Page 11 of Unleash You

“Drink it.” She smiled at me.

“How’s everyone? Looks like you’ve finally settled in next door. I’m so happy for you.”

She raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow. “We’ll see for how long. Derek and his new fiancé will be here in a few days. I’m sure she’ll kick me to the curb first chance she gets.”

“Wait. I thought Derek was already married. I think that’s what Charlie said.”

Lilly met my gaze as if she didn’t recognize my brother’s name. “Of course, Charlie knew about that. Well, no, he’s freshly divorced and reengaged. Honestly, I can’t keep up either.”

“I’m sure she’s lovely. Derek is the one with his head on his shoulders, remember?”

“These days, I don’t know, dear.” She emptied her drink and poured some more. The Cheshire Cat smile she flashed me told me I was in for it. Lilly had this crazy idea to marry me off to one of her boys. Too bad she’d chosen Derek for me and not Wesley. She opened her mouth.

“Lilly.” I put up my hand. “You promised. No more Derek stunts.”

“What? No, I was going to invite you to high tea tomorrow at the St. Regis. I have some friends who are dying to meet you.”

“Hmmm, and these friends, do they have sons of marriageable age?”

She pursed her lips. “Possibly. Come on. I already told them yes. You’re like a daughter to me. Let me show you off a little.”

I chuckled and drank the rest of my bourbon. When Mom was still alive, I had already become a bit of a bitchy teenager and we seldomly saw eye to eye on things. If I’d known our time together would be so short, I would have done better. Lilly was my second chance at having a mom that worried about my biological clock and my marital status. Someone who worried about me, period.

“I’ll be there. Just say when.”

“You’re a sweetheart to put up with this old lady.”

I wasn’t sure how old Lilly was because she always found ways to avoid the question. But if Derek was twenty-eight, she had to be fifty something. She rose to her feet and walked to the grand piano. Lilly and Mom had been great friends. The piano had been a gift from Lilly’s mother-in-law to my mother. Something about the Cole estate and Fox’s Bank kept our families intertwined through friendship. Mom used to say that the Coles and Coperhavers never gave up on uniting the two families through blood.

“I miss her.” Lilly’s voice was barely above a whisper. “You remind me of her so much.”

“I miss her too.”

I joined her at the piano and sat on the leather stool. While at Barnard, I found time to keep practicing piano. It was the last connection I had to Mom. My index finger fell heavy on the white key. Lilly hugged me, then stood back expectantly. I shook my head and played a quiet tune. Debussy was Mom’s favorite, so I always started there before ending with something more dramatic like Beethoven.

Between the trip from New York, finding my childhood house in a sort of disarray, and learning my brother was gone, I was beyond tired. I poured all of it onto the piano keys, letting my mind wander. As usual, I thought of Charlie and how happy I was that he no longer hated me for what happened to our parents. The next stop down memory lane was Wesley, although now I had more than an old picture of him in his fatigues. I had his scent, the feel of his hard body, and those serene hazel eyes to contemplate.

I was pissed at him for treating me like a kid. But I shoved all that aside and focused on the good. I was back in Fox’s Bank, and Wesley was still here. My brain focused on him so intently, I actually managed to conjure his image. I raised my gaze to meet his gaze across the great hall. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. The fire in his eyes made me switch to a faster tempo,The Tempest.

The childhood crush I’d had on him over the years had morphed into something very adult. And now there was no going back. I wanted him.

“Wesley, Jesus, you scared me.” Lilly turned on her heel to face her son.

Oh shit. He was here for real. I didn’t imagine him standing there. My cheeks burned hot, and I let my fingers drop abruptly on the keys. Why did I feel as though I’d just been caught doing something naughty? He didn’t know how I felt, and for sure, Lilly had no clue.Relax. You’re still mad at him.

I stood and waited for Lilly to drag Wesley into the living area. “Our Sweet Ana is finally home. What do you think?”

“It’s great.” Wesley sat down, poured bourbon in his mom’s teacup and knocked it back before he served one more.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was pissed at me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’d been spying on me and he knew I tried to make arrangements to leave for Venezuela.

I turned to Lilly. “It was so thoughtful of my brother to leave him as my babysitter. I couldn’t feel safer.”

She furrowed her brows at Wesley, then patted my hand. “What nonsense. You’re a grown woman, dear. Charlie didn’t need to do that. It was in your parents’ last will to leave the family fortune under my care. Charlie got his portion when he turned twenty-five last year. I’ll do the same for you. And then you’ll be free to do business elsewhere. If you want to.” She gave me a one-shoulder hug. “Cole Investments is the best out there, you know. And now that Wesley’s home, I won’t be surprised if he doubles your money before your twenty-fifth birthday.”

I raised an eyebrow to Wesley. “Sounds like my money is in capable hands. I’m sure my accounts being frozen was just a hiccup in the system.”

He turned all kinds of red, but his mom beat him to it. “Oh no, that’s terrible. We’ll get that fixed first thing in the morning. Wes?”

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