Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (78 page)

The rehearsal takes less than an hour and, once it’s over, everyone heads out to our waiting cars for the journey over to Canlis to make the 9:00 reservation. I notice that the Charger gets a few appreciative glances from the men milling about outside and I smile inwardly at that knowledge as I open the passenger door for Samantha to get in. She may not be in the same league as their high-dollar Bentleys and Benzes, but she is classic and collectable, and deep down, most men of a certain age all want to own an American muscle car. When I slide behind the wheel and start her up, her low rumble draws a few more drooling glances.

“Men,” Sam says with a sly smile and a slight roll of her eyes, and I can’t help but chuckle.

On our drive over to the restaurant a question forms in my head. “Hey, Sam?” I ask with a frown, “was one of those ladies down front your mother?”

“No,” she says softly, looking at me questioningly. “Mom was sitting back watching everything since she’s not actually in the wedding.”

I nod slowly. “Yellow pantsuit?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

Because if looks could kill…
“Lucky guess,” I mumble.

We arrive at the restaurant and I pull in behind Dennis and his dark blue 2012 Lotus Evora, and we wait while he and his date get out and he hands his keys to the valet.

“The things I do for you, baby,” I say softly, shaking my head slightly.

“What do you mean by that?” Sam’s voice is cautious.

“You know I don’t let anybody drive my car,” I look at her with a nervous smile. “And I’m about to hand her over to a perfect stranger.”

She laughs at me and I smirk at her, but I can’t help my chuckle. We get out of the car and I give the keys to the young man waiting eagerly, eyeing my ride.

“Nice car, sir!” The kid can’t be much over 16, and the thought makes me even more anxious and I frown at him as Samantha takes my arm and pulls me away toward the door, still giggling at me. And she is so cute, I just can’t help myself. I take her into my arms and pull her close, kissing her tenderly for a few brief seconds.

“Oh, come on, you two,” Megan says brightly as she and Scott breeze past us on their way inside the restaurant. “Everyone’s going to think
you’re
the happy couple!”

Sam and I look at each other a bit nervously at her comment, and I glance up to see Lucas standing close by, watching the scene with marked interest. His eyes are narrowed slightly and he has sort of a faraway look on his face. And I get that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach once more.

When we’re all present, we’re ushered into one of the private dining rooms at Canlis. I’ve been inside this restaurant once before, when Lee and Molly celebrated their 25
^th
wedding anniversary. It’s the kind of place most folks can only afford to go to on the special occasions. The service is always top notch, the atmosphere is elegant and very romantic with floor-to-ceiling windows and its amazing views of Lake Union. The food is what I would call swanky – it looks more like art than real food, but it still tastes great.

Once we’re in the private dining room everyone mills about for a while, mingling and chatting with one another as waiters pass around glasses of champagne and trays of hors d’oeuvres. Samantha and I stand chatting with Lucas and Karen when suddenly there is a presence looming at my right. We all turn as one and see their mother standing there, watching the four of us.

“Well, don’t you all look friendly,” she says coolly, and I think she shoots a look Lucas’ way. I can’t be certain though, and she then turns her attention directly to me, looking into my eyes. “You must be the detective.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer, holding her unwavering gaze.

“Well, you must forgive my daughter’s manners, Detective. She likes to pretend that she’s had no proper upbringing whatsoever,” she smiles icily as she holds out her hand. “I’m Lois Colby.”

“Mother, behave yourself please,” Lucas says with a sigh.

I feel Samantha bristle at her mother’s words but, I take her offered hand as we continue to stare into one another’s eyes, and I get the feeling it’s some sort of weird pissing contest. Like she’s trying to see which one of us is the Alpha. I refuse to look away first. “It is very nice to meet you properly, Mrs. Colby. I’m sorry if our phone conversation was a bit … vulgar.” I smile as I take great pains to keep the tone of my voice even and genteel. If I can kill Sam’s mother with charm and kindness, I will.

“Why, thank you for your apology, Detective,” she says, sounding surprised. “That was very un-barbaric of you.”

I’m not exactly sure what to make of her comment but, I find it – and her – amusing, and I smile slightly at her. “Please call me Josh. And thank you for the compliment, ma’am,” I respond, still holding her gaze. And I sense instantly that she didn’t mean it as a compliment at all, which makes me smile even more. She knows that she’s not intimidating me.

“Hmm.” It’s her only response, accompanied by a slight smile of her own. Then she glances at Sam and Lucas and abruptly turns and walks away.

“Well, that was … interesting,” I say quietly, turning back to Sam, and she rolls her eyes.

“I hope you realize her condescending attitude was meant for me, not you,” she says.

“Don’t worry about it, baby. Your mother doesn’t scare me.”

“Well, she terrifies me,” Karen mumbles as she takes a sip of her champagne.

“Karen, come on,” Lucas admonishes her.

“I’m serious, Luke. She always makes me feel like a world class gold digger. Never mind the fact that I’ve been on some of the world’s most prestigious runways and magazine covers, and I don’t need your money,” Karen exclaims quietly. “I know she’s your mother and she’s just bitter and lonely without your dad but … she’s a piece of work sometimes. Try not to let her get to you, Josh,” she adds, turning to me. I smile in response but, Karen’s words actually make me feel a tiny bit better about the situation. At least I know it’s not just me Sam’s mother hates.

We mingle for a few more minutes and I’m introduced to Samantha’s grandmother, Madeline Colby, and I can instantly see – and feel – the resemblance. She has the same bright green eyes as Samantha, and her long hair is tied up in a bun. It is streaked with gray now but, you can clearly tell that it used to be the same warm chestnut color as Sam’s. She puts me at ease right away and her eyes sparkle at me as we chat about my job and she thanks me for coming to her granddaughter’s rescue. I’m not sure how old she is but she’s sharp as a tack and very funny, and I get the same cozy feeling from her that I get from Samantha.

“My goodness, you two look handsome together,” she says at one point, looking us over appraisingly. Then she turns to Sam and loudly whispers, “You’re right, Samantha. He is yummy!”

“Grandma!” Sam voice is raised in amused embarrassment and she blushes slightly while I stand shocked and mute. Why the hell does she keep describing me as ‘yummy’ to all the women in her life!

“Dinner is served.”

It’s the voice of one of the waiters, and everyone takes a seat at the long oval dining table. It is set up in front of the roaring fireplace, and the amazing view of night over Lake Union is glistening in the background. Sam and I meander to one end of the table and I maneuver us around to the other side so that our backs aren’t to the door before we take our seats. She gives me a puzzled look as she sits to my left, in between me and Megan, and across from us are Lucas and Karen and Dennis and his date. The other members of the wedding party are seated at the middle portion of the table and I notice that the parents have all somehow ended up at the opposite end. I wonder if this was planned or if it just happened that way. In any case, it should make for a slightly less awkward evening for me.

“What is it with you and sitting against the wall in restaurants,” she leans in and asks quietly.

I smile slightly and chuckle to myself. “It’s just a cop thing. We always prefer to sit facing the door, and where we can survey the whole room. That way we can see what’s coming at us,” I explain. “Nothing sneaks up on you.”

“Oh.” She looks at me with a slight frown and then glances around the room. Then she looks back at me with her bright sparkling eyes and smiles. “That’s pretty cool; I never would have thought of that!” She looks so proud of herself for learning something new, and I chuckle at her again.

As we’re served our first course of salad with mint and bacon, the ladies settle in on a conversation about last minute preparations for tomorrow while I, and all the other men, try not to die of boredom. Finally, Lucas puts us men out of our misery.

“So, Josh, tell me about your car,” he says as he finishes his salad. “Sam said you did all the restoration work yourself? Is that right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That’s impressive,” he replies. “What kind of shape was she in when you first got her?” He seems to be genuinely interested, and I notice both Dennis and Scott perk up when I begin to answer Lucas’ questions. Soon, the four of us are off and running and, as we eat our main course of grilled lamb chops with fried leeks and twice baked potatoes, I tell them all about the work I’ve done on the Charger, and we talk about Dennis’ brief foray into the world of Formula One racing.

It’s nice to discover there’s a gearhead in Samantha’s family; I feel like Dennis is someone I can relate to. Over the course of dinner, I learn that Megan’s younger brother works for the family company, of course, but he has a real passion for cars. Something he says he shares with his dad, and I am aware as we talk that Kenneth Colby’s ears perk up and his attention drifts down our way a few times, as if he’d really like to join our conversation but he’s stuck with the fogies talking about money and business.

During my conversation with Dennis, I think I catch a private smile pass between Samantha and Lucas and I get the strange sense that Lucas has maybe engineered this little bull session for my benefit. Idly, I wonder if I’m imagining that. Why would he want to go out of his way to put me at ease? The thought needles at me throughout the rest of the evening but, I try not to focus on it. Instead, I concentrate on Samantha and the light conversations going on around the table.

I notice several times during dinner that Lois Colby is watching Samantha and me intently, and the look on her face is one of utter contempt.
That woman does not like you one bit, Pierce.
It’s not a revelation. I knew the moment we spoke on the phone that she was going to be a tough nut to crack but, jeez! I don’t think she could be any plainer about her feelings toward me if she spit in my face. I try to ignore her glaring gaze and turn back to Lucas and Scott, who are talking about some article on the slow death of the newspaper and how that’s going to continue to impact the way the media operates. It all sounds very boring to me as I finish my dinner.

“So, Detective, tell us about
your
job.” Lois Colby’s voice rings out loud and clear above the rest of the chatter, and she is watching me expectantly, wearing an almost diabolical smirk. All conversation comes to a halt and everyone seems to be holding their collective breath as they look from her to me. And I know that her plan is to try and make me feel uncomfortable in the midst of her wealthy family and friends. But what she doesn’t understand is that I’m extremely proud of the job I do. I fix her with an attentive gaze and smile warmly at her.

“Please call me Josh. And what would you like to know, Mrs. Colby?”

“Oh, whatever you’d like to share,” she shrugs. “I’m sure it must be very exciting and dangerous, dealing with various lowlifes, criminals and common … thugs,” she says with an unmistakably icy glare. Her implication is clear: I must feel right at home among all that common riffraff.
She’s just trying to get a rise out of you, Pierce. Don’t get angry! Don’t let her get to you.

“Well, yes. My job can be both exciting and dangerous at times,” I answer honestly. “But it’s also very rewarding. Protecting the streets of our fair city in order to ensure the safety and well-being of good people, such as yourself.”

“Hmm. Still, it must be frustrating,” she continues to try and bait me. “Doing such a thankless job for so little pay and recognition.”

“Actually, Mother, Josh gets plenty of recognition for all of his hard work,” Samantha speaks up proudly beside me and I feel her reassuring hand on my knee. “He’s one of the most decorated officers on the entire Seattle Police force.”

“How very impressive,” Lois says with obvious sarcasm as she turns her frosty glare on her daughter.

“Yes, Mom. It
is
impressive,” Lucas chimes in, and one look at him tells me that he’s actually a little pissed.
What’s with him? I’m the one being talked about as if I’m not even here.
And I can feel my jaw starting to clench as the scene plays out and Lucas continues to admonish his mother. “Josh is a highly decorated officer and he puts his life on the line every day he goes to work. You know … sort of like he did earlier this week when he saved Samantha from one of those common thugs you were referring to before.” He stares at her pointedly for a moment, and you could hear a pin drop in the private dining room. Lois actually blushes a pale rose color and I can’t tell if she’s embarrassed or pissed. I suspect a little of both.

“Yes,” she says quietly, composing herself and looking back at me. “And we all offer our sincere gratitude to you for that, Detective.”

“There’s no need to thank me for that, Mrs. Colby,” I say through clenched teeth, trying to keep my temper in check. “I would do anything to keep Samantha safe.” She stares at me for a beat longer and then turns back to her food, and the light chatter around the table resumes.

The rest of the dinner passes by without incident. Except, of course, for the daggers Lois Colby shoots me across the table. After dessert is served and eaten, we all begin to mill around and mingle once more. While Sam is entrenched in giggles and gossip with the rest of the bridesmaids, I strike up a conversation with Dennis and his dad, and this time Kenneth Colby actually seems to warm to me a little bit. We start off talking cars, but then he asks me about Timothy Echols and everything Samantha has been through, and his concern for his niece is evident and genuine. By the time Sam wanders over and slips her hand in mine, her uncle has asked me all about police work – everything from the types of cruisers we’re driving to dealing with difficult suspects. And he’s not looking down his nose at my job the way Lois just tried to. He’s sincere in his interest and it surprises me a little. I actually enjoy talking to him.