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“I am going to put an end to this little charade right now Eloise.” I charged ahead with purpose and conviction. My brother turned to me, a smile on his lips. “Ah, just the man I hoped to see.
Eloise here…..”
“She’s a fraud, a conniving thief.” I spoke loud, commanding silence in the room and was pleased when I got it. I turned as if addressing the room and took hold of her arm before she could walk away or disappear again.
“This woman, Eloise Andrews, is an old friend of the family, perhaps some of you know her.” I smiled at the guests.
“Brother there is no need to….”
I was on a mission, humiliated and annoyed that she thought she could weasel her way back into my brother’s heart and my family and use me to do it. I kept going and ignored my brother.
“Eloise is a fraud, a thief, a gold digger, I thought after all this time I had been wrong and maybe I needed to reconsider my opinion of her, but she has come here today for a reason. I don’t know what that is yet, but she stole my family's heirloom ring from me while we were conversing privately in a private room of the house just moments ago.”
Gasps, cries of outrage and shock were heard through the crowd of people. Some of these people, my brothers or I considered friends, others distant family, whoever they were I’d made my point. A smile on my face I turned to regard her. “Now if you would please be so kind as to return it to me I would appreciate it. Then I would be more than happy to escort you from the building personal y.”
She opened her mouth to speak.
“Pay no attention to my brother Wes please, this is a short skit he agreed to do with Eloise as a joke for everyone. As you can see, they haven’t rehearsed it properly as Eloise doesn't know her lines but maybe in a bit, they can try it again.”
His eyes avoided mine, I wanted to say something to counterattack his words because it was clear Danny was delusional, so I kept quiet.
‘Now if you will excuse them, I am going to insist they visit my office for a private rehearsal.
Wes, Eloise.” Danny’s eyes landed on me, and I saw the warning. Out of respect for him and his bride to be, and their engagement party I turned and waved, still holding Eloise’s arm, and walked to his office.
The door slammed the second we were inside; Danny was behind us. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing brother?” Danny stood in front of me, arms folded over his chest, anger in his eyes. “This is my engagement party, dear brother. It’s one thing to screw around with Eloise in a bedroom and another to lie about her stealing your wallet and make a fool of her and this entire family.”
Eloise gave her arm a hard tug and I was forced to let her go but moved to the door so she couldn’t escape. “I’m telling you; she stole my ring. You can’t just let her get away with this, on top of that the way she was caressing your arm was inappropriate. Clearly, she still has ideas in her head about you, even though you're engaged.”
The odd look my brother and Eloise gave me when I spoke that last part made my insides cringe.What the hell is wrong with you Wes.
“I think you’ve gone mad. I think you’ve lost your mind, it’s like you stil have this fixation with Eloise being a gold digger and thief. This needs to stop, whatever fascination you have with her, you should be fulfil ing it between the sheets and not like this, it makes you look like a fool.”
“You don’t understand Danny, not only do I believe she is still in love with you, but she stole father’s family heirloom. The rare onyx ring he gave me.”
Danny looked at Eloise and then me, then back to her. He was frustrated, his engagement party was turning into an entire mess that everyone would be gossiping about for days and not in a good way. I was to blame but so was Eloise.
“Did you take something from him, Eloise?” He looked at her, sincerity in his eyes, and something inside me snapped. All I could think wasMINE.
“No. Danny, you know I wouldn’t do that. Maybe he dropped it, lost it, I don’t know, maybe it fell off when we were in that room. Someone else could have taken it from him, I wasn’t with him the whole time.”
My brother came at me again, staring intently. “Did you take it off in the bathroom, that bedroom, or somewhere else?”
“No!” I wear it all the time. She must have slipped it off my hand while we were….”
“Stop!” Danny held his hand up in the air. “I don’t want to know anymore. As intriguing as it is that you two were wrapped in each other's arms and Sienna and I felt like we’d entered a pornographic movie set, I don’t want any more visuals.”
Angry I felt like a stupid foolish kid having to explain my actions to a strict father. I turned away and looked out the window, forever mindful of anyone leaving or coming into the room.If you somuch as step out that door Eloise, I will find you.
“Okay, so here is what we are going to do. You two go back to that room and stay there. I don’t care what you do, but I don’t want to see either of you for at least an hour. By then the party will be dying down. Maybe if you can control yourselves you won’t end up beneath the covers and can find my brother’s missing ring. I will come get you and don’t even think to question me brother, this is my house, and my engagement party, I can make your life a living hell and don’t think I won’t. I will have the servants quietly look elsewhere and if we don’t find it before the party is over, we will question each of the guests later. But I’m betting you’ll find it between those sheets.”
“Danny, I….”
I turned to hear Eloise’s plea and saw her. Eyes intent on my brother, I knew then that everything that happened before had been part of some game. I was usually the one playing the games with women, and it rubbed me the wrong way as I watched her lay her hand on his arm.
His voice was abrupt and short. “Eloise dear, I know this has been terribly embarrassing for you and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, I’m sorry for that. My brother has this fascination with you, but if there was any truth to what he said about you still hoping for something between you and I, that’s not going to happen because I love Sienna.”
“I don’t want to face all those people tonight, Danny, that was real y embarrassing.” The pleading in her eyes was pathetic, something all women were apparently gifted with using.
