Hunter simply gave his friend a tight smile, looking more uncomfortable by the minute. She moved back to his side, giving him a light squeeze on the ass to distract him before drifting away to straighten up the table again. Though she was a safe distance away, she pretended to look busy, all the while watching Hunter furtively.
Reese was still chuckling as she drifted past and began to whisper something to Hunter. He nodded, the uneasy look leaving his face. He began to whisper back to Reese, and the other man burst out laughing. One of Hunter’s rare smiles touched his mouth, and she relaxed a bit.
Maybe this wouldn’t be as painful as she expected. Hunter really seemed on edge about having people in his house. Still, she hoped the presence of his friends would calm him.
One by one, the guests began to arrive. She was introduced to a charming, aristocratic businessman named Griffin, and another gentleman named Jonathan, who owned an auto business. To her surprise and pleasure, Cade Archer showed up a short time later.
He arrived with a smile on his face, flowers in his hand, and gave her a big hug. “I’m so pleased that you’re here, Gretchen.”
She laughed, hugging him back. “A bad Petty always turns up.”
He groaned at her pun, then set her down on the floor. “Look at you. Gorgeous. Not an ounce of bad in you.”
She glanced over at Hunter, smiling. “I didn’t know you were friends with Cade.”
“We go back to college,” Cade said, flashing a white grin.
“Not nearly as far back as we do,” she said. She then turned to grin at Hunter, who had moved to her side.
“I see I don’t need to give introductions,” Hunter said in a guarded voice.
“You can, if it’ll stop Cade from giving me a noogie,” Gretchen teased.
Cade looked a bit embarrassed by her words. “I haven’t given a girl a noogie ever since I discovered they don’t have cooties, Gretchen. I think we’ve missed out on a few years in between.”
She smiled at Hunter to answer his enquiring look. “Cade grew up on the same street as I did. The twins, Cade, and I were the only children in the neighborhood, so we tended to play together quite a bit,” she told Hunter. Gretchen glanced over at Cade. “You know Audrey’s going to be here tonight, too.”
He nodded. “I’m not surprised. She’s Logan’s assistant, correct? Sometimes she shows up at these sorts of functions.”
Gretchen gave a little frown. So he knew Audrey was in the city and working for Logan? Why did no one tell her these things? “That’s right. I’m sure she’d love to catch up.” Another pair showed up at the door and Gretchen excused herself, heading over to greet her agent and her date.
Soon enough, everyone had arrived to the party, including Hunter’s friend Logan and his fiancée, Brontë. Brontë was good friends with Gretchen, so she immediately began to help with the food and drink. Her editor had arrived as well, along with his assistant and the publicist, and Gretchen spent a few minutes showing them around the dining room and talking about the house and the letters with great enthusiasm.
Gretchen introduced them to Hunter as well, but his normally reticent manner had gone stiff and cold. She couldn’t help but notice that Kat stared at his scars a bit too long and then whispered to her date. She felt a flare of irritation at her agent’s callousness. No wonder Hunter hated gatherings like this. People acted like he was a sideshow instead of just another person.
The only guest missing in their small party was Audrey. When Eldon showed up at the door of the dining room to announce another guest, Gretchen headed to his side, anticipating her sister’s arrival. To her surprise, Eldon moved into the room alone and headed to Gretchen’s side, leaning in to whisper.
“Your sister is here, Ms. Petty. And she has brought a . . . problem. Could you please follow me?”
Gretchen’s eyes widened. “Of course.” She glanced across the room where Hunter stood in silence near Jonathan and Reese, and she gestured to him that she would be back. She quickly followed Eldon down the hall and asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Follow me, Ms. Petty,” Eldon said in a disapproving voice. “You’ll soon see.”
She hurried behind him, anxiety ratcheting up a notch. Had something happened to Audrey? Her sister was always so self-contained and capable. If there was something wrong, it usually didn’t have anything to do with Audrey. Audrey strove to be perfect.
When they arrived in the massive main foyer, everything was made clear. Audrey was in the doorway, dressed in one of her coordinated suits and low-heeled pumps. Her pale red hair was drawn back into its usual tight bun. She also looked miserable.
Draped over Audrey’s shoulder was the heavily braceleted, too-skinny arm of Audrey’s twin and Gretchen’s sister, Daphne. Audrey’s polar opposite, Daphne’s hair was a dyed mess of black and pink streaks, and dark makeup pooled under her eyes. Her clothes were torn and dirty.
And she gave a goofy smile at the sight of Gretchen. “Oh, hey sis,” she slurred. “Heard you were having a party and thought I’d crash it.”
Chapter 11
“I’m so sorry, Gretchen,” Audrey said in a tight voice, shifting her weight even as Daphne slid against her. “She showed up earlier today and I couldn’t leave her alone.”
“It’s okay,” Gretchen said, moving forward to take Daphne’s arm. “Hey, Daph. How’s it going?”
“Greaaat,” Daphne said cheerfully, and her breath reeked of booze. She transferred her weight from Audrey to Gretchen, and Gretchen noticed how slight her troubled sister was. Audrey—sensible, sturdy Audrey—was rounded thanks to her desk job. Daphne was skin and bones, and she seemed unnaturally twitchy. She put a finger to her lips and then grinned. “I’m avoiding my manager. He’s trying to take my money again.”