He’d been a nineteen-year-old boy back then.
He was all muscular, mature male now. She closed her eyes briefly. Seeing him again after all this time would not be a problem. She would not let it be a problem.
When Pam didn’t say anything more, Adam asked, “Which one is he?”
She nodded to the buffet table. “See the man standing next to the blond bombshell in red? That’s him.”
“Hmm. They make a very attractive couple,” Adam said amicably enough.
She watched Clay and his date leave the buffet line with loaded plates and thread their way through the crowd to a table she hadn’t noticed before. Cody and Carina were there, which meant she’d have to go over there some time tonight to say hello.
She took another sip of champagne and decided to postpone that particular meeting for as long as possible.
“Are you ready to get something to eat?” Adam asked several minutes later.
With a renewed determination to enjoy herself, Pam smiled gratefully at him and said, “Sure, let’s go.”
After eating more than was strictly comfortable, Clay could feel himself relaxing into a mellow mood. The drink that kept getting refilled also contributed to his overall sense of well-being. He and Melanie danced several times before someone came to the table to ask her to dance.
Clay smiled his acquiescence and moved over a chair so that he was now next to his mother, who had just returned from the ladies’ lounge.
“You look upset,” he said in a low tone. “Anything wrong?”
She shook her head. “Oh, not really. I just get so angry sometimes at the way things work out.”
“Such as…?”
“I happened to see Katie in the lounge. You know that louse, Arthur Henley, is still giving her a bad time, even though the divorce has been final for over six months.”
“Are you talking about Cole’s daughter, Katie?”
“Yes.”
“I hadn’t heard about the divorce. What happened?”
“She finally found out about all his extravagant spending, the other women, his many mistakes at work. Once she filed papers against Arthur, Cole fired him because so many of his management decisions had ended up costing the company a bunch of money.
“Arthur blamed Katie for losing his job, of course. I think he considered himself invincible, from the way he liked to live, throw his weight around, and in general be totally obnoxious. Your dad said the joke in the company for several years was that Arthur was only a divorce away from bankruptcy. I guess it never occurred to him that eventually Katie would get her fill of his behavior and toss him out on his ear. From what she was telling me just now, he’s doing anything he can either to harass and annoy her or to play on her sympathies.”
“Why’d she marry him in the first place?”
Carina smiled. “You know Katie. With her exuberance for life and her need to take care of everyone she meets, she fell headlong into the idea of helping Arthur meet his full potential. Let’s face it, the man is very charming when he wants to be, as well as highly intelligent. He played into her need to be needed, portraying a courageous man working to overcome his impoverished background. I swear he wanted to make Katie feel it was her fault that he’d come from such a poor family. I remember how she used to make all kinds of excuses for him, based on his miserable childhood. Eventually, even our optimistic Katie had to give up. I say that, sooner or later, a person has to take responsibility for himself, instead of looking for others to blame.”
“I’ve lost track of time. How old are Trisha and Amber now?”
Carina’s face softened. “They’re five and absolutely adorable. They remind me so much of Katie when she was at that age…so full of life.”
He glanced around the room. “Where’s Katie now?”
Carina looked around. “I think she’s sitting with her folks tonight. I found her crying in the lounge. I guess Arthur dropped by just long enough to upset her and try to ruin her evening, then left. Being Katie, she was fighting mad that she’d allowed him to get to her that way.” She spotted Katie making her way through the tables across the room and nodded. “There she is now.”
Clay excused himself from the table and wound his way through the crush of people to his cousin.
He hadn’t seen her in years. Her hair had darkened from the reddish-blond color he remembered to a soft auburn, and her beautiful eyes had lost their sparkle. He’d never met Arthur Henley but decided on the spot that the man should be horsewhipped for making Katie miserable.
“Hi, cuz’, how about a dance?” he asked as soon as he was close enough to be heard.
Katie, looking his age rather than the ten years older he knew her to be, glanced around at him in surprise. “Clay? My word, I can’t believe it! You grew up on me when I had my back turned.”
He led her out on the dance floor. “It’s good to see you again, Katie. Where are you living these days?”
“In Austin.”
He was surprised when he took her in his arms to discover that she was tiny. Because of the age difference, he’d always remembered her as being one of the “big kids” in the family. Time certainly had a way of changing a person’s perspective. She barely came to his shoulder, even though she wore high heels.
“You’re looking smashing tonight. Black definitely plays up your beautiful coloring,” he said. It was true. Her fair skin, amber eyes and dark red hair were all enhanced by the midnight color of her gown.
Her eyes filled with tears. “You’re good for my ego, Clay,” she whispered, and looked away.
“I can’t believe the twins are already five. I remember hearing about their birth. Guess I’ve been away for longer than I realized. Maybe I’ll get to see them while I’m home this time.”
She glanced at him in surprise. “Don’t you have to get back to your assignment right away?”
“Actually, I’m on a thirty-day leave, so I’ll be hanging around for a few weeks.”
She brightened. “Well, then. Why don’t you plan to come see us next week? I know the girls will be delighted to see their handsome cousin.”
He wanted to ask her about Henley but decided not to bring up a subject that would be a reminder of all she’d been through. Instead, he kept the conversation lighthearted and teasing. By the time the dance was over, she was laughing with a hint of the old sparkle in her eyes.
He escorted her to the table where her parents held court, bowed over her hand and thanked her for the dance with suitable intensity—causing her to laugh again—then returned to his own table.
Once again, Melanie was dancing. Since his dad was in deep conversation with someone Clay didn’t know, he held out his hand to his mother. “Would you like to dance?”
She grinned. “Taking care of all us neglected women, are you?” She hopped up and took his hand. “I’d love to.” He swung her out onto the dance floor. “Do you know how long you’ll be here?” she asked after they circled the floor once in silence.
He glanced at her and shrugged. “I’m officially on leave for thirty days, but I understand there’s more to my being here than that. I’m to meet with Cole later tonight and will probably find out what’s expected of me.”
“They’re all really worried, Clay. And they aren’t certain who they can trust. Whoever was behind those attacks has money and power. Your dad feels they probably already have their fix in with those in authority.”
“I