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The family gathered around the terraced pool deck out back. It was amazing that these rich, powerful men still held weekly barbecues with their family. They were like normal people rather than billionaires who could have rented an entire country club and catered the whole affair. It was this side of the Mavericks that drew Dane, Cammie knew, even if he hadn’t fully admitted it.
Since the babies were only two weeks old, Paige and Evan had asked everyone to wash their hands. Once that was done, the bundles of joy were passed around like they were the most miraculous babies anyone had ever known.
This family barbecue was different, since all the Harringtons had been invited—family being the operative word. Sadly, only Ava and Gabby could make it this time, while Troy and Clay had jetted off to events they couldn’t miss.
Cammie smiled to herself, because they weren’t exactly jet-setters. The two were always working on new deals. Troy was giving the keynote at a conference for young athletes. As an influencer, he was often a guest speaker, not just because of the company he’d started, but for the Olympic gold medals he’d won diving. He never missed an opportunity to encourage fledgling athletes. Clay, of course, was off looking for new talent he could introduce to his exclusive video platform and for sponsors and patrons of the arts.
Flagstone terraces led down to a sparkling infinity pool, and the scent of barbecuing meat wafted in the air. Will and Sebastian manned the grill, the other Mavericks watching the proceedings and making snide comments about the quality of the cooks.
Dressed in shorts and deck shoes, Dane stood with them, drinking a beer, laughing, and getting in a few good-natured digs too.
His tanned, muscular legs drew Cammie’s glance despite herself.
Noah, Jeremy, and Jorge raced back and forth on the grass, playing with the dogs. Tasha and Daniel had rescued shepherd-mix puppies abandoned in the woods near Tahoe’s Fallen Leaf Lake. Tasha had kept one, the only female, whom she’d named Darla, while the two males, Flash and Duke, had gone to live with Noah and Jeremy, respectively. Though the dogs were about a year old now, they still hadn’t grown into their gangly paws, and they rolled around on the grass, play-fighting like three-month-old puppies. T. Rex, of course, had to be right in there, rolling with the big dogs. Since, of course, he believed he was a big dog.
Fernsby hadn’t joined the festivities today. He was supposedly working on another masterpiece for when he secured a spot on Britain’s Greatest Bakers, something that would wow the judges. Something that was sure to surpass anything Clyde’s butler, Digbert, could make. The baking rivalry between the two butlers was legendary, almost as legendary as the one between Fernsby and Gabby.
Sitting on a lounger, Cammie sipped a margarita and listened to the ladies’ conversations around her. Gabby, wearing a flowered tankini, stretched out in the sun, her eyes closed, drinking in the spring sunshine. Ava, who’d positioned herself so that only her legs below her one-piece were in the sun, kept up with the women’s running commentary, nursing her margarita.
Mid-April could be rainy in the Bay Area, but today, nature provided a lovely sunny day. Half the women wore swimsuits, the other half shorts, but Cammie, having dressed at Pebble Beach where it was cooler, had chosen light leggings. Though it wasn’t hot, merely warm, she sat in the shade now, watching as Savannah, Paige’s little pink bundle, was passed from arm to arm, receiving kisses and hugs while she slept peacefully.
Under a big umbrella on the opposite side of the pool, the two grandmothers, Susan and Theresa, cooed over a burrito-style blue bundle, sweet little Keegan. With arthritically gnarled fingers, Francine Ballard chucked the baby under the chin. She sat on her walker, decorated with pink and blue crêpe paper wrapped around its handles and down the bars leading to its wheels. The sight sent a pang through Cammie. She wished Uncle Lochlan could have known Francine. She was a beautiful soul, always smiling despite her infirmities.
She tuned in to the conversation around her as Paige said, “Bob and Susan are so involved. It’s been a blessing.” She patted Lyssa’s arm. “They’ve practically moved in with us.”
“But didn’t you hire a nanny?” Ari asked, her head tipped to the side, probably wondering how she would manage when her new baby arrived.
“We did.” Paige shrugged. “But Susan just seems to know everything.”
Lyssa added, “She truly does.”
Gazing across the flagstones at the men crowded around the barbecue, Bob Spencer included, Paige smiled. “Bob is adorable with the babies. He seems to find them endlessly fascinating, like they’re some mystical miracle he’s never seen before.” She shared a meaningful look with Lyssa. “You’d think he’d never had children of his own.”
