She took a deep breath and felt him do the same. They walked out onto the patio, and the conversation died immediately, all eyes turning on them. Behind them, Ethan murmured something to Anna, who snarled back. For a long moment, no one said anything. Delaney lifted her chin and faced each person, one at a time. Mostly, the looks were welcoming, except from Brigid. She barely spared a glance for Delaney, the one person who didn’t seem to care when Delaney disappeared. She was focused on her conversation with Matthew, who was valiantly trying to subtly show other people had arrived. Delaney couldn’t tell if she needed an ice pick and warm woolens or a first aid kit and a shield. She focused her gaze on Caroline, her lifeline in a morass of uncertainty and stress.
Anna pushed between her and Wyatt, headed for the drink cart, muttering something about needing a double.
“May I get you something to drink? White wine?” Wyatt asked quietly.
“I’ve got it,” Ethan growled and stalked past them to join Anna at the outdoor bar cart.
Wyatt winked at her and sauntered after Ethan, leaving Delaney to navigate the treacherous waters of the patio. Matthew murmured something to Brigid and excused himself, walking over to embrace Delaney.
“It’s been a long time. You’re looking well. How do you want your steak? Grady and I are getting ready to fire up the grill.”
“Grady?”
Recognition dawned on his face and he gestured for the other man standing with Brigid to come over. “You haven’t met my brother yet. Grady Coughlin, meet Delaney Winters, Caroline’s best friend since forever and maid of honor.”
“A best friend wouldn’t have disappeared for years,” Anna muttered from her perch on the stone wall.
Matthew colored slightly and sucked in a breath. Fortunately, Delaney didn’t have to dig too deeply for her socialite education. Anna needed to be pushed back a little. Nothing outrageous, but just enough to remember that Delaney wasn’t a doormat and wouldn’t tolerate her attitude. She held up a hand to Matthew and stepped around him, confronting Anna face to face. Anna’s eyebrow lifted imperiously, something Delaney had seen her do on her evening drama, Passions.
Delaney cocked her head and studied Anna in mock seriousness. “I thought you would have left Bianca St. John behind for this weekend. Or maybe you and Bianca are one and the same. Isn’t she the bitch? Or was that you?”
A gasp went up from the crowd and a little titter of laughter. Ethan glanced over from the drink cart, a small smile playing about his lips, a hint of pride and approval in his look. Anna’s jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed, clearly surprised that Delaney would take her on so publicly. She closed her jaw with a snap and hopped off the wall, standing toe-to-toe with her, Anna at eye level due to the heels she wore.
“Excuse me? You come gliding in here like the big society princess you always were, taking over, telling us all what to do, expecting everyone to bow and scrape to you. Well, I have news for you, ice queen. You were knocked off that pedestal a long time ago. I was there. Then you were gone. Left us peons in the dust like yesterday’s pastry.”
The words slapped Delaney, and she barely maintained her composure. She glanced around the small patio and what she saw, and didn’t see, shook her to her core. Caroline shrugged, but there was sadness in her eyes. Matthew stood behind Caroline, a tight smile on his face, uncomfortable and awkward in the moment. But no one stepped in, leaving the two women to duke it out.
Brigid, however, strode between the two women and held up both hands as if directing traffic. “Stop it, both of you. This is not about your anger or your past. This is about our friends getting married and starting a new life together. They don’t need this tension to ruin their week. So, take your corners and stay out of each other’s way. I don’t care what you do, as long as you shut up.”
A stunned silence fell over the patio. Only the dull roar from the waves and the chirping of bugs broke the silence. For a long moment, no one said anything. Then Anna laughed, a deep, throaty, sexy sound that she had perfected so many years ago and was now a trademark sound for her character, Bianca St. John.
“Of course, counselor. I can see why you’re a lawyer, Brigid. No problem with confrontation and a blunt mediation style. I’d hate to be on the witness stand facing you.” Anna stood and held out her hand to Delaney. “I’m willing to bury the hatchet, if you are.”
“Where are you burying it?” Delaney muttered but, at the sharp look from Brigid, subsided and took Anna’s hand. “Fine. For Caroline.”
“For Caroline.” Anna agreed then pulled her close for an awkward hug. She whispered in Delaney’s ear, low enough only for her to hear, “It’s not over, though.”
Delaney patted the other woman on the shoulder and nodded once. They might have been interrupted this time, but a reckoning was coming.
* * *
The next two hours were excruciating for Delaney. Awkward conversations, punctuated by occasional nervous bursts of laughter. The only people who seemed comfortable were Caroline, Matthew, and Brigid, probably because they were the three members of the group who had stuck together. Of course, Brigid worked with Matthew at the law firm, so they couldn’t exactly avoid each other.
Delaney sipped her wine and sat on the porch swing, casually swaying and watching the group dynamics. It was a position she had grown accustomed to, not being the center but skirting the fringes, or serving the main crowd, in the case of her job at the museum. Her new role allowed her the freedom to assess the situation and observe quietly, without having to be responsible for everyone at the party. She never realized how much she had hated her role as society darling, forced to play a part in a society that judged people based on their money, the clothes they wore, and who their family was.
At one time, these people had been the one group she could be herself with, and yet now, after all that had happened, they were judging her just as much, but for very different reasons.
“Is this seat taken?” The one new member of the group stood next to her and gestured to the empty seat on the swing.
“Please, have a seat. Grady, right?”
He nodded. “I’m Matt’s younger brother.”
She frowned, thinking back to college. “I don’t remember you from our college days.”
He let out a short laugh. “Yeah, college wasn’t my thing. I’ve been working with our dad on his contracting business.”
“That’s right. I’m sorry to hear about your dad. Alzheimer’s is a rough disease. It’s nice to meet you.”