“Who knows? She’s not talking about it, but I think she’s doing better than before. Don’t you?”
Iain finished his wine. “Anything has to be better. I don’t think Dad made her very happy.”
“Do you think he ever truly loved her?” Vanessa asked before she could bite her tongue.
Her brothers stared at her like she’d grown a third breast…between her eyes. “No. Never,” Iain said. “He probably married Mom because she was the best-looking woman he could find.”
Mark nodded.
Vanessa said nothing as she watched her mother hug a friend. Salazar must have loved Ceinlys at some point. She didn’t know what had killed that love. She never got the sense that their feelings had merely cooled with time. If so, they could’ve at least been polite and considerate. But there was always a subtle undercurrent of meanness to what her father and mother did and said, like they wanted to hurt each other.
The back of her neck prickled, and Iain whistled. “Hey, Justin’s here.”
“Huh,” Mark said. “Maybe that explains it.
“What?” Vanessa said.
“Mom invited London Bickham, but she declined. Maybe she said she couldn’t because she knew he would be here. Awkward.”
Vanessa cringed, then let out a relieved sigh. It would’ve been more than awkward to face London here. If she hadn’t told Justin about her pregnancy, he’d still be with her. Vanessa pushed away a flash of hot jealousy at the thought.
“Not that I ever thought they’d last as a couple. London’s a little…bland,” Mark said.
A dry laugh came from behind them. It was their oldest brother, Dane. “Is that the new euphemism for brainless?” He was in a rumpled dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was a carbon copy of their father, with classic features and cool gray eyes, but he had none of Salazar’s charm. Nobody knew where he’d inherited his abrasive personality.
Mark’s mouth turned into a flat slit. “She’s a family friend, Dane. You don’t have to be so nasty.”
“Truth is painful, not nasty.” Dane glanced at Vanessa. “I’ve been hearing rumors, baby sister. You’re going to make partner for sure if you can prove Solaris Med is”—a cynical smile lifted a corner of his mouth—“innocent.”
Grinding her teeth, Vanessa reined in her temper. It killed her that she had to defend a client who was unquestionably guilty. She might be their counsel, but she had her standards.
“Of course you wouldn’t be required to do that if you’d climbed the ladder of family connections.” Before she could snap at him, he turned to Iain and Mark. “So how come Shane’s not here?”
Iain shrugged. “Tried contacting him a few times, but he never responded.”
“Whatever’s in South Africa must be damned interesting,” Vanessa muttered as a pang of envy reverberated through her. She wished she could just disappear for months and months too.
“He’s not in South Africa,” Dane said. “I checked. He’s in Morocco.”
Vanessa felt her jaw drop. “Doing what?”
Dane shrugged. “Don’t know, but I should bring him home. It’s only fair he suffer with the rest of us through this.”
Then in her peripheral vision, she noticed Justin laughing at something a slim blonde had said. Vanessa couldn’t tell exactly who the woman was—she had her back to Vanessa—but her well-fitted dress showed off lovely curves and a tight butt. And unlike Vanessa, the blonde was tall with seemingly endless legs.
“Did Mom invite a lawyer?” Mark asked. “You look like you just spotted an enemy.”
“No.” She forced a smile. “Just thinking about something. Excuse me. I’m going to go snag a drink.”
Vanessa made her way around the room, trying to get a look at the blonde without being obvious. The woman was gorgeous in front too. Maybe she’s an aspiring actress or something. L.A. was filthy with them.
When the woman laid a hand on Justin’s sleeve, Vanessa ground her teeth. She wanted to slap the bitch, but she and Justin were trying to keep their marriage secret. Nothing would get them outed faster than public jealousy.
Still, Justin didn’t have to look quite so happy while flirting with the woman!
Vanessa poured herself a glass of ginger ale and stuffed her mouth with a miniature appetizer, wishing she could leave.
* * *
Justin looked around. He swore he’d seen Vanessa chatting with her brothers, but now she was gone.
He sighed impatiently. Once it got around that Justin Sterling was in the room, everyone wanted to talk to him. A few people asked how he knew Ceinlys, like they wanted to figure out how they might be able to use their connection to her to suck up to him. Even so, he smiled at everyone politely and laughed at the appropriate moments. Unlike Barron, he didn’t believe in baring his talons…until he had to gut somebody. His great-uncle thought everyone should fear him. Justin reserved that for those who worked for him or who dared to cross him.