Page 77 of Frankie and the Fed

“Ayala convinced me to accept the invitation,” I mutter, and Olive rolls her eyes at me.

“This is your only family. You need to reconcile.” She scolds me again.

“It’s a lost cause. They hate me, and it will never change.” I turn to Olive and change the subject. “So, Olive, how were the sales before the holiday? I didn’t get your report this week.”

“You got it all right. I sent it to you yesterday. There were a lot of deliveries this week. But I didn’t want to talk about business in the middle of the part—” Her gaze freezes on something behind me, and I turn my head to look.

“No! Don’t look.” She pulls my arm. “She can’t know I’m staring.”

“Who?”

“The woman in the white suit,” Olive whispers.

I bend down to tie my shoe and tilt my head back to see. A woman in a tailored white suit, with a precise haircut and a glass of champagne in her hand, is standing not far behind me. She’s beautiful, and I don’t remember seeing her before. Weird. My parents usually invite the same friends and family every year.

“I don’t know her,” I tell Olive after I’m done bending over the falsely loose laces. “Do you want me to go over there and see if she’s interested?”

“No! are you insane? I’m not even sure if she’s into women. I think so, but I’ll bury myself in the ground if I’m wrong.”

“I’m going to check.” I ignore her faint protests and walk toward the mysterious woman.

“Hey.” I shamelessly intrude on the woman’s conversation with one of my cousins, extending my hand to her. “Ethan Wolf.”

She shakes my hand, and a smile lights up her face. “I know who you are.”

“I don’t remember seeing you before.”

“You surprise me, Wolf.” There is an amused glint in her eyes. “We know each other.”

“Really? I think I would remember someone who looks like you.”

She laughs out loud. “I’m Amber.”

I keep staring, my brain refusing to make the connection.

“Amber Wolf,” she says.

My eyes widen. She’s a Wolf? “Amber Wolf? Carol’s daughter? The cute little cousin who came to stay with us when we were little?”

She nods. “Yeah, I guess I’ve grown a little.”

“Wow! You look amazing. Where have you been hiding until now?”

“My parents sent me to school in Paris. I returned to New York recently.”

“And you intend to stay in New York?”

“I haven’t decided what I’ll do. Sorry, I think I disappointed you. You tried to hit on me, didn’t you.”

“Oh, no. That wasn’t my intention at all. I’m completely taken.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. I prefer women anyway.”

I smile. “Actually, you just made my day. I have a stunning female friend who wanted to know if you were available.”

She looks interested. “Stunning, you say? So who’s your gorgeous friend?”

I nod toward Olive and Ayala with their heads bent together, whispering at the side of the room. “The woman in the blue dress.”