Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(131)

Shea walked through the main ballroom to find Grace directing what looked like the food people in the kitchen. Grace looked worn out and it made him nervous. Maybe this party was too much for her; maybe he should have hired someone else.

She would have killed him, if he had.

Grace must have heard him come up because she turned, giving him a welcomed smile before turning back to the workers and yelling some more.

Once the guys did whatever the hell she was asking for, she came over to Shea, wrapping her arms around his one. “So what do you think so far?”

“Amazing, as always.”

He looked around the ball room, taking in the way his sister had basically transformed the mansion into the Neitherfield ball room. It was so impressive. The windows were done with gold drapes; gold swirls were put on the walls, along with pictures of people from the 19th century. There were candelabras that hung in various places along the walls; each one had tall white candles in them. Hundreds of floor brass candle stick holders, stood tall with the tall white pillars in them. There were vintage couches and chairs throughout the whole ballroom, along with a very large, beautiful, wooden piano that sat in the corner.

Shea followed Grace into the dining room and smiled at the result his sister had given him. Each table had a large crystal vase in the middle of it; each one was filled with large white candles and pretty gold wires that held crystals at the end of each of them along with white feathers. The place settings were gold with black napkins; the table clothes were white with gold swirls on them. Grace pointed up to the ceilings, so Shea looked up, taking in the beauty of the nine chandeliers that graced the ceilings.

“You wouldn’t believe the deposit I had to put down. Plus, we can’t have candles burning all night; they start leaving soot on the ceiling, so I got fake candles, but I don’t think you can tell.”

Shea shook his head, he couldn’t tell the difference, he thought they were real, “You did great, Grace, its perfect. Just like the movie.”

“Good, I thought so, I’m happy with the result.”

“Me, too,” he said wrapping his arm around her shoulders, “Good job, sis.”

She smiled up at him, smacking his side. “Thanks.”

They did another run through of the house, and Shea wanted to buy his sister the world. She had out done herself once again. God, he loved her.

“So your suit is upstairs, along with your socks.”

“I told you I didn’t want the socks,” Shea complained, as Grace smiled.

“It completes the ambience,” she said sweetly.

“I’ll look like a dweeb.”

“A hot dweeb. Plus, Elli will love it!”

Shea shrugged his shoulders, Grace was probably right.

“So what’s up? I haven’t seen you at all this past week.” Grace said as they walked past the amazing staircase, that later Elli and Shea would come down.

“Elli got sick. I’ve been staying at her house.”

“Is she okay?” Grace asked concern coming over her face.

“She’s fine now, it was scary though. She couldn’t walk, eat, nothing. She just slept, a lot.”

“Oh, no, that’s crazy. What happened?”

“She says it happens sometimes, they changed her meds and everything. She has seemed good the last two days.”

“Well, good. Gosh, that’s crazy. You should have called me, I would have come and helped.”

“I had it under control,” Shea said with a grin, “Oh, by the way; I told her I love her.”

Grace whipped her head over from where she was fixing a drape, “Say what? When?”

“Before we had dinner with mom and dad.”

“Wow, what did she say?” She put her hands up, stopping him from answering, “Let me guess, ‘Oh Shea, I love you, too!’” Grace said in just about the worst country accent Shea had ever heard, and he thought he was bad at it.

“Actually no, she didn’t say anything.” Grace stopped laughing and looked over at Shea, surprised.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, she apparently doesn’t love me and its driving me nuts.”

“Well, Shea not everyone falls in love at the same time, give her a minute.”

“I know, but I just want her to love me. I mean, I don’t know what else to do. I’ve completely changed for this girl and it just doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“You’re acting like a chick, Shea. Yeah, you’ve changed and it’s great, believe me, I’m the first one to say so, but gosh, let her be. It’s not like she doesn’t have feelings for you. It’s obvious she does.”

“I know that Grace, but I want to hear her say it. To me.”

Grace scrunched up her face, shaking her head, “You’re turning into a sissy.”

“I am not!”

“You are! What are you going to do next, write her a poem? Haha, or maybe serenade her.” Grace bent over; laughing her ass off. Shea prayed Elli would never say anything about him singing to her because Grace would make his life a living hell if she ever found out.

Maybe he was turning into a sissy.

“Shut up!”

“No really, like, could you imagine it?! Haha, you’re standing there with a guitar singing some sappy Backstreet Boys song or something.” She was actually slapping her leg as she filled the ballroom with her laughter.