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“Midge, this smells wonderful. Thank you for dinner,” I say.
“It was my absolute pleasure, dear.”
“Yes, thank you,” Hayden adds. “As always, you’ve outdone yourself. I should have paid ten-grand for one ofyourplates, not that slop at the Lib.”
“The Windsor Library and Museum?” My interest has peaked. “Is that where you were tonight?”
Hayden’s eyes lift from his plate to meet mine. He tilts his head, regarding me with curiosity as if he can’t believe Iactuallyspoke to him, and Aleck’s hand slides over my thigh in comfort. I hesitate to continue talking to fill the uncomfortable silence when Hayden opens his mouth to speak.
“Yes. Stuffy old place, isn’t it?”
“Oh, no. I absolutelylovethe Lib. The smell from all the old pages and cedar bookshelves…” I shudder just thinking about it. “Well, I love it there. I used to go there often with my mom. I can’t imagine what it would be like attending a gala there. I’m sure it was just beautiful.”
Aleck squeezes my thigh gently. “I wish I had known that. I would have taken you.”
“Maybe one day.” I smile, hoping the implication of any kind of future for us isn’t too presumptuous. Honestly, it just came out.
“Maybe one day,” he parrots, studying my face with precision. A moment passes between us before he speaks again, addressing the table. “She’s a publisher’s reader for Black Ink Publishing. When she’s not aiming her arsenal at me, she’s got her face buried in a book.”
I laugh, nudging his arm with my elbow. “Nine times out of ten, youdeservesaid arsenal.”
“You two are just adorable.” Midge smiles warmly. “So you read all kinds of books then?”
“Um, I mostly read romance. At first I read all fiction genres, but we receive so many romance submissions, I dedicate most of my time reading those.”
“Romance… I’ve read a few of those in my day.” Midge crinkles her nose and bobs her shoulders.
“Now, remind me,” Hayden’s devilish tone falls across my skin like needles. He puts a dinner roll on his plate, passing the basket to Richard. “I remember your name being something peculiar like Whisper… Or Whimper…”
I grin, showing teeth to display my unaffectedness. Bullies always go for my name first; it’s the easiest of all my targets.
“My name is Winter. Winter Sommers and before you ask, my parents decided on it because my mother loved the dueling qualities ofbothseasons.”
I giggle, remembering what she told me the first time I was upset about a classmate making fun of my name. “She always told me she knew, even as I kicked from inside her belly, I wouldn’t be boring, and that there is nothing worse than offering the world nothing interesting.”
Midge clutches her necklace, looking at me like she wants to hug me. And Hayden’s smirk expands, mirroring my unaffected grin.
“Cute,” he says, turning his attention to Aleck. “Well, when mom and dad said you’d be bringing your girlfriend to dinner, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet her.Especiallysince I had just spoken with you and you said—”
“I know what I said,” Aleck’s timbre resounds across the table, his face calm and resolute. “I lied.”
I lean into Aleck’s side. “It’s okay. You don’t have to…”
Aleck simply smiles at me, spooning a helping of green beans on my plate before filling his own, then turns to face his brother again. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was pacifying you to get you out of my hair. Though, you should know, where I’ve overlooked your games in most areas of my life, I won’t in this one, not with her. Let’s move on, please, for your sake.”
A small smile ghosts across my face in the wake of Aleck’s words.“Not with her.”
He’s standing up to his brother, showing Hayden he won’t pretend not to feel anymore, his protectiveness ofmepushing him to make that change. A spark of defeat glimmers in Hayden’s eyes when his desired effect is left unfulfilled.
Richard clears his throat, shifting in his seat. “Hayden, how was the Clermont Foundation Gala? You paid twenty-grand for you and your guest to attend only to leave early.”
Hayden lifts his brows and leans back in his chair, swirling his wine glass in his hand. The edge of the red velvety liquid spiraling close to the edge of the glass. And when he stops, he eyes the legs of the wine as they drip down to the bottom.
“I made the mistake of taking Carla Whittier. I think you all know how that ended.”
Aleck’s shoulders bob next to me. I turn to see a genuine laugh brightening his eyes. “How many evenings will she ruin before you learn?” he asks.
“Plenty, considering the number of evenings she redeems herself with that mouth.”
