CHAPTER FOUR #3
“I’ll go first,” Lufton said. “Why Davenport? I understand Athena, but…”
Aidan rolled his eyes, so Declan answered. “Look at his markings. He looks like he’s wearing a little bowtie.”
He did! The black markings around his neck looked almost exactly like a bowtie. Lufton and I were both immediately charmed by the pig, who seemed to know he was the topic of discussion. He sat still as a statue by Aidan’s feet and lifted his head, enjoying the attention.
“But that doesn’t really answer the question…”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Aidan grumbled.
Gasps went up from the younger children.
Most of them looked shocked, but Lou did a little dance of victory.
“More money in the swear jar,” she sang out in a terribly off-key voice.
“Fuck’s a big one, too,” she said, ignoring Cara’s horrified gasp of disapproval.
“That’s five dollars in the jar, mister. ”
“You cussed, too,” Tab pointed out. “You also have to put in five dollars, Lou.” He rubbed his hands back and forth in greedy delight, and I wondered what they spent the money in the swear jar on.
“Nuh-uh. I was just repeating what he said,” she pointed at Aidan. “I’m not paying nothing.” She folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Tab.
“Anything,” Olivia corrected automatically as if she was used to doing it. “You’re not paying anything.”
“Ha! See? Livy doesn’t think I have to pay, either.” Lou got a satisfied look on her face while Tab glowered at her.
“That’s not what I meant… oh, forget it,” Olivia said with a shake of her head.
Aidan ignored them. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and looked off into the trees as he answered. “He looks like a little butler wearing a bowtie, and I thought Davenport was the perfect name for a porcine butler.” He looked back at us. “And can’t you tell he has a dignified air about him?”
I hadn’t noticed it until Aidan said it, but he was right. Davenport seemed to be an extremely dignified pig. Not that I’d spent much time around pigs. Orchards don’t have pigs. But this one didn’t act like what I thought a normal pig would act like.
Declan took pity on Aidan and fully explained the situation. “Okay, so Bethie is allowed to nurse the runts of some litters of the farm animals when they’re born. They usually live, and we either keep them as pets or Bethie finds good homes for them.”
The cute little girl smiled, even though she turned pink, not liking everyone’s eyes on her.
“Why do they hang around Aidan?” Lufton asked, as mystified as I was as to why these animals would pick grumpy, gruff Aidan to be around.
“It’s because he’s the sweetest out of all of us,” Bethie whispered. “And he’s a vegetarian like I am, too.”
Lufton and I must have looked disbelieving.
“It’s true,” Olivia agreed. “Besides Bethie, Aidan has the kindest heart out of all of us.”
“That’s enough. I’m out.” Aidan stomped off without saying another word, Athena joyfully running and leaping ahead of him while Davenport trotted beside him.
Lufton and I exchanged a glance of wonder. The old cliché about not judging a book by its cover came to mind. Aidan clearly had a lot going on under that gruff exterior of his.
“Okay, next,” Olivia said, ending the question-and-answer session about Aidan, though both Lufton and I wanted to know more.
The pretty, dark-haired girl who looked like a female version of Declan stepped forward.
“I’m Siobhan. It’s spelled like ‘see-ob-han,’ but it’s pronounced ‘Shavonne’.
It’s Irish, like all our names. I’m the only girl, as you can see.
” She grinned. “I didn’t get to meet y’all at dance practice because of the whole frog thing.
I’m thirteen. Willa and I are best friends and we’re in the same class at school even though we’re almost a whole year apart.
” She looked pointedly at the next kid in line.
“I’m Finn,” he said. He was a skinnier, younger version of Declan. “I play baseball. And the Hargrave twins are my best friends. I’m eleven. And I’m probably going to marry Bethie one day,” he announced with a huge grin that showed he was missing a tooth.
“Ew,” Tab cried, then made fake vomiting sounds, as Bethie’s face turned scarlet.
Finn shrugged. “It’s true. I’m going to play professional baseball and marry Bethie.”
Wow. There was a little kid who had his life all planned out. Though judging from the displeased look on Bethie’s face, I wasn’t so sure that was going to work out for him.
“And last,” Declan prompted, looking at the youngest Whittaker.
“Liam,” the boy said with a mischievous smile. “I’m nine. Louisa is my spirit animal.”
We all burst out laughing at that, and Louisa was loudest.
“Seriously,” Declan said, “those two are never apart.” He gestured to Liam and Louisa who were already lost in a conversation only they could hear.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. “Nice to meet all of you. I’m Edward. I’m fifteen, and I go to boarding school in Atlanta.” I turned and looked at Lufton. “You go,” I prompted when all he seemed to be doing was staring at Olivia.
“I’m Alex Lufton, but everyone calls me Lufton. I’m fifteen. I’m Edward’s roommate off at school.” He started to say more, but Callum interrupted.
“Lufton? Are you connected to Lufton hotels?” he called out.
“Yep,” he said. “I’m already a billionaire.” He said it like it was no big deal and was completely unselfconscious about it. “Also, I’m going to marry Olivia one day.”
“Oh, for chrissakes,” Olivia threw her hands in the air and stalked off.
As soon as she was gone, all the younger kids took it to mean they were free to go. They ran off, screaming and chasing each other.
Aidan Whittaker, standing on the outskirts of the group, glared at Lufton. “If you’re smart, you’ll leave her alone.”
“Life’s too short for that,” Lufton said with a wink, and he followed Olivia.
Aidan glowered after him.
Cara came to stand next to me. “Don’t mind Aidan. He and Livy are best friends, and he’s protective of her.” She shrugged. “Anyway, we’re glad you’re here.”
She smiled at me, and it felt like the world turned upside down. I was completely tongue-tied. And I stayed that way for most of that day and the entire summer. Just being introduced to all her family members was enough to intimidate me. Throw in how beautiful Cara was on top of it?
I didn’t stand a chance.
Lufton and I spent the rest of that summer hanging out almost every day with the Hargrave and Whittaker kids.
It was wonderful. We had both been used to quiet summer days and nights spent around my huge, silent home.
To spend it outside with the kids from Wixby River Farms was eye-opening.
We went from days of reading, talking, and playing chess to days and nights of swimming, running, getting dirty, having cookouts, chasing fireflies, and basically just being kids.
It was the best summer of both of our lives, and when it came time to go back to school in the fall, it was with heavy hearts that we had to say goodbye.
Lufton would spend any school holidays with his family in whatever fabulous luxury location his parents chose. With Lufton hotels spread all over the globe, they had their pick.
My parents spent the holidays at ski or beach resorts, whichever my dad was in the mood for.
Lufton and I both knew we wouldn’t be back until the next summer. That was a long time to wait to see our newfound friends again.
It was hard to leave.
***
Libby patted my hand as we pulled through the huge wrought-iron gates and started down the road leading to the big house. “It sounds like you and Cara have some catching up to do, dear. I want to hear how the rest of this ends, but I have to be a good hostess.”
Whew. I was afraid she was going to want me to tell her the whole story. “I understand. Thanks for listening to my old memories.”
Harvey expertly drove the limo around the lines of cars parked along the drive. He pulled to a stop beside the fountain in the very center of the circular driveway in front of the stairs.
He came around and opened the door for Libby, and I followed her out of the car.
Her eyes were piercing as she peered up at me. “Is that all they are? Old memories?”
I cleared my throat. Her questions were more direct than I wanted them to be. “Um… I still think about Cara, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She nodded. “You know my Monty wants to marry that girl.”
“I gathered. Well, I’d love to say that I thought he has some competition from me, but it’s not true. I doubt Cara will even speak to me.”
Libby managed to look both pleased and sympathetic. “There will be plenty of other pretty young women for you to talk to tonight. Including my daughter, Nora. Come on,” she tucked her arm through mine, “we’ll make a grand entrance together. Everyone will talk.” She grinned and gave me a wink.
I smiled back as we climbed the stairs and entered the party. I sure as hell would make some kind of entrance in this ridiculously small tuxedo.
Before I could walk two feet into the foyer, Garrison had commandeered me.
I made my rounds with him, and he introduced me to a ton of people whose names I wouldn’t remember in five minutes.
It was a whirlwind. The entire day had been.
Garrison kept grabbing me a new champagne glass as soon as mine was empty, so I started sipping slowly.
Hors d’oeuvres were passed around on large silver trays by the catering staff.
At least I assumed they were the catering staff.
Garrison had said he had the best chef in Charleston, so I assumed he’d made all the food.
I found it hard to believe, though, that the Harts employed as many people as I saw carrying around trays and working at bars set up throughout the large ballroom area.
There seemed to be an air of excitement in the air, suddenly, and Garrison boomed out, “They’re here, everyone!”