Page 26 of Overnight Inheritance

“Lord above,” she muttered to herself. “Whatpossiblesecret agenda could I have to invite you to dinner?”

“I can’t imagine, Mae.” His voice was taut, his jaw set. “You tell me.”

She’d already offered him the justification that Heath and Sarah had accepted, yet he wanted more. What else could she tell him when he wouldn’t see the need to build bridges between their families? Gazes locked, they waited, as if in a standoff.

A little voice inside her mind nudged her to acknowledge the truth. Yes, there was a need to bring the families together, but there was something deeper that she was scared to admit. Something terrifying. And now that she’d realized what it was, she could no longer be a coward. She needed to say it out loud.

She blinked and then softly said, “I’d like you to be there.”

He held her gaze a moment longer and then nodded. “Then I’ll come.”

Sebastian arrived at the hotel at five minutes to seven to find Mae already waiting for him on the sidewalk, beside the door. She was wearing a lilac wraparound dress that hugged her curves so close he almost stumbled on the pavement. The vibrant color complemented her dark brown hair, and her gray eyes took on the lavender tones in the dress, and he had the thought that she should be on the big screen. Had he once thought she wasn’t traditionally beautiful? He’d never seen anyone look more exquisite.

He reached her and leaned down to kiss her cheek, drinking her in. “Hello, Mae.”

She grabbed his forearms and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek in return. “I’m so glad you made it.”

When they separated, she was looking up at him, smiling widely, her dimples twinkling in her cheeks. Her joy was infectious, so he smiled back. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Come on, let’s go in.” She led the way through the ornate marble lobby with expansive ceilings. Everyone knew this hotel, and Seb had often thought about staying a weekend here just for the experience, but had never seemed to find the time.

Mae took him off to one side, then led him into the hotel restaurant, finally stopping at a private dining room. The room was small but lavishly decorated, from its crimson fabric wallpaper to its elaborate chandelier. The tabletop was marble, and the seats of the chairs were upholstered in the same crimson fabric as the walls. It would have been a comfortable room to spend a few hours, except for the four sets of eyes that had watched his approach and were glued to him now.

“This is Sebastian,” Mae said. “I think you know everyone except Lauren?”

He nodded. “Sarah and I have crossed paths a number of times over the years, and I met Heath and Freya only a few months ago.”

Some stilted small talk followed, in which he tried to make nice with people he was in the middle of a battle of wills with. Entrées came and were cleared away, and Seb continued to chat, mainly with Sarah and Lauren, both of whom were clearly assessing him.

Once the waiter had refilled all their glasses with champagne, Sarah raised hers and said, “To Freya and Heath.”

Seb joined in the chorus of the others repeating, “To Freya and Heath,” and then half listened to the discussion about wedding plans. Most of his attention was on Mae, at his side. Every time she moved, she brushed his shoulder or his arm, and it was throwing him off-balance.

The waiter brought their main course, and Seb glanced across the table to find Heath staring at him. In a business context, he’d take on Heath Dunstan, no question. But, despite their joint business interests, this was not a business setting, and Seb didn’t know what the rules were. Mae turned to speak to Lauren, at her other side, and casually brushed against Seb’s arm again, and he watched Heath pointedly follow the casual contact.

“Mae,” Heath said, “can I have a quick word?”

“Not just now,” Mae said, using a sweet voice that Seb was coming to recognize as the one she used when she knew exactly what she was doing to mess up someone else’s plans.

“Heath,” Sarah said, snagging Heath’s attention away. “I was just talking to Freya about a proper engagement party.”

“I thought that’s what this was,” he said.

“No, this is a small family gathering. I’ve been thinking about something bigger, with all your friends. I’ll take care of everything, of course, plan all the details.”

Heath and Freya exchanged horrified looks.

“Here’s the thing, Sarah,” Heath said gently. “Freya and I both hate parties. We’ve attended your others because they’re yours, and we love you, but it’s no kindness to us to throw us a party.”

Lauren laughed behind her hand, and made eye contact with Sarah, toning down her amusement to offer unspoken support once she saw how crestfallen Sarah was. Seb watched the two older women a bit longer. Hadn’t Mae said they were best friends? There was something too attentive between them for mere friendship. They both always seemed attuned to the other no matter who was talking or where they were. If those two weren’t secretly a couple already, then they should be. He checked out the others around the table and wondered if they all knew.

Across from him, Heath put down his cutlery. “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”

Seb stilled. Had Heath just worked it out? Or had Seb given it away by watching the women too closely?

Freya made a valiant effort to redirect the conversation to the history of the room they were sitting in, but Heath persisted, saying, “Everyone here is okay that there’s something going on between these two?”

Seb was horrified to realize that Heath was waving a hand at Mae and him. He hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, not when their families had been fighting for years, but it still felt like a punch to the gut that he was deemed so wildly unsuitable for Mae.

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