Page 29 of Lilly

"Believe me, I would be more than pleased to give up my membership but unfortunately that's not allowed."

"I suppose you plan to comment on the topics of today's meeting."

"It's my duty as a member. To challenge those who think they know better than the rest of us. We all know people like that, don't we, Alister?"

He's fuming now, his face getting red. It probably isn't wise for me to be inciting hostility in him, or anyone else here, but when I get around these people, I can't always help myself.

"Do you truly think anyone cares about your opinion?" he asks.

"Yes. I do. And those who don't can choose not to listen. Either way, I'm still allowed to express myself."

His eyes narrow and he mutters something under his breath. I'm feeling a bit amused and elated that I got to him this way. He's usually able to hide his temper better than this.

I glance around the room, seeing if there's anyone here I'd actually like to talk to. My eyes abruptly stop on a man who just walked in. He looks familiar but he's turned to the side, talking to Gerald, so I'm unable to tell who it is. Gerald points in my direction and the man whips his head toward me and we lock eyes.

My pulse immediately spikes. Warning lights go off in my head. What the hell is he doing here?

Chapter Seven

Pearce

Alister must notice my reaction because I hear him say, "You didn't know your brother-in-law was attending?" A harsh laugh erupts from him and I glance over to see him sneering at me. "Perhaps you should leave, Pearce. We wouldn't want a family squabble to disrupt the meeting."

"Former brother-in-law," I say, correcting him. "And actually, I'm happy that Phillip is here. It will give us a chance to catch up." It's a lie. I feel sick that he's here, my mind racing to figure out why he would attend a meeting in Connecticut when he lives in Paris, France. He's never attended a meeting here. Not once. He rarely even comes to the States. When I was married to Katherine, Phillip and Caroline only came to visit us twice, so Katherine made us fly to Paris to see them every year or she'd go there by herself.

I haven't seen Phillip since I divorced Katherine. He looks much older now, his hair completely gray, but he still has that smirk on his face that everyone in Katherine's family seems to have. He's walking toward me now, his head held high, so I do the same, meeting him in the middle of the room. He's a small man, five foot eight and on the thin side, so at six foot five, I tower over him.

"Phillip, what a pleasure to see you again," I say, taking the opportunity to speak first and establish the upper hand.

He lets out an unamused laugh. "No need to pretend, Pearce. We both know you're not pleased to see me."

"On the contrary. We've always gotten along, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then I see no reason for that to change. The fact that I'm no longer married to Katherine has no bearing on whether or not we maintain a cordial relationship. But I am curious as to why you're here."

His smirk appears. "Katherine didn't tell you?"

My muscles tense, knowing he's about to tell me something I'm not going to like. But I hide my apprehension and simply say, "Katherine and I don't speak anymore. We have no need to."

"You share a daughter."

"Who Katherine has no interest in. We have nothing to discuss in regards to Lilly."

"I see." He grins. "Well, since Katherine didn't tell you the news, I will. Caroline and I have moved back to the States."

I tightly clench my glass of bourbon and force myself to smile. "To New York?"

"Yes. We bought a house not too far from my parents and just a half hour away from Audrey."

"That's wonderful news. How long have you been back?"

"A little less than a month. Caroline misses Paris but she's thrilled to be close to her mother again. And Katherine, of course."

"And how is Audrey? I haven't seen her for years." I can't stand the woman and couldn't care less how she's doing but I'm trying to buy time to figure out the right questions to ask to ascertain the real reason Phillip moved here. I know it's not just to be closer to family.

"She keeps busy, attending events, organizing fundraisers. But she hasn't been the same since Leland died. It was such a tragedy, one she'll likely never recover from."

---