The Red Eye 3 (The Red Eye Erotic Romance Series) (3 page)

I walked into the elevator, and Devon put out his arm to stop the doors closing. “I’ll meet you back at the apartment at six, all right? That should give us enough time to get ready to face Grandma Caesar.”

“Six. Got it.” I did my best to hide my dread at the thought of spending an evening in the company of that woman, but Devon always could see straight through me.

“It’ll be fine. She loves you, really.”

“Yeah, right. Like a piranha loves meat.”

The elevator doors dinged in protest at being kept open. “I better go.” Devon leaned forward and kissed me quickly. “I’ll see you at home later.”

“See you.”

Devon moved his arm and the doors slid closed. In the background, I could see Rick looking at me strangely, but I didn’t waste any energy thinking about what it might mean—I was too busy worrying about how I was going to impress Ida tonight.

Outside the offices, I grabbed a cab and headed over to my favorite store. Browsing through the rails, I found myself uninspired. What did you wear to try and make a good impression on a future grandmother-in-law and notoriously mean old lady?

I picked up and discarded dress after dress. Usually I loved wearing clothes that flattered my cleavage, but I had a feeling that Ida Caesar would frown on that kind of look. She’d made it perfectly clear on the couple of occasions I met her that she thought I was just after Devon’s money, and if I wore anything that even vaguely looked like I was seducing him to get rich, I knew that I’d be opening myself up to an evening of constant sniping and bitchy comments.

For someone who prided herself on her family’s good name, Ida could be surprisingly nasty.

I gave up trying to find anything in that store and went out to the sidewalk. I stood there, undecided about where to go next. Usually I loved clothes shopping, but I was too stressed to enjoy myself.

I wandered around the streets aimlessly, hoping for inspiration.

And then, suddenly, I got it. A new designer had opened up a store just up the road from where I’d been looking. In the window was the perfect dress. Cut from an adorable print, it was long and flowing, so Grandma Caesar wouldn’t be offended by the sight of my legs. It was a halter neck, so didn’t reveal too much cleavage. Yet the way the designer had cut it, the dress hugged every curve of the mannequin, making it look sensual and flattering the shape. If it looked half as good on me, it would be ideal.

I walked into the store to be greeted by a smiling sales assistant. “Can I try on the dress in the window?”

“Of course, ma’am. What size do you require?”

As she went off to fetch the dress in my size, I browsed the racks, looking for something to wear for the press conference announcing our engagement. There were so many gorgeous dresses I was spoilt for choice.

“Might I recommend this one?” The assistant was back, carrying the dress I’d asked for. She pulled out a blue dress and held it up against me. Moving over to the mirror, I could see that it was just the right shade to bring out the color in my eyes, and I fell in love with it before I even tried it on.

“It’s gorgeous!”

“Thanks. I try my best.” The assistant smiled, and I realized I was speaking to the designer herself.

I stood in front of the mirror wearing the halter neck dress, and it looked even better on than I thought it would. The designer looked at me critically. “It could do with taking in a little
here
and
here
.” She tugged at the material, and I could see the difference it would make. “If you want to leave it with me, I’m more than happy to alter it for you at no extra charge.”

“That would be great, but I need it for a dinner tonight. It looks gorgeous as it is.”

The designer laughed. “I’m glad you think so. I’m such a perfectionist, though. I like all my clients to look their very best in my designs.”

A sudden thought hit me. “Do you do wedding dresses?”

“I have done. Why—is this an engagement party dress?”

“In a way.” I told her about the coming dinner with Devon’s grandmother and the press conference the blue dress would be for. I was careful not to mention Devon’s name—I didn’t want news to get out before the official announcement. Grayson was annoyed enough with me without giving him a reason to get more upset.

“Here. Take my card.” The designer handed me her business card and I read her name—Elizabeth Collings. “Give me a call and we’ll book a consultation. I’ll give you a wedding dress that will have everyone talking about you for years to come.”

“Thanks.”

I practically skipped out of her shop, hardly able to believe that I’d managed to find someone to make my wedding dress already. Devon was right. A bit of retail therapy had been just what I needed.

I hadn’t been to Grayson Caesar’s house often enough to get over how big it was. Maybe I never would. As our cab drove up toward the entrance, I reflected on how my old apartment would have fitted into the lounge with room to spare. Yes, it really was
that
big.

If there was ever a stark reminder that Devon and I came from very different worlds, this was it. My dad worked for an insurance company and Mom was a nurse. They’d both been so proud when I graduated from law school, seeing it as my chance to get out of the small town we lived in and make something of myself. Although we hadn’t exactly been poor growing up, we weren’t what you’d call rich either. We usually went camping in the summer, Dad claiming that he did it because he wanted to get close to nature rather than telling the truth—it was all he could afford at the time.

One year we went to Disney World, and that vacation was the best I’d ever had. My parents had saved up for ages to take us, and I was lost in a world of cartoon characters and fairy tales, but then Dad lost his job and things were tight until he finally got rehired. That was the end of my dreams of traveling the world, until I met Devon. I thought back to the contrast of life for me back then, when we barely had enough money to scrape by and pay the bills. Maybe that was where I had gotten my drive and ambition, so I would never have to go back to the desolation of not having enough.

Things couldn’t be more opposite for Devon. He thought nothing of going to Europe for Christmas or the Caribbean for the summer. Where I’d had a little box room to call my own, he had an entire suite, complete with walk-in wardrobe and his own bathroom decorated to his specifications.

Much as I’d earned all my promotions and was proud of how far my career had taken me, there was nothing like coming to the Caesar family home to be reminded that no matter how hard I worked, my family would never enjoy the privileges the Caesars took for granted.

Ida Caesar lived in the south wing of the building, where she’d moved after her husband had died, many years ago. Sometimes I amused myself by trying to imagine her taking Grayson to kindergarten or kissing his knee better after he’d fallen over, but it was impossible. I couldn’t picture Grayson as a child, and something told me that she had paid someone else to do all the things a loving mom should.

“You look amazing.” I was jolted out of my thoughts by Devon paying me a compliment. “That dress really suits you.”

“Thanks. I’m going to meet the designer to discuss my wedding dress. She was the one who sold it to me, and we really had a connection.”

“Good call. She’s going to make you look even more beautiful than you already are.”

I laughed. Devon was going a long way to make me feel less nervous. Even so, as the cab pulled up outside the imposing door to the Caesar mansion and one of the staff came out to open the cab door, I couldn’t help but feel nauseated. Why hadn’t I pretended I had a migraine or something? Anything to avoid facing Ida.

Devon took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly as he led me up the steps to where his dad was waiting to greet us. I idly wondered whether Grayson would be happy to have
me
call him Dad once he was my father-in-law, but I dismissed the thought as ridiculous. He wasn’t exactly the touchy-feely type, and if Devon and I were ever to have children, he’d probably run a mile if you asked him to hold the baby.

“Devon. Rebecca. Good to see you on time.”

He held out his hand for Devon to shake and then turned to me. To give him his credit, Grayson did a good job of hiding the distaste I knew he felt for me. I had to hand it to him—the man knew how to host.

He led us through to the lounge, where Ida Caesar was sitting waiting for us. She was seated with a knit blanket across her lap and dressed in a vibrant red suit that said something about her personality to me. She had a face creased with smile lines, as if she used to laugh a lot. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and inquisitive, colored a soft shade of granite. White hair was neatly coiffed in fluffy curls that framed her rounded face.

“Can I get you a drink at all?”

“Sure. I’ll have a whisky.” Grayson motioned to the waiter at the side of the room to fetch Devon his drink.

“Rebecca? Something to drink?”

“I’ll have a red wine, please.”

If I were honest, I’d prefer vodka, but the last thing I wanted to do was get wasted when I was trying to make a good impression on Grandma Caesar, so when the waiter brought over my wine, I resisted the urge to take a large gulp for Dutch courage and simply sipped at it.

“So. Rebecca. Grayson tells me that you’re going to be joining our family.”

I started at the sound of Ida’s voice, her tone so brittle you could have cut glass on it.

“That’s right, Grandma.” Devon came over and put his arm around my shoulders, the feel of him helping me to calm down. “I asked Rebecca to marry me, and I was lucky that she said yes.”

“Hmmm. Well, which one of you is the lucky one remains to be seen.”

Devon’s smile didn’t waver. “Now, Grandma. I know that once you get to know Rebecca, you’ll love her just as much as I do.”

Whatever she was going to say was lost when a waiter came through and announced that dinner was waiting for us.

Ida used a cane for walking, and Devon helped her to stand up, hooking her arm through his as they slowly made their way through to the dining room.

The long table that ran almost the full length of the room could have easily seated twenty people, if not more, and it was strange to think of Devon sitting at one end with his parents eating his morning breakfast of eggs, muffins, and bacon, their voices echoing in the large room. Paintings of deceased family members lined the walls and impressive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room with hundreds of light bulbs.

Devon pulled out my chair before sitting next to me. I was surprised to see Grandma Caesar take the head of the table. I would have thought that Grayson would have insisted on taking pole position. He might have been the boss of the law firm, but it appeared that his mother wore the pants in the family. She definitely commanded respect in the home.

“So, Rebecca. Tell me a little about yourself. I hear that you are one of the top lawyers in Devon’s department.”

“That’s right. I head up a team under Devon’s supervision and we have a hundred-percent success rate with our cases.”

“Rebecca’s my secret weapon. No man can resist her!”

“Quite.” She raised her eyebrows, and I knew that Devon had said the wrong thing. Once more, I was falling into the role of gold digger. When I’d married Rick, my ex-husband, his mother claimed that I was only doing it because he was going to be a hotshot lawyer and I wanted to take all his money. The irony was that the opposite was true—I’d worked as a dancer to support us both through college and it was
Rick
who’d gone after
my
money. I wasn’t going to tell Devon’s family about that, though.

“Now, Rebecca. All the Caesar weddings take place in our house in Martha’s Vineyard, so of course you’ll be following suit.”

I looked at Devon in confusion. “I don’t know. I’m not sure that my parents will be able to travel up. I thought it might be nice to get married back home.”

“Nonsense. We’ll fly your parents up. There is a tradition to uphold. Speaking of which, I have arranged for my wedding dress to be taken out of storage. I shall need you to arrange an appointment with my seamstress so she can adjust it to fit you.”

I frowned, doing my best to keep my voice calm and polite. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Caesar, but I’ve already made an appointment with a dress designer. I’ll be having something custom made. I’m sure your dress is perfectly lovely, but I’d like something modern for the wedding.”

“Get the girl to make you something for the reception.” Ida waved away my objections. “This dress has been worn at countless Caesar weddings. It’s in pristine condition and it has incalculable sentimental value. I won’t hear of any alternative.”

“Grandma, I’m sure you mean well, but times have changed.” Devon spoke gently but firmly. “These days, whatever Rebecca wears will end up not just all over the papers but all over the internet too. I’m sure you’ll want her to present the right impression for the Caesar family as being forward thinking?”

Ida sniffed. “I fail to see why my wedding dress is insufficient, but if you insist. However, you’ll allow me to oversee the bridesmaid dresses, of course? Your cousins will all be part of the wedding party, and we’ll need to make sure that they coordinate.”

“Your cousins?” I blurted out the words before I could bite my tongue. “Hang on, Devon. I was going to ask Ellen to be my maid of honor. I wasn’t planning on having an entire entourage, especially not of women I’ve never even met.”

“But you must,” Ida said. “You can’t insult our family by not including them.”

“I don’t want to insult anyone. But this is
my
wedding. I’m not going to have it turned into a circus.”

“A circus?” She looked shocked. “How
dare
you? This is the Caesar reputation we’re talking about. Grayson, speak to that woman.”

Was it me or was there a little glimmer of amusement in Grayson’s eye at seeing his mother so aghast?

“Devon, Rebecca, as I’m sure you can appreciate, there is a certain image that we have to maintain. You should trust Grandma Caesar. She knows what she’s doing, and she won’t make you do anything that would be inappropriate.”