Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“You’re Ash Lennox, the actor,” she said softly. “When Bitsy told Odette, that’s my daughter, that you were going to be at the wedding, neither of us believed her.”
“Is Odette in the wedding party?” he asked kindly.
“She is, yes.”
“Wonderful,” Ash commented, making conversation.
“It’s lovely to meet you. I’m a huge fan. And I know you’re the executor of the estate, but I’ve never understood why Coleman—”
“Why Coleman what?” Sophia asked. “Put one of his bastards in charge of everybody’s money?”
Elaine gasped. “Mother, I—”
“He is one of many of your brother’s illegitimate issue,” Sophia insisted, as though Elaine had argued with her. “There were at least five that I know of, plus, he paid for a lot of abortions back in the day.”
“Oh God.” Elaine sounded mortified, and if Ash hadn’t been holding on to her, she would have gone right down.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Sophia chided her. “You know there have been others the company paid off. Coleman told me that Ashford’s mother was different, not a gold digger at all.” She turned to look at Ash then. “I think it’s marvelous she raised you all alone.”
“Well, she had help, and it was the eighties, not the nineteen fifties,” he told her.
“That’s so true. Things were harder back then. It would have been difficult for you to be a successful actor and a homosexual then.”
And while she wasn’t wrong, it was a lot to absorb in polite company.
“I’m so sorry,” Elaine blurted out, staring at Ash. “She hasn’t been herself since—”
“It’s fine. We’re fine,” he assured her, not wanting, I was guessing, to learn any more stories or secrets about the family than he already had.
When we reached their table, everyone stood up to meet Ash. He was a huge star, and more importantly, to them, the man holding the purse strings, so I understood their interest. Thankfully, his half brother Hunter wasn’t at the table with his grandmother, just her children. Ash’s siblings and most of his father’s ex-wives were scattered around the room at other tables.
Unfortunately, the next table over was the one with Damien and his lovely fiancée, Sienna, who immediately got up to reach Ash and I.
“Cooper,” she said, smiling, and kissed my cheek. “It’s so lovely to see you again. I need your phone number so I can make sure we get to have that meal while we’re here.”
“Absolutely,” I said, not even glancing Damien’s way. “What’s yours? I’ll text you.”
Once I sent her my number, she turned to Ash, whom everyone else was meeting. “I’m so sorry we don’t have room at our table for you two.”
“Me too,” he lied smoothly, “but it looks like you have a great bunch.”
“We have room here,” a woman at the next table over from theirs said. “Ashford Lennox, I might faint.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Sienna said, gazing at Ash. “We’d love to talk and—”
“Cooper!”
Several people moved quickly to make way as Gemma Cushing—who had mashed potatoes and gravy on her face and hands—came rushing up at me as though running from a burning building. Her arms were waving in the air, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Don’t touch me,” Sienna shrieked in horror, jumping back to get away from the toddler. I understood—her dress was a white Valentino. The volume was a little much, though.
Other women had similar reactions, and the men, in their suits, as well. But Gemma didn’t care about them, only me.
I crouched, and she hit me like a missile, immediately putting her arms around my neck. I rose easily with her nestled tight to my chest.
“Oh, her hand is on your shoulder,” Elaine announced, horrified, and everyone around me looked just as sympathetic. “You’re going to have to get that cleaned.”
“Which is fine,” Ash said, stepping around the people crowding him. “Who’s your cute friend?”
“This is Gemma,” I told him, smiling at the dimpled cherub. “And her parents are probably having a seizure wherever they are in this…room.”
I glanced around and saw Ainsley waving both arms at me from across the room like she was signaling for a ship. She mouthed the word sorry. I gestured back, holding up two fingers in question, and she presented her half-empty table with a flourish. The tables all sat ten, and there were only five of them there at the moment. Technically, Taylor was in his seat on top of the table, and I had Gemma.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t sit here. We had previous plans,” I told everyone, glancing over at Kendra, who had followed us, and giving her a thumbs-up. I got one back and a nod of understanding. “You, c’mere,” I ordered Ash. “You see the lady standing up toward the back with the kids?”
“Yes,” he said, starting across the floor with me right behind him.
People yelled out his name, and he smiled and waved but kept walking. When he announced to the room that he was excited to be there for the wedding, many people clapped, while I was betting others had no idea what was going on.