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He sat. “I hear you may be leaving us.”
“Possibly,” she replied.
“That’s too bad. I was hoping—”
A sharp tap on his shoulder caused him to look up.
Drake.
Like his brothers, Drake was dressed in a well-tailored black suit that emphasized his frame.
Beau held his brother’s gaze. No words were spoken. Beau sighed aloud and rose to his feet. “Enjoy your dinner, Valinda.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Drake sat. “Good evening,cheri. How was your day?” he asked easily.
She glanced across the table at Sable who cracked, “Lots of clothesline, Val. Lots.”
Val leaned close to Drake and asked softly, “Why’d you make your brother move?”
“I didn’t. He decided he wanted to sit elsewhere.”
She rolled her eyes.
As the meal progressed and the conversation and laughter flowed, Val noted how happy Julianna appeared. She and her Henri were seated next to each other. They shared whispers, smiles, and their feelings for each other were quite apparent. Henri was left-handed. Julianna used her right. His right hand held her left throughout and Val thought the display both tender and sweet.
“How long have your mother and Henri been married?” she asked Drake quietly.
“A little over two years. They married a few months after Rai and Sable spoke their vows.”
“They look happy.”
“They are. He was my father’s best friend and loved Mama from afar. They should’ve married years ago, but Henri didn’t want to disrespect my father’s memory.”
Another love match, she realized. In fact, Julianna had two in her lifetime. She glanced at Drake.
“Yes?”
She wanted to understand the feelings that tied Sable to Raimond and Julianna to Henri and how it impacted them as individuals, but she didn’t know how to express it and have it make sense. “Nothing.”
“Are you certain?”
She nodded and returned to the food on her plate.
Dessert was a sumptuous bread pudding topped with a rich vanilla bean sauce. Once everyone had a piece on their dessert plates, Raimond stood up. The room quieted. He raised his wineglass. “A toast to Henri and our Lovely Julianna. May your love endure.”
Cheers filled the air. Henri leaned over and gave his lady a kiss, to the delight of all.
At the end of the evening, goodbyes were shared, everyone left for home, and Julianna and Henri retired upstairs to their suite of rooms. Val and Drake were the only ones left in the now-silent dining room, and after last night’s restless sleep, she was tired. “Good night, Drake.”
She was on her way out of the room when she heard, “May I share your company for a short while?”
She turned. Viewing him and his intense gaze, she sensed herself on the cusp of something she couldn’t name. Everything she knew about him, from his love of tree houses to his strong sense of caring, made her yearn to know more. Rather than debate the reasons why she shouldn’t accept his invitation, she replied, “Yes.”
“The mosquitoes may run us back inside, but shall we sit in the gazebo?”
She nodded. When he offered his arm, the silent gesture made her swallow nervously, but she let him escort her out into the night.
