To his surprise, Claire leaned her head against the seat and laughed. Seeing her genuine smile, the threat of red, the tension, and the nervous energy slipped away. It wasn’t until she said, “I’m nervous to see all of them again,” that he realized how truly difficult this was on her. He’d tried to pave the way, but he’d also been the one to set up the roadblocks.
One more time, he reached for her chin, but without the earlier tension. Tony wanted nothing more than to help. “There may be questions—personal questions. This isn’t the press. They’re people who know me—know us—and they’re going to want to know what happened.”
Claire nodded.
“I’ve given this scenario a lot of thought. We both know that we can’t be one hundred percent truthful.”
“Obviously,” Claire murmured.
Tony cleared his throat. “Like I said, we need to be on the same page. I contacted you while you were in prison—”
“You did no such—”
His darkening gaze stopped her protest, as his baritone voice dropped an octave, slowing his words. “We must be together on this. No one’s going to believe that this just happened. We have to let them think that it’s been in the works for a while. Besides, that’s what the press release said. We need to create a believable history.”
Claire sucked in her cheeks, pursed her lips, and lowered her chin. Turning toward him, she said, “Fine, you’re the master of deception, what’s our believable history?”
“I contacted you at the prison—first by letter, and eventually, I began to visit.” He waited for her rebuttal. When none came, he went on, “Initially, we were both upset—and hurt. After all, I believed you tried to kill me, and you believed I abandoned you.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she agreed. “All right, abandoned is appropriate.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, “Communication—we began talking. I realized that it was all a misunderstanding. Despite the evidence, you convinced me that you weren’t responsible.”
“Then who?”
“We may never know. There had been some deliveries and some new groundskeepers had been hired. Perhaps it was a business rival—we’ll probably never know. The clues are long gone and the police concentrated on the wrong person.”
With each comment, Claire’s gaze mellowed.
Tony continued, “I personally went to Governor Bosley. He attended our wedding, and in the past, I’d done him some favors. He agreed to your petition for pardon. Since then…” Tony continued weaving a history that his friends would accept. Slowly, he saw Claire’s stance relax and her gaze become more accepting. It seemed that Claire, too, wanted this evening to go well. Was it because there was a small part of her that wanted it to be real, or was it because she was afraid of the consequences if she didn’t? Tony prayed it was the former.
Upon opening Claire’s door, Tony looked into her nervous expression. “I’m not leading you into the den of lions,” he whispered.
“No,” she sighed. “You’ve already done that.”
“This time I won’t leave you,” he promised. “I’ll stay by your side, and you won’t be alone.”
Nodding, Claire grasped his extended hand. Their fingers intertwined as they approached the stately home. He leaned down. “I’d hoped seeing everyone here first would be easier than seeing them for the first time in a crowd.”
“It probably will be; nevertheless, I think I’m going to be ill.”
He pulled her to a stop and searched her face under the darkening sky. “Your color looks good. You look amazing. I promise,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I’m right here.” His grin broadened. “A man of my word.”
Claire reached up and kissed his cheek, sending a wave of warmth through his entire body. In her voice he heard true gratitude. “Thank you.” He didn’t deserve it; Tony knew that. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to hear.
Before they pressed the doorbell, Tim opened the door. With Sue by his side, he politely offered a greeting, “Welcome to our home, Tony, Claire.”
Tony glanced to Sue. She motioned toward their sitting room and said, “Please come in.”
Everyone was there—all of Tony’s closest friends. Six pairs of eyes stared as the room fell deadly silent, and Claire tightened her grip of his hand. Tony was about to speak when Courtney placed her wine glass on the table and walked toward them. It was as if she didn’t see Tony, as her blue eyes glassed over with tears. Suddenly, Claire was engulfed in Courtney’s embrace. He had no choice but to release her hand.
All of his work to prepare Claire was a waste of time. The two women were hugging, crying, and holding on to one another for dear life. Tony watched in horror, as one by one, the other women joined the hugfest until Claire was surrounded. Helplessly, he watched as all of the women disappeared into the kitchen. It wasn’t until Tim slapped him on the shoulder and said, “It’s a good thing,” that Tony released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
The advantage to dating women whom you cared nothing about was the lack of drama. While Claire was gone, he never brought anyone around his friends; there was no need. Now that he had Claire back with the few people in the world whom he respected and valued, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he’d never figure out women. They were far too complicated.
The evening progressed exceptionally well. Most of the time when Tony looked to Claire, she was by his side, saying or doing the perfect thing. At one point, Tony realized that both Claire and Brent were missing. Remembering Brent’s icy response from less than a week ago, Tony’s heart beat quickened as he searched. Courtney saw his concern and joined him. Together, they found Brent and Claire in the kitchen simply discussing California. When Courtney asked Claire for her cell number, Tony filled with relief, seeing that his friends were truly supporting his decision.
It wasn’t until Brent announced that he and Courtney needed to leave, that Tony asked to have a private talk amongst the four of them. Suddenly, Claire’s performance faltered. She seemed anxious. Why could she talk to them in the house, but feared being alone? Tony wanted to reassure her that it was all right, that his friends were already helping her more than she knew.
As they thanked Tim and Sue for hosting the dinner, Sue asked, “Could you please wait just a minute?” Without waiting for an answer, she hurried away toward the stairs.
Puzzled, Tony looked down to Claire and heard Courtney say, “I think she’s going to get Sean. He’s upstairs with the nanny.” Claire didn’t verbally respond, but her eyes did. He’d seen that look before, questioning, asking. He shrugged and Claire turned to Courtney. “Can you stay for a few more minutes? I know you have a lot to do, and Tony wants to talk—”
“Oh, honey,” Courtney replied, “I always have time for babies. Wait until you see him!”
While they waited for Sue to return with Sean, Tony remembered Sue’s initial reaction and realized what a big step this was for her. Obviously, even without that knowledge, Claire recognized it. When Tony refocused, Courtney and Brent were talking about grandchildren. Moments later, Sue appeared with a pajama-clad Sean. The last time Tony had seen their son had been at his birthday party. Kids’ parties weren’t really Tony’s thing, and he hadn’t stayed long, but the kid was cute with blonde hair like his mom’s. Tony met Sue’s gaze and nodded approvingly, before she turned toward his ex-wife. “Claire, I wanted you to meet Sean. I’m sorry. This is past his bedtime, and the poor little guy is getting tired.”