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Which was the final seal on my conclusion that the whole family was a bit… off.
Not Calliope though.
As their matriarch, they held her in clear esteem, and it was easy to see why beyond her being the oldest. Everybody that approached her spent the whole time smiling, and not the fake shit either, genuine joy. I could hear her speaking sometimes as I moved around the room. She still had all her sharpness and wit, knew exactly what was going on.
She was one ofthose.
Which made me a little sad all over again because all my family I’d held in the kind of regard the Sterlings so obviously held for Calli… they were gone.
I loved that they doted on her though. There was always someone close by, making sure she was good. I even saw her charming Soren at one point.
Because Orion hadn’t introduced me to her, I’d made it a specific effort to keep my distance. I didn’t want to end up saying the wrong thing and breaking her heart or something ’cause she could clearly see through this lie of a marriage.
Apparently, she wasn’t letting that ride.
“Ididn’tknow you knew my grandmother, but it’s not a surprise. Probably a generation or two before that as well?” I asked, accepting her offer of her hand.
She smiled as she met my gaze and nodded. “You already know the founding dates forStellar FoodsandJoyce Groceriesare maybe a year or two apart?”
“Joyce Groceries?”
“That’s way,wayback, before your time or mine,” she explained. “But our families havebeenin the same business—coexisted beautifully for a nice little while.Cooperatively,” she added, with a pointed look I didn’t quite understand.
“I… have personally only ever understoodStellar Foodsto be… uh… competition,” I responded, choosing a less offensive way of describing how they’d been positioned in my mind. “Of course, until now.”
“You don’t have to clean it up for me.” Calli laughed. “I’m sure your father has called this company and this familyeverythingbut children of God. But the truth is… there was no rivalry until he made it one.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Excuse me?”
Calli nodded. “Mmmhmm. Larena, Caspian, William, Daneitha, that’s Orion’s mother, if you didn’t know. And there were a couple others in the little group, all friends. We’d do neighborhood potlucks whenever they came home from school for the summer and they were all inseparable. Until William decided he wanted to beseparate.Took Larena with him.”
I frowned. “Wait a minute… you’re saying our parents… were friends?”
“I fed your mother right at my table more times than I can count. That was before any of y’all were born though. Like I said, they were kids themselves back then.”
“Not Lucy though?” I asked, gesturing to my aunt a few tables away.
“Different ages,” she explained. “But I’m sure she remembers all this. You should ask her.”
I certainly plan to.
“I sure do hate that your father made that rift happen. All you kids could’ve grown up together. Maybe you and Orion would’ve gotten married sooner.”
My eyes went wide. “That would’ve certainly been something, wouldn’t it?”
“You’re such a lovely young woman. I told that grandson of mine he’d better do right by you, okay?”
“Yes ma’am.” I smiled. “I appreciate that.”
“I appreciateyou.Lord knows that boy needed something other than work and working my nerves on his mind. He’s not always the easiest to get along with, but now that he’s put his name on you, you’ll never have certain things to worry about.”
“Things like what?” I asked, leaning in for the answer.
One that never came, because of Orion’s approach.
“You’re not over here scaring my wife are you?” he asked, in a stern voice that took none of the amused light from Calli’s eyes.
If anything, she wasmoreentertained.
