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“Your sister and brother are here along with Aunt Deloris. Come, come. More people will be arriving shortly.”
Her mother ushered them in and then pointed toward the back of the house. The hallway stretched from the front straight to the kitchen.
“Everyone is outside on the deck. I’ll be out there shortly.”
Brick tried to mask his expression as they walked through the kitchen—top-of-the-line appliances—to the deck. Lush greenery and gorgeous flowers circled the deck with a built-in grilling area, which included an amazing large grill in the middle, a sink, refrigerator, a few cabinets, and a countertop that looked like it had never gotten dirty in its life. Brick knew they had money, and without even touring the house, he knew by the deck alone they were richer than he realized.
He was introduced to her sister’s husband, her brother and his wife, and shook hands with her father. They took a glass of champagne from Stephen, her brother, and before he could take his first sip, her mother stepped outside with the last person he wanted to see.
“Oh, look who arrived. Jezebelle, come say hi to Bradley.”
Bradley didn’t even bother to hide his smirk as he shared a look with him, almost as if saying ‘I can still win this war.’ He wouldn’t, but it was amusing to Brick that he thought he still had a chance.
She. Was. His. Wife.
Why couldn’t her mother and Bradley get that through their heads?
“Hello, Bradley.” Jezebelle didn’t move from her spot, offered a short smile, then turned to her aunt Deloris who had just walked up to them.
Brick looked away from her mother and Bradley because there was no point in staring. They hadn’t gotten their way—for Jezebelle to walk away from him and fall prey to their petty games.
Thankfully, nothing else occurred to ramp up the sudden tension that popped up when her mother spoke. More people kept arriving, and Brick made sure to keep an easy, friendly smile on his face, no matter who he was introduced to. Lots of people with money. He didn’t know if that was her parents’ way of saying ‘you don’t fit in with our crowd’ or not, but regardless, it didn’t bother him. He was used to people looking at him as if he didn’t fit in. The tattoos usually made people take a second glance. Either because they were intrigued by them or disgusted.
Two hours flew by faster than he thought possible. The party wasn’t so bad after all. People were friendly, conversation flowed easily, and the drinks were delicious. He had changed from the one glass of champagne to a Manhattan. They had a mini bar set up on the lawn with lots of choices of liquor. He figured if he had to mingle with these people, he was going to drink what he liked.
“I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and kissed Jezebelle on the lips to soothe the worry and unasked question in her eyes. “Will you be okay without me?” He could survive a few minutes without her. Because the entire party, they had stuck side by side. A few times, people here and there tried to pull them apart with a shouted ‘Jezebelle, over here’ type thing. She usually listened, but not before grabbing his hand and tugging him along. He had no issues with that because he didn’t want to be trapped with anyone alone. He was able to curb his tongue better with her by his side. The last thing he wanted to do was say something to cause a fight.
Her cousin they had been chatting with decided to join her on the bathroom trip. Her husband slipped away to talk to someone else, which put Brick all alone.
He was standing in the yard away from most of the people, yet a few clusters were nearby. When her mother stopped next to him, he knew the people close by were far enough away they wouldn’t hear what she had to say. By the devious look in her eyes, she had nothing nice to say.
“Enjoying yourself?”
He nodded. “I am. Thank you for a wonderful party. We appreciate it.”
She pointed toward the table set up on the opposite side of the yard where presents sat and a brown wicker basket was filled with envelopes. “Plenty of gifts to take home.”
“It wasn’t necessary for anyone to give us something, but we appreciate the thoughtfulness.”
“You have such a small place. I hope there’s enough room for the two of you.”
Small dig, but Brick decided to ignore it. He took a sip of his drink in response.
Her brow arched.
“I heard about the little fight you and Bradley had.”
“Oh.” He grinned. “The one where he punched my brother without provocation.”
Her lips thinned.
“My daughter is destined for great things.”
“Oh, I know. She’s going to be a star. She is in my book. Have you seen her on stage yet?”
Brick knew the answer, but he couldn’t help but throw his own little dig in there. Her mother couldn’t even bother to show up to one of her performances.
