They stood on the front porch and she brushed a speck of something from Ben’s shirt sleeve. Ben knocked lightly on the door. It swung open as if someone had been standing just on the other side.
Adela had short brown hair. Her body was thick through the middle, but she was dressed smartly, casually. Juli was certain the garments came with a price tag that would’ve made her faint dead away.
Adela extended her hand. “You must be Juli.”
Shaking her hand was like gripping a block of jagged ice. Juli nodded, but the cordial smile on her face stiffened. Adela pretended to be nice and Juli hoped there was some truth behind it because she wanted it to work, but she saw no friendliness in Adela’s eyes or posture.
Adela hugged Ben and looked teary.
“Hey, sis, I’m good, okay? Let’s enjoy our evening.”
She dropped her arms, releasing him, and he moved to Juli’s side. He placed his hand on Juli’s back. “I want to show you Luke’s view. It’s the best thing about this house.”
Big sister’s eyes turned hard. “Go ahead. I’ll help Luke.”
The aromas coming from the kitchen almost made up for the chilly reception, but Juli didn’t relish sharing a meal in this company.
They stopped in the kitchen doorway. Luke was sprinkling something on a roast and returning it to the oven.
“It smells wonderful,” Ben said.
Luke closed the oven door and stood, removing his oven mitt. He smiled at Ben. Juli was ready to give him a bright smile, but he conspicuously avoided looking at her. He said, “London Broil. It’s Esther’s cooking, her recipe with her secret marinade. She got it started. I’m merely the finisher.”
“I’m going to give Juli a tour. Call us if you need help.”
Ben guided her to a railing that overlooked part of a room below, with two-story floor to ceiling windows. The green of the back lawn sloping down to the water, was tipped with gold from the late day sun. The water picked up the light and seemed to pass it along from wavelet to wavelet, shimmering. Down slope to the left, was a dock and boathouse.
In the room immediately below them, the furnishings were all burnished leather and deeply grained wood.
“It’s beautiful,” she told Ben. And it was, but it also looked lonely. Maybe he entertained a lot. For all she knew, he had lots of girlfriends.
They walked out to the screened porch, and beyond it to the deck. It was peaceful—almost like a time out—a chance to prepare herself for what was to come.
“Ben?” She put her arm through his, their elbows on the rail as they leaned forward together. She detected tension. But these were people who loved Ben, no matter what they thought of her. She should be nervous, not him. And she was. Definitely.
“Yes?” He clasped her hand in his.
“We’re good together, aren’t we? You don’t regret—”
“Don’t worry, Juli. It’ll be fine.” He reached up and touched her hair. He ran his fingers down its length, smoothing the tresses over her shoulder until his hand reached her back. He leaned toward her and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.
Their first kiss. A friend’s kiss, except for the insistent pressure on her back. Instinctively, she moved closer and his arm tightened.
Adela was behind them. She cleared her throat. Juli turned, startled.
“Dinner’s ready. Come to the table.”
Adela gazed at her with her lips pursed into a tortured-looking fake smile. Without a word, they followed Adela back inside the house.
Ben held her chair as she sat. Juli smoothed her skirt before taking the cloth napkin from beside the plate. She situated the napkin in her lap and straightened the forks beside her plate, but there was a limit to the mechanics she could use to hide her fear before finally, she had to look up and risk the unfriendly faces.
Trapped at the table and inappropriate—she wanted to climb out of her skin and be anywhere, but here. She should’ve purchased the expensive silk blouse she’d fingered at the boutique, instead of this knit top. The skirt she’d bought was too cheaply made. No wonder it had been on clearance.
She tried to pretend she was as good as them, but it was difficult with Adela seated directly opposite her at the table.
Adela helped herself to the London Broil, then passed the dish.
“Luke is more like a brother to us than a cousin. We’re all family here, Juli. Simple people. Did Ben tell you we grew up in the same neighborhood as Luke? When we lost our parents—we were already adults at the time—but when we lost our parents, we still had Aunt Susannah and Uncle Matt, Luke’s parents. Have you met them? No, I suppose not.”
She paused in buttering her roll and nodded toward Luke and then Ben. “We’re proud of our family’s accomplishments. Did you know both of them were honor graduates at Duke? That was before they pursued advanced degrees and went on to open a number of businesses.”