Page 18 of Diners, Damsels & Wolves

Eighteen

Clarissa

W alking across the vast lawn, a forest of pine trees and oaks surrounded them but were too far away to cast a shadow across the pristine greenery. Behind her sat a gray stone structure. At one part Clarissa counted three massive windows atop each other, and either end of the building had literal turrets. In front of the house, there were five garage doors facing the pea-stone driveway. Driveway was hardly the right word for it—it was more like a parking lot. The massive U-shaped structure was too much to be called a home.

Wandering in the shadow of the ‘house’ between massive white tents, she shook hands and met so many people, Clarissa didn’t think she’d remember any of them in ten minutes. Everywhere she turned there were new people coming up to Thomas.

Shaking his hand, they gushed over his generosity. Many were equally eager to meet her. She caught several of them staring at her in adoration, and dare she say, wonder? She also caught a few nasty glares, but she had no idea why.

Sticking close to Tom’s side, she smiled, shaking hands as they were offered, doing her best not to let her discomfort show.

“Thomas!” A middle-aged man shook Tom’s hand with both of his. “I just want to say, since you became the head of the family, things have been, I mean what you’ve done here is spectacular. Bringing the different families together. Your father would be proud.”

“You’re too kind, Darel.” Tom smiled. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone’s support.”

“And you have it! Velma and I and our whole clan are proud to be at your side,” Darel gushed. “And may I say, I am so pleased to meet your lady companion.” He kissed the back of her hand.

“Thank you, Darel,” Tom said. “I hope you and your wife enjoy the picnic.”

Darel backed away, joining a woman standing a few steps away.

“Hey, boss!” A man as tall as Tom and roughly their age waved them over. “This is the family from Colorado.”

Tom stuck out his hand to a short and lean woman with dark ocher skin standing in point of a group of seven similarly built individuals. “Thomas Sinclaire, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he said.

“Menna.” She shook his hand. “My boss sends his regrets that he was unable to attend in person. I trust you understand.”

“Of course.” Tom smiled. “I’m happy you were able to come. Perhaps next year he will be able to join us. I hope you all enjoy yourselves.”

Menna’s eyes grew wide, but she nodded courteously.

They walked the lawns, shaking more hands. With every step and every greet, the pit in her stomach grew. Everyone was calling Tom ‘boss’ or ‘head of the family.’

With a pang, she realized just how little she actually knew about the man next to her. Overcome by his kindness and open generosity, she didn’t question how comfortable he made her feel, nor her need to be around him. Now she wished she had.

He lived in a literal mansion on a sprawling estate nestled in the woods. Had a large family where people who weren’t blood related were called ‘cousin.’ He’d taken over the family business of ‘lumber among other things. ’

Her mouth went dry. Bile rose in the back of her throat, and a knot of fear nestled into her chest.

Overwhelmed with the sudden urge to leave, she didn’t want any more of these people to see her, to learn her name. Oh God, what had she gotten herself into?

“Hiya, boss.” A group of teens and early twenty-somethings came up to them carrying trays of food. All of them were tall and muscular beyond the norm.

Clarissa gaped. It couldn’t be, those were the kids from the diner! Had he sent them there to keep tabs on her?

A young man in the group said, “I got all the food done and we’re just setting up the tables now. I put Nathon and Sam on grill duty.”

“Excellent,” Tom said, “thank you, Michael.”

Michael stared at Clarissa. Shifting her weight, she looked at the distant trees.

“Thank you, Michael,” Tom said, his voice turned to steel, a thinly veiled warning under his words.

“Sure thing, boss!” Michael scurried off to join the others.

Blinking against the sun, Clarissa blanched. A group of old ladies with hats and thick-rimmed glasses sat at a table. They looked familiar. Was that Ethal from the old ladies’ book club that met at the diner? What the hell was going on here?

Another group approached them: five tall, lean men and women with dark umber skin. Their eyes scanned their surroundings while the man in point looked directly at Tom.

“I am Atticus Bates,” the man said, reaching a hand out to shake. “I am the boss of Louisiana’s Bates family. I am pleased to make your acquaintance and pay our respects.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Tom said. “I hope you all enjoy the picnic.”

Atticus nodded, paying no attention to Clarissa. She was okay with that. The fewer ‘bosses’ who knew her name, the better.

Once they left, a group of twelve petite women and men approached. All of them had different features and complexions but held themselves in the same fashion, as if they had too much energy to be sitting still, fidgeting every few seconds.

“Hello, Mister Sinclaire.” A woman in the group with long blonde hair nodded to him.

“Brittaney, how many times must I tell you to call me Tom?” He laughed. The woman fidgeted uncomfortably. “I hope your family is enjoying themselves and that you’re considering my offer. I would like for old bygones to pass.”

“Yes, we would too,” Brittaney said. “We appreciate you reaching out to us. I will let you know when we make our final decision. In the meantime, we’re enjoying being back in Fairville. Oh, how rude of me! I don’t believe you and I have been introduced.”

Brittaney held her hand out to Clarissa. She shook it.

“Hello, I’m Clarissa.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Brittaney said.

Tom exchanged mild pleasantries with Brittaney before she excused herself to escort her family to the buffet table.

Tom leaned in close to her. “Are you hungry?”

Unable to make her mouth move, she shook her head. If she ate now, she’d just end up throwing it all up on the lawn.

“Later then.” He kissed her hair.

She wanted to cry. She’d just let a mob boss rail her on her kitchen counter. And she’d loved it. But it was worse than that. She’d let her guard down for him. Allowed herself to live in the fantasy of romance, letting herself hope for the future. To believe her life could be something other than what it was. And now, she’d been betrayed by reality and her heart was paying the price.

Strolling closer to the house, a heavily pregnant woman waddled over to them. Long black curls were bound at the top of her head. She had brown eyes and a small scattering of freckles decorating her face.

“Tom!” she yelled, supporting her belly and slowing to catch her breath.

“Maria, you should be sitting down.” He rushed to grab her arm.

“I’m pregnant, not infirm.” She swatted his hand away. “Are you going to introduce me?”

“Maria, this is Clarissa. Clarissa, this is my sister, Maria.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Maria beamed. “Do you mind if I steal you away from my brother for a moment?”

“Maria,” he growled.

Maria looked at him pointedly. “Sam is at the grill; he needs some help. I don’t want to be left alone.”

“I can send someone else to help Sam,” Tom said.

“Sam needs to speak with you about the territory issue at the lumberyard.”

Tom’s jaw clenched, his back going rigid. He turned to Clarissa. “Forgive me, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.

“Take your time!” Maria called after him.

When he was across the lawn, she turned to Clarissa. “Walk with me?” Maria inclined her head to a bench in the shade.

“Sure,” she choked out, trying to look enthusiastic. Fear was pulsing through her so hard her hands were starting to shake.

Maria sat down in a huff. Kicking out her legs, she rubbed her stomach.

“I am so ready for this baby to be born.” Maria laughed. “My ankles are three times their normal size and I haven’t slept in days.”

“From my understanding, you won’t be getting much sleep once they’re born either.”

“That is very true.” Maria looked out across the lawn, then back at Clarissa. “A bit overwhelming, isn’t it?”

“Am I that obvious?” Clarissa asked, trying to swallow the panic bubbling in her chest.

“Oh, you’re fine.” Maria waved a hand at her. “I just know there’s a lot of us.”

“Tom told me he had a big family, I just didn’t imagine … this, and everyone’s watching me.”

“It’s nothing personal, really. Tom, he’s been alone for a while. He’s so focused on taking care of everyone else, he’s been neglecting his own happiness.”

“I see.” Clarissa chewed on her lip, mulling over everything she’d learned today.

Hearing that she was the source of Tom’s happiness made a small part of her sing. The larger part of her, however, was terrified. What would happen if they became serious, him becoming more attached, then they got into a fight? If she was no longer the source of his happiness, what would his ‘family’ do to her?

Once more, he was sending people to the diner to watch her, but for what purpose? He didn’t seem possessive when she was with him, but he also didn’t seem like a mob boss. Did she want to stick around long enough to find out?

She didn’t like this, not one bit. How the hell had she gotten herself into this situation? And how was she going to get out of it? Did she want out?

“That’s a beautiful carving.”

Maria’s voice pulled her back to the present.

“What?” she asked.

“Your necklace, the wolf carving, it’s beautiful. Did you make it?”

“Oh, this.” Clarissa had slipped her father’s necklace on before leaving. “My father made it. He gave it to me before he died.”

“I’m sorry to have brought it up,” Maria said.

“No, it’s fine, really. He and Mom died so long ago.”

“Both of them?”

“In a house fire. It was too far along after the firefighters got me out. That’s how I ended up in Fairville, I moved in with my aunt.”

Maria knit her brow, staring at the carving. “May I?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Maria cradled the necklace in her hand, the chain long enough for her to pull it closer to her eyes. She stared at it. Not as if she were appreciating a piece of art, but rather appraising it.

“It really is remarkable,” Maria said.

“Thank you,” Clarissa said as she racked her brain for a subject change. “Have you decided on a name?”

“Hmm?”

“For the baby,” Clarissa said. “What name are you thinking of?”

Maria’s eyes lit up and she tried to sit up straighter against her bulging stomach. “Well, we’re waiting to know the sex until the day of, so we have a few possibilities. Samuel and I are having a hard time agreeing on a boy’s name, but we both really like Lilly for a girl. He likes the idea of Levi for a boy, he’s a big anime nerd and there’s something about that name he’s obsessed with. I was okay with it until I learned where he got the idea from. I’m not sure how I feel about naming my kid after an anime character.”

Clarissa laughed and Maria continued going into detail about decorating the nursery. Still listening, she let her eyes wander across the picnic. They settled on Tom. He stood at a barrel-sized grill with a tall Hispanic man, deep in conversation. A crease formed between Tom’s brows, hard lines etched across his features, jaw locked, his face turning red.

Stomach dropping, she considered what could have made him that angry. What had she gotten herself into?