You Belong to Me (Stevens Book 6)

Chapter 14

"What are you doing here?"

"Cassie is performing, so I'm here with my husband and his brothers. It is hard to be the only woman in that bunch. The looks they get from the ladies makes me feel defensive. Almost like a mother hen. Why are you here?"

Alice motioned over her shoulder. "I am here with the family."

Grace and Alice moved away from the bar and further into the crowd. "Is the F word with you?" Cassie and Grace had started calling Frank "the F word" awhile back, and Alice thought it was a hoot.

Alice scanned the crowed and found them standing over by the entrance doors to the theater. "Over there, by the doors.  My sister is wearing the sparkly red number."

Grace studied them. "Well your sister is lovely and the F word is decent looking, but as we well know looks can be deceptive." Grace and Alice studied them covertly for a minute.

"You know, I think he has a bald spot," Grace said as she sipped her drink.

Alice looked at Frank then looked at Grace and they busted out laughing.

"What am I missing?" A very tall dark and handsome man came up from behind them and put his arms around them both, and Alice jerked away out of reflex.

"I want to apologize for my brother-in law.  He thinks everyone is his friend before he meets them. Alice Grant meet my brother-in-law Mason.

Alice held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you Mason."

"Don't tell me you don't know who Mason is either?" Grace looked dumbfounded.

"Of course she does. Everyone knows who I am," Mason argued. If anyone else had said it, it would have sounded conceited, but he made it sound charming.

"Nope, sorry, I'm a news junkie and a heavy reader, so I'm not with the in crowd.

"Don't worry about it Mason, she didn't even know who Cassie was," Grace reassured him.

"That hurts me even more." Mason held his hand over his heart.

"Here comes my husband." Grace waved at another tall dark and handsome man over the crowd.  While Mason looked charming like the boy next door, Grace's husband looked regal and aloof. He looked like a powerful man that was used to getting his own way.

"Don't worry, he's really a very large marshmallow," Mason said, sensing her concern.

Grace was cozying up to her husband as she introduced him. "Bryce, this is my friend Alice." 

Bryce took her hand with a polite smile. "Alice, it is a pleasure to finally met you." Alice was thrown by his English accent, but she felt it would have been rude to ask questions.

"Here is my other brother. If you're such a news junkie you should know him," Mason joked.

Alice looked in the direction that Mason had pointed, and she was lucky it required her to turn her back on the other three because all of the color drained from her face when she saw Rainer. He looked devastating in a tux. He was clean shaven and his hair freshly cut. Alice swallowed hard. He was on the phone, but he looked up briefly at his brother's comment, right into Alice's eyes. She saw surprise for one brief moment before he masked it and then turned his back to them after a lift of his finger to say he would only be a minute. Alice closed her eyes taking a deep trembling breath.  She had never been so glad for the noise that a large crowd made in her life.

Grace walked up behind her. "He's just as rude as the rest."

Alice gave a polite smile, not turning to look at Grace, holding as still as possible.