standing next to her. Though his clothes were just as expensive, they didnât complement his rotund frame quite as well. The buttons of his single-breasted suit were pulling so tightly they looked as if they could pop off at any second. He kept tugging uncomfortably at the starched white collar of his dress shirt.
He stuck his finger in his collar even now and tugged at it again as he shook his head. âWhatever you think is best, baby.â
Cynthia stifled a groan. If neither of them made a decision soon, they would be wandering around this mansion forever.
âWell,â Cynthia ventured, âif neither of those options work, you could evenââ
Cynthia stopped when she suddenly heard a light melody tinkling, letting her know her cell phone was ringing. She glanced down at her phone screen and saw that Dawn was calling her. Considering that Dawn was probably calling to talk about yesterdayâs meeting with her father, Cynthia guessed it would be better to answer this one without their mother around.
âMama, I have to take this call,â Cynthia said, pasting on a smile. âWould you guys excuse me?â
Yolanda and Reginald were just walking into one of the sitting rooms. At Cynthiaâs words, Yolanda turned away from her fiancé.
âIs everything all right, honey?â Yolanda asked.
âOh, everything is fine. Just fine! Why donât you guys continue to look around? Iâll be right back.â Cynthia then walked toward the front hall, tossing her sun-kissed locks over her shoulder.
âHey,â she whispered after pressing a button on the glass screen.
âHey! Sorry I didnât call you yesterday, girl. I got home a little late,â Dawn answered.
âYeah, I was wondering why I didnât hear from you.â Cynthia walked farther away, hoping their mother couldnât hear her in the echoing, vacant rooms.
Though Dawn knew Cynthia didnât approve of her clandestine meeting with her father, they both knew Cynthia still counted on being the first person Dawn called after the meeting. The two oldest siblings in the Gibbons clan had always been the closest: best friends as well as lifelong rivals.
âSo howâd your âdateâ with Daddy go?â Cynthia asked.
âWell, it was . . . Wait. Why are you whispering?â
âTo cover your ass.â Cynthia took a cautious glance over her shoulder. âMama and Reginald are nearby. Iâm giving them a tour of Glenn Dale today. Mamaâs thinking about holding the wedding ceremony and reception here. Remember?â
âOh, yeah! Totally forgot. Well, anyway, the âdateâ went pretty good, I guess.â
âYou guess?â Cynthia paused. âWhy? What happened? He didnât turn out to be an asshole, did he?â Cynthia slowly shook her head and sucked her teeth. âI knew it! I told you that it was a bad idea to agree to meet him again. There was something about thatââ
âCalm down, Cindy! Heâs not an asshole. Heâs nothing like that. He seems . . . amazing, actually. Itâs just . . .â
âJust what?â
âItâs just . . . weird, you know? I mean, this person was a total stranger to me a couple of weeks ago and now heâs my dad! My dad! He has all this history and his own family. He has a wife and a daughter. And listen to this, Cindyâhe wants me to meet them!â
âSay what now?â
âYeah, I know, right? Weâre supposed to have dinner together around Christmas Eve.â
A dinner at Christmas Eve? Cynthia leaned against the foyer wall. She pulled back the thick velvet curtains and peered out the window at the mansionâs snow-dappled front lawn and pebbled driveway.
Though one part of Cynthia had worried that Dawn meeting her father would only lead to heartache, the other part of her had worried that it would lead to something much different: Dawn building a
Marion Chesney, M.C. Beaton