Chapter Twelve #3
Rhett had better go run interference. No telling what Delia would do when she spotted Lily, and mad as he was right about now, he couldn’t be sure he would actually step in and stop her.
~ ~ ~ ~
Lily spotted Rob the minute he stepped through the entrance arbor.
“I’m jealous,” Aidan told her, as he approached carrying two glasses of white wine. “Who put that radiant smile on your face?”
“Rob Shaw,” Lily said delightedly, taking one of the glasses. “Now, I’ll have two protectors here.”
“Three, if you count Garrett.”
“Since I haven’t seen him, I can’t count him.”
“Now don’t stop smiling. Garrett’s around,” Aidan said and slipped an arm around her waist.
She instinctively flinched at his unexpected touch.
“Easy there,” Aidan soothed. “Don’t look now, but Mr. Buchanan is watching and looks none too happy.”
“Really?”
“Really. Almost as black a look as the one I got at the charity gala.” He leaned around to look into her eyes. “Why the long face?”
She sighed. “I’m thinking this is a bad idea. I mean this is Rhett’s home after all. And he didn’t invite me.”
Aidan frowned. “No, but he did invite me, and you’re my date, so he has to be polite. This is a great idea and the perfect place for settling unfinished business.”
He glanced toward Rhett. “Shaw doesn’t look any happier about being here than you do, which I’m delighted to say will only add to the high drama.”
Sure enough. Rob had escorted his mother over to meet their host who graciously reached for the woman’s hand and said something to make her beam at him. When Rhett’s gaze shifted to Rob, his icy stare was evident even to the two figures huddled at the back of the terrace.
“He doesn’t want to be here,” Lily agreed. “Not really. At the last minute, his father backed out, so his mother called and asked Rob to take her. He only agreed because he could look out for me while he was here.” She grinned at Aidan. “He said he couldn’t depend on you.”
“I’m wounded.” Aidan slapped a hand over his heart.
“You can tell him so yourself. He’s steering his mother over here.”
“What about Rhett?” Aidan spun around. “Oh boy, he’s headed for Delia who is coming out on the terrace. With luck, she won’t spot you.”
Lily didn’t have time to perseverate on that potential threat. Rob and his mother had already reached them.
~ ~ ~ ~
Guests stopped Rhett twice on his way to intercept Delia. The second time he was but steps away from Delia and could monitor her voice, which so far remained calm and sociable. However, the guest delaying him was anything but. Chester Armstead blocked his path.
“What is this about you transferring your Boca loan out of my bank?” Chester demanded. He kept his tone low since he too, had plenty of clients present.
“Just what it looks like,” Rhett replied and stared hard at the liver-spotted hand gripping his arm.
Chester removed his hand. “I deserve to know why.”
Rhett leaned over until he was almost nose-to-nose. “No. You don’t.”
He’d had enough of Chester’s arrogance lately, and if the fool continued his rant while at Rhett’s barbecue—especially considering the mood Rhett was in, with Lily in plain sight and escorted here by his chief nemesis—he would transfer the rest of his loans as well.
Today, in fact, since two of BDC’s other bankers were also in attendance.
Maybe Chester had read his mind or at least made the logical leap. He modulated his tone and cajoled, “Come on, Rhett, we can work things out.”
“Work what out, Daddy?” Delia appeared at Chester’s elbow.
Great. Chester would create the high drama anyway. No way would he keep his trap shut.
“Rhett has transferred his Boca loan to BMO Harris,” Chester said icily.
Delia squared off with Rhett. “Why would you do that to Daddy?”
He flexed his jaw. “It’s business and not something I intend to discuss here. With either of you.”
Chester glared.
Delia gaped.
“Does this have something to do with her being here?” Chester accused and angled his head toward the spot where Rhett had last seen Lily.
He didn’t have to check to see if Lily was still there when he heard a reptilian hiss from Delia to his right.
“Nothing to do with her,” Rhett answered Chester and slanted a defensive glance at Delia.
Eyes narrowed to slits, she hissed, “What the hell is she doing here?”
An angry Delia wasn’t nearly as beautiful as a happy Delia, and since Rhett had been having difficulty warming up to a happy Delia lately, he didn’t feel particularly compassionate toward an angry one at the present moment.
“How should I know?” he said flatly.
Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t invite her?”
“No.”
Now he did turn to look at Lily. She had remained where she was, happily surrounded by Shaw and his mother. Cross had vanished. Maybe he wasn’t her date. Rhett intended to get to the bottom of that deal.
“For heaven’s sake, stop staring at her!” Delia hissed. “I’m your date, remember?”
He tore his gaze from Lily
“I’m going to tell her to leave,” Delia snapped. “She wasn’t invited.”
Delia took a step, and Rhett stopped her. “No!”
She wheeled on him, her eyes glittering dangerously. “If you didn’t invite her and I didn’t invite her—”
“I did,” Garrett said, stepping forward to interrupt, “indirectly.”
“I should have figured,” Rhett muttered.
Garrett held up a hand. “Before you get all huffy, my friend, remember you told me to invite Aidan Cross. And I did.”
“And I suppose Lily came with Cross?” Rhett growled.
“She did.” Garrett grinned. “And if Aidan hadn’t asked her, I would have.”
“Why?” Rhett demanded.
“Because she did these beautiful floral designs you see everywhere. We owe her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Delia said huffily. “We don’t owe her a damn thing. As far as I’m concerned, she’s hired help.”
She tore off across the terrace, and Garrett started after her, but Rhett grabbed his arm to stay him.
“Delia’s managing this party like I asked her to,” Rhett said evenly, “so let it go.”
Garrett looked worried. “Delia will get nasty.”
“You should’ve thought of that before you brought Lily in here.” Rhett didn’t like Delia charging over there to confront Lily either, but Garrett rushing over like a knight in shining armor he liked even less.
Let Cross protect her. He brought her. And that thought had Rhett’s hand flexing back into a fist.
Chester butted back in. “At least, now we can discuss the loan. Garrett, talk to him. Don’t let him transfer the Boca loan.”
“Beat it, Chester,” Garrett and Rhett barked in unison.
Indignant, Armstead stalked off to the bar.
Again, Garrett started toward Lily. Again, Rhett stopped him.
“Come on, Rhett. She’s a sitting duck. Delia will be a bitch, and you know it.”
He glared, madder at Garrett than he had ever been for creating this fiasco. “That’s the price you pay for meddling. Maybe this will teach you a lesson. You should have known this would happen when you invited Lily.”
“I didn’t,” he snapped. “Aidan—”
“—can take of her. I’m ordering you to stay away. Go take care of our clients, which is why we’re having this barbecue in the first place.”
Garrett cursed under his breath, ignored Rhett’s directive to mingle with clients, and stomped over to the cocktail bar closest to Lily to keep watch and swing into action if need be.
Rhett sighed and glanced back at Lily. No sign of Cross.
The ass had abandoned her. Delia was bending Lily’s ear but good, judging by the alarmed expression on Olivia Shaw’s face and the glower on her son.
Rhett had allowed his anger to get the best of him when he turned Delia loose.
Lily didn’t deserve the sting of Delia’s notoriously abusive tongue.
He had better run interference since Cross was a no show.
He started after Delia when he felt a tug on his arm and found an elderly matron, another garden club member no doubt, who had patiently waited for his attention ever since he had evaded her grasp minutes earlier on his way to get to Delia.
The woman clung to him this time, and several minutes passed before he could break free.
By then, he was too late to rescue Lily.