The Arrangement(17)

Terri greeted him at the door with a warm smile and a welcoming hug. Terri wasn’t anything like his mother. His mother had been fair with light green eyes the same shade as his own. Tall and slender, she had done some modeling in her teens. Terri was short and rounded in a way that made her appear younger than her fifty plus years of age. She kept her dark brown curls clipped close to her ears whereas his mother’s hair had never been shorter than waist length. Sometimes Asher wondered if his father had chosen Terri because she was so very different.

Whatever his reasoning, Asher didn’t think his father could have found a more perfect wife. Terri had lost her husband to cancer as well. The two had met in a grief support group and had become good friends. Terri was a genuinely kind woman and she made his dad happy.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Terri said as she drew back. “I didn’t know you were home.” She took a moment to look him over as she closed the door. “Your tan is fantastic. How are your friends? Everyone is well?”

“They’re great. Ted and Erika are talking about starting a family.”

“That’s wonderful. Your father is going to be so jealous. You know how he wants grandkids.”

He followed her through the house. “He has Lizzy and Abby.”

Terri smiled. “It’s nice of you to say so, but you know it’s not the same.”

Lizzy and Abby were her daughter Tara’s children by her ex-husband. Though they weren’t his father’s biological grandchildren he treated them as though they were. “Where is Dad?”

“He’s in the family room with Tara and the kids.”

That gave him momentary pause, but he supposed it was for the best. He could tell everyone at once. The family room was the most casually decorated room in the house. It had comfortable sofas, a large screen television, and an area off to the side that they had filled with toys for the kids. When they walked in the girls were playing with dolls while Tara and his dad were discussing his political rivals.

“It’s Sunday,” Terri interrupted them. “Give it a rest. The two of you can talk shop tomorrow.”

His dad looked up. “Ash,” he said, standing to greet him, “I didn’t know you were back.”

“Just last night,” he answered, moving into his father’s embrace. As soon as his father stepped back, his legs were attacked by two tiny girls chanting his name. They were five and four. He scooped them both up and gave them a twirl before setting them back down. They giggled. He demanded kisses from them each before they returned to their dolls.

“Ash,” Tara said softly, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. Whereas her mother was plump, Tara was very skinny. The two women actually bore very little resemblance. Tara had dyed and straightened her hair so that the one thing that they had in common was gone. Ash thought it was a shame since Terri exuded a natural softness and kindness that drew people in. Tara had a fragile kind of beauty that she liked to emphasize by acting ultra-feminine, but beneath the act, he knew lay pure steel. She was a scheming, conniving bitch, but she disguised it well until one got to know her better. That made her a perfect campaign manager for his father, but Asher had no intention of becoming romantically involved with her.

He knew that at one point that she had set her sights on him as a potential husband. It didn’t take her long to realize though that he didn’t have the ambition or the drive that she wanted in a husband. Simply put, he was a slacker as far as she was concerned. He couldn’t have been happier when she’d moved on. Since her divorce a year ago though, he’d noticed that she’d become interested in him again. He still wasn’t ambitious or driven, but he was at least mature enough now that no one had had to bail him out of jail in the last few years. Oh, and he was rich. One could not underestimate the appeal of money.#p#分页标题#e#

“The sun agrees with you,” she went on, her hand on his chest.

He removed it and took a seat in one of the lone wing chairs to ensure that she couldn’t join him. “Thanks.”

“How are Ted and Erika?”

“They’re doing well.” He paused. “As is Ari. I asked her to marry me.”

“What?” came the incredulous question from the three adults in the room. They stared at him with openmouthed astonishment. Ash couldn’t help it. He laughed until he was doubled over with mirth.

“You’re kidding right?” Tara asked.

“No.”

“What did she say?” David asked.

“We got married.”