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Chapter 5
She waved and smiled at Zoe Laurent, one of her sister’s friends, as she crossed the lobby of the Bellevue hotel, one of Sherbrooke Enterprises’ oldest hotels in the country and her favorite one in downtown Providence. Although not as large as some of the others in the city, the building overflowed with the charm and elegance of a different century. The fact that the auction was here tonight instead of at one of the larger establishments was the only thing making the evening ahead remotely tolerable.
From the moment her mom announced she’d purchased tickets, Brooklyn hadn’t been looking forward to the fundraiser. While she’d attended every type of gala and social event imaginable over the years, she disliked everything about them. First, they required you slip into what usually turned out to be an uncomfortable gown. Unlike her sisters, she’d never liked putting on a gorgeous dress and all the accessories that went with it. She preferred her comfy clothes when not at the office. Next came the fancy hairdos, which meant a trip to the salon because if it required much more than a bun, a braid, or a ponytail she was hopeless. Of course, several layers of makeup followed the elegant hair and dress. This at least she could accomplish on her own, thanks to all the lessons she’d received from her mom and her mom’s various makeup artists. Finally came the worst part: the people. She considered herself a friendly person, able to get along with almost anyone despite their personality. However, she hated dealing with the falseness that defined so many of the people she encountered at these types of events. Even her mom and sisters took on what she considered their public persona in these situations. She suspected tonight would be no different.
At any other time, she could have survived all the negatives associated with the evening ahead with little trouble. After all, she’d done it enough to know she only needed to make it a few hours before she could escape, strip off the gown, and wash off the multiple layers of makeup. Tonight the idea of taking the elevator up and then sitting in the ballroom for several hours had her fearing she’d lose her breakfast and lunch.
Praying she’d survive the night without an emergency trip to the ladies’ room, she bypassed the main elevators and stopped at the glass one instead. The trip from the ground floor to the grand ballroom located on the top floor took longer in this elevator, but the view on the way up was worth it.
All too soon, the doors slid open. Beautifully dressed women of all ages mingled in the lobby near the ballroom doors. Brooklyn recognized a few but didn’t know anyone well enough to chat. Not that she wanted to get into a conversation anyway. Slipping between the small groups, she crossed into the grand ballroom. Like the rest of the hotel, the room screamed elegance and entering it was like stepping back in time. For a moment, she allowed herself to soak up her surroundings and forget her true reason for being there.
“Wonderful, you’re already here.”
At her mom’s voice, she turned and then crossed the space separating them.
“I just spoke with Milan and Paris, and they are on their way up now.” Her mom gave her a brief hug before dropping a light kiss on each of her cheeks, her customary form of greeting. “Our table is number fifteen.”
Brooklyn remained still as her mom ran a critical eye over her, starting at her face and taking in everything from the way the stylist had fixed her hair to the shoes she’d picked out. “You should’ve gone with something teal or perhaps jade tonight. Light pink doesn’t suit you.”
Comments such as those were nothing new, but they still stung. Especially considering she’d thought the gown looked rather nice. “I waited until the last minute to go shopping and couldn’t find anything else I liked.” Actually, she’d picked it up on her last trip to New York City, and it had sat in her closet ever since.
“Well, it is beautiful. Givenchy, right? Milan would look fabulous in it.” Scarlet linked her arm with Brooklyn’s and began walking. “But you should remember to pick gowns with an A-line design. High-waisted dresses are not your friend, sweetie.”
She battled the urge to roll her eyes and tell her mom she didn’t require her opinion. Thanks to years of practice, she kept the words at bay. After all, her mom was the fashion expert in the family not her. “Next time I’ll remember.”
“Your father says hello. He made the trip here too. If you have time this weekend, he wants you to join us for dinner before we go home.” Reaching their table, her mom pulled out two chairs. “If you and Trevor have plans he’ll understand, or if you want to ask him to join us that would be wonderful as well.”
After what went down tonight, she knew her dad would be the last person she wanted to see this weekend. He’d never cared for Derek and tonight his opinion was sure to degrade further. “Um, sure I can join you. Trevor and I don’t have any plans. But he won’t be able to come.”
She’d met him for coffee Tuesday afternoon but hadn’t spoken to him since. Honestly, she didn’t know if he’d be available and she didn’t plan on calling him to find out. “Did you have a particular day and time in mind?”
“Tomorrow works best for us and Paris. Right, dear?”
Milan and Paris joined them as her mom finished speaking.
“Yes, Seth is expecting me back on Sunday.” Paris took the seat near their mom. “He couldn’t fly out here with me this weekend. He started filming on his new movie yesterday.”
“What about you, Milan. Is tomorrow good?”
Brooklyn’s oldest sister took the seat next to her as she answered. “Depends on what happens here tonight.”
She should have known her sister planned on participating in tonight’s auction. And she knew her sister well enough to realize that, if Milan won a bachelor tonight, there was a darn good chance she’d be inviting him ba
ck to her hotel room for the evening so they could get to know each other better.
“Why don’t we plan on tomorrow around seven o’clock. And if Milan can’t make it this time, your father will understand. That’s not too late is it, Paris? I know your plane leaves the next morning.”
“Sounds good to me. My plane doesn’t leave until ten on Sunday,” Paris said before she pushed her chair back and stood again. “Tasha just walked in. I’m going to say hello before things get started.”
Brooklyn glanced toward the doors to where Tasha Marshall stood with her mom, Janet, and another woman she’d seen before but didn’t know. Like always, Tasha looked beautiful. In fact, Tasha along with Paris and Milan were perhaps the most beautiful women in the room. And much like Paris and Milan, Tasha knew it. Any other evening, the arrival of Tasha wouldn’t have bothered her. While she’d never call the other woman a friend, she considered her a friendly acquaintance, and when they ran into each other they’d chat. Tonight though, her appearance had Brooklyn grinding her teeth and attaching every negative adjective she could think of to Derek’s name.
“I always thought it was a shame Tasha didn’t pursue modeling. She’s not your sisters’ equal, but she could have had a fabulous career too.”
She didn’t blame Tasha for not wanting to spend her life in front of a camera or on the runway like both Milan and Paris did. Even if she’d inherited her mom’s beauty like her sisters had, she wouldn’t have wanted a life like that either. To have the world continuously scrutinizing everything she did would be pure hell for her. Her sisters and mom, on the other hand, loved it. Or at least they appeared to. If it ever bothered them, none of them said a word.
“Modeling isn’t for everyone, Mom.” She looked away from Tasha and surveyed the room. Closer to the stage, she spotted Derek’s stepmother Abby sitting with his sister-in-law and one of his cousins. She knew several other Sherbrookes must be floating around too because he’d mentioned several of his cousins would be here, although he hadn’t shared how he felt about their presence. He hadn’t needed to either. His tone of voice when he’d rattled off the list had done all the talking for him.
“True.” Scarlet picked up the wine glass a waiter had delivered not long after they sat and took a delicate sip. “So you know the city better than your father and I, where should we go tomorrow for dinner?”
