With Private Eyes Part 24

"That's one way to put it." Ethan's smile was charmingly rueful. "Stacy, I hope you'll forget about our previous intersection and let me start from scratch."

Stacy was staring up at him, owl-eyed. "It's worse than I thought."

Not the best beginning, but it was a beginning. "You two can get acquainted while I look for my phone," Claudia said cheerfully. "I need to make some calls on the way to your aunt's house, Ethan. I've had the most splendid idea."

"You really think you can mend a feud that started before you were born by giving a surprise party tonight?" Ethan asked as he turned off on his aunt's street. "There's a lot of room for a misfire, considering that it's your own family you're surprising."

"Don't exaggerate, Ethan. I let Aunt Moira know the Contis would be coming."

"And she was perfectly happy with having five or so of your family's avowed enemies drop in on a family discussion?"

"Well ... I wouldn't say she was happy about it. But once I'd invited them, there wasn't much she could do."

"Yes, I think I heard you pointing that out to her."

"Thank you for calling Sal Conti. I'm sure he'll be able to persuade most of his family to attend. Though I rather hope old Lucia Conti chooses not to darken a Barone door." Claudia shrugged. "If she does show up, I'll find a corner for her to cackle in."

He couldn't keep from grinning, but shook his head. "I predict fireworks tonight. Ah, looks like we're here." He pulled to a stop one door down from his aunt's house and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. Why had he let his uncle maneuver him into doing this? Claudia was never going to fit in. She'd be uncomfortable, and so would most of his family.

As usual, she hopped out as soon as the car stopped. He climbed out more slowly. From a yard away he could hear the sounds of the party-children's high-pitched voices, music from the backyard. Opera. Ethan grimaced. Aunt Sophia had an unfortunate pa.s.sion for opera. The air was nippy heading toward cold, but the sky had dried out and the sun was s.h.i.+ning.

In the clear autumn air, Claudia's hair gleamed like spun gold. But it didn't s.h.i.+ne more brightly than her eyes when she smiled at him. "Traffic was kind to us today. We're on time."

Something kicked Ethan square in the chest. Something hard and strong and bodiless, and maybe fatal. Something that he couldn't see or touch or taste, but he knew the words for it.

He was in love with her.

What is this? he asked himself, panicked. He couldn't be in love. He knew better, d.a.m.n it. This was a woman whose leaving would cut deep-and of course she would leave. What did they have in common, other than incredible s.e.x? Even if they could somehow merge their worlds-and he didn't see how that was possible-he was acc.u.mulating evidence against her brother, for G.o.d's sake.

But if it wasn't love, what was it? He didn't just want her until his eyes crossed and his tongue got hard. He liked her. A lot.

He liked the way she dug into everything she did, stubborn as a bulldog. And the way she tried to fix everything for everyone. He liked her sense of humor, and the fierce loyalty she felt toward her family. He looked forward to seeing her come charging into his office every morning, full of energy, plans and instructions. And he didn't want to think of what his life would be like when she wasn't in it anymore.

He didn't want to lose her.

"Ethan? What is it? You have the funniest look on your face. Like the old woman who swallowed a spider."

He made an effort to pull himself together. "And it wiggled and giggled and tickled inside her?"

"That's the one." She grinned. "I guess we share the same taste in fine music."

"Yeah." Well, they did have that much in common. They'd listened to the same goofy children's rhymes as kids. Suddenly he didn't want to go to the stupid party at all. He didn't need to see how impossible it would be to blend their worlds. "Listen, maybe this was a bad idea."

"What?"

"This party. You won't enjoy hanging out with a bunch of people you don't know. Especially my uncle Harold. No one enjoys him. And the kids ... you'll probably get grape Kool-Aid spilled on that pretty sweater."

"It's cotton. Fully washable. And that isn't what made you look so weird. What's really wrong? Are you afraid that going to a family birthday party together makes us seem ... well, too much of a couple?" She patted his arm. "Don't worry. I'm not reading anything into it."

Why the h.e.l.l not? "Never mind," he growled. "h.e.l.l. Let's get it over with."

Eleven.

S he fit in beautifully.

Ethan watched her fend off a toddler's ice cream bar and his cousin Brad's advances with equal aplomb and no hurt feelings. She did great with his other cousins, too. When Maura's engagement ring went missing, Claudia was the one who suggested they check the trap under the sink, since Maura had been was.h.i.+ng dishes earlier. She would have removed the trap, too, if the men of the family would have allowed such a thing. She steered newly graduated Brian to a prospective job, promising to call her friend and put in a good word for him. And when Uncle Harold and Uncle Matt squared off for their usual argument, she diverted Harold's attention long enough for Aunt Sophia to drag Matt away.

Diverting Uncle Harold's attention qualified her for hero status with his family. When, shortly before they left, Aunt Adele had asked him if he was going to let this one slip through his fingers, he'd said, "Not if I can help it."

Claudia had told his cousin Amy that he was sensitive. He'd nearly spilled his beer. Amy had hooted, but when Claudia explained-rather heatedly-how understanding he'd been when she cried, Amy had actually agreed. And Ethan had tiptoed back down the hall so they wouldn't know he'd eavesdropped.

It seemed she could fit into his world just fine. Things were almost perfect ... except that the reverse wasn't necessarily true.

"Your friend didn't like me much," Ethan said.

They were in his car, and he was leaning hard on the speed limit. They were going to make it to the Barone family meeting, he thought, but just barely. Not that he minded being a little late, but Claudia should have been fretting.

She wasn't. In fact, she'd been the one to delay, lingering over coffee and birthday cake. She was a lot more anxious about this gathering of the two feuding families than she wanted to admit. Or maybe she dreaded finding out about what her brother was up to.

"Stacy was a little nervous about meeting you," Claudia a.s.sured him.

"That explains it. I wondered why she took one look at me and groaned, 'It's worse than I thought.' Nerves."

She chuckled. "Stacy is a bit of a worrier."

Which meant, he supposed, that Stacy didn't approve of him. Or at least of his having an affair with her friend. No surprise there, he thought, signaling for the turn onto Mount Vernon Street . Just look at where he was taking her for this little get-together- Beacon Hill .

This family gathering was likely to be a lot less pleasant than the one this afternoon. And at this one, he and Claudia wouldn't be seen as a couple. That was for the best, he told himself as he crept along the street, looking for a parking s.p.a.ce. As far as Claudia's family was concerned, he was the detective she was keeping an eye on, nothing more. He'd have to remember to keep his hands off her.

"Lots of cars," he said. Lots of house, too, he thought as they pa.s.sed her aunt and uncle's town house. It was a tall, narrow, federal-style building with tall windows and two chimneys that he could see from the street.

"It looks like my parents are here already. And Nicholas." She bit her lip. "I don't know what any of the Contis' cars look like."

"Doesn't look like they're here yet. It's straight up seven o'clock now." Ethan had asked Sal to show up at quarter after to give Claudia time to explain to her family why she'd invited the Contis to attend a Barone powwow. Ethan was looking forward to hearing that explanation himself.

"Right." She relaxed slightly. "I told Aunt Moira I'd be here before the Contis arrived."

"She could probably use your help. Kind of a ticklish situation for a hostess." He wasn't really worried about a Conti-Barone confrontation, and he didn't think Claudia was, either. It was her blasted brother that had her fretting, and he didn't know what he could do to help.

As it turned out, they weren't the last to arrive. They met another couple at the top of the flagstone path leading to the door-a pretty little brunette with a shy smile and a brawny fellow in jeans and a leather jacket.

"Emily." Claudia hurried forward to give her sister a hug. "You look radiant. Being engaged agrees with you."