Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Ally sat at the large dining room table opposite William Overton, his stern blue stare a few shades more intense than hers, stirring childhood memories of how much more time she and Chip had spent not at his house. That choice in location suddenly seeming not at all unintended.
She peered at Chip beside her and gave him a light smile designed to reassure, even though she wasn’t clear which of them she sought to soothe.
This large room sat in proportion with the rest of the house, the deep, moss green walls offset with stark white furnishings. Meanwhile, the table before her sparkled with faceted crystal and silver while a white table runner cut over its rich, dark wood. Everything here was a classically bold statement on the elegance Chip lived amongst.
“So.” William Overton Senior narrowed his gaze, like a lion deciding whether to maim or outright devour its prey. “Maybe you could fill me in on what life in Harlow entails these days?”
Once again, she turned to Chip, his jaw now set in a firm position Ally had never witnessed on him before, the fire in his stare combating the ice in his dad’s.
“Well”—she clenched her hands into fists in her lap, fighting an urge to fidget with her woefully empty wine glass—“I’m sure Harlow hasn’t changed all that much since you left, Mr. Overton. Small towns and all…”
Just then, Chip’s stepmother, Kelly, powered in, all tall and slender with the flared hem of her navy dress swishing at her knees. She set a bowl of green salad on the table, along with some roast potatoes, before releasing a tsk and hurrying over to fill Ally’s wine glass. Just as quickly, she disappeared back into the kitchen.
In all honesty, like Chip, Ally wanted to glare at Mr. Overton too, if for no other reason than he could have gotten up to help his clearly stressed wife.
But then, she was a guest in this house and a temporary figure in Chip’s life.
So she held off berating the man and pushed a loose lock of hair from her eyes, clearing her throat in another attempt at polite conversation. “You might remember Blaine Callaghan, he’s a carpenter now, and I’m a sales assistant at his store, Oak Tree furniture, where he sells his handmade furniture. Aside from that, I attended art school over in Marston and have a pottery studio at Aggie’s nursery, where I make and sell plant pots and home decor to the tourists passing through.”
William raised both brows and turned back to his son, a mocking sort of silence dragged out before he offered, “Plant pots?”
Once again, Kelly raced through the room, this time with a pile of plates. While the men continued their quiet stand-off, Ally rolled her eyes and stood, grabbing half the plates from Kelly’s arms, distributing them to her and Chip, but not before catching Kelly’s momentary stunned pause.
“Ally’s underselling herself.” Chip’s voice punched through the air, commanding attention. Now, she was the one holding a stunned gape. “She’s in talks to distribute her pottery through a major retailer. Argyles. You know, the place Kelly shops at when she’s looking to update the balcony gardens or re-pot an indoor plant”
“No way.” Kelly’s face lit up, and she nudged out an elbow in a you-go-girl show of support.
Meanwhile, a distinct lightness spread through Ally’s chest. At Kelly’s reaction and the pride in which Chip had defended her.
William pressed his lips together, as though still considering Chip’s words, the man’s face a harsher version of his son’s, his hair a similar length, albeit styled back and about eighty-percent gray these days.
“Not bad.” His attention landed on Ally. “What are your plans if the deal falls through?”
Her mind drew a blank, and she plodded back to her seat, where she swiped up her wine glass and took a long swig. Frankly, the whole Argyle thing had been Emilia’s idea. Ally had just assumed a scrapped deal would mean her prospects simply ended there.
“She has a business consultant.” Chip’s hand slipped over hers under the table. “A ruthless one who won’t stop until another deal is found.”
She startled at his artful description of Emilia. Strong minded, sure. But ruthless? Anyone who’d met the diminutive woman would not agree.
His defense had started to slip into dishonesty, and his ongoing insistence on her potential made her skin prickle.
Why was he trying so hard? And what if the Argyle deal did fold?
Would he be less proud of her?
Needing a moment to sift through her thoughts, she frowned at her empty plate, only for Senior Overton to hit her with another question. “So, let’s say this or another deal goes ahead. It sounds to me you’re a one-woman production line. How will you keep up with demand?”
She forced the muscles on her face to remain loose, the desire to shoot William a pinched scowl all-too strong while a hot, swelling sensation pushed against her lower ribcage. “I haven’t thought that through just yet.”
The glacial edge to Senior Overton’s eyes defrosted slightly, a hint he saw her lacking plans as a win for him. “One perk of being in private practice, I have a number of wealthy and grateful former patients. I’m sure I could pull some strings to help you expand. Someone who can organize other artists to increase production, maybe even an investor, or—”
“Dad, no.” Chip’s stern glare held firm on his father’s, two men wearing the same expression but for different reasons.
She sat silent, her face cold, and a sharp tension clawing at her heart.
“And what if another opportunity knocks tomorrow?” His dad leaned over the table, his tone harsh and his fingers curled tight around his scotch glass, as though he rebuked one of his cardiac patients for picking up smoking again. “She won’t be prepared.”
“It’s still early days.” Chip’s statement was delivered in a taut staccato, the clench of his jaw further hindering the sound.
His dad scoffed. “She still needs a plan.”
“Ally will wait and see what happens next.”
A short pause ensued, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Kelly got in first. “Bill. Please.”
Do I get a say in any of this?
He flicked a hand through the air, dismissing his wife, and she settled into her seat beside him, sending Ally a shrug.
“Businesses rise and fall.” Bill stilled a beat before pressing on. “People go bankrupt far quicker and easier than you think, William.”
That was the first time, outside their school days, Ally had ever heard anyone refer to Chip as William, his father’s formal approach strengthening the divide between them.
But Chip plastered on a derisive smile, not even flinching at the address, as though icy exchanges were the usual price of entry into this house. “Nice of you to acknowledge that I even think.”
Not yet ready to look at the two bickering men, she shook her head at her plate, an uncontainable heat pushing to burst out from within her.
Bill Overton’s attitude, the pressure he laid on Chip, much less on her—a woman he’d met for the first time in a decade. No wonder Chip believed he wasn’t enough.
And still, as much as he disliked his upbringing, the speed in which he spoke for her, lumping her with the same burden to excel. Well, she couldn’t deal with that either.
“I’ve been in this room all of half an hour.” She spoke in a low, frustrated tone. “And you’re both already planning my life.”
She lifted her attention to Chip but refused to look at his dad, mostly because of what she might do if she did.
Chip’s lips parted in a sign he meant to say something, then abandoned that idea to look at his father, the two men silent now and picking up their cutlery.
“Well, that was fun.” Kelly spoke in an overly bright and sarcastic tone, then pressed her lips together and gave Ally a smile, her brown eyes wide in approval. “Believe it or not, the man beside me is, at times, capable of fair play. The man beside you, even more so. And I, for one, am sorry for their brutish behavior. I’d like to say it’s rare, but I also don’t like lying. See my dilemma?”
Ally laughed and nodded.
Kelly spoke again, “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, and it’s nice to have another woman within these walls for a change.”
Ally’s heart thudded with gratitude, but also because she still didn’t quite know what to think of this woman since she’d been part of Bill’s dramatic exit from Harlow.
Though Chip never spoke much of her, some people in town did.
Never anything nice.
What with Kelly’s earlier nervous fussing and her kind support now, Ally suspected she’d been misled.
“So, can I say you two are officially dating?” Kelly’s focus bounced between Ally and Chip before finally stopping at Ally. “Chip’s never brought a girlfriend home. It’s nice that you both share some history.”
That last statement brought genuine warmth to Ally’s face. Kelly’s well-meaning curiosity and desire to keep the conversation flowing, marked her relationship with Bill as a case of opposites attract.
Maybe this woman was everything he’d needed all along. The sweetness to his sour. Maybe Ally would ease up and react in kind. Less on the historically nasty gossip, and more on what she witnessed with her very own ears and eyes.
“Weren’t you dating that law major we met at your graduation?” Though Bill spoke to Chip, the way he sawed at the chicken on his plate seemed extra disturbing, given his work as a surgeon and all. “Dionne something-or-other. Great conversationalist, bright, from an esteemed family. Yes, I liked her.”
The air disappeared from Ally’s lungs, and Chip pressed his eyes shut. She’d never heard of any woman named Dionne, much less someone he’d dated so soon to returning to Harlow. And what with his dad listing Dionne’s achievements, did the man ever let up?
“Bill!” Kelly shook her head at her husband, brows squished together in a clear sign she too was done with his barbs, her compassion-filled gaze soon connecting to Ally. “Don’t listen to him. Dionne was not Chip’s girlfriend.”
“No, she wasn’t.” Despite Chip’s confirmation, his stabbing words seemed aimed at his dad. “We went on one date. She spent the whole time listing her social connections or grilling me on which law firm she should aim for partner in ten years’ time, like I would know or care. I can understand why you liked her, but I hadn’t spoken to her since that date or when she insisted on introducing herself to you at graduation.”
Bill eyeballed Chip and chewed in silence, soon returning to his meat, like he hadn’t been at all offended. “Well, she seemed nice.”
An incredulous laugh broke from Chip, and because Ally sensed his rising anger, she lay her hand over his arm on the table in a gesture for him to calm down.
“Kelly?” Though her voice caught a little, she smiled across the table at Chip’s stepmother, the only person to offer solidarity. “Could you pass me more wine?”
Kelly gave a choked laugh, although something in her smile hooked in Ally’s mind. The slight waver. That her brown eyes dimmed even as she joked, “Sure. I think I need more too.”
The heavy silence as she slid the tall, green bottle closer spoke volumes. Like she saw a common thread in Ally. Maybe the one reason they couldn’t be friends.
That Ally would be another woman to divide this family. A family already thoroughly shattered.