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“Cooper?” Max asked.
“Yes, my grandson. He’ll be attending Columbia next year. I know your mom is very keen for him and Celeste to meet.”
“I bet she is.” Max grimaced.
“Shall we?” Mrs. Sinclair motioned down the hall.
But Dad took Mom’s elbow, holding her back a little as our host waltzed off.
“A little heads-up might have been nice,” he said in a hushed voice.
“It’s just an introduction. I’m not expecting her to marry the boy.”
“Come on, Sis, let’s go find the champagne. Something tells me you’re going to need it.” Max laced his arm through mine and steered me down the hall, leaving Mom and Dad to their tense conversation.
“It’s a setup. She set me up,” I murmured in disbelief. Not that I should have been surprised.
“She knows I’ll never continue her legacy, so that burden falls solely on your shoulders. Sorry about that.” Max gave me a tight smile.
“I don’t want to spend all evening making small talk with some guy I’ve never met just because mom and his grandma think we’re compatible.”
“It could always be worse.”
“How? How could this possibly be worse?” I glowered at him.
“You could have walked in on Mom and Dad doing it up against their bedroom wall.”
Strangled laughter spilled out of me. “Oh my God, you can’t say that.”
“Just did, Sis. Just did. Now I don’t know about you, but I intend on drinking this place dry. Wish me luck.”
“Max,” I warned. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Who, me?” He grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Zane
I stared into the fire,fixated on the way the flames danced together. The sun had long disappeared, sinking into the horizon, leaving behind a cold, starless night.
I was drunk.
But it was better than acknowledging the events of the day. Meeting with Bryson’s contact. Stupidly texting Celeste. Asking her to meet me.
But I needed it to stop. I needed everything to just. Fucking. Stop.
Fuck.
I kicked my boot against the dirt, sending a spray of dust into the air. It wasn’t enough. Didn’t even begin to temper the storm raging inside me.
How has life gotten to this point? Where I was making deals with the devil just to be able to pay for my grams’ treatment?
She’d have questions, no doubt. And all I would have was a bunch of lies to feed her. But as long as she got what she needed, so long as she was okay… that’s all that mattered.
My cell phone vibrated, and I pulled it out. It wasn’t the name I wanted to see though.
Kye: Where you at?
Me: Needed some space. Things got heavy with Grams.
