EntangledTrio by Cat Grant Read Free Book Online Page A

and get it over with.”
    Steeling himself, he followed the buzz of voices and laughter across the hallway to the living room. It was crammed full of people—aunts, uncles and cousins he hadn’t seen since last Christmas taking up every chair, gathered around the fireplace and brightly lit tree. His parents always insisted on a real tree, cut down from the woods behind their house. David found the familiar sharp scent of pine rather comforting, until his father’s bleary, beer-dulled gaze locked on him from across the room.
    “Well, if it isn’t Mr. High and Mighty Opera Singer!” he boomed, then knocked back his last slug of Bud. “So kind of you to grace us with your presence!”
    Oh shit. Exactly what he’d been dreading his entire flight. “C’mon, Dad, lighten up. It’s just me.” David laughed, and thank God everyone else except his dad joined in, though the sound echoed tense and brittle in his own ears. He slowly navigated through the crowd of relatives, exchanging hugs and handshakes, finally ending up face-to-face with his father. But when David reached out to give him a hug, his father fell back a step.
    Okay then. If that’s how he wanted it. David stepped away, shoving his hands in his pockets. Was it his imagination, or had the old man sprouted an extra chin? He looked flushed too. He’d always had a ruddy complexion, which the beer had no doubt enhanced, but tonight he’d taken on a slight purplish cast beneath the vivid spots of red on his cheeks. But that’s what happened when you only saw people once a year. They changed.
    “I made it back as soon as I could,” David continued. “Flying out of New York’s tricky around the holidays.”
    “In that case, I don’t know why you bothered.” He ambled over to the bar to get himself another beer—without offering David one. “You should’ve stayed home with all your fancy, famous friends.”
    “I don’t know that many famous people.”
    He grunted. “Even if it’s only one, that’s still more than I know.”
    David opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it. No point goading him. He was already two sheets to the wind, with number three coming up fast on the outside. Best to stay out of his line of fire until the evening was over.
    His mother called everyone into the dining room a few minutes later. David sat next to his grandmother, who clasped his hand in her thin, bony one and murmured to him in a soft voice he had to lean in close to hear. Ninety-six years old and, despite her physical frailty, still bright-eyed and sharp as a tack.
    “I saw your broadcast from San Francisco on PBS. My, what a provocative opera! I was a bit surprised at what you were wearing—or rather, what you weren’t wearing—in the last act.”
    He laughed. “It’s an unusual costume, that’s for sure. Good thing I had help getting in and out of it.”
    “And your costar was quite glamorous. A beautiful lady with a lovely voice.”
    Just who he didn’t want to be reminded of. Damn! Now he couldn’t stop wondering what Colette was doing right now—and with whom. “Yes, she is. And she’s every bit as beautiful offstage too.”
    “I’d like to propose a toast,” came his father’s blustery tone from the head of the table. Wobbling to his feet, he held up his beer bottle. “To my prodigal son—thanks for remembering to stop by. We little people appreciate it.”
    David’s hands curled into fists under the table, but he took a deep breath and forced another smile. He was amazed his face hadn’t cracked in half by now. “That’s funny, Dad. I get it. We all got it—the first time.”
    His father’s smirk faded abruptly. “What’s the matter, you too good to laugh at my jokes?”
    “Will you stop it? It’s me , Dad. I’m the same person I’ve always been. Quit trying to make such a big deal out of my career.”
    “Fine. I’ll keep that in mind for next time—if there is a next time.”
    “What, you don’t think I’ll be