31. Isaac
31
ISAAC
H annah breathed in sharply as we walked up the steps to the Hayes estate. Guests milled about with glasses of champagne in hand.
Alcohol was a good idea.
“Nervous?” I asked.
“What makes you think that?” she asked with feigned surprise. “I’m absolutely thrilled to see my mother. I’m just so excited.”
I chuckled.
Marlene Hayes was a hateful shrew of a woman. Hannah had warned me on the way in that Marlene wasn’t the forgive and forget type.
She would definitely remember me ripping her a new one over the phone on Christmas morning. And she would sure as hell take that grudge to her grave.
Marlene wouldn’t show it, though, and that pissed me off. It was easier to come at someone when they threw the first punch.
Southern women were a special breed. They were all sugar and pearls. But earn yourself a bless your heart , and it was their way of politely saying, “Fuck off, you darling idiot. ”
I learned that the hard way when Hannah took me to an all-night diner and the ancient dinosaur of a waitress laughed when I asked for an egg white omelet with greens.
She said, “Well, bless your heart, darlin’. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you somethin’ that’ll put some meat on your bones.”
Everything that had been set in front of me was deep-fried. I was surprised she hadn’t figured out a way to batter and fry the pancake syrup.
Hannah sucked in a nervous breath as we walked up the steps to the estate.
Alcohol. Need alcohol.
As we approached the entrance, I pulled Hannah behind an elephant-shaped topiary.
“What are you?—”
I fused my lips to hers. “I love you,” I said, pulling her against my chest. “And I’m on your side.”
Hannah wrapped her arms around my neck and looked up at me like I’d hung the stars just for her. “I love you too.”
“And you look sexy,” I murmured against her skin as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I can’t wait to get you naked later.”
Hannah looked good enough to eat. She was in a sexy little one-shouldered number in burnt red that Spenser’s husband sent down for the occasion, and a pair of slate blue stilettos.
She adjusted my tie and smoothed her hands down the front of my suit. “Are you nervous?” she asked.
“No.” It wasn’t a lie.
Hannah let out a shaky breath and glanced over her shoulder at the front door. “That makes one of us.”
“Hey,” I said, grabbing her hand. “You can’t win if you’re not on your own team. Let’s give ‘em hell, ma’am.”
That did it. Hannah plastered on her self-assured smile and went straight into the lion’s den.
“Hannah, darling,” Marlene Hayes said as soon as we were through the door. “How nice of you to make it. I wasn’t sure if you were coming or not.”
Hannah leaned in and kissed her mother on the cheek. The gesture was cold and unfamiliar. “I wouldn’t miss Jake and Marissa’s engagement party for the world. Where are they?”
Marlene stepped back and clasped her hands together. Her pursed smile was full of Botox and lip fillers. I was surprised she could show any expression at all. “Jacob is in the library with his father, discussing business with the other partners at the firm. Marissa is in the garden entertaining guests. You remember the way to the patio, don’t you?” Marlene set her vicious sights on me. “I’m sure your beau would rather sit with the men than discuss china patterns.”
She snapped her fingers and summoned a server. “Be a dear and show Mr. Lawson to the library.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said, stepping closer to Hannah, resting my hand on the small of her back. I looked down and met her gaze. “I’d love to hear her thoughts on china patterns. I’m certain Hannah could hold her own in the library should she grace the good ol’ boys with her presence.”
Marlene’s eye twitched. “How... thoughtful of you. And how… Nice… that you joined us this afternoon. Especially after we got off on the wrong foot.” Her voice reached piercing by the time she made it to the last syllable. I was shocked when the crystal chandelier overhead didn’t shatter at the pitch. Her disdain was thinly veiled.
“I’m going to go find Jake,” Hannah declared, stifling a laugh. “We’ll say goodbye before we leave, mother.”
Hannah grabbed my hand and pulled me away. I had no idea how she was so strong or so fast in those spears she was tiptoeing around on.
I caught a glimpse of the near life-sized oil painting of the Hayes family and shivered .
Hannah looked beautiful.
Marlene looked, well, accurate. Dead behind the eyes and plastic everywhere else.
Hannah pulled me behind a wide pillar and gripped my lapels. “That was fucking amazing. I think you broke her eye lift.”
“Are you getting into trouble already?” a male voice boomed from behind me.
Hannah whipped around and immediately threw herself into another man’s arms. I would have been mad, but he looked like her twin. By my guess, it was her younger brother, Jake.
She squeezed him like a python. “God, I missed you.”
“Then you should come around more,” he groaned, swinging her around. “Did Mom already pounce?”
Hannah landed on her feet and smoothed down her hair. “Oh yeah. She was waiting at the door.”
He grimaced. “How bad was it?”
She wavered. “Eh. Not as bad as Easter two years ago, but definitely worse than your law school graduation.”
Jake set his sights on me. “Jake Hayes,” he said, extending his hand.
I shook it with a firm grip. “Isaac Lawson.”
He crossed his arms and sized me up. “So. You’re the boyfriend who told my mother to kiss an oncoming train.” There wasn’t an ounce of humor in his voice.
I nodded. “That’s me.”
His deadpan broke as a bark of laughter ripped out of his throat. “Fucking legendary, man. I wish I could’ve heard it. You should have seen her when she was on the phone. I thought she was going to have a heart attack and keel over head first into the turkey. Best Christmas ever.”
Hannah swatted at his chest. “Don’t go all caveman on him with the I need to protect my sister act,” she chided. “I’m older than you, and you don’t see me interrogating Marissa. ”
“Yeah. Because you love Marissa.”
“I do.” She giggled. “Where is she? Mom said something about the patio.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “You know the drill. Mother has her schmoozing the ladies who lunch, and I’m stuck listening to back in my day stories with Father Time, the Grim Reaper, and Rip Van Winkle.”
I could relate. There was nothing I hated more than wasting my time kissing old, wrinkly asses.
Hannah snickered. “You think Dad will mind if I pop in the library?”
“Please,” he begged. “I’m way too sober for this. Distract him so I can grab Marissa, and we can hightail it to the courthouse before Mother hijacks this wedding train even further.”
Hannah looked at me conspiratorially and grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She led me by the hand down the marble-clad hallway toward a set of mahogany and glass French doors. She pushed the gold filigree handle down and poked her head in.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” she said. Her southern accent sounded sweet as honey. “Mind if I interrupt?”
“Why—I’ll be!” a silver-haired man said, rising to his feet from a leather wingback chair. “Hannah Jane, darling, you look lovely as ever.”
Hannah stepped into the library. She eased up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. He kissed the top of her head.
When they broke away, Hannah took my hand. “Daddy, I’d like to introduce you to Isaac, my boyfriend.” She turned to me. “Isaac, this is my father, Robert Hayes.”
I shook his hand the same way I had Jake’s and looked him in the eye. “Isaac Lawson. Pleasure to meet you.”
I didn’t have the same beef with Hannah’s dad as I did with her mother. From the looks of it, Hannah was forever his little girl. It was unfortunate he married such a poor excuse for a woman and didn’t have the balls to stand up to her.
“Isaac Lawson,” he said, drawing out each syllable as slow as molasses. “Now, I’ve heard that name a time or two. Tell me, son, how’d you find my Hannah Jane?”
“Mutual friends,” I clipped and then looked down at Hannah. “Love at first sight.”
His belly rumbled with resounding laughter. “Well, isn’t that something? Do see to it that you and I get to know each other before you leave today.”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
Hannah gave the other men in the room a delicate three-fingered wave and closed the door behind her. “That went well.”
“You seem surprised, Princess.”
She snickered. “Do you moonlight as a snake charmer? He has never liked the men I’ve dated.”
I didn’t want to tell her it probably had more to do with my last name than her father thinking we were a good match. As much as he loved his daughter, there were dollar signs in his eyes.
We walked through the Hayes estate, hand in hand. Hannah doled out polite hellos and facilitated introductions. It struck me as odd that no one seemed interested in a conversation with her further than “ nice to see you” and, “ well, look at you—all grown up.”
“Oh my God! You made it!” A girl in a white cocktail dress with swooping bottle-blonde hair hurried over as soon as we made it outside. She grabbed two glasses of champagne and shoved them toward us. “Drink, and then spill.”
Hannah knocked her champagne back in one long gulp. She passed the empty glass off to a waiter and grabbed another. “Marissa, Isaac. Isaac, my sister-in-law-to-be, Marissa.”
I lifted my still-full champagne flute, silently thanking her for the alcohol, and toasted Marissa. “Hello, new best friend.”
“This party is the worst. I’m bored out of my mind, my feet are dying, and if I have to recount Jake’s proposal one more time, I’m literally going to scream.”
Hannah smiled wickedly—the same smile she had dancing with Maddie on top of the bar at Jokers. Something stewed behind those mischievous brown eyes. “Pool house. Two minutes. Bring my brother.”
Marissa saluted. “Aye, aye, captain.”
I smirked as Hannah’s demeanor changed from southern belle to Hell Yes Ma’am. It was like watching a quick-change performer in Vegas. You don’t know how it happens, but it does. And you know shit is about to go down.
“Oh sweetheart,” she said to a passing waiter, eyeing the tray of finger foods he carried. “Mrs. Hayes will have a conniption if she sees the canapés served without cocktail napkins. Be a dear and see to it that the rest of the trays have them. I’ll take care of this one.”
It was terrifying how quickly she shape-shifted into her snake of a mother. Then again, she had eighteen years of learning from the best.
There was something to say about irrational confidence. Fake it ‘til you make it.
The petrified waiter handed the tray to Hannah and scurried off to the kitchen without question. The threat of a public haranguing by Marlene Hayes must have overwhelmed him.
“Step one, complete.” Hannah smirked.
With the newly acquired snacks in hand, we bobbed and weaved through curt greetings and polite nods until we made it to the pool house. Hannah twisted the knob and bumped the glass-paned doors open with her hip.
“Success!” she said as we discreetly slipped inside.
I took the tray of finger foods from her while she went around and turned on all the lights. Jake and Marissa weren’t far behind.
“Fuck, HJ—how the hell do you walk in these damn things?” Marissa groaned. She steadied herself on the kitchenette island and peeled off her high heels.
Hannah was barefoot and standing on the kitchen countertops. Her head was buried in a cabinet. “Order a size up and put foam pads in the toes and backs. I’ll text you a link to the ones I order.”
Marissa flipped her the bird. “And where, pray tell, did you learn that sorcery?”
Hannah giggled. “An article about Kate Middleton in People . You’re welcome.”
“You should’ve shared that helpful little nugget before now,” Marissa grumbled.
From inside his suit jacket, Jake produced a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of schnapps. I peeked at the labels. Not too shabby.
“The stash still up there, Han?” he called.
She spun around on her toes like a ballerina and hopped down. “Still here, thank God.”
Her hands were full of Twinkies.
I did the math. “How long have those been up there?”
“Since high school.” She giggled, tossing Little Debbie’s handiwork on the island.
I grimaced. “They’ve got to be expired, Princess.”
Hannah popped one open and took a bite. “Duh-lush-ush,” she grinned.
Marissa dove toward Hannah and grabbed a snack cake, ripping it open. “Carbs. Sugar. My precious.”
“Wedding diet?” Hannah asked.
Marissa groaned with a mouthful of questionable sponge cake and fake whipped cream. “The worst. Marlene keeps breathing down my throat about the dress fitting and not looking puffy and bloated in pictures.”
Hannah raised her eyebrow. “You don’t need to diet. You’ll be hangry, miserable, and you’ll drive your wedding planner to drink. Jake already loves you, and you’re beautiful. ”
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled. “You’re the smart one. You moved to the other side of the damn state.” She dropped her voice to a whisper as if to avoid conjuring the wicked bitch of the south. “Your mother has nothing better to do than to pester me about flowers and linens or demanding to know when I’m going to go dress shopping. She texts me all fucking day about cake tastings and venue tours. One time I didn’t respond right away, and she told me I needed to quit my job to focus on planning the wedding.”
Jake found two glasses and blew the dust off. I cracked open the schnapps and poured the ladies a drink. Jake grabbed the bourbon and the pilfered tray of canapés, and tilted his head over to the other side of the pool house.
“So. You and my sister, huh?” he said as we sat down in front of the fireplace.
Thanks to the open floor plan, we could still hear Hannah Jane and Marissa talking about wedding details. It sounded like Hannah had talked Marissa off the edge of the eloping cliff and was drafting her a realistic wedding planning to-do list.
I nodded and sipped on my glass of bourbon. “Is this the don’t break her heart, or I’ll kill you speech?”
Jake chuckled. “Nah. Not my style. If Hannah gets hurt, she’ll take the first swing herself. I’ll just hand her the golf club to do it.” He shucked off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his dress shirt to show off a faint scar on his forearm. “Just watch yourself. Those nails are dangerous.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Marissa did that?”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “Hell no. That was Hannah Jane when we were in high school. I caught her sneaking out to a party and threatened to tell our parents.” He shrugged. “Little brother. It was my duty to annoy her.”
I relished the burn of the liquor rushing down my throat. At least someone around here seemed to care about her. I may have been raised by nannies, boarding school staff, and drivers, but at least they were paid to care about me.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Hannah smiling back at me as she and Marissa talked about wedding details. Her professional knowledge was like a Xanax placebo for Marissa.
My phone buzzed from inside my suit jacket. I pulled it out and glanced at the number. “Excuse me,” I said, standing and buttoning my blazer. “I need to take this. Thanks for the drink.”
“Anytime,” he said, tipping his glass toward me. “Don’t be a stranger.”
I stepped out of the pool house to answer the call. It wasn’t serious—just some contracts that needed approval before they could go to a client. I reassured Spenser that I would look at them this evening and send them back as soon as possible. By the time I got off the call, Robert Hayes had spotted me.
At least it wasn’t Marlene. Thank fuck it wasn’t Marlene.
I tucked my phone into my suit jacket and walked across the patio to Hannah’s father. “Mr. Hayes,” I said, accepting the drink he offered. Brandy. From the smell, I deduced that it was at least twenty-five years old.
He chuckled. “Please, call me Robert. Walk with me, Mr. Lawson,” he said as he led me into the house. “Let’s have a chat.”
I followed the old man into his study. It was an offshoot of the library, decorated in the same rich wood, leather furniture with gold studs, and old books.
It reminded me of Hannah’s house. Hers had softer notes. Cream-colored blankets were draped over the back of an armchair. Greenery and fresh flowers sat on nearly every surface. The vintage books she adorned her end tables with weren’t just decorations—I spotted some of the same titles on top of her father’s desk. The titles were in Latin but, by my guess, they were law books.
“Tell me, Isaac,” he began, resting his clasped hands together on his desk. “What are your intentions with my daughter? ”
I swirled the brandy around the glass as if I were pondering my answer. In reality, the answer was simple. “To make her happy.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “She hasn’t brought a young man to meet her family in quite some time. Marlene was troubled that perhaps she’d never settle down.”
The way he said it made it sound like Hannah Jane was a wild child when she was anything but. No, sir—that would be me.
At least it used to be me.
Something about a woman like Hannah Jane Hayes had me on the straight and narrow.
It bothered me that Mr. and Mrs. Hayes seemed to think that a woman’s highest achievement in life was getting married. Hannah wasn’t a picture frame, accenting her man. She was the fucking Mona Lisa .
I took a sip of brandy and cleared my throat. “Hannah has been busy excelling in her career. She’s become one of the most exclusive event planners in the state.”
He gave me a placid smile. “Yes, she’s always been driven. It’s good to see her with a gentleman as successful as you. I’m sure she considers herself quite lucky.”
“On the contrary. I’m lucky she even gave me the time of day.”
“That’s our Hannah Jane for you.” He chuckled. “Spirited girl.”
The amount of old-fashioned misogyny in the room was suffocating. I sipped my drink to avoid saying something that would completely ruin Hannah’s brittle relationship with her parents.
Robert tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but Hannah’s relationship with her mother has always been, well, tense.”
Understatement.
“We were thrilled to discover that your relationship was rather serious. Hannah being over thirty years old makes her pickings awful slim.”
I resisted the impulse to roll my eyes .
“With Jacob and Marissa heading down the aisle, I’m sure you two will be taking a good hard look at the future,” he mused, twisting the end of his silver mustache. “Now, I don’t want to rush you, son, but we’re a little old-fashioned. I see the way that Hannah Jane looks at you, so if you want to ask for her hand in marriage, now’s a pretty good time. I wouldn’t wait if I were you. You’re looking at a small window to start a family.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Mr. Hayes, I’m a busy man,” I said, dropping my glass on Robert’s desk with more gumption than I intended. “I don’t beat around the bush. You should be kissing Hannah Jane’s feet for even showing up today. And for the record, she did it for Jake. Not for your misguided belief that your family name means something.”
I rose to my feet, and Robert did the same.
“I’m going to make this crystal clear. I’m not pursuing marriage. It’s not on the horizon. It’s not in the near or distant future. I have been clear with Hannah Jane from the start. We have an understanding. I love her very much, but I don’t intend to marry her—not that that’s any of your business. Despite being told to sit still and look pretty for her entire life, she’s an extraordinary woman. She doesn’t need my last name to prove that to anyone. Especially not to you or her mother.”
There was a creak of a floorboard, and a swatch of red disappeared down the hallway.
“You and Hannah had best be going,” Robert said through gritted teeth. He pressed his fist into the lacquered top of the desk, and his face turned a shade between inferno and plum. “I will pass along your regards to our guests.”