No doubt on that point. I think James could get me to do anything by merely asking. I was hopeless when it came to him.
I laughed him off and refocused my attention to his mother, because she was the one who had addressed me, but Judge Blakney inserted himself into our conversation. "Yes, social work is your focus at university, is it not?" He leveled his cold gray eyes at me in a way that made my spine tingle, and not in a good way. More like a bug under a magnifying glass with the sun burning a hole right through him.
"Yes…I'll have my master's in social work in another month. Then I'll apply for my license with the state so I can practice."
"Ah, a public servant. How noble. I must say it's very useful in its way…at least for the time being." James stiffened beside me, obviously annoyed by his dad's comment. He reached for my hand under the table and squeezed it. I assumed it was a signal to avoid taking the bait and responding defensively to the thinly veiled insult, so I took the high road instead.
"I hope I can be useful to those that need some help," I said firmly, meeting his callous eyes head-on. After my long night, I was in no mood for delving into another one of those conversations that started with: "Are you sure you want to surround yourself with poor people and their problems?" I'd heard it before, and I was sure I'd hear it again considering the world I came from, but the way in which James's father spoke to me sounded so archaically pompous, like he was of a higher class of human than the rest of us—even better than his own family.
What an incredibly heartless asshole.
Did he not have a shred of compassion for others in hard situations? And he was a fucking judge—the most revered "public" servant of all. God, pity the poor souls who had him assigned to their cases.
"I think you misunderstand me, Winter. I do approve of your endeavors to help the poor and disenfranchised. It will make for good press certainly." His eyes held no trace of insincerity.
What the hell? Now he was bestowing compliments? I didn't know what to make of that last comment he'd thrown at me about "good press" but I decided I wasn't going to engage him. If he could speak in riddles, then so could I.
"Actually, I am hoping to set up a private shelter facility that I will spearhead. That's my dream." I looked at James again and smiled at him, hoping he caught my appreciation for his offer to help me realize my dream. Even if it didn't work out, just the fact he was willing to do something as drastic as marry me so I could get to my money left me utterly speechless. Come to think of it, James was really good at rendering me speechless over a lot of things.
James gave me a wink back and said to his father, "I'm very proud of her and her altruistic ambitions."
"As you should be," Judge Blakney said with a thoroughly disturbing smile.
The tingle in my spine returned, and as it zapped me a second time I had to suppress a shudder. What is his deal? I've known him for years and he's never been this weird.
"Please don't take anything my father says to heart, okay?"
This was Victoria trying to smooth things over for her badly behaving parent while we set up the desserts to bring out later.
"It's okay, I'm used to it actually. What he said is nothing I haven't heard before, Victoria. Really, I can take it."
"Well, it's still rude as hell for him to even say one thing to you about what you choose to study in school, or what to do with your life. But I get it. He didn't even want me working for your brother as PA to the head of a billion-dollar corporation. He said that being a personal assistant was not a worthy occupation." She rolled her eyes as we both laughed at the ridiculousness of her statement.
"Yeah, well Caleb would probably give you a share in BGE to keep you as his PA. He's really worried you'll leave him after you get married."
"Caleb doesn't have anything to worry about, and I've told him that. I love my job, and nobody is going to dictate what I choose to do for a career." I sensed she might be referring to her fiancé, but I didn't want to be nosey and ask her outright. Clay Whitcomb was a charming guy, handsome and successful, but there was something just a little too shiny about him. A high-profile lawyer like James, but in a completely different way. Where James was serious and all business, Clay came off as arrogant with a little bit of snob thrown in. I didn't really see his attraction, but Victoria must see something in him that the rest of us didn't, because she'd agreed to marry him. Their wedding was planned for July.
"So, you want me to tell Caleb it'll be easier for you stay on as his PA if he doubles your salary? I'll be seeing him this weekend at Lucas's place on the island," I teased.
"Oh, please tell him hi for me," she said a little too quickly.
Why would she need to tell Caleb "hi" when she saw him every day? Weird. "Okay…I will?" I left the question dangling.
"I meant Lucas…tell Lucas I said hello." A flush appeared over her face, and I got the impression there was far more to this story than I was aware. Lucas and Victoria? I didn't know of the two of them having any kind of history, but then secrets are meant to stay secret, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that I wasn't in the know. I kept pretty busy with school and work most of the time. Interesting. Yet she's engaged to another man.
"I will tell Lucas then," I promised. "He's going to pick me up from the helipad at BGE in the morning. It's a good thing I trust his piloting skills, because I am not a fan of helicopter rides." I shook my head. "Have you ever flown with Lucas?" It was a calculated question on my part—I was curious to see her reaction—because I am a hopeless matchmaker. My sister would verify the "hopeless" part due to some disastrous dates I set her up with before she met Roger.
"Once."
I caught some regret in that one small word, and she didn't offer anything more to elaborate, so I let it go. Vanessa joined us then and asked if everything was ready, so it was time for a change of topic anyway.
But I'd noticed something important in my conversation with Victoria.
What had started out being about Caleb, quickly switched to Lucas the instant his name came up. She didn't acknowledge my offer to bribe Caleb into giving her a raise for agreeing to stay on as his PA—which was easily a joke, but seriously a viable option for her if she ever wanted to use it on him. Most people would at least laugh at the humor in the silly words rather than ignore them completely. But not Victoria tonight. Hmmm.
She also never mentioned her fiancé in the course of the entire afternoon. Not that she missed him, or that he might have arranged a phone call from wherever he was to wish her and her family a happy holiday—just nothing at all. It struck me as odd, because Victoria wasn't normally so quiet. Her silence was actually surprising.
"Is your hand hurting, dear?" Mrs. Blakney asked kindly when she found me tossing back a couple of my prescription painkillers amidst dessert. Choosing between the exquisite-looking pumpkin cheesecake on my plate and pills would normally be a no-brainer. Dessert always won. But today, less than twenty-four hours since I'd sliced my hand open, I needed the pills more.