Page 196 of Incisive

She peruses the bottles there, all favorites for the three of us. “No, this is fine.” She chooses a bottle Jack Daniel’s Honey. “On the rocks, please.” She hands me the bottle. “Don’t be stingy with the pour, either.” She winks.

I smile. “Sure.”

“And no, I’m not a lush.” Her smile fades. “Just really nervous being…here. I hope you don’t think I’m an alcoholic. Normally, I rarely drink. You’d think I’d have a better handle on this but turns out I’m better at fixing other people’s shit than my own.”

“No judgment from me.” From the small fridge under the bar I dig out the large ice cubes, drop one each in two lowball glasses, and pour us several fingers of the amber liquor. I hand one glass to her. “Don’t forget to tip your server when you settle your tab.” I smile.

That earns me a giggle. “That’s not considered bribing a government official?”

“Hmm. You might be right. Never mind. This one’s on the house.”

Her smile fades as she stares at the glass in my hand for a moment. “To new beginnings,” she says, holding her glass up.

I clink with her. “To new families.”

She hooks her arm through mine for the short walk over to the sofa. “Sorry I was such a shit to you that first day.”

“It’s okay. I deserved it.” We settle in and I hand her the remote to let her pick something on the TV.

“Leo and Jordan told me how you’re not close to your sister.”

Despite the ice cube my next swallow of liquor burns a little on the way down. “That’s an understatement. Not for a lack of trying on my part through the years. But I’m sad to admit I’m all tried out. I don’t have any more in me, the energy or the desire.”

She tips her head over onto my shoulder. “Consider me your little sister. I won’t even ask you for favors. Other than pouring me drinks when I visit.”

“I don’t mind that at all.”

We sit there in companionable silence for a few minutes while she channel surfs. “Jordan told me what Leo said that night,” she says. “When you proposed. To shut her up.” She looks up at me, her expression grim. “Would you like my professional opinion or do you want me to stay quiet?”

“Hit me, Dr. Cruz. As long as you don’t send me a bill later.”

She snickers and snuggles in just like what I’ve always imagined it’d be like snuggling with a little sister. But her smile fades. “Ask your detail to discreetly keep Stella and Ellis away from you and the rest of the wedding party tomorrow.”

A chill fills me. “Why?”

“First of all, I’m telling you this in confidence. It’s not for anyone but you, Jordan, and Leo. Not even for our parents to know.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I did some research,” she continues. “Leo sent me information that he could share without violating a bazillion laws. Maybe even some stuff that would, I don’t know.” She sips her drink. “In grad school I did a deep dive into personality disorders and treatment. I’m not trying to scare you, but I honestly believe Stella and Ellis are both malignant narcissists. The easiest way to get through tomorrow with minimal risk of them acting out will be to ‘grey rock’ them.”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t engage, don’t get emotional.” She explains the psychological technique to me. “They’ll want drama and attention. Don’t give it to them. That might be difficult for your parents if Stella’s used to pushing their buttons to get her way. Once you get the family pictures taken after the ceremony, don’t pay any attention to Stella and Ellis.”

“It’ll look weird if I ignore them the whole time.”

“I don’t mean ignore them. Lavish a little bit of positive attention on them at the beginning, when it’d be expected. If either of them snark, pretend not to hear it. Once the ceremony’s over, it’ll be natural for you and Leo to be pulled in other directions and distracted. The perfect cover. I’ll help keep your parents engaged so they don’t even note Stella’s absence. I take it Stella and Ellis have been seated with some other GOP folks?”

“Yeah, the few I invited who I actually can tolerate or really can’t get away with not inviting. I mean, besides Casey-Marie, George, and Declan. But they’re RINOs and honorary Dems and basically family. I’m talking about the full-on Republicans, like the minority leaders, whips, and caucus leaders.” Both sets of parents and Kayley will be seated with us, along with Chris, Casey-Marie, and Jordan. Kayley and Casey-Marie are also standing up for us, as are Jordan and Chris.

Which is a legitimate reason Stella and Ellis aren’t seated at the wedding party table with us.

“Good,” Kayley says. “That’ll give them an audience to pontificate to and keep them distracted while stroking their egos.” I sense genuine concern in her. “Important people they can preen in front of. They might not even pay your parents any attention at all with those kinds of folks in attendance.”

“You don’t think Ellis will try something here, do you? I mean, he’d be an idiot to do that.”

“Not here.” Concern knits her brows. “But after what happenedbefore. A few years back.” She meets my gaze head-on and I know she’s referring to the attack on the Capitol. “I know you’re bound by ethics laws and stuff, but keep your ear to the ground. And if you hear something, for fuck’s sake pay attention. Don’t blow it off because Stella’s related to you. Ellis didn’t only lose his election—he lostface. I skimmed through some of his past speeches. He’s definitely eager to court a distinct…demographic.”