Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I grinned at her. “I love it when you approve of my sartorial choices.”
She chuckled. “Well, you did far better than Dad. I mean, that Tom Ford suit is awesome, but this is a Christmas party. He could have mixed things up.”
I scoffed.
“Yeah, fine. Look who I’m talking about.”
“And who is this?” I asked, looking at the young man behind her. He was handsome in the way where you thought money.
“Hello, sir,” he greeted me, offering me his hand. “Good to meet you. I’m Werner Albrecht the Third.”
“Good to meet you as well, Werner,” I said, shaking his hand. “How do you know Hannah?”
“We had several classes together freshman year,” he told me. “It’s been so nice to reconnect, especially since she knows my mother, Maeve, and my sister, Gilly.”
“How do you all know each other?” I asked him.
“My mother chairs many fundraisers. She and Hannah met that way. And Gillian, Gilly, my sister, met Hannah when she went to Sutter to ask them to buy––” He turned to Hannah, squinting. “––what was it again?”
“To ask us to donate for the education wing of the Children’s History Museum,” she reminded him with a shake of her head.
“Yes, but you could have just donated, correct? You don’t have to actually attend the stupid thing, do you?”
“Yes. When you buy a table, you attend. Plus, there is probably a silent auction there.”
He groaned.
“You’re going to hell for not supporting your mother.”
He gave her a dismissive wave. “You cannot expect me to keep up with my mother’s causes, and especially not attend every ridiculous gala.”
“I’m gonna tell her that the next time I see her.”
“She won’t even be remotely surprised. Now what would you like to drink, dove?”
“An amaretto sour,” she said, grinning at him.
“I’ll be right back,” he replied, and turned to go, but then swung right back around. “My manners desert me when I’m around your daughter,” he confessed. “May I get you something from the bar, sir?”
“No, I’m good, thank you.”
“Either of you?” he asked Sandra and Thea.
“Yes,” Thea said quickly. “I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, how nice,” he said, smiling and then turning back to Hannah. “I want you to go with me to the Wrigley Spring whatever it is this year.”
“Spring Jubilee,” she told him. “And I’m fairly certain I’m chairing that event, so no. And besides, if I was going with anyone, it would be my boyfriend. I love to make him dress up. He thinks it’s torture.”
I did a slow pan to her, because she nearly cackled evilly at the end of her statement.
“What? It’s fun to put Jake in clothes that make him itch.”
“Terrible,” I commented.
“Dove, do you think keeping Jake around is a good idea?”
To my surprise, she laughed. “You love Jake,” she said flatly.
He grunted.
“And even more so, you like Kola.”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t like your brother?”
She crossed her arms and tipped her head as though she was deep in thought.
“Annoying creature,” he said, and turned to Thea. “Shall we?”
Once they left, Sandra turned to Hannah. “Is this dress Balenciaga?”
Hannah nodded. “Yes. It’s good because it dresses up or down. I had lots of pearls on earlier that I sent back to the vault.”
“The vault?”
“Yeah. It’s fancy jewelry I wear to events that would look stupid coming to a family party. I don’t need to be all decked out with my family.”
“No, you don’t,” Sandra agreed, smiling at her. “I think Thea has a bit of a crush on your friend Werner.”
“I hope not. He’s not a serious guy.”
“Why does he call you dove?”
“Because he called me love once and I said absolutely not. That’s for my family and my boyfriend, no one else.”
“So he settled on dove?” Sandra asked.
“Yep.”
“It’s very pretty.”
“It’s a bird,” Hannah reminded her.
“It seems like he wants to date you.”
“No,” Hannah said with a shake of her head. “Not really. And again, he’s not serious. I don’t have time for that.”
“But you’re young,” Sandra pointed out. “You should date lots of people and play the field. That’s what being your age is all about.”
Hannah smiled at her. “Conversely, you find out the guy who’s always been in your life and is you brother’s best friend is actually the one.”
“But, darling, you’re just a child. Like my Thea. She’s actually a few months older than you, and she’s dating lots of people. As I said, she’s got her eye on your friend Werner.”
Hannah shrugged. “I’ve got it bad for—oh, what’s happening?”
And I saw him then, George Hunt, her bodyguard and friend, the latter more important to Hannah, cutting through the crowd.
Sandra’s breath caught, and many women, and a few men, turned to watch him cross the room to Hannah.
“Hey,” she greeted him, and her voice did the thing it always did, that Jake hated, and got all breathy and soft. She utterly adored the man…