With a grin, he said, “You clearly don’t need any help from me.”
“Or me,” Sam added. He collected his overcoat hanging on the railing.
Caleb offered his arm to Reese and they descended the remainder of the steps. A thick black wrap draped over the back of a sofa and he asked, “Will this be warm enough?”
“Your body heat’s sufficient.”
He groaned. Placing the wrap around her shoulders, he said, “Let me know if you need my coat.”
After slipping into his full-length one, they left the B&B. They took Reese’s sedan to Austin, since it was more conducive for formalwear than the trucks.
On the drive to the private airport, she twisted in the front passenger seat and asked Sam, “What happened to Charlotte? Did she marry?”
“No. Not yet. Though I hear she’s engaged to a farmer in Iowa. That’s where she’s from.”
“Are you two in touch or do you get information through the grapevine?”
“Grapevine.”
Reese settled back in her seat.
Caleb said, “She never stood a chance with the family. They weren’t nice. She was too simple for their taste and they thought she was all wrong for Sam.”
“What happened?”
Sam told her, “They were cruel. Vicious, even. They’d snipe at her or cut her down at functions, in public, until she was almost in tears and spent the majority of the evenings in the restroom.”
Reese swiveled around again. “Why didn’t you stand up for her?”
Caleb said, “He did. We both did. Repeatedly. But what it really came down to was the fact Sam should’ve just stopped bringing her around.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Sam sighed. “Because I really wanted her to fit in. My fault entirely. I don’t particularly like how my family behaves, but…they are my family. And, as is the case with Caleb, there’s this small, idiotic part of me that thinks I can somehow make them see past their snobbery. It’s inherent and I can’t shake it. I want them to see someone like Charlotte or you in real, honest terms. It’ll be the death of me, I’m sure, but damn it. Someday they’ve got to see the writing on the wall and accept people for who they are and what they want to be. We’re not all Society Stepfords.”
“Exactly,” Caleb said. “We’ve never really talked about this, but he’s hit the nail on the head.”
Reese stared out the window toward the double-laned road to Austin. She seemed to give everything they’d said ample consideration, then shifted her attention to Caleb.
“So what if they don’t like me?”
He laughed. “It’s not exactly a do-or-die situation, darlin’.”
“Really?” Her gaze landed on Sam in the backseat.
Caleb’s teeth ground together. Yes, his family could make life hell for him. And for her. He’d witnessed it with Sam and Charlotte. As much as he wanted to reassure her, he actually didn’t have any proof it could work out between them if his family disapproved of her.
The more disconcerting thought was that, despite her appearance, they likely would disapprove…
* * * * *
Reese barely resisted the urge to bite her newly manicured nails as the car passed through a security gate and drove onto the tarmac at the private terminal. The Lear jet sat in wait, a red carpet leading to the short flight of stairs. The two pilots stood on either side of the steps.
Sam got out of the car and opened her door for her. Walking in Liza’s shoes was painful on so many levels. The pointy tips pinched her toes, but the most agony came in figurative terms. Although she appreciated how Caleb looked at her all spiffed up, she regretted having accepted his invitation. Something about what both men had said earlier gnawed at her. If it took an over-the-top appearance for his family to invest in getting to know her, wouldn’t they just be disappointed when they found out she wasn’t a flashy person at all?
Actually what really made
her nervous as hell was they’d likely discover she wasn’t the least bit interesting.