Passion Play

Why did she have the feeling his words were a warning meant for her?

Chapter 11

“You have a lovely home.” Rose stood with her sisters in the entryway of Kayla Cooper Anderson’s house. The mahogany flooring threw the ivory walls into sharp relief. The pink-and-silver marble trim was an elegant accent.

“Thank you, dear.” Kayla escorted Rose and her sisters down the narrow hallway to her living room. “I believe your home is your sanctuary. This is where you should treat yourself.”

Kayla’s living room continued the pink-and-silver theme that she’d introduced in her entryway. Rose had an impression of bright ivory walls, fluffy silver furniture and a warm rose carpet before being distracted by the room’s occupants.

The four Anderson Adventures men stood as the women entered the room. Rose’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. How she wished she had a camera to preserve this tableau of masculine appeal. The men wore tailored slacks and casual shirts in dark colors. Donovan’s amethyst shirt made his hazel eyes glow.

“You guys look great.” Iris’s enthusiastic words were an understatement. “It’s a good thing Lily had us dress up.”

Iris’s lipstick-red tank dress bared her calves. Lily’s mint-green lace shift skimmed her hourglass figure. In her copper cap-sleeve sheath, Rose felt a little like a prickly cactus among colorful poppies.

“Good for Lily.” Kayla put an arm around Lily’s shoulders. The two were almost the same height. “But we still would have fed you.”

“Dinner should be ready soon.” Foster stood beside Kayla. “We’re happy you could join us. Kayla and I were sorry to have missed the first family dinner.”

Rose smiled at Foster and Kayla. How reluctant had they really been to skip the first dinner? Reading their body language, Rose had the feeling Foster and Kayla had been glad “the kids” were otherwise engaged that evening. Did Donovan, Tyler and Xavier know?

Tyler stepped forward to kiss Iris’s cheek. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Iris glowed. “You look very handsome.”

Rose was distracted by the expression of pleasure on her sister’s face. She jumped when someone claimed her hand. Looking up, she found Donovan beside her.

“You’re beautiful.” His words were meant for her ears only.

“So are you,” she whispered back.

“I’m experiencing a lot of firsts with you.” Donovan grinned. “No one has ever called me that.”

Rose blushed. She needed to change the subject. “So you guys pulled it off. I’m impressed.”

“It was a piece of cake—once Ty and Xavier stopped cursing me.” Donovan gave her a rueful smile.

Tyler tucked Iris against his side. “I hadn’t expected to spend my Saturday morning doing emergency grocery shopping.”

“Uncle Foster was a great help.” Xavier wandered forward to stand beside Lily.

Rose exchanged a knowing glance with Iris.

“Dinner smells wonderful.” Lily smiled her appreciation.

Kayla dropped her left arm from Lily’s shoulders. She linked her right arm with Foster’s, then gave Rose, Lily and Iris a conspiratorial smile. “Let’s move into the dining room so the men can serve us.”

Dinner was excellent: broiled chicken tenders, Spanish rice and asparagus spears. Dessert was apple pie à la mode. But again, it was the company and conversation that made the meal memorable. Foster sat at the foot of the table with Tyler and Donovan on either side of him. Kayla was at the head of the table with Xavier on her right and Lily on her left. Rose and Iris had the table’s two middle seats.

Rose was impressed. “Did you men honestly make all of this without any help from Kayla?”

“I wasn’t even informed of the menu. This was a complete surprise.” Kayla chuckled. “They even cleaned up after themselves. My kitchen is spotless.”

Iris forked up more apple pie and vanilla ice cream. “I’m impressed with the meal and how quickly you pulled it together. I don’t think I would’ve managed this.”

“Now, we don’t want to give them too much credit.” Kayla winked in Lily’s direction. “Women have been doing this for years and with much less help. But it does show how well these young men work together and why Anderson Adventures will continue to be successful.”

Xavier shook his head. “Mom has a way of bringing everything back to the company and its future.”