atmosphere crackling with tension.
"We're getting married next weekend," I finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "You're all invited, of course."
"Great," my father said. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Blake, probably imagining dancing with her. I was so not letting that happen.
"Wonderful," Elizabeth said, sounding as if she were enjoying the latest family scandal. She was probably relieved there was finally some bigger news than her leaving me to marry my dad.
"Why bother inviting us?" Serena asked. She stood up and angrily shoved her chair against the table.
"Because I, unlike you, care about this family. And I would like your blessing." I wasn't sure how I managed to keep a straight face, but I did. It was almost impossible for me to care about the family since my mother had died and everyone had shown their true colors. But my sister's blessing, or at least her belief in the truth of the marriage, was exactly what I wanted. What I needed. "I'll send you an invite, anyway. Do what you want with it."
I wanted to add that she was more than welcome to shove it, but since I needed her approval or at least the absence of her disapproval, that seemed ill-advised.
"Well, I'll be there for everything. Every last moment. Because I'm going to catch you in the act, little brother." She tossed her curls over her shoulder dramatically and turned to Blake. "Good night. I'd say it was a pleasure, but you actually just gave me a headache."
Blake didn't miss a beat. "It was nice to meet you, too."
After Serena rage-grimaced one last time and hustled out of the restaurant, we engaged in awkward small talk with my father and Elizabeth until the check blissfully arrived. "I've got it," I said, waving them off. "And I'll be in touch soon with the wedding details."
Before they left, my father hugged Blake more than necessary, and Elizabeth's complexion went molten again. When they finally walked out, I drained my wine glass in a silent, thankful gulp. When we were finally alone, I turned to Blake. "See what I mean?"
She nodded. "They're tough."
"Why were you putting your hand down my pants, anyway?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
She shrugged demurely. "I wanted you to stay alert. And to seem like you're into me." She looked up at me through her lashes. "You don't mind, do you?"
