Cole(47)

“Pick a fight?”

Jake shrugged. “Okay, but my style. The lawyer way. We fight differently than everyone else.”

I was about to change my answer to avoid, but Mahler looked in our direction, and then it was too late. He saw us. His eyes got big, and a smarmy, smug look came over him. His face was red and sweaty, and when he waved us over, I noticed his eyes were glazed.

“Look who we have here!” he said. “Jake Parker. Your office sent over papers today. How thoughtful and cooperative you all are being.”

Jake groaned under his breath. “Come on. We have to go over now.”

I didn’t move, but Carol and Hank both saw me, and Carol had visibly stiffened. I was distantly aware of Jake’s hand nudging me forward.

“Mahler.” Jake sounded as stiff as Carol looked. “I could’ve saved money and delivered those papers tonight.”

Mahler let out a deep laugh, clamping a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “None of that. Tonight’s for pleasure. We’re raising money for some cause—horse tails, maybe?” He tossed back a good portion of his champagne. “Where’s your drink? You, too, Ms. Sailer. Where’s your drink? You need to be enjoying yourselves with us—” Then he cut himself off and seemed to remember who he was standing with.

The only satisfaction I got was that my in-laws looked as uncomfortable as I was.

Carol looked down, lifting a tiny hand to pat her greying hair, which was pulled up in a diamond-encrusted barrette. She’d always been beautiful, and her aging had only made her more stunning. Liam got his looks from her. They had the same blue eyes, soft cheekbones, and heart-shaped face. Liam used to make fun of himself, saying he would’ve been a pretty girl, but I loved how he looked. And a lot of other ladies agreed with me. I was staring at the reason so many had tried their hands at catching him.

“You look lovely, Carol.”

I sensed Jake’s surprise, but she’d brought Liam into this world. I owed her that much.

She seemed just as surprised as Jake. “Thank you, Addison.” She looked me up and down. “You as well. The black is beautiful on you.”

I repressed a retort, pressing my lips together.

“Really, Addison,” she’d said after the funeral. “You must stop wearing black. It’s depressing. I know most girls wear it because it’s slimming, but you’re all bones. You should be wearing white. That’ll make you look healthier. Trust me, most of the girls will be envious. I know Liam loved white. Wear it for him, or wear something else. Some color. Blue even. God forbid you wear something more lively than black.”

The guilt in her gaze told me she remembered this as well. I forced my smile to hold, though my cheeks protested. I could’ve taken a cheap shot. Her silver sequins matched her greying hair, but that was another comment I suppressed.

“Hank.” I nodded. That was all I said to him.

Liam’s father was the same age as Mahler, but he did not have the same beauty regimen. While Mahler’s hair was dyed jet black, Hank’s was mostly grey, just like his wife’s. That was something I remembered about them. They believed in keeping chemicals and toxins out of their bodies as much as possible.

Hank nodded back to me. “Addison.” His hand curved behind his wife’s arm, the same way Jake held on to me. “You’re dating a lawyer now?”

“What?”

“Oh.” Jake withdrew his hand, laughing. “No. We’re—”

“—friends,” I finished, adding, “Jake’s a good friend. He helped me with the case.” I stressed the word helped because as far as I was concerned the case was over. I raised my chin, daring any of them to disagree.

Hank put his hands in his pockets. Carol sighed and turned, raising her head to scan the rest of the room. She kept her fingers clasped together around her glass, like it was too heavy for her and she needed both hands to hold it up. I eyed her, noting a droop to her shoulders I hadn’t noticed before. Her makeup couldn’t hide the bags under her eyes either. They seemed larger than I’d ever noticed before.

Jake was silent.

Mahler let out another hearty laugh. “I’m still thinking we need drinks for you two. Where’s a damn waitress when you need one?” He scanned the room for a moment. “Holy shit!” Everyone turned to him with the change in his tone. “Talk about a ghost from the past.”

He stepped backward and reached out as two men slipped by in the crowd. He tried to grab the first man’s arm, but he twisted at the last second and caught Mahler’s wrist. Mahler blinked a couple times before he burst out with another booming laugh.