Chapter 37

Zane POV

It was always a pleasant surprise when Ella dropped by, full of Europe and gossip. She had been such a balm to my spirit when Olivia died and I lost Chloe—temporarily, thank the goddess.

Today, she was particularly dazzling. Dressed in what I was sure was the latest and greatest French fashion, she burst into the villa like a breath of purified air. I started smiling as soon as she appeared.

Ella has always fawned over Grace, but now she had two little girls to enjoy, and she made the most of it. I enjoyed her usual talks with my younger daughter about how lovely she was and how one day she would be a killer for all the boys. Grace smiled and laughed, but it struck me for the first time her actions seemed a little forced.

Of course, it was impossible not to compare how Grace was with Ella with how she was with Sarah. Ella commanded the world she inhabited, showering her light over everything and everyone else, like a small sun brought down to earth. Sarah was more like a charger, making everyone around her brighter without losing any light herself.

I truly didn’t know what I would have done in those weeks, and then months, after Olivia’s death without Ella.”

“What do you think?” Ella asked now as she stood in the front room, twirling around in a beautifully tailored dress with a full skirt that twirled with the strength of a tutu and the length of a summer’s day.

I smiled. “Gorgeous.”

Ella did a little dip, her brown eyes full of mischief. “I am Mona Lisa made form and function.”

“And who said that?”

“Alistair Avator, chief reviewer for Elle.”

I bowed my head. “Brava!”

“What a pretty dress!” I heard Chloe say to Sarah. “Can you make me something like that?”

Sara laughed, looking lovely in a blue top and jeans, her hair up in a messy bun. The girls were laughing at her side, but then I noticed Grace crouched in slightly. Her eyes were focused on the floor.

Odd.

“What a lovely idea!” Ella said. “But did you know there are only ten haute couture houses left in the world? Hundreds of hours went into this dress!”

She laughed, and for the first time, I didn’t like the sound of it.

“I’m afraid something that complicated is out of my range,” Sarah told Chloe. “But that’s what it means to really apply yourself, like the people who made Ella’s lovely dress. You’re looking at something it took people their whole lives to make, and it shows, don’t you think?”

Sarah smiled up at Ella, who did another, somewhat dutiful, twirl.

“See how the collar is tucked into the sleeve?” Sarah asked Chloe, who was looking on avidly. “I’m not even sure what sewing technique does that. It’s incredibly chic!”

“Do you know, Aunt Ella?” Chloe asked.

Ella’s light dimmed for a moment, then regained its power. “I’m sure I can ask!” She smiled at Sarah. “Would you like a tour sometime?”

“I would love that!” Sarah said.

Ella scowled for a moment, then she smiled. But for some reason I didn’t like her smile as much as I had in the past. It was dazzling and friendly, but then, wait, was it really friendly? It was certainly dazzling.

She turned to me then, and I felt not unlike a spotlight had been shone in my eyes. “I have the most wonderful news,” she said. “Jean-Phillipe has agreed to do the shoot for Vogue. Can you believe it? That’s at least a full week in Paris, and I was thinking Grace and I, and Chloe too of course, could spend it together!”

I felt less than happy at the offer.

“Won’t it be wonderful!” she gushed. “The girls and I in Paris!” She turned her 3,000-watt smile on Grace. “Won’t that be just the best thing ever?”

I looked at Sarah, who looked less than thrilled.

“The girls have been preparing for the charity ball,” she said.

“What is a ball compared to Paris?” Ella demanded and laughed.

“I don’t want to go to Paris with you,” Chloe said then, and I realized I felt the impulse to tell her she was being rude. But was she, really?

I looked at Grace, who was still looking at the floor. I knew if Chloe weren’t there Grace would agree to go. But was it really a good idea? Certainly, I could assign security with them to keep them, but was that really the point?

“I think the girls have a lot going on here for this week,” Sarah said, and I saw how both my daughters were now standing slightly behind her. “Not to mention that they have so much on their plates just getting used to their new lives.”

Ella’s eye flashed for just an instant, and then she was all smiles.

“Oh, of course! I’d forgotten how new all this is to Chloe!” She laughed. “To think that just a few days ago you were a nobody, and now you’re trending!”

“I was never a nobody,” Chloe said, and I was impressed by the low timbre of her voice.

Ella laughed again, but this time I heard something fragile in her tone. “Of course you weren’t! You’re an alpha born to the pack alpha!” She smiled brilliantly.

I was suddenly annoyed. It occurred to me that Ella’s position with my daughters wasn’t what she kept insisting it was. Was she some fabulous aunt who breezed in to energize them, or some stranger who kept showing up to tell them they weren’t up to her standards?

“I think the girls will pass on Paris this time,” I said, and for the first time ever I had to force a smile for Ella. “They’re still adjusting to their new lives, and we do have the charity ball coming up, and I want to show support with my whole family. Perhaps next time?”

“Who knows if there will be a next time?” Ella asked the air, her hand waving around. “But certainly, if Jean-Phillipe gets out his camera one time for auld lang syne, I’m sure we’ll all be here for him, no?” She trilled a laugh.

“Congratulations, by the way,” she added, looking at Sarah. “To be named the goddess-mother of the girls! How wonderful was that?”

“I’m very grateful,” Sarah said evenly.

“I’m sure you are.” Ella looked at the girls and then shot them her (literally) million-dollar smile. “See you when I get back!”

She twirled around then and left. I realized I was actually happy to see her go. I looked back to Sarah, whose face was completely blank.

“She can be a bit much,” I found myself saying.

Sarah shrugged. “She gets paid a lot to be a bit much.”

I laughed, but I was thinking she was right. Was Ella really someone I wanted around my children?

“Can we go outside?” Chloe asked, taking Grace’s hand.

“Of course,” Sarah said with a smile. “Will I find you later lost in the hedge maze?”

“Oh course,” Chloe said back with a bit of sass that made me laugh and brought a timid smile to Grace’s face.

“Scamp,” Sarah said with a mock frown, and the girls ran outside.

“Is she good for the children, do you think?” I asked Sarah once we were alone.

“Ella?” Sarah sighed. “I don’t know. Chloe stands up to her well enough, but Grace always seems so flattened.”

I thought about it and finally nodded. “I noticed the same thing. I wonder if—”

I broke off and listened, my every nerve on high alert. It was my daughters, and they were screaming.