“Not exactly,” Clarissa said, but he ignored her.
With his trademark blue eyes and slightly wavy hair, he looked a lot like the old man, just a little more refined; the sharper features he’d received from his mother. “Don’t let Clarrie get to you,” he warned, and she let out a snort of disgust as he grinned, showing off the hint of a dimple.
“I’m Kacey Lambert.” She shook his hand.
Colt lifted a thick eyebrow. “Well, Kacey, you’ve found yourself one helluva family.”
“Have I?”
“Oh, yeah.” Colt took a seat next to Kacey as the second twin, right on the heels of the first, introduced himself to her as Cameron. Though he looked exactly like Colt, he’d just shaved and his hair was neatly in place.
“Just for the record, I’m the smarter twin,” he said, and his brother barked out a laugh.
Clarissa’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t really funny.”
“Sure it is,” Colt said. “It’s a goddamned sideshow. Welcome to the Johnson family circus.”
Cameron half smiled and nodded.
Clarissa’s mouth thinned.
“Having fun yet?” Cameron asked, but not just to Kacey; his remark seemed to be directed at everyone.
Gerald shook his head. “Just take a seat,” he suggested. Cameron slid into a chair one seat away from Clarissa and directly across from Colt, just as the fourth sibling arrived.
Judd.
She recognized him from the pictures she’d seen.
He was the tallest so far, his shoulders broader than either of the twins’. While they were built like baseball players, he had the physique of a star quarterback. His hair was neat, so black as to be blue; his face clean-shaven. He wore a black business suit, crisp white shirt, and looked every bit the corporate lawyer, though she did note his tie was loosened slightly. When he looked at her, there was a restlessness to his gaze, an edge, and his eyes were a startling shade of blue.
Gerald said, “Judd, this is—”
“Acacia. I know.” He shook her hand. Much more serious than either of the twins, he said quietly, “I guess I’m supposed to welcome you to the family, but I’m not really sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Yeah?”
One side of his mouth lifted laconically. “You’ll see,” he said, taking a seat to his father’s left.
Gerald checked his watch and looked at his daughter. “Did anyone get the word to Robert?” he asked, but before Clarissa could answer, the door opened again, and a man Kacey didn’t recognize rushed inside.
Obviously the missing Robert Lindley.
Gerald made a quick introduction. “Robert, this is Acacia Lambert. She’s your half sister.”
“I heard.” Robert nodded at her before sliding into a seat next to Clarissa, and though he did resemble his half siblings, there wasn’t a hint of the refinement to his features that was evident in most of Noreen Johnson’s children. Robert’s forehead was larger, more pronounced, his hairline receding slightly, though there wasn’t any gray in the coffee brown of his hair. His eyes were blue, too, that family brand evident, but his nose was a little broader than those of his half brothers, his eyebrows thicker and more pronounced, his skin a little paler. His physique was more like Judd’s than the twins’. He was tall and thick-muscled, as if he worked out whenever possible.
“Where’s Thane?” Gerald asked, clearly anxious to get the meeting under way.
“Your guess is as good as mine
. I left a message on his cell,” Robert said.
“He was here,” Judd said. “I saw him less than ten minutes ago, locking his car in the lot.”
“He’ll show up when he shows up.” Clarissa was obviously fed up with her younger brother’s antics. “Let’s get down to it. As you know, Acacia Lambert”—she motioned to Kacey—“is our half sister. Her mother is Maribelle Collins, and until recently, she claims she didn’t realize our father was the same as hers.”
“I think I should handle this, Clarissa,” Gerald interrupted. To the group at large, he explained about his affair with Kacey’s mother, revealing that he knew about Kacey and applauded her decision to become a doctor, even admitting to knowing her ex-husband, the noted heart surgeon J. C. Lambert. All of the information made Kacey squirm inside, especially the surprise about her ex, but she forced an impassive expression, though everyone around her was growing more and more tense. Gerald apologized to his children and swore he would make it right with their mother, though he didn’t obviously include Janet Lindley, Robert’s mother, in the mix of baring his soul and offering up his regrets.