Gus Slade watched as Tessa Noble and Ryan Bateman entered the dance floor, both of them laughing merrily. Gus shook his head. Ryan was one of the prospects he’d considered as a good match for his granddaughter Alexis. Only it was clear that Ryan and Tess were hung up on each other, even if the self-proclaimed “best friends” weren’t prepared to admit it to themselves.
It was no wonder Ryan’s brief engagement to that wannabe supermodel he’d met in the city didn’t last long enough for the two of them to make it to the altar.
Encouraging Alexis to start something with the Bateman boy would only result in heartache for his granddaughter once Ryan and Tess finally recognized the attraction flickering between them.
He’d experienced that kind of hurt and pain in his life when the woman he’d once loved, whom he thought truly loved him, had suddenly turned against him, shutting him out of her life.
It was something he’d never truly gotten over. Despite a long and happy marriage that lasted until the death of his dear wife.
Gus glanced over at Rose Clayton, his chest tightening. Even after all these years, the woman was still gorgeous. Just a hint of gray was visible at her temples. The rest of her hair was the same dark brown it was when she was a girl. She wore it in a stylish, modern cut that befit a mature woman. Yet, anyone who didn’t know her could easily mistake her for a much younger woman.
And after all these years, Rose Clayton still turned heads, including his. The woman managed to stay as slim now as she had been back when she was a young girl. Yet, there was nothing weak or frail about Rose Clayton.
Her every move, her every expression, exuded a quiet confidence that folks around Royal had always respected. And tonight, he had to admit that she looked simply magnificent.
Gus glanced around the tented garden area again. The space looked glorious. Better than he could ever have imagined when the club first decided to undertake a major renovation of this space and a few other areas of the club, which had been in operation since the 1920s.
Alexis had headed up the committee that put on the auction. And his granddaughter had truly outdone herself.
Gus searched the crowd for Alexis. Her duties as Mistress of Ceremony appeared to be over for the night. Still, he couldn’t locate her anywhere.
Gus walked toward the main building. Perhaps she was in the office or one of the other interior spaces. But as he looked through the glass pane, he could see Alexis inside, hemmed up by Daniel Clayton. From the looks of it, they were arguing.
Fists clenched at his sides, Gus willed himself to stay where he was rather than rushing inside and demanding that Daniel leave his granddaughter alone. If he did that, then Alexis would defend the boy.
That would defeat the purpose of the elaborate plan he and Rose Clayton had concocted to keep their grandkids apart.
So he’d wait there. Monitor the situation without interfering. He didn’t want his granddaughter marrying any kin to Rose Clayton. Especially a boy with a mother like Stephanie Clayton. A heavy drinker who’d been in and out of trouble her whole life. A woman who couldn’t be bothered to raise her own boy. Instead, she’d dumped him off on Rose who’d raised Daniel as if he was her own son.
From where he stood, it appeared that Daniel was pleading with Alexis. But she shoved his hand away when he tried to touch her arm.
Gus smirked, glad to see that someone besides him was getting the sharp end of that fierce stubborn streak she’d inherited from him.
Suddenly, his granddaughter threw her arms up and said something to Daniel that he obviously didn’t like. Then she turned and headed his way.
Gus moved away from the door and around the corner to the bar as quickly and quietly as he could. He waited for her to pass by.
“Alexis!” Gus grabbed hold of her elbow as she hurried past him. He chuckled good-naturedly. “Where’s the fire, darlin’?”
She didn’t laugh. In fact, the poor thing looked dazed, like a wounded bird that had fallen out of the nest before it was time.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you, Grandad.” Her eyes didn’t meet his. Instead, she looked toward the office where she was headed. “I’m sorry I don’t have time to talk right now. I need to deal with a major problem.”
“Alexis, honey, what is it? Is everything all right?”
“It will be, I’m sure. I just really need to take care of this now, okay?” Her voice trembled, seemed close to breaking.
“I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Tonight was magnificent and you’ve raised so much money for pancreatic cancer research. Your grandmother would be so very proud of you.”
Alexis suddenly raised her gaze to his, the corners of her eyes wet with tears. Rather than the intended effect of comforting her, his words seemed to cause her distress.
“Alexis, what’s wrong?” Gus pleaded with his darling girl. The pain in her blue eyes, rimmed with tears, tore at his heart. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”
Before she could answer, Daniel Clayton passed by. He and Alexis exchanged a long, painful look. Then Daniel dropped his gaze and continued to the other side of the room.
“Alexis, darlin’, what’s going on?”
The tears spilled from her eyes. Alexis sucked in a deep breath and sniffled.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Grandad.” She wiped away the tears with brusque swipes of her hand and shook her head. “Thank you for everything you said. I appreciate it. Really. But I need to take care of this issue. I’ll see you back at home later, okay?”
Alexis pressed a soft kiss to his whiskered cheek. Then she hurried off toward the clubhouse offices.
Gus sighed, leaning against the bar. He dropped on to the stool, tapped the bar to get the bartender’s attention, and ordered a glass of whiskey, neat. He gripped the hard, cold glass without moving it to his lips.
Their little plan was a partial success. Neither he nor Rose had been able to match their grandchildren up with an eligible mate. Yet, they’d done exactly what they’d set out to do. They’d driven a wedge between Daniel and Alexis.
So why didn’t he feel good about what they’d done?
Because their grandkids were absolutely miserable.
What kind of grandfather could rejoice in the heartbreak of a beautiful girl like Alexis?
“Hello, Gus.” Rose had sidled up beside him, and ordered a white wine spritzer. “The kids didn’t look too happy with each other just now.”
“That’s an understatement, if ever I’ve heard one.” He gripped his glass and gulped from it. “They’re in downright misery.”
“Is it that bad?” She glanced over at him momentarily, studying his pained look, before accepting her glass of wine and taking a sip.
“Honestly? I think it’s even worse.” He scrubbed a hand down his jaw. “I feel like a heel for causing baby girl so much pain. And despite all our machinations, neither of us has found a suitable mate for our respective grandchildren.”
She nodded sagely. Pain dimmed the light in her gray eyes. And for a moment, the shadow that passed over her lovely face made her look closer to her actual years.
“I’m sorry that they’re both hurting. But it’s better that they have their hearts broken now than to have it happen down the road, when they’re both more invested in the relationship.” She glanced at him squarely. “We’ve both known that pain. It’s a feeling that never leaves you. We’re both living proof of that.”
“I guess we are.” Gus nodded, taking another sip of his whiskey. “But maybe there’s something we hadn’t considered.” He turned around, his back to the bar.
“And what’s that?” She turned on her bar stool, too, studying the crowd.
“Daniel and Alexis share our last names, but that doesn’t make them us. And it doesn’t mean they’re doomed to our fates.”
Rose didn’t respond as she watched her grandson Daniel being fawned over by the woman who’d bought him at auction. He looked about as pleased by the woman’s attentions as a man getting a root canal without anesthesia.
“We did what was in their best interests. The right thing isn’t always the easiest thing. I know they’re hurting now, but when they each find the person they were meant to be with, they’ll be thankful this happened.”
Rose paid for her drink and turned to walk away.
“Rose.”
She halted, glancing over her shoulder without looking directly at him.
“What if the two of them were meant to be together? Will they be grateful we interfered then?”
A heavy sigh escaped her red lips, and she gathered her shawl around her before leaving.
His eyes trailed the woman as she walked away in a glimmering green dress. The dress was long, but formfitting. And despite her age, Rose was as tantalizing in that dress as a cool drink of water on a hot summer day.
After all these years he still had a thing for Rose Clayton. What if it was the same for Daniel and Alexis?
He ordered another whiskey, neat, hoping to God that he and Rose hadn’t made a grave mistake they’d both regret.