Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kaya looped her arm through mine. “Are you ready for the first phase?”
“I was, but now I’m not sure.”
She patted my arm. “We’re in this together. Chin up and back straight. Don’t let them see your doubt.”
I nodded, ready to “fake it till I make it.”
The Clay and Leaf’s attendant opened the door for us.
At first glance, the entry managed quaint vintage charm without trying too hard.
An antique desk anchored the space. The hostess stood beside it, reservation tablet already in hand.
She, and every other person working there, wore the same medium-grey vests, light-grey pinstripe shirts, darker-grey ties, and black slacks.
Trendy enough to feel planned. Traditional enough to match the decor. The blend worked really well.
“Do you have a reservation?” the hostess asked.
“We’re here for the social. Steele party of three,” Kaya said.
The woman beside her stepped forward with a professional smile.
“Right this way, please.”
As we walked through the central space, I noted the eclectic tables and chairs and mismatched tea services that made the space homey and elegant rather than hodgepodge, since the colors and designs all complemented one another.
A hallway that ended in a set of double doors opened to the prettiest paved garden I’d ever seen. The attendant left quietly as I took in the tree-shaded tables already set with tea service and small cakes.
Women mingled and chatted in groups at or around the tables.
One saw Kaya and rushed over to clasp her hands.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” she gushed. “I can’t believe you finally accepted. And with guests.”
Kaya’s smile, a gentler more polished version of her real one, let me know they weren’t close. “Annice, this is Abbye and Sophia Elmantas. This is Annice Wellborn.”
I recognized the last name immediately. Old money.
“Elmantas…it sounds familiar.” Her expression shifted from confusion to delight. “You were on the news a few days ago, weren’t you. Something about setting fire to your house?”
Her volume drew everyone’s attention, and I kept my expression neutral as Kaya slipped her hands from Annice’s rather forcefully.
“You’re several days behind on events, Annice.
The man who set fire to their house was taken into custody yesterday.
Someone with more money than sense paid him to start it.
” She shook her head. “Of course, I feel responsible now. If not for that horrible article claiming poor Sophia was trying to social climb and that I was paying her to keep away, no one would have targeted her.”
She gave me an apologetic look and looped her arm through mine.
“As soon as I heard what happened,” she continued, “I insisted they stay with me. A home is much more comforting than an impersonal hotel.”
“How humanitarian of you,” Annice said. “Housing the displaced in their hour of need.”
Kaya scoffed. “Their need? Mine was much greater. You know how busy Balak and Drokonnen are. I was desperate for company in that rambling estate. In fact, I’m enjoying our time together so much that I’m trying to convince them to stay until the authorities find the person behind the arsonist. It’s so much safer with me at the Steele Estate. ”
Annice glanced at me, then Mom, her gaze settling on her cast. I could see the gleam of interest and excitement there.
“Someone is truly targeting them?” she asked as if we weren’t standing right in front of her.
“It appears so,” Kaya said.
“What does Balak think of you risking your own safety for people you don’t even know?” she asked.
Kaya’s mouth curved with genuine amusement. “Balak wouldn’t dream of denying me what I want. He’s the perfect husband in every way.”
Several of the women frowned and turned away to resume their own quiet conversations, either not liking Balak’s devotion to his wife, or that he wouldn’t stop Kaya from fraternizing with “the displaced.”
“That top is lovely, Sophia,” Annice said, reclaiming my attention. “Wherever did you get it?”
I said the store’s name.
“Really? Do you shop there often?”
The woman had the same level of entitlement and passive rudeness as Lianna.
“If she hasn’t been, she will in the future,” Kaya said without missing a beat.
“It’s on my list of favorites in the downtown area.
We spent our morning there, shopping. They lost so much in the fire that it’s going to take some time to replace everything.
Coming here is a nice break from that.” She glanced at Mom.
“Let’s find a table. I don’t want your arm to start hurting. ”
She released me to take Mom’s good arm and lead her away.
“You’re very fortunate to have met the Steeles,” Annice said. “Not everyone would be so willing to make amends for something that wasn’t their fault in the first place. Try not to overstay your welcome.”
I gave her the same polished politeness Kaya had. “I think that would be impossible to do. She’s already talking about remodeling a set of rooms into a suite for my mom.”
With a nod, I walked away.
Konni was waiting at the door when we returned home at four-thirty.
“It’s not your turn yet,” Kaya said as he flipped me over his shoulder and started for the stairs.
Trying not to laugh, but still grinning like a fool, I braced my hands on his ass to look up at our Moms.
Neither looked upset.
“You’d better let her come down for dinner,” his mom called before we reached the second floor.
I waited until he put me on the bed to hold up my hands to ward off his advance.
“Wait. I want to tell you what happened first.”
“I can listen while I’m eating dessert.”
“No…you’ll be distracted, and so will I. Please?” I pretended to pout and watched the man completely melt. Why was that so hot?
“I’ll give you the highlights as you strip for me,” I said, compromising.
His gaze grew hotter as he started unbuttoning his shirt. I would never get tired of watching him.
“Your mom told everyone at the social she took us in out of guilt for the payoff article and fire. No one questioned the connection between the fire and her guilt after she let slip that the arsonist was hired by someone well off.”
Konni tossed his shirt aside and reached for his pants.
I started talking faster.
“Annice Wellborn basically called us charity cases and told me not to overstay our welcome when your mom walked away with my mom.”
He paused, and I reached out to help with his zipper.
“She said what?”
I knew his threatening growl had nothing to do with me because he was partially unzipped and hard enough that the zipper was slowly creeping down on its own from the pressure.
“You’re right. Let’s talk about this later.”
I tried tugging his pants free of his hold, but he stepped out of my reach and grabbed his phone.
“She wasn’t the only one,” I said absently, leaving the bed to stalk him. “At least five other women made similar comments throughout the afternoon, but only when your mom wasn’t close.”
I knocked his phone out of his hand and slipped my arms around his waist, smoothing my hand down his abs and into his waistband.
“Do you know what that means?” I asked.
“What does it mean?”
“They think I’m the type of person who will try to take what doesn’t belong to me. They think I don’t know my place.” I closed my hand around him and smiled at his groan. “Maybe you should help me learn my place.”
He pinned me to the bed a second later.
We never made it back down for dinner.
Each step tested the muscles I’d strained while having my way with Konni last night. Today would be a challenge.
“What are our goals?” I asked as we walked toward the clubhouse.
“To be seen and have a little fun.”
We were definitely going to be seen, thanks to our identical outfits—navy capris, white sleeveless top, and white hat.
“How’s your swing?” she asked.
“No idea. This is my first time.”
“Hmm. We’ll start like I did…at the range.”
We entered the clubhouse, and I had to resist the urge to stop and take everything in. It was like we’d entered a new, mini world. It was light and bright, but in a natural way rather than the harsh way many three-story commercial buildings had.
The sleek, modern clubhouse embraced outdoor serenity with indoor rock gardens and fountains designed in a way that incorporated the snack bar and pro shop instead of surrounding them.
It was exactly the same type of experience the Southside project wanted to replicate, but with a downtown vibe. Keeping up with Kaya, I mentally cataloged what elements were giving the biggest “outdoors, indoors” impact.
She patted my arm, a reminder to focus on our original purpose. I’d ask Konni to bring me back for another look around later.
After checking in and ordering juice-flavored carbonated waters, we met the instructor Kaya requested for me. The woman fitted me with a driving club and led us down the glass walkway that connected the clubhouse to the driving range.
Small quakes of fake turf lined the concrete patio under the elongated building’s extensive veranda.
As the instructor stopped at ours, I watched another woman hit a ball.
The tee disappeared into the turf, a ball appeared in the hole, then rose up, perfectly teed up for the next swing without having to do a thing.
Kaya moved to the spot beside mine and started hitting balls as the instructor started teaching me how to hold the club. I began to understand why the golf club was an important place to be when, only a few minutes after starting, a man approached Kaya.
“Nice swing, Mrs. Steele. Saw the news. Has the Stonestocks’s withdrawal affected your customer acquisitions?”
“Mine? You know I don’t involve myself in company issues,” she said lightly, then nodded toward me. “She’s the one you want to ask.”
The man looked at me. I paused my practice and straightened.
“And you are?” he asked curiously.