Here I Am. Rochelle Alers
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shot his mother an incredulous stare. “Don’t tell me you have your nose out of joint because Christiane married off one of her children before you did?”
“Jordan and Aziza know Clarissa’s wedding is scheduled for the fall, so why couldn’t they have waited until next year? It’s not as if Aziza is pregnant.”
“Whether Zee is pregnant or not has nothing to do with you,” Brandt chastised in a soft tone. “They didn’t need to check with you to get the go-ahead.”
Leona pouted, a gesture that never failed to get her whatever she wanted. “How do you expect me to compete with this…this extravaganza? When I contacted Signature Bridals more than a year ago I was told they have a two-year waiting list. Jordan gets engaged in February and yet he manages to get them to plan his wedding.”
“That’s because Jordan and Zee know Tessa Sanborn personally.”
Leona turned to her eldest son. “You’re just like your father. You have an answer for everything.”
“The difference is you don’t like my answers,” Brandt countered. Leaning to his right, he kissed his mother’s cheek. “Clarissa will have a beautiful wedding. You’ve waited a long time to marry off your daughter, so come November it will be your turn to be the mother-of-the-bride. And what a magnificent mother-of-the-bride you’ll be.”
Leona’s expression brightened. “Do you really think so?”
Brandt smiled. “I know so.”
He couldn’t understand how a woman who’d managed to marry one of New York’s most eligible bachelors and had given him four children whom he adored continued to compete with her in-laws for status. Most of the Wainwright men had married women who’d gone to finishing school, had coming-out parties, were in the Social Register and had attended elite colleges. Leona had been the exception, and most times she’d tried too hard to become a high-society grande dame. What she hadn’t realized was that Fraser Wainwright had chosen to marry her because she was different. She wasn’t affected or a snob. During their thirty-five-year marriage, however, Leona had changed—becoming a social climber in the hopes that her mother-in-law would accept her. Unfortunately, it hadn’t happened. And in Leona’s mind, the only thing she had done right was to give her mother-in-law, Francine Wainwright, grandchildren.
Leona, whose natural beauty hadn’t faded despite having recently celebrated her fifty-fifth birthday, flashed a dimpled smile. The fuchsia-colored silk suit complemented her smooth, peaches-and-cream complexion. “Brandt, you’re going to make a wonderful husband for some very lucky woman.”
“I’m going to have to find that very lucky woman first before I can even consider getting married.”
Leona sobered. “Are you against marriage?”
His mother’s question had caught him off guard. He’d never been one to advertise his relationships, but it had been a long time since he’d brought a woman home to meet his family. It was just that he wasn’t ready to settle down.
“No.” The single word answer hung in the air. “Why would you ask me that?”
“It’s just that it’s been a very long time since you’ve introduced us to one of your girlfriends. By the way, I ran into Courtney Knight last week and of course she asked about you.”
Brandt averted his gaze. He’d been engaged to Courtney for less than two months when he’d discovered that she was sleeping with one of his college buddies. In response, Brandt had issued an ultimatum: either she break off the engagement or he would disclose why he wasn’t going to marry her.
“That’s nice,” he drawled sarcastically.
“There you are, Brandt. I thought you’d left.”
He turned to find his sister standing a few feet away. Rising to his feet, he smiled at her. “What’s up, Clarissa?”
The enormous diamond on Clarissa Wainwright’s finger sparkled like a headlamp. She was a tall, blue-eyed blonde with striking features. But every time Brandt saw her, she appeared thinner than she’d been before. Tiny blue veins were visible under her eyes, which were framed by long, dark lashes.
Slipping her hand into her brother’s, Clarissa gave him a tender smile. “Do you plan to host any parties at your place before the end of the year?”
“I don’t know. Why?” Aside from the New Year’s Eve bash at his penthouse, get-togethers were usually spontaneous. In the off-season, he would sometimes invite his teammates and their wives or girlfriends to his place for a casual dinner party.
“My friend Tonya wants you to introduce her to Alexander Fleming.”
“Clarissa!” Leona gasped.
The younger woman waved a hand. “Please, Mother. Let me handle this.”
“There’s nothing to handle,” Brandt retorted. “You know I’m not into matchmaking.”
Clarissa rested her hands at her narrow hips. “But you introduced Aziza to Jordan.”
“I’m not going to discuss their relationship with you.” He’d asked his attorney to talk to his cousin because he’d believed Jordan would be able to help Aziza with a sexual harassment suit she sought to bring against her former employer. Brandt hadn’t known their involvement had segued from business to personal until they’d announced their engagement six weeks after first meeting. He also made it a rule not to introduce any women to teammates, because if the relationship soured he would never hear the end of it.
Leona touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Let it go, darling. Let Tonya find her own boyfriend.”
“What harm would it do for Brandt to introduce his friend to my friend? I’m beginning to believe all the hype. It’s always Brandt this and Brandt that in this family. If I’d decided to go into professional tennis instead of getting degrees in art history and interior design, then maybe someone would pay attention to me.”
Brandt didn’t want to believe that his sister was pestering him to introduce her best friend to his best friend. Alexander Fleming was not only his teammate, but he roomed with him during away games. He was also the bride’s brother and in the wedding. It had been Alex who’d introduced him to Aziza when he was thinking about getting a new attorney.
Alex Fleming, who despite being a much sought-after bachelor, had always managed to keep a low profile when it came to his relationships. He’d recently split with a woman who he’d been seeing for several years, and had just begun dating again. What Brandt had noticed during the rehearsal and the dinner that followed was that Alex appeared enthralled with Jordan’s half sister, although Stephanie Andrews hadn’t given him a passing glance.
“Please excuse us,” he said to Leona, who sat slack-jawed at her daughter’s request. Reaching for his sister’s hand, Brandt led her out of the ballroom.
“Where are you taking me?” Clarissa asked, breathing heavily as she tried keeping up with Brandt’s long strides. If he didn’t slow down, she would certainly turn an ankle in her four-inch stilettos.
“Somewhere where we can’t be overheard,” he said over his shoulder. Maneuvering around two couples who were standing in the hallway outside the ballroom, they made their way to the suite where he’d spent the night. “Sit down.” Clarissa sat in a club chair, crossing one leg over the other. Brandt pulled up a straight-back chair, and reached for Clarissa’s hands. They were ice-cold. “What’s going with you?”
Clarissa averted her eyes. “What makes you think something is wrong with me?”
“I didn’t say wrong. Something has you on edge, and I’m willing to bet it has nothing to do with me refusing to set Alex up with your girlfriend. Every time I see you you’re thinner and thinner. How much weight have you lost?”
She lifted her bare shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“You