They’d only recently started talking about the Hollywood breakup and how it would go down. Irreconcilable differences without anything messy. Complete with a divorce party at some point.
They’d go their separate ways and remain friends.
“Where do you think Alice is?” Gwen asked as she leaned a slender hip on the center island, picked a fresh chocolate-covered strawberry from a tray, and nibbled on the ripe fruit.
The house had some order to it. The waitstaff had left thirty minutes before with the majority of guests. Now there were only a few guests weaving out of the house, waving good-byes as they left.
She seldom used the home intercom system, but Karen went to it and called Alice through the speakers. “Alice?”
A few seconds passed and the woman’s voice came through. “Yes, Mrs. Wolfe.”
“Can you make sure the spare room on the east side of the house is prepared for a guest?”
“Of course, Mrs. Wolfe.”
Karen plucked a strawberry off the tray and joined Gwen in her snack.
“How are you feeling?” Karen asked, letting her eyes drift to Gwen’s slender waist.
“I feel great. Samantha was so sick with both her pregnancies, I expected nothing different.”
Karen grinned. “Not everyone has morning sickness.”
Gwen positively beamed. “I’m so happy, Karen. And Neil’s beyond himself.”
It was hard to picture Neil being anything but his big stoic self. But when he thought no one was watching, he looked at Gwen as if he would take a bullet to keep her safe.
“It’s going to be great seeing a baby make Neil crazy.”
Gwen laughed. “My poor husband won’t stand a chance.”
“He’s going to be a good dad. And we already know you’re going to be a fabulous mom.”
Gwen discarded the stem in a napkin and placed it on the counter. “We should shop next week. How’s your schedule?”
“I’ll be at the club tomorrow. Graduation is coming up so the kids are prepping for finals. Then summer.”
“So it will ease up?”
“A little.” Karen’s work at the Boys and Girls Club took up her extra hours in the day. She still worked with the client base at Alliance with Gwen. But with one more baby in the mix, it appeared as if Alliance would need to recruit more help, and soon.
Karen hid a yawn behind her hand.
Alice walked into the kitchen with her hands full of bulging plastic trash bags. “The room is ready for your guest. I’ll take these out on my way.”
“Thanks, Alice. And you can come in the morning to help with the cleanup?”
Alice gave an enthusiastic nod. “I’ll bring my niece to help.”
Karen remembered the niece. “That’s fine. If I’m not here, just keep it quiet in the back of the house and don’t bother Michael.”
“No problem. Good night, Mrs. Wolfe.”
As Alice moved out of the room, the rest of Karen’s friends made their way inside the house.
“It’s time for us to go,” Blake told her at Samantha’s side.
“If we play it right, we’ll get home by the late-night feeding and then get to bed,” Samantha told her husband.
“Or Delanie will decide it’s time to play and we won’t sleep at all.”
They talked about baby behavior for a few minutes before the men grabbed the women’s sweaters and moved toward the door.
Michael took to Karen’s side while Zach stood back after saying his good-byes.
In Karen’s ear, Eliza whispered, “Be sure and sleep in Michael’s room tonight.”
Oh, damn…she’d nearly forgotten. It wasn’t like them to have overnight guests or have a need to explain the separate rooms for the newlyweds. “Thanks,” Karen uttered.
Once the door closed behind her friends, Karen turned to Michael. “I’m going to do a quick check and make sure everyone is gone. Why don’t you show your brother where he’s sleeping?”
Karen made her escape and took her time walking along the hidden paths and walkways of the outside, picking up the occasional empty glass on her way.
The exercise of searching for guests had less to do with those who were invited, and more to do with those who weren’t. Karen was about to give up on her search when she noticed the burst of light.
Behind her, the flash of a bulb from a camera blinded her as the shutter sped through shot after shot.
“Are you done?” Karen asked in the direction of the flash. Not that she could see crap after the blinding light. Another shot went off. Apparently not. “Michael?” she hollered across the yard, hoping he’d left the sliding door open and could hear her.
“C’mon, Mrs. Wolfe…how about a smile?”
Karen was tempted to let her middle finger fly, but held back.
“What the hell?”
Behind her, Michael and Zach both jogged to her side. “Get out of here!” Michael yelled at their uninvited guest.
“Damn, there’s two of you,” the paparazzo said from the shadows.
The camera went off again. This time Karen was between both brothers. Michael went after the photographer, and she twisted away from the flash, attempted to dispel the spark in her sight, and stumbled.
Zach’s arm kept her from falling. “You OK?”
She glanced up. “Fine.”
Then Zach was gone, and she saw the boys grab the paparazzo and manhandle him out of the yard. Karen kicked off her high heels and followed behind with her shoes dangling from her fingertips. While the men took their uninvited guest through the side yard, Karen moved into the house, and then closed and locked the back doors.
When both men walked back inside they were patting each other on the back as if they’d just won a tandem wrestling match. They really could have been bookends.
“Welcome to my life,” she heard Michael say.
“That happens all the time?”
“Often enough.”
They settled into the sofa as if they were gearing up for a long talk. Karen decided a graceful exit was in order. She’d let Michael lay the groundwork about their relationship to Zach and tell her about it later.
“I hope you don’t think I’m rude, but I’ve had a long day.”
Michael watched her walk toward them with a smile. “And you’re at the club tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yeah, Jeff wanted me early. I’m taking the Escalade to fit all the food.” She turned toward Zach. “If you need anything, just ask.”