All I Want Is You Read online

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  Table of Contents

  A Preview of Talk of the Town

  A Preview of A Black Tie Affair

  Copyright Page

  To my friend Susan Grimm for opening her home and her heart to talk about her unique jewelry designs

  and

  To my critique partners, Laurie DeMarino, Cheryl Jefferson, Jude Mandell, Rose Paulas, and Patricia Rosemoor for always so generously sharing their wealth of knowledge.

  When you get into a woman’s closet you get into her life; who she was, who she is, and who she hoped to be.

  CHICAGO JOURNAL & COURIER

  Talk of the Town, by Rebecca Covington-Sumner

  Darlings, love is in the air!

  It seems wild mischievous Eros, God of Love, aka Cupid, has cast his sights on our windy city. I have been reliably informed of five engagements and six weddings in Lincoln Park alone and at 1220 Lake Shore Drive, in a mere three days, four engaged couples bought condos, and one glorious wedding took place on the rooftop garden of that very same building. Truly, Chicago is bursting with amore from the lake to our suburbs, north, south, and west!

  We all know Eros’s greatest delight is to zip around shooting arrows of desire into innocent and perhaps not so innocent victims who instantly fall in love, whether they want to or not.

  Methinks Cupid aimed well when one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors, Drew Clayworth, finally realized exactly who he wanted when he wooed and won the heart of Athena Smith.

  As you know, beautiful Athena runs the divine vintage boutique Pandora’s Box, along with her sisters, Venus and Diana.

  Only the finest treasures find their way to this store from the Smith sisters’ mini treasure hunts through the closets, attics, and basements of Chicago’s elite. To all you blissful brides—no doubt the perfect wedding dress awaits you in their house of vintage beauty.

  While shopping there please feel free to flaunt your engagement rings, because not only is Venus an expert on vintage couture costume jewelry but she is also a consummate jewel lover. She informed me that in the Orient and the West, diamonds, “stones of light,” symbolize both the hidden riches of the gem and a spiritual connection to the giver of the jewel.

  Darlings, I’ve found that no matter how much time has passed since my beloved presented me with my ring, I only have to gaze at the diamond and I’m flooded with emotion. Yes, I appreciate its beauty, but, more important, it instantly conjures up my feelings of bliss at being married to the man of my dreams.

  May it be true for all of you.

  Speaking of the delights of marriage, the union between Drew Clayworth and Athena Smith is much anticipated by friends and family and destined to be the nuptial of the season. It is my fondest wish their marriage will heal the painful, deep rift between these two wonderful families. Where Cupid is concerned, who knows?

  And who knows where the mischievous fellow may strike again.

  Beware, Clayworth men! If your confirmed bachelor Drew can succumb to love, how far behind can you be in finding your soulmates?

  When it happens it will be the Talk of the Town and I promise to share every romantic detail with all of you!

  Chapter 1

  Today, on Chicago’s legendary old-money Gold Coast

  Venus Smith saw her father, Alistair, waiting for her at a table next to the flower boxes at their favorite outdoor café in Lincoln Park.

  The sunlight gleamed off his white hair as he bent over a thick tablet of paper.

  He was still writing fast and furiously when she came up behind him.

  “Happy Saturday,” she whispered into his ear and bent over to place a white pastry box on the table in front of him.

  Squinting, he looked at it and then up at Venus.

  “What is this?”

  She dropped onto the chair across from him. “Open it.”

  Meticulous as always, he slowly slid a knife blade along the tape holding the lid closed. Raising one eyebrow, he lifted out a small, white cake shaped like an open book.

  Goddesses Rock was written out in pink frosting across the top.

  “Do you like it, Dad? It’s to celebrate you starting to write your children’s book on goddess mythology.”

  A gleam of joy lit his eyes. This was the first time she’d seen him happy since he’d been fired and disgraced by the Clayworth family eight months ago.

  “Thank you, Venus. I love it.”

  Ready to cry, she blinked hard and bit her lip to get a grip on herself. “It’s your favorite—white cake with fresh strawberries and whipped-cream filling. We probably should wait for Diana, but if you want we could cut it right now.”

  “Cake for breakfast?” His chuckle warmed her in a way she hadn’t felt since that fateful, horrible day.

  “Of course, cake for breakfast.” Laughing, she leaned across the table toward him. “It has all the food groups. Eggs, milk, flour, butter, even fruit. When you think about it, cake is perfect.”

  “Just like my daughters.”

  She wanted to savor this moment, with her father’s face alive in a way it hadn’t been since he’d been forced out as treasurer of John Clayworth and Company, Chicago’s iconic department store. The September sun bathed them in a warm, comfortable glow, and she felt herself relaxing in a way she hadn’t in months.

  Please let this be the ending of the bad times and the beginning of good things for Dad.

  But a deep, husky laughter rang out across the open-air restaurant and sent an icy shiver down her spine, as if a bucket full of ice had been dumped over her head.

  Oh, no! It can’t be!

  Hoping it might only be her overactive imagination, Venus shifted around in her seat, afraid that her weekly breakfast date with her father and this perfect new beginning was totally spoiled. If that voice belonged to the man she thought it belonged to…

  The shiver shifted to her stomach as her eyes focused on Connor Clayworth O’Flynn pulling out a chair for his aunt at a table located near the geranium-festooned boxes that lined the sidewalk café. This had always been one of Venus’s favorite spots. So much for that.

  The sun shot streaks of light through Connor’s thick black hair. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he turned his head and glanced toward her.

  Deliberately, and with disdain, she swung away, ignoring him. She had been doing her best to avoid laying eyes on Connor for months, and even before he’d proven himself to be totally judgmental and without an ounce of loyalty, he’d always made her feel strangely… uneasy.

  Across the small table, her father sat up straighter and stared over her shoulder.

  She watched her father’s face change, hating the look of disappointment and hurt again etched across his bones and the tight lines of his mouth.

  “Do you want to leave, Dad?” Waiting for the usual lecture, she met her father’s eyes.

  “No, I do not want to leave. Connor is simply having breakfast with his aunt and uncle. As I plan to enjoy time with you and Diana this morning. These encounters are bound to occur. Chicago is a small town in many ways. Which is one of the reasons I have asked you and your sisters to put all our difficulties with the Clayworths in perspective and move forward.”

  Hearing the defeat in his voice, she couldn’t bear it another moment. She’d really tried to honor his wishes, tried to still her burning desire to dig for information to help him. Now, unable to stop herself, she leaned across the table to clasp his hands.

  Her father’s grip was strong and tight on her fingers.

  “Please talk to me, Dad,” she urged, as she’d wanted to do for months. “I know being fired as treasurer of John Clayworth and Company after so many years hurt you. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to f
orgive any of them, even Drew when he marries Athena, if you don’t explain the reason they fired you. Why you didn’t fight them. Why you didn’t defend yourself. Why you won’t talk about it with any of us.”

  His deep sigh seemed more like a shudder. Guilt burned hot and bright through her but still she gripped his fingers, hoping this time he’d reveal the truth.

  “Venus, you know all the Clayworth men and I signed an antidefamation agreement. I cannot and will not discuss it with you or your sisters. I’m sorry, but my decision is final.”

  The slight breeze off Lake Michigan again carried the sound of Connor’s laughter and a snatch of his conversation, “… work at Clayworth’s…,” seemed to hang in the air over her table. She saw pain flicker like a blinding light through her father’s aquamarine eyes.

  That’s it. Someone has to take Connor to task for what he’s done. Make him explain himself.

  “Dad, you worked so closely with Connor and you always spoke of him so glowingly. His betrayal must have hurt you more than the others,” she said softly, almost afraid her words might cause him more pain.

  He pressed a kiss on her knuckles and released her hands. “Yes, Connor and I became very close running everything together these last ten years since his father passed away. That is the only information I can share with you, Venus. You must let this go.”

  I tried, I really did, Dad, but I can’t any longer. I’m going to defy your wishes and learn the truth to exonerate you.

  “You look exactly like your mother.”

  The warmth in his eyes brought a rush of emotion settling at the back of her throat. “You’re being silly, Dad.” She laughed, her voice husky with unshed tears. “You know Mom was tiny like Athena and Diana. I have your bone structure.”

  “What did we always tell you?” he asked, his voice soft and loving.

  “That I am the perfect combination of both of you,” she repeated, as she knew he wished her to do.

  “Yes. And when you get that particular look on your face you’re the image of your mother, determined to solve a problem no matter how long it took her or what she had to do.”

  “Then my tenacity is a good thing, right?” She laughed so she wouldn’t get weepy.

  “I’m here,” Diana gasped, rushing up to kiss their father on the cheek. “What did I miss? What’s a good thing?”

  He smiled between them. “Your sister’s tenacity.”

  Diana flicked a look past Venus to where Connor sat behind her. “It depends on what Venus is up to.”

  “To getting us all breakfast now that you’ve arrived, right on time as usual.”

  “Afraid I might break my record this morning.” Diana slid into the chair next to their father. “I had to stop by my office at Clayworth’s to pick up some sketches.”

  Not wanting to spoil their weekly breakfast together by opening the hot subject of Diana’s still working for John Clayworth and Company, Venus jumped up. “I’ll go ask the waitress to get our orders started.”

  Trying to be patient while waiting in line, she couldn’t stop glancing out the window to where Connor sat with Bridget O’Flynn and Tony Panzarella.

  Remembering her father’s pain, his words kept pounding through her head “… Connor… became very close running everything together these past ten years…”

  How do I get Connor to tell me what happened to change everything and cause him to fire Dad? And how do I get him to admit he’s made a horrible mistake?

  The crazy idea that she was the only one who could end this travesty of justice took root and wouldn’t stop growing. As if the power of her plan reached him, Connor rose slowly to his feet and turned toward the café door.

  Warm air caught in her lungs. If he comes into this restaurant I swear I’m going to confront him right here and now.

  He held the door open for his aunt Bridget to walk through.

  Venus released her breath in a long sigh of relief. Okay, so I’m not quite sure yet what I’m going to say to him.

  She smiled at Bridget, the only member of the Clayworth clan she still trusted. Except maybe Drew, for Athena’s sake.

  “Venus, this is kismet.” Bridget’s wide grin split her narrow face. “I’ve been wantin’ to call you about my closet. Tony and Connor are always sayin’ I haven’t thrown out anythin’ in thirty years. Today they both threatened to clean it themselves because Connor is at the brownstone all day helpin’ Tony. Can you find the time soon to take a look? See if I have anythin’ for your store or to donate? I’d hate for them to toss out somethin’ of value or somethin’ that might find a good home with someone else.”

  Firmly convinced this must be an omen that the cosmos had picked up her thought and was giving her a shove to make something happen to help her Dad, Venus lied. “This is kismet, Bridget. I happen to be free today.”

  “Can’t believe my luck.” Bridget laughed. “We’re headin’ home now. Can you make it soon?”

  Mentally going through the list of appointments she’d need to cancel, she nodded. “Very soon. Actually, as soon as I finish having breakfast with Dad and Diana I’ll come right over.”

  From the moment Bridget strolled happily away between Connor and Tony, Venus could think of nothing but how quickly she could follow them.

  She tried to be patient while she waited for their breakfast and carried the tray back to the table. Tried to listen to her father and sister while she pushed her scrambled eggs around on her plate and nibbled on the edges of an English muffin, but her wild scheme kept twisting through her head, blocking out everything else.

  Connor and I have always been like oil and water. What could possibly be my first move here?

  Ideas bounced around in her head, ways to coax information out of Connor, but everything felt too obvious. And Connor was anything but stupid. Determined to put the pieces of the puzzle together herself somehow, she didn’t realize her sister was staring at her.

  “Venus, you’ve hardly eaten any breakfast. And you haven’t touched your piece of cake. What’s wrong?”

  Diana’s soft but firm voice broke through Venus’s plotting and she came back to reality with a thump of her heart against her ribs. Her baby sister had an uncanny way of knowing when Venus wasn’t exactly telling the truth.

  Resisting her powerful urge to play with her hair, which would totally give her away, Venus folded her hands in her lap. “You know I’m always on a diet.”

  “You don’t need to be. You’re beautiful.” Her father patted his lips with a napkin and rose slowly to his feet. “I must get back home to my writing. Love you both.”

  He kissed their cheeks and Venus watched him walk away, his tablet of notes on his book tucked under his arm and the leftover cake in his hands. His shoulders weren’t as square as they’d once been, nor was his stride as long and strong. Seeing it felt like a blow to her heart. It’s more than time for me to end this one way or another.

  “All right. Dad’s gone. Now tell me what was going on with you and Bridget. After you came back to the table you were totally preoccupied.”

  Venus shrugged. “I’m just helping her with her closet this afternoon.”

  Diana’s aquamarine eyes, so much like her own, widened. “I know Connor won’t be at Clayworth’s today because he’s helping Tony. Did Bridget tell you he’d be there?”

  “Yes,” Venus said as nonchalantly as possible. “Aren’t you the one always telling me I need to be at least cordial to all Clayworths no matter how I feel about them?”

  Wise Diana was not fooled, and Venus knew it by the stern look on her sister’s usually angelic face.

  “I’ve never understood why you’ve always seemed to dislike Connor. Even after he rescued you from Lake Michigan when we were teenagers.”

  Remembering the embarrassment of being hauled up onto the Clayworths’ sandy beach like a soggy bag of extra-large potatoes, her bathing suit askew, exposing way too much of her overblossoming curves, Venus shook her head. “He didn’t rescue me. I w
as perfectly fine. He always took his unofficial lifeguard duties as stupidly rigidly and seriously as he does everything else. Including thinking he’s always right.”

  Diana stared her down while rising slowly to her feet. “Venus, I know since the troubles with Dad you’ve gone out of your way to avoid Connor, even at Athena and Drew’s engagement party. So why are you spending the afternoon with him now? What do you want from him?”

  To charm him, maybe even befriend him, so that he’ll reveal everything I need to know to help Dad.

  Of course she couldn’t confess such an outrageous plan to anyone, especially her sister. She had no idea how she could ingratiate herself with Connor, but after her talk with her dad this morning and after seeing the look in his eyes, she knew Connor had the key to the truth.

  Venus hugged her and decided to tell her part of her plan. “Stop worrying. All I want is to help Bridget clean her closet.”

  Chapter 2

  “Venus, thank God you could come on such short notice. I can’t face this without your help.” Bridget flung open the doors to her expansive walk-in closet in her equally impressive neat-as-a-pin bedroom.

  Bridget’s look of utter gratitude made Venus feel so guilty for being here under false pretenses that she felt a need to leave immediately and come back when her motives were pure and her head wasn’t full of crazy plots.

  “Are you sure you really want to do this today?” Venus asked with real hope. “I could come back next week. Give you more time to really think about it.”

  “Gotta do it now.” Bridget nodded with vigorous determination. “You bein’ free today is a Godsend. Tony’s thrilled. But drivin’ me crazy with helpful suggestions. I made Connor take him to lunch. They’ll be back soon.”

  Good. That’s why I’m here. Venus tensed, feeling even guiltier.

  She watched Bridget peer longingly into the closet. The light cast a halo around the cloud of strawberry hair piled high on her head, and her still-twinkling eyes looked like narrow slits of emerald above her sharp, ivory cheekbones.