Page 662 of Hell Hath No Fury
Jade stood. “Of course, I remember. And it’s a big day.”
“Yeah.” Foster stared expressionless at our house for a second. “It is weird Colt didn’t mention you were my new neighbor.”
“Did I hear my name?”
We turned to see Colt Baron striding up Foster’s driveway, a twinkle in his blue eyes, a mischievous smile curling his lips. “Hey, angel.” He stopped to press a kiss to my sister’s mouth, winked at her, smiled at me and Celeste, and then turned his charm on Georgie. “How’s my princess doing?”
Georgie stepped out from behind her father and went to Colt with animation. She held out her arms, and he swept her into them with ease. Catching the look of longing on my sister’s face, I wished we were standing next to one another so I could squeeze her hand. Colt was four years younger than my thirty-eight-year-old sister, and he wanted kids. So did Jade, but I knew she worried they’d have a hard time getting pregnant because she was a little older. I wanted to reassure her because I couldn’t imagine a universe in which my kind, beautiful, patient sister wouldn’t be a mom.
Both of us had been in prior relationships, but being the romantics we were, we didn’t want to settle down for less than utter certainty that we’d foundthe one.
It was quite by chance she met Colt. Jade was an English teacher at a local high school, and one of her student’s moms was going through a bad divorce. Parent-teacher conference night came around, and that mom’s younger brother decided to accompany her so she wouldn’t be alone for her first post-divorce conference. That brother was Colt.
At his and Jade’s engagement party, Colt told all his guests how he walked into Jade’s classroom and felt like he’d been hit by a thunderbolt. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. And to his amazement, she turned out to have an even more beautiful soul.
I’m glad he saw that in Jade. It was the truth. She had patience and an endless well of forgiveness and compassion. I continually told myself to be more like my big sister. Unfortunately, I didn’t always succeed.
I glowered at Foster as he chatted with Jade.
Feeling eyes on me, I yanked my focus from the rude man and found Colt smirking at me. Georgie was now at his side, holding his hand, quietly watching the moving team in the background.
My suspicious gaze on my soon-to-be brother-in-law, I questioned his motives, not telling us about Foster buying the neighboring house. He’d been witness to the engagement party incident, so it would be common courtesy to give me a heads-up!
Bristling, I crossed my arms over my chest and intensified my displeased glower. Colt grinned, flashing that boyish smile Jade had fallen for. To be fair, I couldn’t imagine Colt’s intention was to be cruel or devious. He’d proven himself to be kind and generous. In fact, he was the perfect match for my sister.
I wondered how he and Foster became business partners and best friends.
Never mind the age difference—Foster was only twenty-five—they seemed to have completely different personalities. Where Colt was inclined to smile and laugh, Foster grunted and glared.
My cheeks flushed as I remembered the engagement party and our first meeting.
“Are you nervous?” I asked Jade.
“A little. Colt invited business people I haven’t met before.”
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about impressing the in-laws,” I cracked, taking a sip of champagne.
Jade’s lips parted in shock. “Not funny.”
I winced. Colt’s parents died in a car crash when he was nineteen. It was one of the things he and Jade bonded over, considering our parents had died on a hiking trip when Jade was twenty-three and I was twenty-one. “I’m sorry. I know better. MaybeI’mnervous. I’m sorry.”
My sister patted my arm. “It’s fine. And why are you nervous?”
I gestured to the decorated suite Colt had rented at this five-star hotel. The guests were scheduled to arrive within minutes. “Look how fancy.”
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” I assured her.
While our parents left us a big old house, our inheritance was really just enough to pay the cost of keeping it. My dad inherited the house from his father, and folks thought we had more money than we did. Our parents were never the fancy types. Five-star hotels and material “stuff” weren’t their thing.
Colt, however, was determined to give Jade the best of everything, and he could afford to. He ran an extremely lucrative real estate company with Foster, called Baron & Darwin.
The engagement party, much like the upcoming rehearsal dinner and wedding, had been organized by a professional planner. She’d taken Jade’s favorite colors (pale metallics like champagne, silver, and rose gold) and incorporated those into her design. The overall effect was understated elegance. It suited Jade, and I told her so.
My sister relaxed. A little. I wrapped my arm around her slender waist. “Hey, you have nothing to be nervous about. You are sweet, smart, and beautiful inside and out. Pure class fromhead to toe.” It was true. Her blond hair was styled up off her neck, diamond earrings Colt bought her for her thirty-eighth birthday sparkled in her ears, and her pleated silver evening dress contoured her slim figure. It was sleeveless, with a fairly modest V-neck and a slightly less modest slit in the skirt. The dress shimmered under the chandeliers, making my sister look like a human star.
“Thank you.” She studied my face with her earnest blue eyes. Honestly, it wasn’t any wonder folks asked if we were really sisters. Except for the shape of our noses and mouths, we didn’t look a thing alike. “Why are you so nervous?”
