Vanessa nodded to him and turned to the partners. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes.” John glanced at his watch. “For the last twenty-six minutes.”
She flushed. “I wish you’d called.”
“Nonsense,” Barron said, his gaze turning flinty as he glanced at John. “I’d never let anybody disturb my niece’s morning.”
She blinked a few times. “Your niece?”
Barron wiped his hands clean and rose. Facing her, he spread his arms. “Welcome to the family, Vanessa.”
She stared at Barron, then at the partners. The latter looked quite pleased. They were actually beaming at her like she was a prize race-horse who’d just won the triple crown.
“Mr. Sterling, I think there’s been a mistake,” Vanessa said thinly. Despite her suggestion to make their marriage public the night before, she was certain Justin hadn’t gone ahead and told his great-uncle. He knew how Barron was.
“Nonsense. I don’t make mistakes. And please, call me Barron.”
No mistakes? She bit the inside of her cheek. She could think of a few times, but mentioning them now wouldn’t be prudent.
Barron continued, “My only objection to all this is that you didn’t invite me to the wedding. Despite what you might’ve heard, I make a marvelous wedding guest.”
“I’m sure,” she said automatically. Her stomach suddenly started churning. “Excuse me,” she said, then bolted from the conference room.
John yelled from behind her, and Barron muttered something. She couldn’t make out anything, her ears ringing. She reached the bathroom and emptied her stomach.
She rinsed and wiped her mouth. Her cheeks looked flushed, matching the apple red of her hair, but otherwise she was deathly pale. She put a hand to her forehead. How could Barron know about the marriage?
As she walked out of the bathroom, she bumped into Stan. He gave her a smirk too big for his small head. “Now it’s Barron Sterling, eh?”
“Back off, Stan.” She gritted her teeth at how shaky she sounded. It was galling to look weak in front of the enemy. Stan raised a supercilious eyebrow and walked off; she composed herself and marched back into the conference room.
Barron munched on his sugar cookies, while the partners sat to his left, making small talk and trying to appear nonchalant, as though an associate running out was an everyday occurrence. Vanessa closed the door. “Sorry about that.”
“Are you all right? You look a little peaked,” Barron said. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have barged in like this after the unfortunate incident yesterday, but I simply couldn’t wait.”
“I’m fine, thank y—”
“I agree with Mr. Sterling.” Apparently Barron hadn’t given Harry leave to call him by his first name. “You should take some time off. I’ve seen your billable hours, and you’ve been working too hard recently. We’re all quite concerned.”
Concerned? Vanessa’s jaw loosened. Harry hated associates billing fewer than a hundred hours a week, to the point that he called them “parasites.” He probably thought she was the most indolent sloth in the history of mankind since she was only working forty.
“Harry’s right,” Barron said.
“Sir, that’s—”
“Vanessa, we’re family now. You’ll call me Barron, or Uncle Barron, if you wish.”
Her hands tightened into fists. “Naturally.”
Barron rose to his full height. He wasn’t particularly tall, but the confident way he held himself gave him a commanding air. “Take a week or so off. We can do all the right things to welcome you into the family. And perhaps you can change your name while you’re at it? Vanessa Sterling… It has a certain ring to it.”
She forced a smile. “I have to admit, it does,” she said, all the while thinking We’ll see.
* * *
Her cell phone was ringing in her purse when Vanessa made it back to her office. It was Kerri Lloyd, Justin’s cousin.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re family now!” Kerri said. “I thought Barron was joking when he told me this morning.”