A Summer to Remember(39)
“Morning, you two,” I greeted dryly before I walked over to the bar and made myself an early morning mimosa, a mixture of fresh squeezed orange juice and Dom Perignon champagne.
“It’s hardly brunch,” Savannah responded before she sipped on a drink that looked dangerously similar to mine.
“Thanks but I already have a mother, sweetie, I don’t need two.”
“She’s just worried about you after last night—it couldn’t have been easy, dealing with what Ashley said to you. I made Gerald get rid of her…a driver fetched her first thing this morning and Cyd went with her so we’re two people down for the rest of the vacation.”
I stared from Jude to Savannah and back again. They certainly weren’t too close for comfort but somehow the way they cozied up to one another suggested more than a friendly stance with one another. I was a great reader of people but certainly not in Paul’s league…perhaps I was starting to lose my touch.
“Hey, did you two see that Seth guy come to pick up Talia?” I wondered out loud before I sipped from my mimosa as I strolled over to them and sat on the arm of the lounger next to my brother’s.
Savannah glared at Jude before her cerulean eyes met mine again. “Yeah, we knew. He came to the front door and rang the doorbell though it was Jude who received him and eventually called down Talia to see him.”
I glanced at my brother with a feeling of betrayal. “Why would you do that? You have to know he isn’t any good for her and what’s he doing stalking her in Martha’s Vineyard anyway?”
Jude rolled his eyes. “Talia is a grown woman who can make up her own mind about what she wants to do. If you have an issue with what I did, take it up with her, not me. To be honest, the guy’s family still reside in South Boston so it isn’t exactly like he’s stalking her if he was pretty close by to begin with, Jerri.”
“Mmm, that’s exactly what I would expect to hear coming from you, Jude,” I responded as I stood up and continued to study them both. “Talia left with him and what if he turns out to be some kind of psycho or weirdo? What if she isn’t safe with him?”
“For Christ’s sake, Jerrica, get a grip,” Savannah began in an irritated voice. “The man is the lead singer of Winter’s Regret and you seriously think he is going to risk his reputation by harming Talia in any way? It goes both ways, you know. Talia has caused a certain amount of pain for him too, starting with what she did while we were at Vassar.”
I almost choked on my drink before I removed it from my lips. “What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I am talking about. When she did that, he was angry with her for years and that is why they didn’t see one another for almost three years following that incident. She broke his heart. I’m sure that is not the story she told you about the trials and tribulations that have occurred between her and Seth. To be honest, if she was thinking of anyone other than her own standing in her family, perhaps the relationship they share with one another would be quite different.”
I wanted to drop the subject now that Paul strode into the pool area looking quite delectable in a pair of white board shorts and a blue wife-beater but I had one last question to ask.
“How long have you known about what happened at Vassar?”
“She told Autumn and I about it a while back when we made a surprise visit to L.A. just see her. I had a client I had to fly out to see anyway and Autumn agreed to come with me. Talia was gracious enough to host us so we wouldn’t have to stay in a hotel. One thing led to another and after a few too many drinks, she told us about what happened. She made us promise not to tell you…why, I don’t know but perhaps she wanted you to feel a certain way about him—who the hell knows?”
“Where the hell is Autumn anyway?”
“Making small talk with Gerald in the sauna last I checked.”
I stood and walked several loungers over to where Paul laid down with a bloody Mary in his hand and his iPad mini in the other. It was obvious he was reading a book.
“Whatcha doin’?” I inquired as I sat next to him.
He leaned over and kissed me good morning. “You taste as good as you look. Mmm, reading the latest shenanigans of my favorite fictional detective, Alex Cross.”
I rolled my eyes at this comment. “How can you still read him? James Patterson’s books are all rubbish now.”
“Don’t be such a literary snob, Jerri. I absolutely adore James Patterson—he’s my guilty pleasure—so let it go. You don’t see me with my face in a twist when you’re reading the latest book by any of those cheesy authors you read that are sixty percent sex and forty percent plot.”