Chapter 18
TJ
Ifeel a sharp smack on the back of my head. “Ow,” I mutter, rubbing the sore spot.
“Arsehole,” Laurie says as I turn around. “Bringing Amelie as your date? Seriously? What were you thinking?”
Amelie isn’t around at the moment; I left her with a group of people Anthony was about to take on a tour of the estate.
If she was impressed by what she’d seen so far, just wait until she gets to the rooms. That’s where Cornelia’s grandmother keeps the real treasures.
As for me, I stayed at the bar, stunned.
That’s what happens when you realise your cousin is in love with your girl.
“That she is nice,” I lie.
He points a finger at me. “No, what you were really thinking was that you wanted to screw with Nate.”
I take a sip of my drink. I’m not a fan of my little brother outsmarting me. “Maybe, but it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it.”
Laurie sighs, shaking his head. “Why can’t you just talk to him instead of pulling stunts like this?”
“First Mum, and now you. Why aren’t you two over him instead of me? I’m not the one who began all this,” I complain.
“I was, but he’s as stubborn as you are.”
“Well, like I said, it’s not my fault. If he wants to talk, he’s the one who has to take the first step,” I declare.
Laurie rolls his eyes. “You know what you two need? A timeout, since you’ve been acting like children these past two weeks,” he says before walking away.
I chug my drink and turn to the bartender to order another bourbon.
I look for Cornelia, and I find her immediately.
She’s now sitting at a table, watching the few people on the dance floor.
She loves to dance and to watch others do it.
I love watching her, but I don’t get to do it as often now, so I relish these moments.
I could spend hours watching her without ever getting tired.
“She is pretty, isn’t she?” Cornelia’s grandmother says. I don’t know how long she has been standing beside me.
I smile. “She is.”
But pretty doesn’t even cut it—there aren’t enough words in the world to describe her beauty.
“You should invite her to dance,” Odette tells me.
I turn to look at her. “Me?”
She looks around. “I don’t see anyone else here.”
“Doesn’t all your family hate me?” Hate is a strong word, but I’m pretty sure their feelings for me fall somewhere in that neighbourhood.
“No,” she says, looking puzzled by my question. “What gave you that impression?”
I was about to mention what happened between her ex-daughter-in-law and me, but I decided to spare myself the distress and disgust it would cause to say those words.
We’re enjoying a nice moment, and I don’t want to spoil it.
Besides, there’s no way she isn’t aware.
This entire party is a PR stunt to smooth over what occurred.
So, I say, “The last time I saw Anthony, I’m pretty sure he wanted to punch me.”
“You can’t blame him. He and Cornelia have a… special relationship. She’s probably the person he loves most in the world, and as twisted as the whole thing was, you did hurt her.”
No joke, Anthony is like a weird mix between a father and a brother to her.
They have a somewhat normal relationship now, but you should have seen them during her high school years—they were a real mess.
I suppose that’s what happens when someone you see as your equal becomes your superior.
I wouldn’t have taken kindly to my brother bossing me around or trying to discipline me either.
“If I hurt her, then why do you want me anywhere near her?” I inquire.
“Believe it or not, I’m an excellent judge of character, and I believe whatever happened, you didn’t do it with the intention of hurting her,” she replies cryptically.
She often says things like this, as if she knows more than she’s letting on.
Cornelia calls it just part of her eccentricity, but I’m not so sure.
“Is it because of my last name?” I couldn’t help asking, as this isn’t the first time she’s pushed someone in Cornelia’s direction who isn’t exactly outstanding just because of who their family is.
“No, of course not,” Odette says, sounding a little offended. “People, especially young people, like to think that doesn’t matter, but it does. But if that was why I was doing it, I could just ask your brother or your cousin, for that matter, who is clearly in love with her.”
Am I the last one to find out he is in love with her?
“Are you going to ask her to dance, boy, or should I find your cousin instead?” she adds.
“I will.”
I’ll happily use any excuse to be near Cornelia, but if I’m going to do this, I want it to be perfect—something she can’t possibly turn down. So, there’s one thing I need to do first.
“Just do me a favour,” Odette says. “Next time you feel the urge to start a fight with your cousin or somebody else, do it in private or, at the very least, keep Cornelia out of it.”
“Sure thing,” I assure her.