Summer's End (Wildflowers #5) - Jill Sanders Page 0,49

and Aubrey noticed that her lips matched the color of her nails. She must have known that her father had deemed pink as the only color a woman should ever wear. It was the reason she’d only had the color in her wardrobe growing up. The reason she hated it to this very day. No daughter of Harold Smith was going to be anything less than feminine.

“Harold, dear, those are my stepdaughters I was telling you about.” Bridgett turned to Aubrey’s father. “I miss them so. They were such wonderful young ladies.” Bridgett sighed and rested her hand over her heart. Her eyes returned to Aubrey’s and she noticed a glimmer of anger hidden them. Then her eyes turned to Aiden, and Aubrey saw interest flash behind the woman’s eyes briefly before she turned back to Harold. “But, sadly, after their father passed, they turned on me. They were hungry for their father’s wealth and stole every last dime he gave me.” She added with a pout, “They didn’t care about anything other than money.”

“Yes,” her father jumped in, “I know the feeling.” Her father’s eyes turned to her.

“Me?” she gasped, then laughed. “I don’t want a cent from you. I never have. I would have been content living with my mother.” Aubrey felt her heart kick in her chest and knew that if she continued there would be no going back. So, she clenched her jaw tight and tempered her anger.

“We shall see.” Her father stood up and wrapped his arm around the tall and much younger woman. “Dear, why don’t you go and see if everything is ready for the party?”

Bridgett smiled and then leaned in and placed a kiss on her father’s lips. Aubrey had to look away in disgust.

“Party?” Aubrey asked, following Bridgett out of the room with her gaze.

“Yes, I did call you and invite you. Remember? We’re hosting a party in a few hours.” Her father sat back down. “Now, if you don’t mind.” He motioned to the chairs again.

Aubrey glanced back at Aiden, who shrugged back at her.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed and moved over to sit down. Aiden sat in the chair next to her.

“And you are?” her father asked Aiden.

“Aiden is my boyfriend,” she supplied. “He stays,” she warned her father.

“Very well.” He dismissed Aiden completely. “The will I had Michael Livingston deliver to you is not my latest will,” her father said smoothly. “In less than a month, I plan on marrying Bridgett.”

“What?” Aubrey gasped and started to stand up. “She’s…”

Her father held up his hand to stop her. “I know exactly what she is. She’s put her wild days behind her.” He leaned slightly towards her and for the first time she could see something else behind his eyes. Was that pain? They were unfocused. In all the years she’d known him, he’d never been less than… well, perfect. Now as she looked at him, she noticed that his tie was slightly askew and one of the buttons on his shirt was twisted and loose. “Tonight is to be our engagement announcement party. I wanted you here.”

“And this is how you planned on bringing me here, by lying to me? Letting me think you’d died? Why?” She shook her head. “Have you no heart?”

Her father laughed, which turned into a cough. She watched him struggle to get his breathing back under control. Any other child would have raced to their father in hopes of easing his pain. Her entire body froze in place as she watched the man suffer for the first time in her life.

“I know your games,” he said after pouring a sip of bourbon from the small bar area behind his desk. For as long as she’d known him, he’d always drunk several glasses of bourbon each day. “You think you can fool me? You’re just like your mother. You’ve done everything you can in your life to go against me.” He slammed the glass down and then walked back over to lean against his desk. “You think I’ll give you anything? You demand everything and refuse to abide by my rules. You don’t deserve a dime of mine, Nora.” His eyes had turn distant and, if she had to be honest with herself, a little scary.

“Father?” She stood slowly and reached out for him.

He shook free of the moment and corrected himself.

“Aubrey.” He walked over and downed the entire glass of bourbon. “The party is in three hours. I’ll expect you to be changed into