Not So Snow White (5 page)

"However," he went on, "you're presently at a crossroads of sorts. And I wonder if perhaps I shouldn't be so cavalier about leaving you to find your own way in such uncharted territory." He glanced down for a moment, and she was struck by just how out of character this particular little speech was. He sighed a little, and looked up again. His silver hair was as shiny and perfectly groomed as ever, framing his wide, tanned face. The deep grooves in his forehead and bracketing his mouth still made him look imposing and authoritative, just as the wrinkles fanning out from his blue eyes softened that imperiousness just enough to make him look dashing. And yet
, despite all that, he looked…
older somehow.

And she found herself wondering how many of those silver hairs and wrinkled lines were there because of her. More than a few, she knew. More than her two brothers combined, for sure.

"Your mother would have been far better equipped to handle this sort of thing, guide you through this change in your life,
but,
well
…" H
e
trailed off. It was such an uncustomary thing for him to do, great orator that he was, that they all three basically froze in place. Silently hoping it was some kind of technical glitch with his internal TelePrompTer or something, and if they just held their breath long enough, it would pop back on again and all would be right and normal in their world. Such as it was.

Instead, the silence stretched further. So Tess did the only thing she could think to do, which was as out of character for her as his fumbling speech was for him. She wasn't sure who she shocked more when she awkwardly put her hand over her father's and squeezed lightly. "I appreciate what you're offering." And, further shocking herself and quite probably him, as well, she meant it. They'd all pretty much let Cissy Hamilton run their lives, thankful for her natural expertise. Even six years later, they still stumbled when left to handle things on their own. "If it gets down to where I can't decide, we'll talk it over. Okay?"

He cleared his throat and slid his hand from hers and moved back, but not before giving her arm an equally awkward little pat.

Tess's throat tightened up a little, which was totally not cool. What was in those drinks, anyway? She glanced down into hers, as if she'd find the answe
r
there. It was probably the impending wedding making them all act so uncharacteristically mushy. Yeah, that was it. Forcing a smile, she looked up at both of them, unwilling to let any moment with the men in her family—well, these two men, anyway—turn remotely maudlin. "You know Mom is up there right now having a good laugh over how ridiculously hopeless we are without her."

Her father instantly retreated back into his senatorial demeanor. Which was exactly what she'd aimed for. This man she understood. More important, this man she could handle. What hit her for the first time was the possibility that he escaped
there himself for the very same reason. With his wife gone, perhaps that was the only world he understood, too.

The very idea humanized him almost too much in her eyes. So a somewhat confused Tess was intensely grateful when he started talking in his filibuster voice once more.

"In the interim," he said, his customary gruffness firmly back in place, "it wouldn't hurt you to consider giving some of your time to a charitable foundation. Use the media attention you garnered with your fame to do some good."

Thereby
bringing positive media attention to the Hamilton name, for a change,
she silently finished for him.

"I'll have Hilary send you a list of the foundations we work with."

Hilary was her father's assistant, his right hand, his keeper, and pretty much the only thing that kept him up and running. Fortunately he knew this and made damn sure she was paid well enough to stick around, no matter how difficult he was to deal with.

"That sounds like a good idea," Tess replied, surprised to discover she kind of meant that, too. Well, she was just full of surprises today. She'd been involved with several charities while on tour, but those were typically invitational benefit things that she'd just shown up for to help out. She didn't have a dedicated cause, per se. Had never thought about it, really. Maybe she should. She swore in that moment she could feel her mother's celestial gaze of approval beaming directly down on her head. "Have her note on there which organizations you're most involved with."

Her father gave her the closest thing she ever got to approval—a curt nod—then tossed in the blessed relief of shifting his attention to Wade. Double bonus.

"I ran into Mariella Robson at a fund-raiser last week," he began.

Ever the defense attorney, the only sign that Wade had just been put in a supremely uncomfortable situation was the way his hand tightened ever so slightly on his glass. Tess settled back, hiding her smile behind the rim of her own. Maybe she should look into joining the current poker craze as a way to enhance her bottom line. Years of playing tennis had taught her to ferret out her opponents' "tells" quickly, then capitalize on what they telegraphed to her. She could probably reverse her financial situation completely with one good weekend in Vegas.

As her father grilled her older brother on why it was that he'd let one of the most successful, beautiful, and most important, available, women in San Francisco get away, she took another sip of her martini and wished like hell she didn't feel so discombobulated. She needed to keep her head entirely in the game for the next couple of weeks. Far more than another title and trophy were at stake.

"So, will you be staying at your little place in the village?"

Lost in her thoughts, Tess glanced up to find them both looking expectantly at her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Wade responded. "Dad and I are staying at the Connaught in Hyde Park. We assumed you'd stay in Wimbledon, so we didn't book you in."

Tess's mouth opened, then shut again. She'd just assumed they'd booked her room along with theirs. Had sort of been counting on it, in fact. Caught off guard, it took her a second to rally her thoughts. "I, uh, actually, with Bobby getting married and all the wedding stuff, I thought it would be better to stay in London. I sublet the village house, anyway." Which was kind of close to the truth. There were other people living there now.

Just thinking about that sent a little pang through her heart. Wimbledon was a quaint, traditional English village just outside of London, and one of her very favorite places on earth. And not just because she'd won five championships there. Walking
through town and down Wimbledon Park, one would never suspect that just around the bend was one of the world's most venerable institutions. Quiet for most of the year, it turned into a massive tourist mecca during the fortnight of the Championships. Many owners of the houses along the main road rented out their places to players and fans alike, and even went so far as to rent out their driveways and lawns to vendors looking to hawk food and memorabilia to the throngs who walked daily from the subway stop in the village proper down the hill to the grounds themselves. She'd always liked staying close by, loved the feel and sounds and just the hum of activity that surrounded the event. London was close enough that she could easily get into town for shopping and an occasional evening of fun.

In fact, she was going to miss—terribly—not having her little village p
ied-à
-terre. Head in the game, Tess. Head in the game.

"Where did you book?" her father inquired.

"I'm, ah, staying with some friends," She hadn't meant to sound so wishy-washy, but she was scrambling here.

Wade, of course, picked up on it immediately. "Ah," he said knowingly. "Shacking up in the city, huh? Anyone we know?" His smile grew. "Anyone we need to do a little background check on before you're both splashed all over Page Six?"

"Wade." Their father's censure was automatic, but didn't carry much weight. Especially given the equally disappointed glance he sent her way.

Wade would make a good poker player, too, Tess thought. And oh, what she wouldn't give to take his ass to the cleaners. Wipe that stupid smug smile off his face. But at the moment, as she didn't exactly have a good backup story in place, it behooved her—once again—to live down to her reputation. Would it never end?

She let her smile curve slowly, careful to keep her father to the very edge of her peripheral vision. "Jealous?"

Before Wade could
r
etort, or their father could step in, they were called to board their flight. Armed with enough magazines and her handy little sleep mask, Tess scooted out in front of them and boarded first. She had every intention of burying herself in a few magazines, then sleeping her way across the Atlantic.

If she was going to launch an all-out assault on the collective unsuspecting tennis consortium hovering about London for the next couple of weeks, she had to have a base of operations. Maybe by the time they landed in Heathrow, she'd have figured out where in the hell that was going to
be
…
and how she was going to finance it.

Chapter 4

"
W
ell, there you are, my dear boy!" Aurora Favreaux waved across the crowded suite at the groom-to-be, enjoying, as she always did, the musical way the thin gold bracelets on her wrist clinked together. The recessed lighting, though tastefully muted, still created a dazzling effect as it bounced off the rings lining her fingers.

She smiled easily and nodded at several acquaintances as she expertly wove her way through the clusters of guests who'd come to congratulate the lucky couple. She loved parties. Especially engagement parties. The warm chatter, the hum of excitement, the room was simply infused with sincere happiness. That the two lovebirds were surrounded by such love and affection was a testimony that they'd both chosen well.

Aurora fussed with the chiffon scarves she'd loosely tied at her neck as she finally approached the always-charming Bobby Hamilton and his lovely bride-to-be, Andrea. Aurora reached out with both hands, taking one of Bobby's and one of Andrea's,
before squeezing them both together. "I couldn't be more delighted for you two. Look how adorable you are!"

"Thank you, Aurora," Bobby said sincerely, perfect teeth gleaming, blue eyes, so like his father's, twinkling.

Unlike Frank Hamilton, who'd never seemed quite comfortable with himself and the gifts he'd been born with, his younger son, Bobby, was a completely natural charmer. Such a doll. Always had been.

Proving the point, he lifted Aurora's hand and placed a gallant kiss on the back, shooting her a quick wink as he did so, which, even at her somewhat advanced age, had her blushing. He then turned to his bride-to-be and Aurora sighed the sigh of a truly hopeless romantic as she saw his entire expression melt when Andrea smiled at him. Like he couldn't believe how incredibly lucky he was that this beautiful woman had consented to be his wife.

"Aurora, I'd like to introduce you to my
fiancée
, Andrea Nestor. Andrea, this is Aurora Favreaux. Her late husband Way served with my dad in the Senate for many years."

Andrea, with her soft brown hair, beautifully smooth English skin, and light green eyes, was quite the beauty. And, gauging from her quick glance at her husband-to-be and the stunning way it made her cheeks warm up, she apparently was just as besotted with the young Mr. Hamilton as he was with her. Ah, young
love, wasn't it just the best?

She turned to Aurora.
"
It's a pleasure to meet you. Bobby has spoken of you."

Aurora's face lit up with a surprised smile. "Has he, now?" She glanced at Bobby and winked. "All flattering, I'm hoping?"

Bobby's winning smile grew wider and he gently squeezed the hand he still held. "Of course. Besides," he added wryly, "I'd risk the wrath of the godmothers if I were to say otherwise."

"Oh, right!" Andrea's smile grew even brighter. "You're one
of the owners of Glass Slipper, aren't you?" The lilt in her voice was ever so lovely. "You've made quite a splash opening up your new place here in London. Very posh, I hear." She laughed lightly. "There are more than a few of us here, trodding about, in dire need of your services."

"Present company excepted," Bobby said, pulling Andrea closer as another rosy blush bloomed to life in her cheeks.

"Most definitely," Aurora chimed in, a bit rosy herself. Almost had to fan herself at the heat those two put off. "I understand you design sportswear," she said to Andrea, who nodded.

"My new line comes out in the fall. We're going to launch it in conjunction with the U.S. Open."

"So much going on with you two, what with Bobby playing Wimbledon and you with your exciting launch. You amaze me, attempting a wedding in the midst of it all."

"It's not so hard as all that, really. Everyone we love
is here for the Championships,"
Andrea said. She glanced at Bobby and beamed. "And all that matters is that we say our vows with those who mean the most to us present." She glanced at Aurora. "I'm not at all fussy about the rest."

Bobby laughed. "Now you know why I proposed."

"Well," Aurora said, "if you need any help with even the smallest of details, please don't hesitate to contact me, Vivian, or Mercedes," she said, referring to her two partners. "We're not heading back to Washington for another few weeks yet. You know we'd be more than happy to do anything for you both."

"That is so kind of you," Andrea said, quite sincerely. "It's lovely just knowing we have your support."

Aurora's expression shifted to one of fond memory. "I wish Cissy were here to see this. I know she's just thrilled for you."

"Thank you. Mom is definitely here in spirit." His mouth quirked a little. "She wouldn't dream of missing a wedding in the family."

"No doubt, my dear." Aurora looked about. "Speaking of spirit, where is that sister of yours? Don't tell me she couldn't make it."

Just then there was the sound of raised voices from somewhere near the suite vestibule.

"It is not my fault they followed us all the way here from the airport. I only made that one tiny little comment by the baggage carousel."

" 'Tiny little comment'? Tess, you all but lunged at the man!"

"He was stealing my bag!"

"You don't know that. It might have been an honest mistake."

"Honestly, Wade, we both know there was no way he was carrying Louis Vuitton, the man had no sense of style
.
"

"And you're the height of fashion?"

"I'm traveling incognito!"

"Right. We've been hounded, harassed, and all but chased here by a pack of camera-wielding wolves. I don't know how you put up with it, Tess. You obviously enjoy that kind of attention, but I doubt seriously Bobby
and
…
and—"

"Andrea. Perhaps you should put that in your BlackBerry. Then maybe you'll remember her name before their fifth wedding anniversary. And you wonder why women leave your bed before the sheets are cold."

"For God's sake, lower your voice! And please tell me you're going to change clothes before everyone—"

"If we hadn't gotten stuck in customs during that ridiculous dog search—want to bet it was the same luggage-stealing jerk who triggered that whole deal? I wouldn't be a bit surprised— anyway, I was planning on changing before leaving Heathrow. It's not my fault we had a little trouble."

" '
Little trouble'?
Little trouble?"

Heads were turning, and Bobby smiled with affectionate resignation before looking back at Aurora. "I believe she's arrived."

Aurora laughed. "You have to love a woman who knows how to make an entrance, darling."

"It's part of her DNA," Bobby said as the conversation between his brother and sister continued to escalate. He grinned. "And they call me the baby of the family."

"The world can always use a little extra excitement." Aurora patted his arm. "I'll go say hello and see if I can diffuse things a little, let you get back to your guests."

"That's okay. I'll go with you. Andrea and Tess have met, but I want her to meet Wade." He glanced back at his
fiancée
with a wry grin. "I think I do, anyway. If we can get the two of them apart, things will settle down."

"A good idea from the looks of things." Aurora swept the soft, filmy layers of her floor-length caftan aside and made her way to the foyer and the bickering siblings. Wade was a strapping, handsomely gifted man, and quite the successful attorney. She'd always privately believed he'd follow his father's footsteps into public office someday. Frank would be enormously proud, of course, although, frankly, Aurora always wished Wade had gotten a bit more of his mother's flair for life in him.

The same could be said of Tess and her father. A bit of Frank's calm-in-a-storm attitude might have done his daughter a world of good. Aurora's smile deepened as Tess spied her and her face split into a wide, instantly sparkling grin. On second thought, why on earth would anybody want to dim the electric intensity that was Tess Hamilton?

"Aurora! I didn't know you'd be here."

Tess, so lovely and graceful with her lanky height and athletic form, swept Aurora—who was much smaller, if not quite
diminutive—into a close hug. Aurora was so happy to receive the heartfelt squeeze of affection that she barely worried about mussing her perfectly coiffed updo, complete with age-softening ringlets framing her face. She kissed Tess on the cheek, then reached up to rub off the lipstick imprint.

"It's so fantastic to see you!" Tess exclaimed, taking Aurora's hands in her own. "What a wonderful surprise. It's been, wow, a few years, hasn't it?"

"I believe it was at the ceremony in Carmel," she responded, referring to the launch of the charitable foundation Frank had created in Cissy's memory a few years back, just before Tess's injury. "Time flies when you're racking up titles, darling," Aurora said fondly. "How have you been?" Had she not been in the business of noticing things, even the smallest of things, sometimes especially those, she might have missed the briefest of moments when Tess's eyes clouded over.

"Good, fine. I didn't know you were in London," Tess said, rebounding as swiftly as she did on the court, making sure no one so much as detected the wobble. "Did you come over for the wedding?"

"Vivi, Mercy, and I came over to see how Valerie was doing, running things 'across the pond,' as they say."

"Right! You opened a U.K. branch of Glass Slipper a few months back." She squeezed Aurora's hands. "How exciting. I assume it's going well?"

"Quite well, so far. Valerie is proving to be every bit as capable as we knew she'd be. You should stop in, avail yourself of some of our more pampering services.
"

"I definitely should," Tess agreed with seeming enthusiasm. If one didn't notice the way her mouth tightened at the corners.

So
…
something
was
wrong. It could simply be lingering tension from her contretemps
with her older brother. If Vivi
were here, she'd tell Aurora she was making something out of nothing, But Aurora's instincts were clamoring. She certainly wasn't going to come right out and ask. If Tess was putting up a front, it was for good reason. Aurora may be an old friend of the family, but she doubted Tess would confide in her. At least not right away.

So she'd just have to be subtle about it. She squeezed Tess's hands now and gave her her warmest smile. It wasn't hard. She'd always had a soft spot for Cissy's only daughter. Rapscallion that she was, it only made her more lovable in Aurora's eyes. "So tell me, dear, how is life treating you now that you don't have to trot all over the globe, racket in hand?"

"Wonderfully," Tess said, breezily dismissive, as expected. But when Aurora maintained her firm hold on Tess's hands, giving the younger woman her most understanding and attentive gaze, Tess relented a little. "It's taking a little getting used to," she admitted. "But I'm fine, really."

"I can only imagine, sweetheart. You've spent a lion's share of your life either playing tennis, or training to play more tennis. It's got to be an adjustment to shift your focus elsewhere. Are you playing socially? For your own pleasure?"

"Not as much as I'd like."

Tess shifted her gaze away, just for a split second, but it was telling. Aurora wondered how long it had been since she'd picked up a racket at all. The abrupt end to a career that so dominated her life had to have been, in many ways, like losing a loved one. Which Tess already knew a little something about, having lost her mother. And being back at the scene of her final triumph, surrounded by all the hoopla of the one grand-slam event she'd dominated during her career, even for such a lovely reason as a wedding, couldn't be easy for her.

"Well," Aurora said, her tone soft, soothing, but not patronizing in any way, "no one could fault you for filling your time with other activities. It's probably good for body and soul."

Tess smiled, gave a little shrug. "That's what I tell myself."

Aurora smiled in return. "No worries, then. You look marvelous, dear."
Except for those shadows chasing across those lovely green eyes of
yours.

"Thank you. I do feel better physically than I have in a long time. I don't think I realized how much the aches and pains were a part of my daily life. Being off the tour has definitely been a good thing in that way."

Which left the obvious question dangling.
Patience
,
Aurora
,
patience.
"I can well imagine. You've worked so hard, for so long, you should enjoy your time now." She fished as gently as she could. "Don't let anyone pressure you to jump into something else until you're ready."

The smile grew more forced as Tess gently withdrew her hands from Aurora's after a final squeeze. "Me? Let anyone boss me around?" She laughed, but it wasn't quite up to snuff. "Hardly. It is so great to see you again, Aurora."

"An unexpected pleasure, to be sure. I shouldn't dominate your time, dear. After all, you're here to see your brother and his lovely bride-to-be." They both glanced over to where Bobby and Andrea stood, several feet away, deep in conversation with Wade. "I'll let you reunite. But I would love to see you again while we're both in town, take some time out of the whirl and get a chance to really visit."