They both trained their eyes on the dining room door until Gram reappeared, followed by a tall, handsome man with sandy blond hair, wearing an expensive-looking suit.
“Hello cousin.” The man stressed the word, smiling while his eyes crinkled with merriment. “Great to see you.”
“Evan,” said Steven, his voice conveying disdain.
“Play nice, boys. I won’t have a fight at my table tonight.” Gram led him toward Anne. “Anne, this is my grandson, Evan Sterling. Evan, this is Anne Best.”
“Grandson? I guess I didn’t think you had—”
“You didn’t think she had any other grandchildren, did you?” asked Evan. “That’s because Steven is the favorite grandchild. His father and my mother were siblings. And I have two sisters, as well.”
“Enough,” said Gram. “I practically raised Steven as a son. Your mother moved with her husband to the West Coast until you were in high school. And I’ll not be criticized in my own home.”
Evan grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her around in a circle. “I’m sorry, Gram. I’ve always been a little jealous of Steven, growing up in this house with you. But I promise not to spoil your dinner.”
“You’ve already spoiled mine,” muttered Steven.
Gram said, “Anne, you’re sitting there. And Evan, you’re next to Anne. Steven, you’ll sit on this side next to me.”
Evan grinned. “There’s an advantage to not being the favorite. I get to sit next to this beautiful woman. You were right, Gram. She’s gorgeous.”
Anne blushed furiously. “I… I’m not…”
Evan’s eyebrows arched high. “And not conceited either. How incredibly rare.” He took Anne’s hand and led her to her place at the table. “Come. Tell me about yourself, Anne.”
Tension filled the room, so thick you could almost touch it. There was no doubt Steven didn’t care for his cousin. Anne wondered why Gram would trick them into having dinner together.
“Steven, dear,” said Gram. “We’re ready to eat now, if dinner is served.”
“Cousin,” said Evan with a sly smile, when he tasted his first bite of seared tuna. “You’re an amazing cook. I can see why you never bothered to marry. So self-sufficient.” He leaned his head toward Anne, speaking in low tones. “Stevie has always been the best at everything. If he couldn’t be number one, he didn’t bother to do it.”
Steven flinched at the nickname. “I wasn’t that great at everything, cousin, but you were always around to make me look good in comparison.”
“Quite right. Stevie made it a personal goal to show everyone he was better than me.” Evan made a martyred face. “I’ve learned to accept I’ll always have to live in Stevie’s shadow. Everyone loved Stevie best, you know. Even my own mother was disappointed I wasn’t more like him. Whenever he bested me in school, she’d not speak to me for weeks at a time.” His voice cracked. “I used to cry every night…”
Sympathy tears sprang to Anne’s eyes, and she put her arm on Evan’s. “That’s terrible… children need their mother’s approval. I’m so sorry…”
“He’s lying, Anne.” Steven’s voice dripped disdain.
“I’m not lying,” Evan declared, putting his hand on top of Anne’s, clasping it in place on his arm.
“No daughter of mine would treat her child like that.” Gram furrowed her white brows.
“Okay… perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit,” said Evan. “But it’s the sort of thing I’ve always had to do to get attention when Stevie’s around. It does feel awfully nice to have your sympathy, even if I don’t quite deserve it.” His fingers caressed Anne’s, and she squirmed with embarrassment.
Steven’s eye’s sliced Evan to shreds.
“Steven, will you pass the rosemary potatoes, please?” asked Gram.
Anne tugged her hand away and made a vain attempt to soothe the tense atmosphere. “So y’all were in school together?”
“Yes,” said Evan. “We went all the way through high school together. I was captain of the lacrosse team. That was the only sport Stevie didn’t play, so I had a fighting chance.” He winked at Anne.
“What about you, Mr. Gherring?” Anne asked. “What did you do in high school?”
He glared at Evan, who was laughing uncontrollably. “What’s so funny?” asked Anne.
Evan chuckled until he caught his breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just the way Stevie flinched when you called him ‘Mr. Gherring.’ It was priceless!”