“What about him being good for me?”
“You’re right.” Linc knew his sister well enough to recognize when it was time to back off. While he believed she and Knox would be a perfect match, too much pushing from him and they’d never realize it. “Forget I said anything.”
Sawyer was quiet for a long time, but Linc held his tongue and waited her out. In the end, his patience was rewarded.
“You’re right that we do have a lot in common.”
“Do you want me to have him ask you out?”
“Geez, Linc. No. Forget it. Don’t you dare say anything to him.”
“Too late. I’ve already put the idea in his head.”
“Linc Thurston, how dare you meddle in my love life.”
“To quote our mother, ‘I just want you to be happy.’”
“Then you’ll mind your own business and never speak of this again.”
“You know I can’t do that. I inherited our mother’s meddling gene.”
To his surprise, Sawyer wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce hug. “Everything is going to be all right with both of us,” she murmured. “You’ll see.”
Linc put his arms around her and squeezed gently in return, basking in her affection. “I hope you’re right.”
But all he could think about was the endless party that stretched before him and how a certain brunette with soulful brown eyes was going to handle seeing dozens of women flirting with him all evening long. He only hoped she’d hate it as much as he was going to.
* * *
Carrying a stack of clean plates, Claire scanned Bettina’s party guests and the waitstaff and the bartenders, making sure everything was running smoothly. In addition to sending Jenny and Steve around with trays of appetizers and glasses of wine, Claire had opted to set up hors d’oeuvres in a couple locations. Every fifteen minutes or so, she made a loop of the party.
It might have seemed like she was micromanaging things, but staying focused on the tasks at hand kept her from dwelling on all the beautiful women in attendance and wondering which of them would end up with Linc. Automatically, her gaze swept the room in search of him. Her chest ached when she spied him in a group composed of his friends and a familiar blonde woman. Everly Briggs looked comfortable and at home as she repeatedly touched Linc’s arm as if to punctuate whatever she was saying.
Although Claire had seen a significant number of women vying for Linc’s attention tonight, for some reason, seeing him with Everly made her feel slightly sick. Perhaps it was because the woman had been so forward at the grocery store. And even though she suspected it had been more curiosity than cruelty that had made the woman so blunt, Claire couldn’t help but feel uneasy at her appearance here tonight. Would she be bold enough to repeat to Linc the gossip she’d shared with Claire?
“Claire, are you all right?” Jenny asked, pulling her attention away from Everly and Linc. The waitress stood beside her with a tray of dirty glasses and plates.
“I’m fine,” Claire said as she surreptitiously indicated Everly. “I ran into that blonde woman standing next to Linc a few weeks ago at the grocery store and made the mistake of telling her I worked for him. Do you know anything about her?”
“Everly Briggs? She’s big on the charity circuit.”
“That makes sense. She wanted to hire me to do an event. What does she do?”
“She owns some sort of branding company.” Jenny lowered her voice. “There was a huge scandal involving her sister last year. She went to jail after leaking a bunch of engineering documents or something to her employer’s competitor. I heard they were worth over two million dollars.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Apparently, she thought she was going to get fired and wanted to get back at the company before that happened. Plus, she thought it would help her get a job with the competitor.”
That Jenny knew so much of the story didn’t surprise Claire at all. She’d heard snatches of several tales tonight as she moved through the crowd. This group of people seemed to feed off drama and loved to share every juicy tidbit.
“Well, that’s just crazy,” Claire said. “Why would she think that was a good idea?”
“I don’t know. Maybe crazy runs in the family.”
“Should I warn Linc?” He didn’t need someone like that in his life.
“Naw,” Jenny said, sliding a sidelong glance in Claire’s direction. “I don’t think she’s Linc’s type.”
Her friend’s sly grin caught Claire off guard, but she quickly recovered. “I wasn’t wondering that.”
“Sure.”
“I wasn’t.” Claire gave her head a little toss. “Although, I think he could do better.”
“Well, he certainly has plenty to choose from at this party. I wonder if he enjoys all the attention or if he finds it irritating.”
“Most men would love to be fawned over by all these women,” Claire said. “On the other hand, Bettina has made it clear that she’s hosting this party so he can meet some eligible women and possibly start a relationship with one of them. I imagine he has to feel a little bit like prey.”
The two women went their own way, Jenny to deliver the dirty dishes to the kitchen and Claire to continue making sure the party was going smoothly. She greeted several of Linc’s friends as she passed them. Apparently, Linc hadn’t wanted to face the horde of marriage-minded women without backup. Claire spied Knox deep in conversation with Sawyer and wondered if those two had ever tried dating or if Linc didn’t trust his baby sister with his best friend.
After checking on the inventory behind the portable bar set up in the parlor and finding satisfactory levels of alcohol and mix, she retreated into the kitchen to assess the situation there.
“How are we doing?” she asked Trudy, the woman she’d hired to assist her with the preparations.
