Chapter 27
Latham always paid attention to the details. He figured that since Dane had shown up at The James Village in the evening, it wouldn’t be easy for him to leave right away. Plus, his own grandfather and Pandora were old friends, so there was no way Pandora would ask Dane to leave in the middle of the night. That meant Latham would probably get to see Dane the next day. And if he managed to talk to him face- to-face, Latham was sure he could convince him to invest.
Octavia had always been a quick study. She immediately understood what Latham was getting at. Now she kind of regretted not bringing the agarwood pillow home. If Claire wouldn’t sell hers, she could have just decided to sell Cindy’s instead. They’d missed out on the perfect chance to get in Dane’s good graces. But then another worry crept in. If Latham went to the village tomorrow, would he realize she had turned down the pillow just because it looked old and shabby? While Octavia tried to figure out how to cover her tracks, Latham was already daydreaming about closing the deal. Lying in the same bed, they might as well have been living in two different worlds.
The next morning, Claire was barely out of bed when she heard the bad news- Latham’s family was back. She went straight to the kitchen, where Patti was making breakfast. “Patti, why are they here again?” she asked, unable to hide her frustration.
Patti had seen enough to know how Claire felt about her adoptive parents. The way parents treat their kids is usually the way their kids treat them back, and it was obvious Claire’s adoptive parents hadn’t always been kind. “They said they want to take you for a DNA test,” Patti explained, mimicking Octavia’s tone. “They even tried to get Pandora to go along, said they’d pay for everything.” Patti shook her head. “But honestly, I think they’re really just here because of your fancy guest p>
Patti might have been from the village, but she wasn’t naive. She could read people just fine. “You mean Dane?” Claire glanced out toward the living room. Latham was doing everything he could to get Dane’s attention, while Octavia chatted with Pandora. Cindy was with them, sneaking glances at Dane every chance she got.
Claire didn’t blame her. Dane was good-looking, after all. Still, she could tell Dane wasn’t in the best mood. He looked tired and irritable, rubbing his forehead as if it hurt. Latham kept trying to steer the conversation toward business, which only seemed to make Dane more annoyed.
“Don’t stress about it, Claire,” Patti said softly. “Pandora definitely likes you more than Cindy p>
Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “I know, Patti.” Cindy didn’t bother her. Pandora had already made her feelings clear.
“Breakfast is ready. Come help me bring it out,” Patti said.
Relieved to see Claire in good spirits, Patti handed her a tray. Claire nodded and followed her out of the kitchen.
“Patti, let me help too,” Cindy called
out, jumping up as soon as she saw Claire Carrying ches. No way was
Sh
going to let Claire look better
than her.
“That’s alright. There’s not much, and Claire’s helping already,” Patti replied, not missing a beat.
Cindy’s smile faltered. She glanced
at Claire and said, “Claire’s never
really done this kind of work before. I should do it instead. She didn’t even wait for a reply before reaching for a plate.
Claire stepped aside, leaving Cindy’s hand grabbing at thin air. “If I haven’t done it before, now’s the perfect time to learn,” she said lightly.
“You’re a guest, Cindy. We can’t ask you to help,” Claire added, putting a little emphasis on the word “guest p>
That word clearly stung. Cindy’s smile disappeared. Wasn’t that exactly how her grandmother was treating her now?
“Cindy!” Octavia’s voice cut through
the room. She couldn’t stand to hear Claire talk to her biological daughter like that. She used to like Claire-the girl always made her look good in front of others. Now, things felt different.