Faked (Ward Family #2)(30)

Claire pressed her foot on top of mine under the table.

Richard smiled between us, completely oblivious. "My parents wrote me off long ago," he said. "You're fortunate to have a family who cares that much."

My answering nod was grave. "Indeed I am."

"Speaking of the center," Richard said between sips of the soup, "why don't you tell me a bit about it, Adele?"

She let out a relieved breath. "I'd love to."

And that set the tone for the rest of the three-course dinner. Richard and Adele dominated the conversation with occasional interjections from my father as necessary.

Claire watched it all unfold thoughtfully, nodding a few times when Adele would say something about the positive impact a place like the center could have on children who wouldn't normally have the opportunities.

"You're quiet, Miss Ward," Richard said, a bit more astute than I'd given him credit for.

She smiled, and I stretched my arm behind her chair. Her hair brushed against my hand, and against my better judgment, I toyed with the silky ends.

"Not much to add, I guess."

"Oh, I find that hard to believe. This is the same young woman who took a simple picture and about made a grown man cry at what she observed in it."

I twirled her hair over my knuckle, and Claire shivered. "Umm, well, Adele and Robert have done such a thorough job, I can't imagine what I'd be able to contribute."

"But you think their reach could be greater," he said. "Help more kids."

She inhaled quietly before she answered. "I think there are a lot of philanthropic endeavors that fall into that category. Services for underserved youth need to be talked about; they need to have the opportunity to reach the kids who need them the most, and that's not always the kids who live in the immediate vicinity to the physical location. That's why a lot of athletes, for example, coordinate with different school districts to bus kids in for larger events. If you're limited to one geographical area, you're limited in the number of kids you can help."

My dad nodded. "She's right. We seem to be plateauing the past few years. We'd love to broaden our reach, but we've just lacked the resources to be able to do so."

Richard watched them both, and his eyes tracking back and forth between the two with interest. "You've probably been to hundreds of those events over the years, haven't you, Lia?"

She blinked at the use of her sister's name, and my hand slid down to her shoulder. She relaxed slightly.

"I have. My brother never started his own foundation, but we've supported so many of his friends', it's hard to keep them straight."

"I'd wager he was pretty busy raising you and your sisters," Richard said. "With your mom leaving like she did."

Claire swallowed carefully. "He was. Not many people know details of our background, though. He kept our life very private for that reason."

I increased the pressure of my fingers on her shoulder, just letting her know I was there.

I knew a little bit of what the Ward sisters had been through from Finn, but it sounded like Richard knew even more. Logan practically raised them, and his brother—Claire's other half brother—wasn't really in their lives much because he and Logan didn't get along. But the reasons, well, they'd never interested me much.

Until now.

Richard's tone was sympathetic, but I still gave him careful study at the fact he knew about it in the first place. He must have seen something in my eyes because he held up his hands and smiled. "Sorry, didn't know I was stepping into anything I shouldn't. I thought it was common knowledge, if one cared to dig deep enough."

"It's not," I told him quietly. "And not everyone enjoys talking about the things in their childhood that sucked."

Claire exhaled slowly and gave me a small smile.

"It's okay, Bauer," she said. "And there's no reason to apologize, Richard. If someone dug enough, they'd know that Brooke decided being a mother wasn't what she wanted to do. My sisters and I were fortunate to have someone like Logan who loved us enough to be exactly what we needed. But not all kids have that. And I think it's admirable for people like Adele and Robert to try to help children who don't have another family member to do what my brother did."

Richard relaxed back into his seat. "And I'm guessing that influenced your educational choices."

She nodded. "It did."

"What do you hope to do someday?"

Adele gave me a look that I couldn't decipher. Claire shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Right. Lia Ward was not a developmental psychology major, and the further he got to Claire as her sister, the more tangled the knot might become.

"She's going to save hopeless wretches like you and me, Richard," I said, easing a hand up Claire's back.

He smiled, as intended, spreading his arms wide. A king showing off his kingdom. "Do I need saving?"

"Maybe from your decorating skills, but that's about it," I told him.

Adele sucked in a breath, and Claire rolled her lips between her teeth.

After a beat of silence, Richard's booming laughter echoed off the cathedral ceiling.

And thankfully, that broke the mood while we wrapped up dinner.