“Nope,” he said, not even breaking his stride.
I let it go and focused on keeping up with him. I had worked with Nick long enough to know that I had to pick my battles. It was enough that we were there, that he was willing to try, despite the fact that all his better angels were telling him to run.
Now, if I can just keep him from throwing himself off the banister, we might actually have a shot at pulling this whole thing off.
Chapter 9
I had attended luncheons with Mitchell Hunter before. They usually involved several hundred people lounging casually in the ballroom of some great hotel, sipping champagne and gossiping amongst themselves about one another whenever anyone was out of earshot. I had been a guest at tea time with Mitchell as well, and that usually consisted of several senators, diplomats, or members of the British Parliament doing the same thing. I’d even been to informal gatherings with Mitchell Hunter, but in spite of the “informal” on the fancy embossed invitations, they were still black tie, catered, and entertained by the latest classical or jazz sensation. The one thing I’d never been to with Mitchell before was a Hunter family gathering.
Based on what I knew, I expected it to be more of the same. Nick and Mitchell rarely had any contact unless it was in the presence of at least a dozen members of their staff. Conversations were brief and scripted, and I didn’t expect the introduction to be any different. Therefore, I was completely blown away when it turned out to be just the four of us.
“Nicholas!” Mitchell stood the second we stepped onto the porch. He practically floated across the patio to greet his son with a warmth just as contrived as Nick’s smile. “So glad you and Abby have made it.”
Abby? I’m just Abby now?
Nick stiffened as his father clapped him fondly on the shoulder, but his smile remained. “Well, we were, uh...lucky enough to have some help this morning getting out the door.”
Mitchell froze for a split second before turning swiftly to me. “Abby.” He said my name like we were the oldest of friends, then leaned down quickly to plant a kiss on each of my cheeks. “You look more radiant than ever. Married life suits you.”
Yeah, well, it’s actually the post-morning sickness glow, Grandpa.
“It’s good to see you, Mitchell,” I said as sweetly as I could manage, glancing around the gorgeous patio. “This is a beautiful estate.”
“Thank you, thank you.” He motioned us to the table, where a tall blonde was pushing slowly to her feet. “Please allow me to introduce Claudia.”
I punched Nick discreetly in the ribs, and he took off his sunglasses with a soft sigh just as the woman turned around and fixed a blinding smile on us.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said in a breathy, feminine voice. “Mitch has told me such wonderful things.”
For a second, all I could do was stare. I’d seen pictures of Mitchell’s ex-wives before, as part of my job as a publicist. With the exception of Nick’s lovely mother, they all seemed to fall into a certain type: blonde hair, blue eyes, bleached white teeth, and legs for days. They were all striking, absolutely beautiful, with the kind of smiles models had airbrushed on magazine covers the kind of smirks drivers wore when cutting someone off in traffic, and the kind of scowls that sent the house staff running for the hills. Claudia could have easily been their queen.
Every square inch of her was tan, waxed, and buffed to perfection. Her makeup was flawless, her hair a work of art. No less than three diamond tennis bracelets dangled from each wrist.
As she stepped forward to shake my hand, I was momentarily terrified she was going to accidentally slice off my finger with her massive engagement ring. I could only stare a moment, weighing the potential consequences before I nervously extended my hand.
She wrapped it quickly in a pair of ice-cold, perfectly manicured talons.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. We were...” I gulped and tried to start again. “We were so excited when Mitchell decided to have us up for the week.”
“Oh, that was my idea.” She flashed that perfect smile once again, and I found myself literally counting her teeth; either she had more than a normal human being or she was just flashing them in such a way that I was worried she might take a bite out of me. “I thought it would be good to have a little time to get to know my new family before the engagement party,” she said, then turned her heavily painted eyes in Nick’s direction, “especially to get to know Mitch’s only son.”
Mitchell visibly stiffened behind her as Nick offered a polite smile.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said softly, as he had done so many times before. The Ray-Bans were safe in his jacket pocket, and I felt confident that his natural charm and well-honed bullshitting and schmoozing ability would see us through the rest. “My father’s told me great things.”
She gripped his hand lightly, running her thumb across his knuckles. “Likewise.”
For a moment, they both stared at one another, as if testing the truth of their words, even though they both knew full well there wasn’t a chance in hell that any of it was honest.
Finally, Nick smiled again and pulled her chair out for her. Mitchell did the same with mine, and together, the four of us settled around the table.
Hands down, it
was one of the strangest encounters I’d ever experienced, and I had recently spent time with the infamous Ella Campbell. Perhaps the strangest part was that everyone around the table tried his or her best to act as if the situation was normal, like it was just a casual family lunch when it was anything but. What it was was a quartet of two sets of uneasy diners, virtual strangers, on a $100 million estate, surrounded by a sea of faceless waiters, and no one really wanted to be there.
“So, Nick...” Claudia hesitated suddenly. “Is it all right if I call you Nick?”
He flashed her a tight smile and downed his mimosa. “Of course.”