“So, are you and Walter close?”
“No,” she answered quietly, wishing she could say otherwise. “How about you and your dad?”
Melissa sighed and shook her head. “No. I was two when my mother died and my father didn’t really know what to do with me, I guess. So he did nothing.” She smiled ruefully. “I know how it sounds, poor little rich girl. The truth is though, Erica, you got the better end of this bargain. You weren’t raised here.”
“At least you had this place,” Erica told her. “It’s so beautiful here.”
“A golden jail is still a cell.” A long moment of silence passed during which Erica didn’t have a clue what to say or do. She’d have liked to offer her sister comfort, but wasn’t at all sure it would be welcome. Besides, she knew all too well that sympathy didn’t always salve ancient hurts. Sometimes it only made it worse. So she kept quiet and waited until Melissa came out of her musings herself.
“Anyway, ancient history for both of us, right? Moving on. So, PR girl…what do you think about helping me design a new menu of services for the spa?” She grabbed the old one off the coffee table and glared at it. “This one is so generic it’s tired. I’d like something splashy. Something bright. Oh, and something about the yoga classes I’m going to be teaching. Do you do yoga?”
Erica laughed at the rapid-fire statements, grateful that they’d left the subject of their fathers and sad, lonely childhoods behind. Shaking her head, she said, “Yoga? No thanks. I’m just not that bendy. But I’d love to work up a new brochure with you. If I have time with the food and wine gala preparations…”
“Oh, yeah.” Melissa sighed in disgust. “True. Okay, once you get that going, then we’ll tend to my little slice of Jarrod Ridge.”
“Sounds good.”
“So,” Melissa said, and lifted her wineglass in a toast. “Here’s to us. Sisters by birth, friends by choice.”
“Here’s to us,” Erica said and clinked her glass against the rim of Melissa’s. She could only hope that the remaining meetings with her siblings would go even half so well.
Six
The next morning, Gavin walked into the Manor to meet Erica Prentice in Christian’s office.
Sister?
Not as far as he was concerned. She was a stranger who shared a little Jarrod DNA. Logically, he knew that she, too, was being manipulated from the grave by Don Jarrod. But it didn’t make her being here all right.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about this new sister taking up a place at Jarrod Ridge. Hell, he wasn’t even happy about having to be there himself. But for him it was different. The Manor was filled with memories, good and bad. He felt his father’s presence everywhere in the old building and knew that wherever Don was now, the old man was enjoying watching his children wrestle with the terms of his will.
“Just like him,” Gavin muttered as he walked through the crowded lobby, discounting the low roar of dozens of voices locked in conversations. He continued on along the hall toward Christian’s office, resenting the fact that he was here at all. He’d made a life apart from the Ridge and his father had known it. But then, he thought, that would have been half the fun for Don. Upsetting his children’s plans to ensure that his own worked out as he wanted.
“Nothing Don liked better than stirring things up and seems like he’s done a great job of it this time,” he told himself.
He’d already talked to Guy and Melissa about their new sister and while Guy was withholding judgment, Melissa had, of course, come down on Erica’s side. Though he appreciated the input, Gavin would make up his own mind and he believed firmly in not putting off what could get done today.
Unlike Blake. He knew damn well that Blake had left for Vegas deliberately this time, not wanting to be at the Manor when Erica arrived. As for Trevor, well, he was supposed to be here this morning but he’d do whatever felt right for him at the moment.
As if his thoughts had conjured him out of thin air, Gavin’s youngest brother pushed away from a wall and lifted one hand in greeting.
“Wasn’t sure you’d come in,” Trevor said.
“I told you I’d be here.”
Trevor smiled. “And you’re always exactly where you’re expected to be.”
“There something wrong with that?”
“No,” Trevor answered with a shake of his head, “But don’t you ever get tired of leading such a regimented life?”
“It’s not—” He broke off, clearly not interested in rehashing the same old discussion.
Trevor admired his oldest brother. Hell, as a kid, he’d practically worshipped him. But now that they were all grown, Trevor thought Gavin’s life could use some shaking up. Coming back to the Ridge was a start, but he needed more. The man was wound too tight, Trevor told himself sadly. While he, on the other hand, took life as it came, did as he wanted and planned to have no regrets when it came time for him to check out.
Just another reason he’d gone along with his late father’s machinations to get them all back to the Ridge. Not that Trevor had gone far from the Jarrod family home. And why would he have? He loved skiing and he’d never find better than what Aspen could offer. Besides, he had his house in town, his own company and too many friends to just pack up and disappear.
So he’d stayed in Colorado while everyone else had gone. He’d missed his brothers and sister, though, so despite how it had happened, he was glad they’d come back.
As for his new sister, Trevor was willing to give her a shot. After all, it wasn’t her fault Don Jarrod was her father.
“So, you ready to meet her?” Gavin asked.
Trevor snorted a laugh. “You don’t have to make it sound like we’re going to a hanging.”
His brother sighed. “And you don’t have to turn it into a social event.”
“It is a social event, man. We’re going to meet our long-lost sister and unless you’re trying to scare her off, you might want to paste a smile on your face.”
“You smile enough for both of us.”
“You’re hopeless, you know that, right?” Trevor asked and then, more seriously, said, “She’s probably more upset by all this than we are, Gavin. Maybe you could cut her a little slack?”
“Fine. Slack for the newcomer. No slack for you.”
Trevor laughed.
Grumbling, Gavin fell into step alongside his brother and swung past the hotel’s business center. They walked on to Christian’s office. The man didn’t have a secretary guarding his gate. Instead, he used the employees of the business center to take care of whatever tasks he needed done. Which made dropping in on him even easier.
After a brisk knock, Gavin opened the door and stepped inside, with Trevor just a pace behind him.
Looking up from his paperwork, Christian smiled. “She’s not here yet.”
“Late, huh?” Gavin pointed out.
“No,” Trevor corrected with a sigh and shake of his head. “We’re early.” Then he walked into the room and dropped into one of the available chairs. Looking at Christian he asked, “So what’s the newest Jarrod like?”
Christian leaned back in his chair and studied the two men. Gavin was standing off to one side, his arms folded across his chest. Trevor, on the other hand, looked the picture of relaxation. The two of them had offered to come in to meet Erica together and Christian had agreed, hoping Trevor’s presence would be enough to mitigate Gavin’s penchant for aloofness.
“What’s she like?” he mused, and instantly his mind filled with images of Erica. Her eyes, her mouth, her delicate, but curvy figure and just how much he wanted her. But an instant later, he shut those thoughts down as quickly as he could. Not exactly the description he could give Erica’s brothers.
“She’s smart. Funny. Strong.” His gaze shifted from Gavin to Trevor and back again. “She’s nervous, as any one would be, but she’s determined to make this a success.”
“Why is this so important to her?” Gavin asked.
“Hate to admit it, but good question,” Trevor agreed.
Frowning, Christian said, “You know what your relationship with Don was like. Well, that’s what she had with the man who raised her. From what I can gather, she was cut out of their family business and now that she’s been brought into this one, she’s focused on making it work.”
“Focused.”
Christian looked at Gavin. “She knows that you guys aren’t exactly ready to throw her a welcome-to-the-family party. And from what I can gather, she’s used to that kind of behavior from her older brothers.”
“Well, that’s telling us,” Trevor muttered. “So we can play nice or we can be the bastard brothers she’s accustomed to.”
“Exactly,” Christian said with a nod. It was important to him that they understand. That they give Erica the chance she deserved. He wasn’t willing to explore why it was important to him, though. Point was, “She’s innocent in this, you know. If you’re pissed that your father had an affair with her mother, be pissed at him.”
Gavin shifted position uneasily as if he were feeling the stirrings of guilt and didn’t like it a damn bit. “I didn’t say I blamed her for any of this. It’s just a difficult situation. For everyone.”
“It is,” Erica said softly.
Christian’s gaze snapped to the doorway and the woman who stood poised, alone, watching them. He stood up and said, “Erica.”
She spared him a quick smile, but it was gone too soon in Christian’s opinion. What was it about this woman that grabbed at him? Why was he having so much trouble reminding himself that as an employee of Jarrod Ridge, the Jarrod family was off-limits to him?
Trevor came lazily to his feet and Gavin turned to face their younger sister.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she was saying as she walked into the room, with her chin tilted defiantly. “But I couldn’t help overhearing. Since I was the topic of conversation anyway, I thought it was as good a time as any to introduce myself.”
Christian spared brief glances at both of the Jarrod men and he saw Gavin trying to think back and figure out if he’d said anything he should apologize for. While, at the same time, Trevor’s mouth was quirked in an approving smile.
“Erica,” Christian said, coming around his desk to align himself at her side—both physically and figuratively. “These are your brothers, Gavin and Trevor.”
She returned Trevor’s smile, then looked at Gavin. They stared at each other for a long minute and Christian could actually feel the tension building in the room. And then suddenly, it was gone as Gavin stepped forward, held out his hand to her and said, “Welcome, Erica.”
She only hesitated an instant before shaking his hand. “Thank you. I heard you say this was difficult and you’re not wrong. This whole situation has been just as hard on me as it has been on all of you.”