Once a coveted membership was granted, the new member was entitled to enjoy the club’s spectacular views, its sumptuous luncheon and dinner menus, and, of course, bragging rights.
No expense had been spared on the interior decor of the club; it was designed to impress, and it did. To assist in that goal, the private elevator’s lobby was on the second floor of the club, and was an eight-sided rotunda with an elaborate wrought-iron railing around it that guided new arrivals toward a sweeping staircase that curved gracefully downward to the first floor. A grand chandelier, one story in height, was suspended from the center of the second-floor ceiling, its many-tiered gold frame dripping with magnificent crystals.
At the front of the room, standing near their table, Matt Farrell watched his wife walking slowly through the crowd on the first floor, and he excused himself to the people around him.
for someone?” he asked, walking up behind her as she stood gazing up at the second-floor rotunda, where the silent-auction items were displayed.
checking to make sure everything is going well.” She was in charge of this year’s benefit, and she’d been working on it for months, dealing with the various committees and the endless details, as well as handling her demanding job as Bancroft & Company’s CEO.
Matt looked up at the people on the second floor, moving from table to table with glasses of champagne in their hands, writing down bids, talking and laughing, while a string quartet played in the curve of the staircase. On the main floor, the candlelit tables were laid with sparkling crystal and china, and decorated with spectacular sprays of cream-and-red bicolor roses from South America, blooms the size of softballs.
than half of the people are upstairs with pens in their hands, and an army of waiters is passing out drinks to make sure they stay loose. You’re a guaranteed success. And,” he whispered tenderly, are also very beautiful.”
She sent him a beaming smile, tucked her hand through his arm, gave it a squeeze, and then she nodded toward the head table, where the guest of honor was talking to the mayor.
Matt suppressed a grimace. it to Cecil Wyatt to check himself out of the hospital so he can walk up to another podium and accept another award.” As if to wash away a bad taste, he swallowed the last of the champagne in his glass. A waiter arrived instantly with a tray of refills. much,” he teased her, you budget for liquor?”
lot,” she admitted. , there’s Mitchell,” she added a moment later. She watched him smiling politely as group after group of his new friends” stopped to say hello to him or introduce themselves for the first time.
When Cecil arrived at Mitchell’s elbow and drew him aside a moment later, Meredith shook her head a little as if to clear it. still can’t get used to seeing Mitchell with Cecil. We’ve known Mitchell for so long, and he’s stayed with us so many times, that I can’t believe he waited six months to tell us he was Cecil’s grandson. If we hadn’t seen him at Cecil’s birthday party, I’m not sure we’d know it now.”
thrilled would you be to find out you’re related to a domineering, egocentric old man? Oh, wait . . . you’re already related to one of those,” Matt teased, and Meredith burst out laughing; then she pressed a kiss to his cheek. ,” she whispered, father is right behind you.”
’s not good. Change places with me,” he joked. don’t like having my back turned to him.”
He was half serious about the last part, Meredith knew, and for good reason. Her father had destroyed their marriage when they were young, and when Matt strode back into her life ten years later, her father tried to interfere again and almost lost Meredith in the process. For her sake, Matt tolerated her father, but he’d never forgiven him, and he never would.
’m indebted to him tonight for persuading the Founders Club to let us use this place for our benefit,” she said. was a real feather in our cap.”
didn’t do it for you,” Matt teased. did it to showme that he could still do something for you that I can’t do. Former steelworkers from Gary, Indiana, can’t be members here, no matter how successful they become. Do you know how I know that?”
Meredith’s shoulders shook with laughter, because she had a pretty good idea what the answer was. do you know that, darling?”
father told me. Fifty times. This week alone.”
Meredith smiled, but her attention had reverted to Mitchell. , look, Olivia Hebert has him by the arm. It’s so funny to see him squiring a little old lady, instead of some gorgeous woman with an exotic name, and he does it with such patience and .”
does everything with ,” Matt replied, drily, it’s easy for him to be patient tonight, because he knows he’s leaving for Europe tomorrow. He told me he can’t wait to put an ocean between himself and Chicago.”
Meredith’s expression clouded. ’s been bothering him.”
other than being accused of murdering his brother, having to surrender his passport, and being forced to remain in the city until Gray Elliott checked out his story, you mean?”
Meredith ignored the irony in his tone and nodded emphatically. besides that. Those problems are over, and since Caroline is with him tonight, she’s obviously accepted that he had nothing to do with William’s death. Whatever is on his mind isn’t related to any of that.”
haven’t noticed anything different about him.”
don’t notice subtleties about other men,” she said with a sigh. it occurred to you that he’s never mentioned Kate to us? She was so important to him that he was going to fly back and forth to the Caribbean to see her every night, but he hasn’t mentioned her once. I tried to work around to the subject a few days ago by asking him if there was anyone special in his life. He said no.”
doesn’t talk about the women in his life.”
called Zack in Rome to talk about Kate,” Meredith argued. wonder what happened to her.”
never went aboard the yacht. When Zack asked him what happened, Mitchell said ‘things got complicated,’ ” Matt reminded her, as a waiter with a tray of canap stopped at his side.
know. Oh, well, I guess that leaves the way clear for Marissa.”
Matt paused, his arm outstretched toward the tray. daughter, Marissa?”
I kissed her good night, she told me she’s decided to marry Mitchell when she’s old enough.”
’m not ready for this,” he declared, finally selecting a canapé from the tray.
Meredith grinned. future son-in-law appears to be making his way in our direction.”