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Five
Drew gazed after Jenna as she vanished around the corner on her way to the bathroom. Bev got up and excused herself shortly afterward to follow her. Then Hendrick mumbled some inaudible excuse and fled, which surprised no one. Hendrick could tolerate mixed social situations only if Bev was by his side.
That left Ava, his cousin and Uncle Malcolm. All family. No one left at the table to constrain his uncle to basic politeness. He’d been tossed to the wolves.
Uncle Malcolm got to it without losing time, wiping his mouth aggressively with a napkin. “So, then,” he growled. “Jenna Somers, eh? Quick and well-timed, wasn’t it? Engaged to a scientist philanthropist, out of the blue? She’s not your usual type, boy.”
“I don’t have a type,” Drew said.
“I told you,” Ava butted in. “Jenna was my college roommate. She’s my best friend in the world, and she—”
“I’m not talking to you, girl. I’m talking to your brother. Why don’t you run along and powder your nose with the other females?”
Ava’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need to pee, Uncle,” she said through her teeth. “And I don’t run from a fight, either. Guess who taught me not to?”
Uncle Malcolm made an impatient sound. “I don’t want to fight with you, girl. I want to talk to him.” He jerked his chin toward Drew. “Privately.”
“Tough,” Ava said. “You want privacy, make a private appointment in your office. Don’t banish me from the table at a public restaurant during a dinner party. That’s just rude. Jenna is perfect. There is no way that you could object to—”
“Too perfect,” Malcolm said grimly. “You don’t pull a woman like that out of a hat. You two are cooking up some scheme, and I want to know what’s up.”
“Nothing is up,” Ava said. “No schemes. Just true love. What’s the harm?”
“Probably none, for Drew.” Harold sounded smug.
“Exactly,” Uncle Malcolm said. “The harm will all be to her when she realizes that she’s been sold a bill of goods. No nice young lady deserves that.”
Drew stared his uncle down. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said.
“I’ll have confidence in you when you earn it,” was Malcolm’s curt reply.
At that moment, Jenna and Bev reappeared, engaged in a lively conversation about Jenna’s company. Hendrick trailed close behind.
“...to widen my reach,” Jenna was saying as the two of them drew nearer. “I would love to meet with them. It sounds like we would be a perfect fit.”
“Wonderful,” Bev said briskly. “I’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow about possible times, as soon as I speak to Jayne and Helen and take a look at their schedules.”
“Don’t forget that we’ll be busy all day tomorrow,” Ava reminded her. “My whole crew, along with Drew, are going to be at Arm’s Reach, filming a new installment of our video series.”
“Me?” Drew said, startled.
“Of course you,” Ava said. “Eight thirty on the dot. Ruby’s Café is the rendezvous point, on Hatton Street, just a couple of blocks from Jenna’s house. My camera crew will meet us there, we’ll all grab some breakfast, and off we go to shoot our video.”
“What exactly are we shooting? And how long will it take?”
“You’ll see,” Ava said airily. “Jenna will show us all how the prosthetics function. It’ll be fascinating. Don’t worry, you can go back to your crazy fourteen-hour workday soon enough. I already talked to both of your assistants. They’re on board.”
“I can manage my own damn staff, Ava.”
She smiled at him, all sweetness. “Just trying to help.”
Coffee and dessert arrived, as if Ava had timed it herself, and for a while they were all taken up with sampling tiramisu, panna cotta and the pine-nut cream pastry. Hendrick and Bev said their goodbyes, and Bev gave Jenna a hug, murmuring something into her ear that made Jenna laugh.
Uncle Malcolm shrugged on his coat and made a point of limping around the table and taking Jenna’s hand, frowning into her eyes. “I hope you know what you’re doing, young lady. You look like a fine girl, but I believe you’re in over your head with this one.”
“We’ll see about that.” She leaned close to kiss his leathery cheek. “Don’t underestimate me, Mr. Maddox,” she murmured. “Or him.”
“Hmmph,” he muttered. For a fleeting moment, it almost looked as if he were threatening to smile. “Good night. Harold, my cane. See me down to the car, please.”
