Page 24 of Just (Fake) Married
FIVE
ETHAN
The Calloway womenwalked into my father’s study dressed in black, with bright red lips, smelling of perfume and brimstone.
“Jesus,” Mac muttered. “When they’re together like that, they look like a coven of witches.”
Amity had dropped her winter coat, revealing a tight, black denim dress that showed off her tiny waist, and curvaceous top and bottom. That, along with her viper red lipstick, did not bode well for my brother’s peace of mind.
Mac turned his back on her, finding a spot to stand and scowl and pretend like he wasn’t haunted by Amity Calloway’s breasts, in the far corner of Dad’s study.
Poor guy.
“Come on in,” I said. The fires had been burning for a while, but the old house was still cold. Winter wind found its way in, no matter what.
“Can I get you something?” I asked Monica Calloway. We had tea and coffee set up in the corner, and Mrs. Walker had made some muffins and coffee cake.
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m fine,” Monica said. She was a beautiful woman, you could see where her daughters got their looks. Her skin was still smooth and her green eyes were bright. But she looked around the room like she was expecting an ax murderer to come out from behind the curtains.
“I’ll take a whiskey,” Bliss said, collapsing backwards into one of the big leather couches on either side of the rug in front of Dad’s desk. She put her boots up on the coffee table, and every McGraw in the room stiffened, remembering the hiding we’d get if we put our feet on that coffee table in front of Dad.
I glanced at Mac. Was he going to say something? Should I?
But we didn’t. Boots on the old coffee table seemed like the least of our problems today.
“Hey,” Bliss said, stretching her arm across the back of the couch and looking around. “So, is Eli going to make an appearance, or what?”
“Overseas,” I said, and Bliss pursed her lips and looked away.
Tag poured whiskey into a cut glass tumbler and brought it to Bliss. “Thanks, handsome,” she said with an outrageous wink, and he lifted a corner of his lips in a smile.
“Where’s Sunshine?” Tag asked, and all of us were surprised to hear him talk. Especially about Sunshine Calloway.
“Our sister doesn’t leave her office, much less the city. Also, she thinks this is a trap,” Bliss said, and sucked back half the whiskey. “Harmony will report back everything she needs to know.”
Today was going to be hard enough, and it felt like four lit fuses had just walked into the room. My eyes searched out Harmony, and I found her in the corner, pouring coffees and teas, adding sugar and milk.
The cold winter sun hit her hair and turned it to fire. She had it pulled back, but the curls were fighting their way loose and I had a memory bob to the surface of my brain. Me pulling one ofthose curls taut and then letting it bounce back. It had felt like silk.
“Ethan,” she said, her face still and careful. “You’re staring at me and it’s freaking me out.”
“Sorry. Let me help you,” I said, reaching for the plate she’d piled high with coffee cake and fruit.
“No need,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got it.” She handed tea and coffee to her sisters, delivered a plate of cake to her mom, and sat down on the couch. She slapped Bliss’s legs until Bliss removed her boots from the table.
“So,” Harmony asked, looking around. “When does this little shindig get started?”
I looked at my watch. Mr. Prescott, Dad’s lawyer, was already late, and Carter wasn’t here yet.
“Any minute,” I said.
“In that case, I’ll have a whiskey, too,” Amity said, wincing as she took a sip of tea.
She crossed her mile-long legs and I practically heard my brother’s increased heart rate.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Mac said. “You know what happens when you have too much whiskey.”
“Oh, you wish,” she said, touching a finger to those red lips.
