them,â Jassy reminded her.
âYes, Iâm Kyle. And you must be Carrie Anne. Iâve heard very nice things about you. Nice to meet you.â He offered her his hand. She shook it, smiling.
âItâs nice to meet you. Mom said that Uncle Rafe was nicer, though.â
âCarrie Anne, I said no such thingââ Madison began, startled and appalled.
âDid she say that? Well, sheâs wrong,â Kyle told Carrie Anne, grinning. âIâm a lot nicer.â He sat back, and though Madison couldnât see his eyes, she could feel them.
âI said no such thing,â she protested lamely. She looked quickly to her sister. âAre you coming out on the water, Jass?â
âI donât know. Dadâs decided to plan a party tonightââ
âWhat?â Madison said, interrupting her.
âYeah, I thought a big get-together would be nice,â Jordan said, shrugging. âItâs not too often that so many of our family and friends are around. Rafe and Roger can come on down, Jass is already here, Kaila should make it with the kids in a couple of hours, and her husband is supposed to make it back by about seven.â He hesitated for a minute, looking at Madison. âDarrylâs been down for a few weeks now, but we havenât had a chance to see him, andââ
âYou invited my daddy?â Carrie Anne said, delighted.
âYou donât mind?â Jordan said brusquely to Madison.
She didnât mind in the least; she and Darryl got along fine. Probably because deep passionâinvolving love, spite or jealousyâhad never gotten in the way of their divorce, as it did with so many people.
But she felt Kyle watching her, and she flushed. Angry at her own reaction, she said coolly, âIt will be fine.â
âJimmy Gates will come down,â Jordan continued, âand a bunch of locals. Your band, Madison, and Trent and Rafe can both make it. And Roger Montgomery, of course. It will be like a big family reunion.â
Right.
Their big, dysfunctional family.
Minus Lainie.
And the other mothers, too, Madison admitted silently to herself. She knew almost nothing about Rafeâs mother, except that she had been sick a long time before she died. Kyle had been just a few years old when his mother was killed in a car accident. Jassyâs mom, at least, was alive and well, in Portland, Oregon, studying the effects of carcinogens on sharks. Jassy had definitely inherited her medical inclinations from her mother.
As to Madisonâs half brother Trentâs mother, sheâd been a very gentle scientist working to cure the world of the common cold. Her dedication and nobility had apparently appealed to Jordan as a young man, but marriageâand a life in the remote regions of Montana, where she workedâhadnât been for Jordan. Trentâs mother had passed away quietly of a heart attack just a few years ago. Madison thought that Trent was the lucky one of her fatherâs offspring. He had his motherâs slow, easy nature. He was hard to rile, and not as passionate, pigheaded or angry as she could be herself.
As Lainie had so often been.
Trent loved literature and had spent most of his formative years with his father. He and Jordan had remained close. He, Jassy, Kaila and Madison met for lunch at least once a month, usually with Rafe. It was a firm date.
Kyle was the only member of their strange âsiblingâ group who was consistently missing.
And now he was here.
The prodigal son returning. And her father was planning a great feast.
Curious. Well, Jimmy would be here. Maybe she could learn a little bit about what was going on.
Jordan turned to his oldest daughter. âThereâs no reason for you not to go out on the boat, Jassy. Youâll be back in plenty of time.â He threw up his hands suddenly, shaking his head and turning to Kyle. âCanât get this one married off. But
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