Page 36 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

“Bad form to leave a woman alone when she’s been drinking,” he said. “Or, to take advantage of her.” Not that he would have taken her home, but he might as well take the sting out of his rejection.

It worked. A tiny blush bloomed in her cheeks. “You’re a very decent person,” she said. “Even if you did forget those women’s names.”

Lewis couldn’t remember the last time he was called decent. “Thank you. If you get a chance, spread the word. I’m in need of an image makeover.” A big one. Otherwise, he’d be stuck as “Champagne Lewis” for the rest of his life. Or worse, he’d fade into obscurity.

“You and me both,” she replied.

“Amen to that, sister.” Helping himself to the other water, he clinked the bottom of his glass against hers. “Amen to that.”

CHAPTER TWO

IFTHEREWEREtwo things Susan detested, they were headaches and people bothering her when she wanted to be left alone. Saturday morning brought both: a blinding headache and a phone ringing loudly right next to her ear.

Lifting her head from the sofa—where she’d collapsed facedown after stumbling from the bathroom—she glared at the caller ID, planning on killing the person.

Just her luck, it was her brother Thomas. One of two people in the UK she couldn’t kill. He was also the only person whose call she had to take. As CEO of Collier’s, he was technically her boss.

That didn’t mean she had to be pleasant though. “Do you know what time it is?” she growled.

“Happy Saturday to you, as well. It’s ten o’clock in the morning.”

Really? She pulled the phone from her ear to check. When she’d lain down, it was just before seven that day. “Sorry. Thought it was earlier.”

It suddenly dawned on her why Thomas could be calling. “Rosalind didn’t have the baby, did she?” She pushed herself upright, ignoring how the blood rush made the room—and her stomach—sway.

“Not yet. The doctor thinks she’ll go right on her due date, same as she did with Maddie. And you sound like dirt.”

She felt like dirt. No longer having to worry about being alert, she slid down into the cushions. “Maria’s wedding was last night. I overdosed on sloe gin.”

“Sounds like a good time.”

“Not as good as you’d think.” And ending with her nearly falling on her face when she tripped going up her front steps—right after she’d insisted she was perfectly able to navigate the walk on her own. She could just imagine the look that had crossed Lewis Matolo’s face when he caught her by the waist. A combination of smugness and disgust, no doubt. At least he was gentleman enough not to say anything out loud.

“Is there a reason you’re calling?” she asked. “Because otherwise, I would like to go back to dying.”

“Actually, there are two reasons, if you can stave off your demise for ten minutes.”

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises. What do you need?”

“The first thing isn’t a need, it’s an invitation. Rosalind and I were talking last night. About how fantastical the last eighteen months have been. Between her accident and last Christmas…”

Fantastical was a good word for it. Eighteen months earlier, Rosalind had disappeared after her car plunged off a bridge in Scotland. She had reappeared last Christmas hundreds of miles away with amnesia of all things. Rediscovering their relationship had been a challenge. Susan liked to think she helped the cause by sharing some hard truths Thomas hadn’t been willing to tell his returning bride.

Of course she was the only one who thought so at the time, but the three of them had put the issue behind them.

“We thought, with the baby arriving soon, it would be the perfect time to reestablish ourselves as a family,” Thomas continued.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve decided to renew our vows on Christmas Eve. Nothing huge. Just family and a few close friends.”

“That sounds…lovely.” Susan hated the tiny knot of jealousy that twisted in her midsection. Her brother had fought hard for his life and family; a proper sister wouldn’t envy his happiness.

Especially when his voice hummed with a bashful excitement. “Maddie’s going to be the maid of honor,” he said. “She’ll be heartbroken if her favorite aunt isn’t there.”

“I’d be heartbroken if I missed seeing her,” Susan replied, the knot easing slightly. The prospect of seeing her young niece dressed like a princess was too charming to resist.

“So you’ll be there?”