“Absolutely,” Liam and Natalie said in unison.
Colleen stood along with Janice. “He still cares about you, Janice,” she said. “I suspect you still care a lot about him. Talking honestly is the right thing to do, no matter what the end result is.”
Janice sniffed and gave Colleen a quick hug. She gave Mari, Liam and Natalie a thankful glance before she hurried out of the room, obviously intent on following Colleen’s recommendation.
Colleen turned her head at the sound of someone clearing his throat.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Eric leaning against the counter, his arms crossed beneath his chest, his eyes smoldering. He’d been watching the whole exchange—and her—with apparent interest. His lips tilted into a small, sardonic grin.
Embarrassment flooded her.
She’d just been caught in the act. Of all the people at this party, why had Eric Reyes had to be a witness to her bout of romantic advice-giving?
Chapter Five
She broke eye contact with Eric.
“This kitchen is getting too crowded,” she said after Janice had left the room. She pointed at Eric. “You, take out a fresh bowl of dip, please, and you—” she transferred her finger to her brother “—go and dance with your fiancée and have a terrific time.”
“Don’t even try and argue with her,” Liam told Eric from the side of his mouth as he passed him, Natalie’s hand in his. “I grew up with her. We called her the little general. Resistance is futile.”
Colleen smiled and rolled her eyes at Liam’s joke, but she still had difficulty meeting Eric’s gaze. She noticed that he’d opened the refrigerator door and was following her instructions. To her horror, Mari excused herself to get some bottles of soda from the garage, and she was left alone with Eric in the kitchen. She bustled over to the cabinet and pretended to be utterly involved with the fascinating task of setting glasses on the counter.
Damn it, she thought irritably as she gave him a sideways glance. How did he do smug so effortlessly?
“So, what was that all about?” he murmured, leaning against the counter. With that infamous little smirk, lazy pose and immaculate suit, he looked ready for the glossy page of a men’s magazine.
“What?” she replied airily.
“That. What just happened with Janice,” he said, nodding toward the table.
She glanced away, her expression stubborn. “A guest was upset. I consoled her.”
“Whatever happened to demonstrating the dangers of a quick marriage for Liam and Natalie’s sake? You sounded more like an advice columnist for True Romance Confidential than someone demonstrating the value of wisdom and logic when it comes to love.”
Her irritation went on instant froth-mode.
“True Romance Confidential,” she snorted. “You just made that up. There was nothing wrong with the advice I gave Janice,” she said defensively when he gave her a bland look.
“So…you weren’t being completely honest when you said you agreed with me that two people shouldn’t be so impulsive when it came to love,” he said in a mellow tone, completely ignoring her rising fury. “I’m starting to think you’re a closet romantic, Colleen.”
“Well, here’s what I think about what you think, Reyes—” she burst out heatedly, then paused when she heard Mari’s quick footsteps in the back hallway.
“I’d better go and replace the dip,” he said, smiling.
“Yeah. You’d better.” She flung open the freezer door and reached for the ice.
“Is everything okay, Colleen?” Mari asked a few seconds later, probably noticing the loud clanking noise Colleen made as she tossed ice cubes into glasses with undue force.
“Of course. I’m fine,” she mumbled, taking a deep breath and exhaling. Why did she let him get to her? Who cared what Eric thought about her? “But I should know better than to get involved in Janice and Tony’s family conflict.”
“I disagree. I’m glad you said what you did to Janice. Marc thinks it was a real shame those two ever broke up. Janice and Tony were the perfect example of a communication breakdown. They never really did talk in all the months leading up to their di
vorce,” Mari said as she placed a tray on the counter and arranged the glasses on it. She gave Colleen a significant glance. “Besides, I think we both know it’s best to be open about this stuff. Pushing things down never helped in the long run. Secrets are toxic.”
“That’s the truth,” Colleen admitted, thinking about past Kavanaugh family secrets. Silence hadn’t done much to alleviate the pain of those secrets once they were revealed. In fact, the years of silence had made the truth even more painful when it was finally brought to the surface.
“Which reminds me…have you heard from Deidre?” Mari asked as Colleen poured cranberry juice into one of the glasses. She glanced up, noticing the tension in Mari’s tone. Her sister-in-law’s thoughts had obviously taken the same path as her own.