Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Having a good time?” I asked benignly.
“It’s great,” she replied, her voice terse, her gaze elsewhere in the room.
“I understand you’re an event planner. Do you enjoy it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s how you met Luc?”
All I got was another terse yes.
“He seems very taken with you.”
“Is that an issue?”
I twirled her around, watching her facial expression. “Not at all. Although I sense it might be for you.”
“My relationship with Luc is none of your business,” she hissed, her gaze now focused on my hand that clasped hers loosely.
I lifted an eyebrow at her vehemence. To anyone watching us, we were simply talking, both of us wearing fake smiles, our voices low enough no one could hear what we were saying.
“I’ve known Luc since he was a kid. He’s part of this family,” I stated mildly. “This is the first time he’s ever brought a woman to meet us. I’m simply saying what I’ve observed.”
“Have you observed anything else?” she asked, her tone sharp.
I studied her. She was incredibly lovely. Poised. She held herself well, and we were almost eye to eye in the shoes she wore. Even without them, she’d be tall. Her eyes were lit with emotion—anger and anxiety raged within them, and I was at a loss to understand. Her fascination with my hands confused me as well. Every time she glanced at them, she became tenser, drawing into herself.
“Have we met before?” I asked bluntly.
“No.”
“Yet I feel the dislike you have for me. Why is that? Did I inadvertently insult you somehow?”
Her grip on my arm tightened, becoming so hard I felt the bite of her nails through the cotton of my shirt.
“I assure you, Mr. VanRyan, when you insult people, it isn’t inadvertently.”
I stiffened. “I don’t understand.”
She pulled back, the blatant hatred no longer hidden. “I’m sure you don’t. You never have. Go enjoy your time with your family,” she spat out, still wearing a false smile. She spoke her next words louder. “Thank you for the dance. I have a headache. Excuse me.”
She hurried away, leaving me more confused than ever.
I refused to allow her to ruin a beautiful day for my daughter. I smiled as I returned to the table, rolling up my sleeves.
“Duty done. I’ve danced enough.”
“Sent the last one running,” Aiden observed with a smirk.
“The lady isn’t overly fond of me,” I admitted, staring at my hands, wondering what fascinated her about them. They were just hands. I had long fingers, and the only jewelry I wore was the platinum wedding band, which I never took off. I had a scar on one hand from where I fell out of a tree when I was young. It went straight across the top, starting at the wrist and disappearing by the last knuckle of the index finger. But it was hardly fascinating and too simple to be considered grotesque.
Maddox leaned over. “What are you looking at?”
“What do you think about my hands?”
“I rarely think about them, Richard,” he said dryly. “I think you need to get that opinion from Katy.”
I shook my head, meeting his eyes. “Ashley stares at them. I feel her anger when she does. But she admits we’ve never met before. What on earth is she looking at?”
He shrugged. “No idea. They’re just hands.”
“My point exactly.”
“Maybe one day you’ll find out.”
I glanced across the room. Luc and Ashley were hugging Heather and Reed. I watched casually as they left, a slight frown on Ashley’s face. She was obviously sticking to the headache story.
Mentally, I shook my head. I would think about it tomorrow. I wasn’t sure I would ever see her again unless it was a get-together Luc attended and he was still dating her. She had to be lying about our never having met. How on earth could a total stranger hate me?
Later that night, we sat on the deck at the Hub, the sun setting, the burnished radiance lighting the sky, the patio lights on, casting their glow around us. The two tables were full. All the BAM men and their wives were there, relaxing after the busy, happy day. Heather and Reed were on their way to Brazil, Heather’s dream of seeing a rain forest and being able to capture the beauty of the colors herself having been fulfilled by Reed. It was the best wedding gift he could have given her. We sent them to Toronto in a limo, having booked them a honeymoon suite for the night so they were closer to the airport for their early morning departure.
Now it was our time to simply kick back. Maddox and Dee sipped whiskey. Bentley, Aiden, and I preferred scotch. Van and Halton joined us, but Reid stuck to beer. Cami, Fiona, and Emmy preferred white wine. Katy, Becca, and Liv opted for red. Sandy and Jordan had retired for the evening. And the younger generation were all at home. We had platters of munchies left from the wedding spread out, and as was our tradition, many of us lit up a cigar.