Her mother glanced up, anger flashing in her eyes. “I asked you, no, begged you, to come with me and speak with him. We made a mistake all those years ago. If we’d taken control of the situation, we could have controlled the media and everything would have been different.”
How could her mother be so naïve? Nothing would have saved the situation. Her father had tried, had a spokesman and a lawyer, and look where that had gotten him. Dead of a heart attack at fifty-six after being broken down and destroyed by the media in their rush to judgment. And he had been a master of the spin, as evidenced by his many confidence games. Her mother was barely a guppy in the pond of piranhas, almost too small for a meal.
“Who is Tom Reynolds?”
“I told you. He’s doing a story about us, what has happened in the ensuing years. He was very nice and assured me he wouldn’t twist any of my words. I trust him. Trudy set it up for me.”
Delaney’s knees gave out, and she sagged on the bed. Visions of her job at the museum, a life she’d worked so hard to build, faded away, destroyed in a single moment.
Her mother awkwardly patted her on the back. “So, why are you home so early?”
Delaney blinked back tears. “I didn’t get the promotion.”
Her mother hugged her. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. You’ve been counting on that. How could they do it?”
Delaney shrugged, wiping at the moisture in her eyes. “Same old, same old. The Winters name. Apparently, people feel that my reputation might tarnish the image of the museum, so I should remain a hidden secret.”
Her mother sagged onto the bed, wringing her hands on her lap. “And I went and did the interview, making it all worse.”
Delaney’s mouth twisted in a facsimile of a smile. “And now I have to face them all at Caroline’s wedding. Joy.”
How could she go now with her past being trotted out for everyone to see and talk about again? It had been difficult enough to get over the first time. She couldn’t turn and run this time, hiding from the world. She had to face them, hold her head high, and brazen her way through it. Not to mention Kira Van Owen, knowing how she had blocked Delaney’s promotion again at the museum. That woman lived to torment Delaney, ever since her father’s arrest.
Susan wandered over to the mirror and pulled out a picture tucked into the frame. She slowly turned and held it out to Delaney. It was a picture of the whole group, the last time they were all together, the waves from the Gulf of Mexico rolling in on the beach where Caroline’s beach house was located.
“Will they all be at the wedding?” Susan asked.
Delaney nodded. “We’re all in the wedding.”
Her mother pulled the maid of honor gown out of the closet. The gorgeous, ice blue complimented Delaney’s eyes and cool complexion perfectly. A simple design with long, sleek lines. It was fitted to flatter her slender frame. Caroline had always had a good eye, but this dress had Anna Maria’s hand written all over it. She must have used her fashion contacts in Los Angeles to find the perfect dresses for all three very different women.
Thoughts of Anna only triggered Delaney’s stress over clothes. Anna had always been jealous of Delaney and her New York or LA shopping trips. How the roles were reversed now. Anna was a big-time television star, while Delaney managed a group of tour guides, far from the high-society wife and charity foundation head she had expected to be. She dreaded seeing Anna that weekend, anticipating the awkward role reversal.
“Is Ethan going to be there too?” The tone was casual, but her mother studied her too closely for her to be uninterested.
Delaney stood and took the dress from her mother, hanging it back on the rack. “Yes, he’s Matthew’s best man.”
A gleam of excitement entered her mother’s eyes, and a smile broke out. “So, you’ll be walking down the aisle with him? How lovely!” Her mother clapped her hands. “We have to find the right clothes for the week. We should go shopping! You’ll feel better with new clothes, looking fabulous.”
“Not only can’t we afford it, I’m really not going to keep up with them. That’s not my life anymore, Mother.” Delaney pulled a simple Donna Karan linen-blend sheath and tossed it on the bed. Perfect for cooler nights and warm days. Multi-functional. She grabbed a black jersey dress and tossed it after the sheath and her mother snagged it before it hit the bed.
“No, that won’t do at all. Not if Ethan is going to be there.”
“What does Ethan have to do with my choice of clothes?” She grabbed it from her mother and tossed it on the bed, blocking her mother when she reached for it.
Her mother frowned and folded her arms. “You need something new, something exciting, something sexy. You haven’t seen him in a couple of years. Men always get better looking, while women age. You need to show him what he’s missing, maybe entice him back. I hear he’s not dating anyone.”
The last was said in a sly tone, leaving no doubt why her mother had really sought her out.
“I’m not interested in dating him again,” she lied, hiding crossed fingers under a blouse. “Besides, I highly doubt he’d be interested.”
“That’s what the new outfits are for. Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten how to flirt?” Her mother grabbed her hands. “Delaney, you love Ethan. I know it. I don’t know what happened between you back then, but time has passed. This is your chance to have everything back again.”
“Mom, listen. My life is good. Not what I had expected, but still okay.”
Pity and a hint of tears glistened in her mother’s eyes. “I never wanted this to happen, you know. You were supposed to marry Ethan and live a wonderful happy life. Now, you live in this tiny apartment, working for a living, supporting your mother. No dates, no social life. I feel like I’ve failed you.”
She slumped on the bed, twisting one of Delaney’s tops in her hands. Delaney sighed, suppressing the spurt of familiar anger whenever her mother started her pity party. If she had really meant it, then why had she cloistered herself in this apartment? Old news, like so many other things.