Page 38 of Crying Shame

Sam tugged on my arm, and I glanced down at him. “Elon, can I go check out the horses with Aurora?”

His cousin Aurora was about Sam's age, and I assumed the lives of adults were boring to eight-year-olds. I nodded. “I’ll tell your mom.”

“Thanks.” He patted me on the back like we were friends.

Clarissa acted like we were friends too. I took my hands out of my pockets when she returned. I needed her to let me know if it was okay to touch her.

She stood next to me and scanned the room. “Where’s Sam?”

I motioned to the back door. “Arman’s daughter took him to the stables.”

Her eyes widened. “And you just let him go?”

I froze as I wasn’t sure how to handle this. “They're kids. And you know this house and the stables.”

The pitch of her voice went higher. “I hate letting him out of my sight.”

Charlie gazed at me, and I lowered my head and quieted my voice. “He goes to school every day, and we have security everywhere.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms and avoided looking at me.

Then she took a deep breath and seemed to relax. My heart stopped racing.

“I’m sure he’s fine. I’m the one who worries.” She sighed and took a champagne flute one of the servers handed her. I did the same. “Maddie wants to have lunch this week.”

We glanced across the room, where Charlie was tugging Maddie away from Arman for a dance. “And do you want to have lunch with her?”

“Yeah. She’s the closest thing I had to a female friend growing up." Clarissa shook her head and laughed as Charlie showed off a new dance move. “And your brother is incorrigible. Heaven help the woman he marries.”

My body tightened as I wondered if she had a crush on my brother. My heart sped up. “You think he’ll settle down?”

She shrugged. “He’s good with kids and has a kind heart, but whoever he marries is going to have to deal with unrelenting energy.”

“True.” That summed up Charlie.

She tilted her head and patted my arm. “So, it’s a slow song…”

I offered my hand, and she took it. “I was gearing up to ask you to dance. I was jealous of seeing you with Charlie.”

“Why?” she asked. “We were only bouncing around. I prefer dancing with you.”

I wished I knew how to learn her secrets so she would let me in. I held her in a dance pose. “I… I’m waiting for you to realize you can trust me.”

She shrugged. “In some ways, I trust you more than I trust me.”

My soul soared like that was true. I spun her around, and as she returned to face me, I said, “Well, I was hoping spending time with my family again made you feel more comfortable.”

She cupped my face. “It’s crazy to me how, in some ways, none of you have changed—except for you.”

The song ended. We headed to the backyard patio as it was quieter there. “What do you mean?”

She gave me a quizzical look. “You wear your responsibility now.”

I lowered my head and whispered so only she could hear. “Let’s keep that between us.”

We stood at the door of the backyard patio, but she turned around and scanned the grand room. “Where are Gerard and Adrien?” she asked, referring to my two brothers who weren't present.

“Gerard is touring the world on his yacht for a gap year with his fiancée, and Adrien has classes.”