Bad for You by Weston Parker
23
TRISTIN
The door to the master suite was closed when I got upstairs. I knocked softly before entering, finding my father struggling with his tie in front of the full-length mirrors that made up their closet doors.
He smiled when he saw me approaching in the reflection, his eyes lighting up despite the frustration lining his features. “I’ve been wearing a tie every day since my twenties, but it seems my fingers are suddenly too stupid to make the damn knot the way I want it.”
“They’re not too stupid,” I said, striding up to him to give him a hand. “They’re just a little out of practice, and they probably weren’t expecting to have to do this again so soon. May I?”
I waited for him to nod before I started helping him. Luke Ramsey was a titan of industry, a proud, capable man who hadn’t needed assistance with anything for decades before the heart attack. I wouldn’t just dive in and do it for him without permission.
My father looked dapper in a dark gray suit, his silvery hair slicked back and his shoulders squared. He wasn’t pale exactly, but he also didn’t look completely healthy either. There was a grayish tinge to his pallor I didn’t like, but it had been there since I’d gotten back.
“Are you sure you’re really ready for a big event like this?” I asked, my eyes on the knot I was busy tying and my voice quiet.
He chuckled into the silence of the suite, shrugging a shoulder. “Your mother seems to think I am.”
Irritation and maybe even a little bit of anger sparked in my blood. I patted his tie once it was done, then stepped away and made sure I had my emotions in check before saying anything.
“You don’t have to do this.” I looked him in the eyes, seeing a faint red rim of tiredness around them, and he wasn’t even downstairs yet. “If you’re not up to it, get back in bed. I’ll bring you up some snacks, and I’ll make your excuses at the party.”
“That’s not necessary, son.” He raised both his hands and planted them on my upper arms, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I want to show folks I’m feeling better, and I won’t stay for long.”
Once again, I held my tongue. This party had been a shitty idea. I understood my mother’s reasoning, but I didn’t agree with it. At the very least, she could’ve held off for another month or two.
“Let me walk you down, then,” I said instead of voicing my opinions. “Just promise me you’ll take it easy, okay?”
“You’ve got it.” He winked one tired but twinkling eye at me, then motioned toward the door.
We descended down the stairs together. When he got snagged by someone almost as soon as we hit the floor, I sought out a butler that had been working for my parents at this house for a long time.
Joseph perked up when he saw me coming, grinning as he held out his hand for me to shake. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, sir. Welcome home.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you too, Joe.” I shook his hand before motioning toward the group of men my father was now standing with. “Do me a favor and keep an eye on Dad for me, will you? I’ll check in with him myself whenever I can, but I want someone to watch him at all times.”
He inclined his graying head and lowered his voice. “I’ll keep him in sight, sir. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll have someone find you immediately if there seems to be cause for concern.”
“Thanks,” I said sincerely, offering the man a smile before I turned to find Brittany. “It really is good to see you, Joe. You’re looking well.”
He returned my smile, then folded his hands in front of him again and angled himself discreetly toward my father. Satisfied that I could trust him to keep an eye on the old man, I started scanning the room to find my date.
I hadn’t intended to leave her alone today at all, least of all only a minute after we’d arrived. When my mother had told me my father needed me, I’d considered bringing her upstairs with me. The only reason I hadn’t was because I hadn’t been sure what to expect. Dad wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him if he’d been nervous or under the weather.
Plus, I hadn’t wanted Brittany to feel like I thought she needed to be babysat. She could hold her own, and I knew it, but I also knew how these people could be. Especially to outsiders. I didn’t want her feeling unwelcome just because they were pretentious snobs.
As I made my way across the room, I was intercepted by various people who wanted to make small talk and welcome me home. I made polite but brief conversation, excusing myself as soon as I possibly could without coming off as rude.
Heaven forbid my mother decided we needed a do-over if she felt like I hadn’t done my part at this party. Along the way, I ran into Faye.
She smiled coyly when she saw me, her maroon-painted lips matching the color on her nails when she lifted her hand in a slight wave. Her white dress had a matching belt cinched around her narrow waist. The look complemented her pale red hair and creamy skin. Even if I wasn’t interested in or attracted to her at all, she looked good.
I told her so when she came up to me, and then I pointed out the son of one of my mother’s friends. “Have you met Alex Woods? He’s not from Raleigh, but he’s a good guy. I’d be happy to introduce you.”
She barely glanced at him before plastering on another smile. “Maybe later. I wanted to apologize to you, actually.”
“To me? What for?” I frowned, focused on her but still looking around for Brittany in my periphery.
“For lunch the other day,” she said, drawing my full attention momentarily back to her. “I asked your mom to set up lunch for us, but I didn’t intend for things to go as far as they did.”
“It’s not your fault reporters saw us together and came to their own conclusion,” I said. “There’s no need to apologize, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”
She let out a relieved breath, then smiled up at me again. “Good, because I was hoping we could catch up sometime, heiress to heir. I’m considering taking a position at my family’s company too, and I’d love to pick your brain.”
“I’d be happy to chat about that,” I said. “Call my office when you’re available, and we’ll set up a meeting.”
“Thank you.” She reached out and touched my arm, letting her hand linger on it for a moment too long.
The gesture made me doubt her intentions a little, but I brushed it off. Maybe she was just one of those touchy-feely people. I knew there were some who thought there had to be some form of touch in every conversation for it to appear genuine. It was possible she was just one of those. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d grabbed my junk or something equally inappropriate. She’d touched my arm. It was no big deal.
After shaking her off, I managed to dodge a few more people wanting to talk to me by telling them I’d be right back, then continued my search for Brittany. I finally found her standing on the patio, her forearms resting on the metal railing as she stared out at the sea.
She looked lost. Out of place. Uncertain. Seeing her like that made my heart clench in my chest. I never should’ve left her alone.
“Hey,” I said, wrapping my arms around her from behind and sweeping her hair over her shoulder to plant an openmouthed kiss on her neck. “What’s going on?”
She relaxed against me but didn’t turn around. Instead, she rested her head against the side of my face and sighed. “I don’t fit in here, Tristin.”
“That’s bullshit.” I held her tighter, my fingers stroking her belly over her dress as I breathed in her sweet scent. “What happened? Did someone say something?”
“No. They didn’t have to.” She turned her head just enough that she could glance up into my eyes. “It’s pretty obvious I don’t belong. People keep looking at me like they’re afraid I’m going to steal the silverware.”
If things went my way—and they would because I didn’t plan on quitting before they did—the silverware would all eventually belong to her. “Ignore them. They just don’t know you. Come make my rounds with me. I’ll introduce you to everyone and make sure they know that you can have anything you want. Silverware included.”
“Don’t joke about this, please?” She let her lids flutter closed before looking at me again. “I just don’t think coming here was a good idea. Go do your thing. I’ll be fine.”
Archer’s booming laughter came from somewhere behind me, and I twisted around with her still in my arms to look for my friend. “Let me introduce you to Archer. He can keep you company when I eventually get pulled away again. If you’d really rather not come in with me, that is.”
I motioned him over as soon as I caught his eye, and he immediately excused himself from some older women I didn’t know to join us. Grinning as he walked up, he raised the beer in his hand to me and came to stand next to us.
“This must be Brittany,” he said, as jovial as always. “It’s so nice to finally meet you properly. You two took off so fast the other night that we didn’t get a chance to get to know each other.”
“This is Archer,” I said to Brittany. “He’s a decent guy, and he won’t think you’re about to take off with the silverware.”
His dark eyes widened, alight with amusement as they came to a rest on her. “Someone seriously thought you were trying to steal silverware? That’s ridiculous. Who would steal silverware when there are so many better things in here you could get your hands on?”
She looked surprised by the comment but then laughed as she lifted her shoulders. “Personally, if I was going to steal anything, it’d probably be some of the priceless art just standing around. I’ve heard those Russian nesting dolls like the ones they have on the mantel can get pretty expensive.”
He leaned in like he was cooking up some plan he would only share with her, nodding as he rubbed his chin between his fingers. “There’s a sword on the wall in the dining room that I think might be encrusted with real jewels.”
“Yeah, but people might start getting suspicious if I walk out of here with a sword,” she replied, tension melting away from her features when she smiled at him. “How about we stick to things that might fit into my tacky purse?”
She held up the bag, and Archer made a show of inspecting it before he shook his head. “Who said it was tacky? At least it can actually hold something. Perhaps you can tell me the truth about clutches. None of the women I’ve asked before have been willing to let me in on the secret, but why do you carry them when they’re so small that most of the stuff you need ends up in our pockets anyway?”
“Beats me,” she said, shrugging as she bent her head conspiratorially toward him. “Don’t tell any of those women that I told you this, but they’re just there to look pretty. Most of the time there’s only a tube of lip gloss in there. Phones used to fit before they became smarter than we are.”
He let out a burst of laughter, and something eased up in my chest when the two of them hit it off. At least this way, I knew she wouldn’t be alone whenever I got pulled away, and I wouldn’t have to make her come with me when she so clearly didn’t want to. Just having her here was good enough for me. I didn’t want her to feel forced to mingle with the people who made her so damn uncomfortable.
I’d already decided to take her home as early as I could, but there were bound to be a couple more hours between now and then. As if she’d heard my thoughts, my mother appeared at my side with her lips set in a disapproving grimace as she looked between the three of us.
“I’m afraid this won’t do, Tristin,” she said curtly. “There are a lot of people here this evening who came to see you. Walk with me. Mr. Cohen has been asking about you. He’s one of our big suppliers. It’s imperative that you speak with him about a proposal he has for you.”
I groaned, but Selena didn’t spare any of us another glance as she spun around, clearly expecting me to follow her. Archer shot me a sympathetic smile but dipped his head in the direction she’d walked off in.
“You’d better go if Cohen wants to talk to you. Rumor has it he’s been approached by one of our rivals. I don’t know who, but it could be important.”
“Yeah,” I said, tightening my grip on Brittany before letting her go. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? Archer will stay with you. Unless you’ve changed your mind about coming back in with me?”
“No, I’m fine here. Go do your thing. Really.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “These people are important, Tristin. They might not speak freely if I’m around. It’s your job. I get that, so go. Archer and I will keep drinking the free booze and contemplating what else might be of value that I can take.”
I didn’t want to leave her, especially not when my plan of proving to her that I wanted her at my side seemed to be backfiring spectacularly, but Archer was with her. He nodded at me, flicking a hand toward the crowd.
“Go, Ramsey. I’ve got your back,” he said. “We’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” I said finally, vowing as I looked into Brittany’s clear blue eyes that I would come find her again as soon as humanly possible. “I’m sorry about this. All of it.”
She nodded and gave me another forced smile. “Just go, Tristin.”
My mother called my name, and I sighed but went after her. The sooner I spoke to all the people I needed to put in an appearance with, the sooner we could leave. And that was all I wanted to do anyway. We never should’ve come here to begin with. I saw that now, and I wouldn’t forget it again.
