Page 112 of The Last Goodbye

Tabitha wore an emerald green gown that ended at the floor and displayed a whole lot of cleavage, as well as a giant diamond choker wrapped around her neck. Her gray hair was shellacked into a perfectly styled A-line bob.

I glanced down at my blue sundress, unsure if I’d misunderstood the dress code, but then relaxed when I realized Jessica was dressed similarly to me.

Tabitha moved right past me to hug her son and his fiancée, two people she’d obviously seen earlier today, since she mentioned how nice it was that she was able to have both lunch and dinner with them.

And then she turned toward me.

“Oh. You made it here, Briar.” She extended a hand.

Yes, she always greeted me with the ever-formal handshake, but she didn’t take my full hand; it was sort of a finger squeeze. Short and disingenuous, just like the forced smile plastered on her face, which disappeared the moment her gaze met mine.

“Yes. We arrived here an hour ago.” I cleared my throat. “This is Bass Bennett. Bass, this is Tabitha Winchester.”

She turned to look at him. “You’re the cook, right?”

I didn’t miss the way Denton cringed at her words. He always seemed to tolerate her, and he’d occasionally step in and defend me when she was rude, but he was also a man who hated conflict, and he just wanted everyone to get along.

So did I. I just didn’t have the luxury of deciding that when it came to his mother.

“He’s a chef, Tabitha.” My voice came out much harsher than I’d expected, which I didn’t mind at all.

“And we just bought him a restaurant, am I right?”

“Not exactly, Ms. Winchester.” Bass kept his tone completely calm and unaffected. “You were lucky enough to purchase my restaurant from me, the price of that being compensation for a new location, since I had no desire to sell to you in the first place. But luckily, we were both able to help each other out.”

“Interesting perspective. And you agreed to sell to us, and now here you are, the guest of William Winchester’s daughter, who I’d like to point out, he knew nothing about until a few years ago.” Her lip curled, and my breath hitched. I knew she wouldn’t be friendly, but I hadn’t expected her to pull out the “daughter he knew nothing about” card. It was one of her favorites, but she usually saved it until she was four gins deep into cocktail hour.

A sarcastic chuckle left Bass’s lips. “Wow. You really live up to your reputation. Well, done, Tabby.”

Her eyes widened, and Jessica snorted, causing us all to turn and look at her as her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. “Sorry. Um, er, I, something went down the wrong pipe.”

Denton shook his head before looking at his mother. “How about we tone down the pretentious bullshit for the evening and have a good time?”

Tabitha stared at her son, showing no emotion whatsoever, and then turned her head and barked out an order. “Jan, am I getting a cocktail today, or are we waiting for a formal invitation?”

Jan was right there, handing both her and my father drinks before asking Bass and me what we’d like to drink.

Bass asked for a whiskey straight up, and I ordered a martini. We both clearly needed something strong. He kept my hand in his and thanked Jan profusely for the cocktail.

The man was in the service industry, so I wasn’t surprised that he would overcompensate for Tabitha’s rude behavior.

We were led to the dining room and seated in typical Winchester fashion: my father at one end, Tabitha at the other, while Denton and Jessica sat on one side of the table and Bass and I on the other.

Thankfully Bass didn’t miss a beat. He commented on the salad that Peter and Jan served; he called the spices in the salad dressing magnificent and asked them to please let the chef know.

Denton and Bass were soon good friends, discussing sports and their favorite restaurants in the city. Jessica asked me all about Blue Sky Bay and shared that she’d always wanted to visit. She’d seen it listed as a hot tourist spot and thought it looked gorgeous.

My father asked Bass about where he’d attended cooking school, and he actually appeared impressed with him by the end of the conversation.

Tabitha complained about the temperature of her steak and polished off four cocktails in front of me, and I was fairly certain that she’d indulged before she’d even joined us.

After we finished our meals, Jan brought us each a slice of cheesecake topped with fresh berries, and an after-dinner glass of wine.

“Do we have outfits selected for the photo shoot tomorrow?” Tabitha asked, but her gaze landed solely on me.

“I have a few options,” I said.

“I’ve asked the photographer to allow us to purchase the photos as well for personal use, so we could have a family portrait to hang in the house,” my father said, staring directly at Tabitha.