A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [16]
Wilson took a sip of his wine. He couldn’t imagine Marva not having something to say about it. After all, Marva Hayes was Griffin’s mother and, like Karen, she’d had high hopes for their only offspring to tie the knot. Both women had to be fit to be tied right now. Served them right that all their planning, prodding and manipulations over the years hadn’t worked.
“I’m curious to know why you invited Marva. She’s not family,” he decided to point out, although he knew doing so would get a rise out of his wife.
She cut him the look he’d expected. “Marva is my dearest friend, so of course she and Herbert were invited. I’m just disappointed that Griffin refused to come.”
Wilson shrugged. That showed him the boy had good sense even if his parents didn’t. Why would he have come? Erica had made her choice. Still, he was sure Griffin wasn’t heartbroken over the decision. Wilson had long ago seen what his wife had refused to see. What Griffin and Erica shared was a close friendship and nothing else.
Personally, he could tolerate the Hayeses most of the time, but he’d hoped like hell they wouldn’t ever become his in-laws. He’d known Marva and Herbert all his life and they still ran around in the same social circles. But lately Wilson had felt that circle tightening, grating on his last nerve.
“Oh, my, the woman has started mingling, Wilson. Do some thing.”
Wilson raised a brow. “And there’s a problem with her mingling?”
Karen glanced over at him like he was daft. “Yes. The less she has to say to the family and my friends the better.”
He took another sip of wine and then said, “I don’t know why you feel that way. She’s an educated woman, well versed in numerous topics. I had the pleasure of talking with her earlier and found her to be most refreshing.”
Karen frowned. “Then please go across the room and take the refreshing widow off my hands. I haven’t been able to mingle much myself. I’ve been too busy trying to make sure she doesn’t make a fool of herself and of us. Look at her. She’s staring at our aquarium like she’s never seen one before.”
He figured the woman probably hadn’t—at least not one like that. The aquarium Karen had had built off the patio a few years ago was huge and gaudy. What Karen thought was a masterpiece was nothing but a waste of money. But then his wife didn’t care about the cost of anything. The important thing was making sure she had something her friends didn’t have.
“Well, will you do what I asked, Wilson, and go spend some time with the woman?”
He drew in a deep breath. “Is there any reason you can’t display some of those Delbert–Sanders manners you think everyone else around you is lacking and go spend some time with her yourself?”
“Don’t be an ass, Wilson. Just do what I ask.”
He frowned down at her before glancing over to where Rita Lawson stood still staring at the aquarium. “Gladly,” he said, while grabbing a glass of wine from the tray of a passing server.
He smiled as he moved across the room. No doubt he would appreciate Ms. Lawson’s company more than his own wife’s.
“It would be nice if everyone who told us how happy they are for us truly meant it,” Brian whispered in Erica’s ear.
She tilted her head up and was relieved to see he was smiling, which meant her family’s phoniness was not getting next to him. But it was getting next to her. He had ignored the sugarcoated insults for the sake of peace but she wondered how long his tolerance would last.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said, turning and wrapping her arms around his neck. “They’re just jealous.”
“And I’m plain lucky.”
She shook her head. “No, sweetheart, I’m the lucky one.” She then raised on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his lips, not caring who saw and who didn’t approve.
“Don’t look now but your mother is glaring over at us.”
Erica tilted back her head and laughed. “In that case…” She kissed him again.
He shook his head and smiled. “Hey, what are you doing? Trying to get me into trouble?”
“Who, me?” she asked innocently. “Not on your life. Just reminding whoever needs