Foolish Games(55)

“Whatever is or isn’t going on between your mother and me doesn’t affect you.”

“The hell it doesn’t! If you’re cozying up to her to get information about me, don’t.”

Hank rose from the chair. “If I want information about you, Will, I’ll ask you directly, as I have been doing over the past month. My advice to you would be to decide where your loyalties lie, before it’s too late.” He paused in opening the door. “And I’d never insult a beautiful woman like your mother by using her for anything. Not when she deserves a lot more.”

Will stood in the center of his study, dumbfounded. It wasn’t enough that he had a wife and child he hadn’t expected. Or a scandal of epic proportions hanging over his head. Now he had to worry about his mother and whatever Hank Osbourne’s interest in her was.

Julianne poked her head around the door. Her smile was radiant as she basked in the excitement of hosting a dinner party. Will would rather stick a hot poker in his eye right now than sit down to dinner with Hank and a petulant Brody. But one look at his wife and he realized he couldn’t deny her a thing.

“Dinner’s ready.” Since her confession earlier this afternoon, she’d seemed happier, more focused. But now, she looked at him shyly as if she were unsure how to deal with him. She held out her hand. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Will’s fingers grasped hers before he could think. Maybe it was better if he didn’t think but just enjoyed the feel of her hand in his.

• • •

Annabeth chewed her dinner without tasting it. Somehow, she’d assumed Julianne’s dinner party would consist of Gavin and his mother, Patricia. Will was very selective about who he socialized with and who he let in his home. It was just another example of her naïveté that she hadn’t suspected Hank, one of her son’s bosses, would be joining them for dinner.

Her entire day seemed to be thrown off balance with Hank’s arrival. He’d made his intentions clear to her in the shop. She just wasn’t sure how she wanted to handle it. Annabeth had been in relationships before, but not with men of Hank’s caliber. Mostly, she’d been with men who needed fixing or a rebound after a relationship gone wrong. Nothing about Hank Osbourne needed to be fixed. He was the most self-assured man she’d ever encountered—a fact that intimidated her but aroused her at the same time.

Hank raised his wineglass in a silent salute when he caught her surreptitiously looking at him. She quickly glanced around to see if the others noticed, but there seemed to be three separate acts going on at this crazy dinner party. Brody was doing his best to engage Sophie in conversation, teasing her about some event at the Blaze holiday party. And Will and Julianne, seated at opposite ends of the table, seemed to have eyes only for each other. In and of itself, that alone was a stunning development.

The scene she’d walked in on earlier this afternoon hadn’t really surprised Annabeth; she’d had an inkling there was more to this pretend marriage than either spouse believed. Truthfully, she was glad Will had feelings for his wife. Owen deserved a shot at the happy family she hadn’t been able to provide for Will. But the marriage wouldn’t survive if neither partner could trust the other, and Annabeth was nervous that building that kind of trust would take them longer than the few weeks they’d been married.

“My compliments to the chef.” Hank raised his wineglass to toast Julianne. “If you ever decide to give up designing, you could open a restaurant.”

Brody choked on his wine.

“Thank you.” Julianne shot a look at Brody. “Cooking is as much a passion as designing is. Sophie, I understand you design jewelry?”

Sophie beamed beside Annabeth. “It’s nothing fancy. Annabeth is selling it in her store.”

Will’s eyebrows rose a fraction.

“It’s been very popular,” Annabeth said.

“She is?” Julianne smiled at Annabeth. “In that case, I’ll have to come have a look. I love to wear jewelry that’s unique and one of a kind.”

“I’m going to work in the shop this weekend, aren’t I, Annabeth?” Sophie asked, and Annabeth nodded.

“How long are you planning on staying?” Will directed the question at Hank.

Hank didn’t take his eyes off Annabeth as he answered. “Through the weekend.”

Annabeth grew warm under both Hank’s and her son’s gaze.

“Well,” Julianne piped in, “that should give me plenty of time to shop at the House of Sophie.”

Sophie clapped her hands together. “Oooh. That’s my goal, to have my own jewelry design house.”