Finding Forever(17)

“Here are your finger sandwiches, sir,” said Mr. Dixon while setting down a beautiful dish on the antique table near Liam and Whitney before going to other groups in the room and placing refreshments. “I hope you enjoy them, Ms. Steele.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dixon. They look very … appetizing,” Whitney said, eyeing them with doubt. If she were being honest, they looked quite the opposite. Was that cucumber in small pieces of crustless bread? She’d heard of canapés like these, but didn’t understand the appeal.

Alexandra took the opportunity and pounced. “Have you not had a proper tea before?”

She could only be described as catty. But even the worst of cats were better than she was. The woman, that detestable woman, delicately picked up a tiny sandwich and didn’t even eat the whole thing. One minuscule bite, damn her. Alexandra then set it down and picked up her wretched porcelain cup of tea, her face sweet, almost angelic. Wow, if looks were ever deceiving …

“No, not really. I think the closest I’ve come is happy hour with barbecue wings and two-dollar drafts,” Whitney said with a smile. “If you don’t need at least five wet napkins, then you haven’t had very good wings.”

While Whitney delighted in the expression on Alexandra’s face, she was afraid to see how Liam had taken that outrageous remark. But when she heard him chuckle, she turned toward him in shock. He quickly covered up the short-lived amusement — he’d have probably called it mirth — by coughing, and then once again making his face a blank.

“Barbecue wings? Interesting. I’ll have to see whether the cook could prepare some for you.”

“Where are you from, Ms. Steele?” Alexandra asked.

“Oregon.” She wasn’t going to elaborate. She didn’t want to converse with this woman or with anyone else in the room. Including Liam.

“You’re a long way from home,” she said. “When will you be going back?”

Even though the woman managed to say it with a polite mask on her face, Whitney knew the question was in no way friendly.

“I’m not sure yet. The children are getting to know their family,” she answered after a moment.

“And you need to be here for that?”

Whitney looked over at Liam, but he clearly wasn’t going to do a dang thing to help her out. She was coming to dislike the man more and more, if that was possible.

“I’m their legal guardian, so, yes, I do need to be here,” she informed the wicked witch of the East Coast.

“Don’t you feel they would be safe with their grandfather and uncle? I mean, it’s not as if they wouldn’t have proper supervision, or be lacking in anything at all. They’d have everything they could possibly want at their disposal.”

“There’s more to raising and loving children than material things,” Whitney said. She couldn’t quite suppress her disapproval.

“I disagree. Children raised in better environments rule the world as adults. Consider Liam for example,” she said, and she turned to look at him, batting her eyes.

“Do you rule the world, Mr. Felton?” Whitney asked.

He was silent for a moment and she couldn’t read what he was thinking, but she waited to see what he would say. Alexandra started to interrupt and he simply held up a hand, stopping the woman instantly.

Wow. Whitney wished she could harness that power. She’d have far fewer arguments with her nephew — that was for certain.

“I rule my portion of it,” he finally said, the slightest of smiles taking over his lips. And a whole lot of arrogance shining in his eyes.

“I guess being raised in circumstances of wealth and power helped set you up for that. Nice job if you can get it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“If you’d been born into poverty, you wouldn’t have been able to participate in the activities or to ‘network’ with the bigwigs that obviously helped you to succeed.” It was an insult and they both knew it.

“Whether I’d grown up rich or poor, I would still be where I am in the world, Ms. Steele, because I have ambition and drive. Those who succeed are those who want to.”

“So you think the poor choose to be that way?” she asked.

He gave her a curious look and seemed to actually think about his answer. She wasn’t sure if that was all for show or not.

“I think those who truly want to better themselves will stop at nothing to do it.”

“So, if you’re born into poverty and don’t have the opportunity to go to school, to follow your dreams, that’s all because of choice?”