But Taylor sincerely cared nothing for how she looked. She was unrepentantly antisocial. She liked being by herself, and she hated getting stuck in a crowd. But her pose of resentment was mostly put on. Amanda could see a glint of humor in her eyes behind the scowl.
So she laughed again. “Your sacrifice is noted and appreciated.” She intended to move on after that, but instead her gaze landed once again on Robert. She wasn’t sure why she lingered, but she did. “I’m glad you could come, Robert.”
He shrugged. He had some of his niece’s antisocial characteristics, although not so pronounced. “Are you?”
She’d been about to turn away, but the unexpected question stilled her. She frowned. “Yes?”
“Was that an answer or a question?”
Her frown deepened. They’d always been on mostly friendly terms, so there was no reason for him to be obnoxious right now. “It was supposed to be an answer, but if you’re annoying, you’ll make me second-guess it.”
He gave a soft huff of what looked like dry amusement. “I didn’t intend to be annoying.”
She rolled her eyes. Why was he such a distraction this afternoon? He was the much younger brother of Taylor’s father, so he was only around ten years older than they were. She’d always thought of him as too mature for her interest, but he looked unexpectedly attractive today. Maybe it was the expensive, well-cut suit. The fine pair of shoulders beneath it. The dark eyes and hair with a sprinkling of silver.
He was a handsome man. And very intelligent. And his presence was bugging her today for some reason.
“I think you did intend to be annoying, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the least important item on my list of concerns today.” Amanda was known for being blunt. People expected it of her. So neither Robert nor Taylor raised an eyebrow at her tone.
Taylor snickered. “I guess that put you in your place, Uncle Robert. You’re there at the bottom of her list. Are you really stressed out, Amanda? You seem so cool and composed about everything.”
“It’s fine. Everything is going pretty smoothly. Just my mom being my mom.”
“Let me know if you need any help,” Taylor said. “I’d much rather sit here and avoid talking to people, but if you really need anything, I’ll summon the will to get up.”
“Thanks for the very generous offer, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” With another flash of a smile, Amanda moved on, acutely aware of Robert’s eyes following her as she did.
What the hell?
Why was he watching her that way?
And why did she even care about it right now?
Attempting to put it out of her mind, she continued circulating around the room, stopping to chat with each table in turn and making sure that everyone felt acknowledged and was enjoying themselves.
That was what she did. Take care of other people and pretend she didn’t need to be taken care of herself.
ROBERT CASTLEMAN TRIED not to let his eyes follow Amanda around the room, but he failed. Entirely.
Something was wrong with her.
She was putting on a good show. She always did. In the four years he’d known Amanda, she’d always been ultracomposed no matter the circumstances. Angry or upset or dumbfounded or overcome with amusement, she never lost her controlled demeanor or perfect poise.
That and a sharp intelligence and a body worth drooling over were the characteristics he was most acutely aware of regarding her.
But today her composure was shaky. She was more than upset. Every once in a while, he caught a glimpse of something heartbroken. Like she was near tears but trying not to give in to them.
The idea troubled Robert unduly.
From the first moment he’d moved back to Richmond and encountered Amanda, she’d troubled him. He’d gone to a cookout in the park that his brother was throwing to celebrate his daughter, Taylor, earning her master’s degree in art history. He’d assumed it would be a pleasant but boring affair. He’d been camped out in a lawn chair with a beer and was idly admiring the shapely legs and ass of a blonde in the parking lot as she bent over to inspect a slightly deflated tire.
Only to discover that the woman he was lusting over was a good friend of his niece’s and thus definitely not on the list of appropriate objects of desire for him.
From that moment forward, Amanda had always bothered him—attracting too much of his attention and interest and worry.
Robert had spent most of his life minding his own business. He took care of his family—he’d left a lucrative finance job in London so he could live closer to his aging mother—but otherwise he focused on work and staying out of unnecessary interpersonal drama.
He’d never been married. He’d only had two real girlfriends in his life, and those were both when he was in college. He’d had plenty of enthusiastic partners in the bedroom, but he preferred to keep sex casual. He’d watched his parents struggle in their marriage. He’d seen his brother’s marriage implode. He’d witnessed friend after friend go through relational heartbreak, and he had no interest in putting himself in that position too.
He had a perfectly fulfilling, comfortable life. He had a good job and plenty of money and could find a woman to have sex with whenever he wanted.
He didn’t need to fall in love.
He didn’t even want to.
So the way Amanda always drew his interest troubled him. A lot.
It wasn’t like she was all that special. She was beautiful. No doubt about that with her small, curvy figure, bright hair, and deep eyes. Her mouth was a little too wide for classic beauty, but her smile transformed her face.
Transformed everything.
But still... He’d known beautiful women before, and they hadn’t affected him like this. Maybe it was just because so much seemed to be going on beneath the surface of her. She was a mystery. A puzzle. And he simply wanted to solve it.
That was probably it. He’d always been stimulated by a challenge.
He comforted himself with the thought as he sipped his scotch (not bad, but not the best quality) and watched as Amanda made a circuit around the room, performing social duties like a master.
“You’re staring,” Taylor muttered beside him.
He blinked, turning toward his niece in surprise. He’d thought Taylor was wrapped up in the word game she’d been playing on her phone. “What?”
“You’re staring. It’s becoming obvious.”
A hot wave of discomfort started to rise inside him before he took control of it. With a wry smile, he replied, “Something seems off about her. I was trying to figure out what it is.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Taylor made a face as she glanced over toward Amanda. “It’s a hard day for her.”
“Why?” He normally wouldn’t have inquired into someone’s private life, but in this case he felt like he needed to know.
Taylor opened her mouth but then closed it again. “She had to plan this whole ridiculous circus in a month. It’s enough to wipe anyone out.”
Robert knew that wasn’t the real answer. Something else was wrong with Amanda, and his niece knew what it was.
But she clearly wasn’t going to tell him.
He wanted to pursue the matter, but he was smart enough to know it would give away far too much of his own interest.