Peter looked at the clock. “I better get going.”
“I wanted to remind you about Dr. Cooper’s fund-raiser on Friday night. It’s at eight.”
Peter groaned. “Do I really have to go to that? It’s so stuffy.”
“Boyfriend duties.”
“Fine,” Peter said. “But I’m planning our date on Saturday.”
“Sure. Plan away.”
Peter swooped down to kiss me. “I have to go.”
“I’ll be back to get you when practice is over.”
Peter kissed me goodbye one more time before he grabbed his skates by their laces and jogged off to practice.
* * *
“Watch out for the mailbox.” Peter twisted around in the passenger seat.
“I see it.” There was no way I was going to crash the car again. I’d only gotten it back a few days ago.
We pulled out of my driveway and drove down Apple Orchard Road. Accident free. We turned right and drove by the Coopers’ house.
“Looks like they left already,” Peter said. “At least Lucas will be there.”
“It won’t be that bad. Music. Appetizers. We’ll be there two hours, tops. Our Friday night will be salvageable. Besides, Dr. Cooper is hosting the fund-raiser, so it’s good to show support.”
I made a left onto Cedar Mill. I pointed to the two-story colonial brick with thick front columns. “They might be there tonight, so just ignore James.”
“The Van Curens live there?” Peter peered out the passenger window. “It’s like two blocks from your house. No wonder Lover Boy always shows up on your doorstep. The house doesn’t look lived in.”
“It’s only James and his father.”
Peter was right. Nothing indicated that the Van Curens lived in the house, other than the two cars in the driveway—the red Range Rover and a black Lexus. In their defense, they only moved in a month ago.
I made another right. “Looks like everyone’s here.”
The Hallows Country Club was located at the back of the neighborhood. Every resident of the Hallows was automatically a member of the Club. They also accepted nonresidents as members, but they had to pay a large fee.
The grounds consisted of a clubhouse, a small restaurant, a golf course, a golf pro shop, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Valet parking was available and there was a parking lot to the right.
We parked in the lot.
Peter helped me out of my tiny car. I was wearing a dress and it wasn’t an easy task. I had on a green knee-length number, with tights (it was November in Massachusetts) and heels. Peter wore a gray suit with a red tie.
Large floodlights hidden in the shrubbery bounced off the single-story building. A large wooden Hallows Country Club sign was nestled in between the bushes near the entrance. We passed the valet under the carport and walked up the steps to the double French doors. A buzz of noise came from within. I squeezed Peter’s hand, not sure if I was trying to reassure him or myself.
Antique furniture decorated the lobby. Plush red carpet lined the floors. Old-fashioned wallpaper with red, pink and white flowers covered the top half of the walls. The bottom half was dark paneled wood. A giant crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room.
Mary Cooper stood behind a folding table outside the entrance to the banquet hall. She was tall and lanky, like her sons, with short blonde hair and a pointy chin.
“Alexandria! How are you dear?” She came out from behind the table. “You look beautiful! I’m so glad to see you. Let me know if you need anything. I’m sorry about Bradley. Lucas was pretty torn up about it.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cooper. It was really nice of your family to come to the funeral.”
“And look at you, Peter LaViollette. So handsome! How’s your mother doing?” Mrs. Cooper embraced Peter, too. She was that type of mom. The twins were lucky to have her.
“She’s doing well,” Peter replied.
“I have to give out name tags.” Mrs. Cooper retrieved little white stickers from the table. “Silly, right? Like we don’t know everyone by name.”
“Are Lucas and Logan inside?” Peter asked.
“Sure are. They’re itching to leave, too.” Mrs. Cooper frowned.
Another couple appeared behind us. We waved goodbye to Mrs. Cooper and headed into the banquet hall.
The room was full to capacity. Men were dressed in suits or blazers, a few even had on tuxedos. The women wore dresses. A live jazz band played in the back of the room. Waiters carrying trays of drinks and appetizers wove in between the mass of people.
I didn’t see Victor or Emma.
“Ramsey! Peter!” Lucas was with his brother near the kitchen entrance.
Lucas usually called me by my last name, but hearing it now made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t a Ramsey. I was a… well, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was, but I knew what I wasn’t. Of course, Lucas had no idea that I was having identity issues.
The Cooper twins were wearing suits, too. Lucas had a striped tie and Logan a blue one. Their shaggy blond hair was combed for once, but they looked different. Then I realized Logan was wearing glasses. I’d never known the twins to have bad eyesight.
“Hey, Lucas.” I kissed him on the cheek. “Nice glasses, Logan.”
“I got them today.” Logan adjusted the thin frames.
Lucas rolled his eyes. “They’re just for looks. He has 20/20 vision.”
Logan was trying to differentiate himself from his twin. I could understand that. “They look nice,” I said.
“Thanks, Alex. Hey, Peter, great game the other night,” Logan said.
“We barely pulled out the win,” Peter said. “I saw you in the stands with Keith.”
A waiter appeared with a tray of champagne flutes filled with punch. She handed the glasses of pink liquid to us. Lucas grabbed a couple of quiches off another tray.
Logan took a quiche from his brother and popped it into his mouth. He turned to Peter. “How’s Anne Marie?”
Uh oh.
Lucas looked at his brother in disbelief.
I did the same. Was Logan really asking Peter about his sister? Come to think of it, Logan and Anne Marie were dancing together at the Halloween party. Maybe they hit it off?
Peter raised his light brown eyebrows. “She’s fine. Any reason why you’re asking?”
Logan blinked.
I would’ve paid good money to know what Logan was thinking at that moment. He was being extremely brave. Peter was protective of me, but he was super protective of his little sister.
After Peter’s dad passed away, Peter became the man of the LaViollette house. He helped financially support his family and he looked after Anne Marie. Whenever Anne Marie did decide to date, she was going to be in for a headache. Peter was definitely the clean-the-rifle-in-front-of-the-boyfriend-type.
Logan swallowed. “I thought she’d be at your hockey game, but she wasn’t there.”
Lucas hit Logan on the arm. “Dude, she’s fifteen.”
“She’ll be sixteen next month,” Logan said.
That was true. Anne Marie would be sixteen on December fifth. A Sweet Sixteen Birthday countdown calendar had been hanging on her bedroom wall for the past few years.
“How do you know when she’s turning sixteen?” Peter asked.
Logan shrugged. “We’ve been talking on the phone a little.”
Everyone went silent while we digested that new piece of information. I waited for Peter to react. We all waited for Peter to react.
Peter visibly swallowed. “Logan….”
I discreetly grabbed Peter’s arm. He couldn’t smother Anne Marie. Logan was a nice guy and he came from a great family. I squeezed his forearm and gave him a “be civil” look.
Peter placed his glass on an empty tray. “Logan, I’m not going to be a jerk and say stay away from my sister. If she likes you, then... I don’t need to issue a warning, do I?”
“No, of course not,” Logan said. “I’d never do anyth
ing out of line. I really like her.”
Peter nodded. I think he realized Logan was harmless, but I was sure Peter was going to keep an eye on Logan from here on out. And two on Anne Marie.
“Have you seen Emma and Victor?” I asked the twins.
Lucas pointed to a group across the room.
“I should go say hi,” I said to Peter. “Do you want to come?”
Victor stood in a circle with a few of his fraternity buddies. Emma, next to Victor, swayed in her beaded silver gown.
I turned to Peter. “Don’t answer that question. I’m going to run over and say hello. Stay here with the twins. I’ll be right back.”
Peter kissed me on the forehead. “Come back in one piece.”
Victor, Emma and their friends were gathered in a loose circle on the other side of the banquet hall. I maneuvered through the crowd and stood next to Emma.
“I called the agency to tell them to send another one over, but they’re processing the paperwork about as fast as molasses flowing uphill.” Victor laughed and pulled at his suspenders with his thumb. “I don’t have anyone to drive me around. Hey Paul, you got anyone extra I can borrow?”
What a jerk.
Victor stopped laughing once he saw me. “Nice of you to join us, Alexandria. Did you just arrive?”
We were in public so Victor was laying on the niceness.
“Yes, I came with Peter.”
Emma petted my hair. Her eyes were bloodshot. “You should’ve put your hair up and worn that pink dress.”
I ducked away from her swooping hand. “Sorry.”
Victor and his buddies returned to their conversation. I didn’t have anything to add, so I stood silent. I was counting the minutes until it was acceptable for me to leave. Five minutes would be an adequate amount of quality time with my family. Half family. Mother and stranger / stepfather. Whatever.
My eyes were glued to the pendulum clock on the opposite wall. That’s why I didn’t see them approach.
William Van Curen slapped a cordial hand on Victor’s shoulder. Victor choked on his beer from the surprise contact, but recovered and greeted Mr. Van Curen. I remembered that William was a Harvard alumnus, too. He fell into conversation with Victor and his buddies.
William was wearing a tuxedo. His salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed away from his face. James silently slipped into the circle next to his father. He wore a dark suit with light pinstripes.
James didn’t look at me. He kept his attention focused on his father. After our fight at my locker on Monday, I’d avoided James for the remainder of the week. I figured he needed time to cool off and collect his thoughts. Now it seemed he was giving me a dose of my own medicine. I’d at least acknowledged his presence when I saw him in the halls at Hawthorne. So far I was getting nothing. Not even a glance.
William reached across the circle and took Emma’s hand. “Emma Ramsey, you look ravishing. Victor, you are a lucky man.”
“Thank you, Mr…” Emma said.
“Van Curen. William Van Curen.”
“And this must be Alexandria,” William said to me. “I’ve seen you around, I believe, but I’ve never had the opportunity to be properly introduced. I’m delighted.”
Liar.
Mr. Van Curen was laying it on thick, too. He wasn’t this nice. I’d met him at the attendance office on James’s first day of school. He treated me like a leper and he hadn’t treated James any better. Speaking of James, he still wouldn’t make eye contact.
“Nice to meet you again, Mr. Van Curen. Hello, James.” I raised my eyebrows at my friend.
James finally looked my way. “Hey, Alex.”
William watched the awkward interaction between me and his son. A smile froze on his lips. His eyes lowered to my neck. “That is a lovely necklace.”
My fingers clutched the silver ‘R’ charm. For some reason, I never took the necklace off. “It was a birthday present from my grandmother.”
“Does the ‘R’ stand for Ramsey?” William asked.
“No, it’s for Ross. My mother’s family name.” I don’t know why I answered that way. It just came out.
I’d never seen Victor’s beady eyes grow so large.
Emma’s drink sloshed over the side of the glass and spilled onto the carpet. “She sent that to you?”
“No.”
“How’d you get it?”
“She gave it to me.”
Emma and Grandma Claudia didn’t get along. That’s why I never told Emma about my visits to Salem. But what did it matter? Emma never knew when I was coming or going. Come to think of it, Emma didn’t really care about anything going on in my life. Why would this be any different?
I scanned the room for Peter. He was talking to Lucas and Logan near the kitchen. After half a second, we made eye contact. Both of his eyebrows rose in question. I shook my head. Everything was okay.
Well, everything was okay unless Emma was about to make a scene.
Sure enough, her eyes narrowed. “You went to Salem?”
“Please don’t do this now,” I whispered. “We can talk about it later.” I prayed she wouldn’t make a scene. Half of Hazel Cove was here.
“Answer my question!”
Conversation ceased. Victor and his buddies shifted uncomfortably.
“I’ve visited her a few times. She’s my grandmother,” I said quietly.
I made a silent plea to Victor with my eyes. If anyone wanted to avoid a public scene, it was Victor. His reputation meant more to him than anything.
He sat his beer bottle on the table behind him. He calmly placed his hands on my mother’s shoulders. “Emma.”
She shrugged him off. “Not now, Victor.” She sipped her drink and eyed me over the champagne flute. “I don’t want you seeing her anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so,” Emma said.
“Whatever happened between you two has nothing to do with me. You can’t forbid me from going down there.”
Emma shrugged. “I can do whatever I want.”
“You can’t pick and choose when to act like a mother.”
“What did you say?” Emma hiccupped. “You will not go to Salem again. And give me that stupid necklace!” Her hand shot out like a striking viper. Perfectly manicured nails scratched my throat as she ripped the charm from my neck.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd around us.
Victor looked around nervously. “Emma, please!”
I dropped to the ground to pick up the necklace. The shock of my mom’s attack subsided and I became enraged. “Are you crazy?”
“I’m not crazy. Your grandmother is crazy!”
“At least she’s not a drunk! Or a liar!” I stood up and clenched the necklace in my fist. I didn’t care that most of Hazel Cove was watching. Let them see how crazy Emma Ramsey really was.
“I’ve never lied to you,” Emma said, more to the crowd than to me.
“You’re lying right now. It’s a lie every single day. I know about Ethan Longfellow.” The second the words left my mouth, I knew it was a mistake. It was a low blow and I immediately felt guilty.
Emma’s glass slipped out of her hand. The champagne flute bounced off the carpet twice before its contents spilled onto the floor. The liquid splashed all over my tights and Emma’s silver beaded dress.
Victor froze.
Well, I finally had James’s attention. His forehead wrinkled like he was solving a difficult math problem. He shifted his weight forward, like he wanted to help me, but William placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“She told you about Ethan?” Emma reeked of alcohol.
“No. I found out myself. Grandma Claudia only confirmed it. I’m sorry.”
Emma’s shoulders crumbled. She was so drunk and distressed that I thought she was going to cry. A range of emotions glided across her face. Grief and defeat looked like they were going to win out, until she looked at me. Her face transformed into rage.
“You st
upid little…!” Emma’s long fingers curled into a claw and she swiped at my face.
I didn’t have time to close my eyes.
A hand shot out from behind me and grabbed Emma’s hand before she made contact with my face. Peter’s fingers tightened around Emma’s wrist. He maneuvered himself in between me and my drunken mother.
“Don’t ever raise your hand to her again,” Peter said to Emma, squeezing her wrist. Icy blue eyes flickered to Victor. “Grab your wife.”
Victor didn’t argue. He took Emma by the shoulders and pulled her away. I think he was still in shock over my Ethan revelation.
I couldn’t believe Emma tried to attack me. In public. What was she going to do? Claw my eyes out?
Peter put his hand on the small of my back and guided me away from my parents.
James’s mouth was hanging open in disbelief, just like most of the people in the banquet hall. Hazel Cove, meet the real Ramseys.
The crowd parted as we walked outside. Dr. Cooper nodded to Peter and me. I didn’t see the twins, but I was sure they saw the whole scene. I kept my eyes on the carpet, too embarrassed to face anyone.
As soon as the cold air hit my face, the tears fell.
“Lex, come here. Screw them, okay? You can stay with me tonight.” Peter leaned against the car and pulled me to him. “I can’t wait until you get out of that house.”
“I didn’t mean to say that to Emma,” I sobbed. “I was angry. It slipped out. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault. She was acting psycho. Here, give me your necklace. I think my mom has an extra chain we can use—”
“Alex?” A familiar voice came from behind us.
Peter closed his eyes and sighed.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “Hi, James.”
James pointed his thumb back at the clubhouse. “That was craziness. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
James walked around the back of the car. “I had no idea your parents were so… I’m really sorry about what happened. I can’t imagine what you’ve been dealing with these past few weeks. And I’ve been such a jerk to you.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I shrugged. “I’ll be all right.”
Peter squeezed my arm. “We should go, Lex. It’s cold.”