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“This will be a formal introduction for your wife. An important step forward. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“She’s agreed to do it. Just treat her a little more warmly. Up to now, you’ve done nothing but give her the cold shoulder.”
Her mouth twitched into a faint smile. “I’m always cordial. You know my feelings about this marriage. I’m only just getting over the shock of my eldest son marrying below him.”
“She’s my equal, Mother. Get over it.”
I turned to Declan, puzzled. “What soiree?”
He regarded our mother. “Perhaps you can explain.”
“I thought it would be a nice touch to host a recital in the ballroom.” She smiled.
“That should prove to be a fun night.”
My brother’s mouth curved slightly at my wry remark, as I followed Declan out.
“Hey, look, I’ve just been at Reboot, where I met Drake and Billy. They strike me as good people. Anyway, this arsehole Bailey showed up and caused all kinds of trouble.”
“I know. He’s a dickhead.” He rubbed his face. “Bailey’s the son of one of Mother’s acquaintances.”
“If you need me to testify against him.”
“I think he’s a plant, myself.” He inclined his head towards my mother’s office.
My jaw dropped. “She designed it?”
He shrugged. “Or Crisp. If there’s any trouble, Reboot gets shut down.”
“I’ll be there as support.”
I followed him into the kitchen, where we were greeted by the staff, who busied themselves preparing food. A baking aroma made my stomach rumble.
“Some lunch?” Janet asked us.
Declan looked at me, and I nodded.
“We’ll take it outside. It’s a nice day,” he told Janet.
We settled in the courtyard overlooking the pool area.
“Have you been swimming much?” I asked.
“I prefer the sea. But yes, I have,” he said, stretching out his legs.
“I might take a dip later. It’s warm today.” I wiped a trickle of sweat from my brow. “However, the pool might need a good clean. I accidentally stumbled on Savanah and her latest boy. I’ll have to remind her to keep her sex life behind closed doors.”
“She was in the pool at night again?” he asked.
“Yeah. I imagine there’s some foreign DNA floating around.”
His face scrunched. “She lives dangerously, our sister. Mother sleeps early, so I guess she assumes she won’t be seen.”
Janet delivered our steak-and-kidney pies with salad, and my mouth salivated. The fragrance brought back warm memories of family dinners. That was why I loved being at Merivale—the food, the fond memories, and positioned between the sea and forest, the sheer beauty of my childhood home.
She placed the dishes down, and I returned a grateful smile. After that workout earlier, my appetite was strong.
“How’s married life, then?” I placed a forkful of pie into my mouth, savouring the taste of the meaty gravy on my tongue.
