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  father, starting next a week from Monday.” He gestured to Heron with his head. “That will allow

  me to ingratiate myself into my father’s good graces for the rest of my life, since my brother,

  here, gave up the favored position of the prodigal son when he decided to open up his own law

  practice, forgoing his rightful seat in the family empire.”

  “Having his sons work in the business is important to your father, then?” Lawrence

  asked.

  Tanner answered, “It would be his first choice. But, don’t worry, he didn’t disinherit

  Heron. He’s just no longer the favorite son. That means he’ll listen to me before he will listen to

  him. You see, Mr. and Mrs. Calderon, my brother, here, has always been the golden boy, the

  blessed son anointed before birth by God. And all my life, I’ve lived in his shadow. All we heard

  about was him, Heron did this, Heron did that. That was because everything he did, he did better

  than anybody else. He was the star athlete in school, the star pupil in his class. The bastard got

  A’s in every one of his studies without even trying.”

  Everyone laughed as Tanner grinned at his brother. “And my father always introduced

  him as, ‘Here’s my boy, Heron.’ ‘Have you met my boy, Heron?’ And every time Heron spoke,

  my father acted as if his words were written in stone. I know there’s a stone tablet somewhere

  lying around that says, ‘Where’s my socks, Dad?’ Until recently, all my life, I was relegated to,

  ‘And this is just Tanner,’ That’s all. Nothing special. Just Tanner. But all that changed when

  Heron told my Dad that he wasn’t going to enter the family business. You should have seen him,

  my Dad.” Tanner shook his head while the others laughed. “He was so shocked that that

  expression stayed on his face for a whole week. If I had a camera at that moment, I would have

  snapped it. It was definitely a Kodak moment.”

  Caroline asked Heron, “So, are you banished from your parents’ house?” Tanner said, “Oh, no, Mrs. Calderon. Heron is still allowed in the family premise, even at

  the dinner table. It’s just, Heron no longer gets the choice cut of meat from the fatted cow.” Everyone laughed again.

  Riley saw Heron put an arm around the back of Roberta’s chair. She noticed that he

  looked much more relaxed and at ease than he had the first time he had come over. It seemed to

  her that in his younger brother’s presence, he felt he could be himself, didn’t feel the need to

  distance himself from others behind a cool façade. Perhaps it was because Tanner was so good

  humored, without pretense, ready to enjoy himself with whose ever presence he was in. “Just to let you know, though, I have been able to regain some of my good graces with

  my father ever since I told him that I was going to marry his beautiful and very capable public

  relations officer,” Heron said.

  Caroline looked a little surprised and said hesitantly, “So, your parents don’t mind that

  your future wife is not someone who is …” She let her words drift off, and flushed a little,

  thinking she was being inappropriate.

  “Who has gobs of money and is connected to the Kennedys?” Tanner finished for her,

  unabashedly. “God, no! We’re all thankful that Heron has made a wise choice in his wife. We

  were all afraid that he was going to settle on some scheming social climber or an insipid hot

  house flower or some raging gatekeeper of a social circle of blue-bloods.”

  Heron good naturedly defended himself. “There was never any threat of any of those

  choices.”

  “No? Then let me remind you of some of the women you brought home,” Tanner

  countered.”

  “I don’t think anyone at this table would be interested in hearing you fabricate the history

  of my social life.”

  “Oh, yes we would,” Roberta said emphatically, laughing. “I want to hear all about your

  other ladies, Heron. And tell me every gory detail, Tanner. Although Heron is the perfect picture

  of a proper suitor to me, I can’t believe he’s not been a bad boy in his youth. I can’t believe

  someone with his looks, his charisma, and his money has led such a pristine sex life.” Heron clarified, as someone with an analytical mind would insist on doing, “Ah, but my

  brother wasn’t talking about my sex life. He was talking about my social life?” “What’s the difference?” Riley drawled.

  Tanner explained, “With Heron, there is a world of difference. But, he’s right. I was

  talking about Heron’s social life, and not his sex life.”

  Roberta said, “Then I want to hear about his sex life.”

  Tanner shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not going into his sex life, because if I do, then he

  has the right to reveal things about my sex life, and so that will have to remain within our

  brotherly pact. Anyway, there have been some frightful women that Heron had courted around

  town. Do you remember, Heron, that Italian countess you were escorting to all these functions in

  San Francisco?”

  “No.” Heron firmed his lips to prevent them from smiling.

  “Yes, you do. She was that great big Italian woman, gorgeous as hell, but built like an

  Amazon, whose mama had thrown her in Heron’s path. But what a body she had…” Tanner

  broke off when he saw his brother glowering at him, and cleared his throat. “They had come to

  the United States in search of a rich husband for the daughter, because they were in debt for

  hundreds of millions of liras, and were desperately trying to maintain the family castle on the

  island of Crete. She kept calling Heron Heroin. That kind of tells you what she was more

  familiar with than ornithology. And she would take this creepy-looking Egyptian cat that had no

  hair everywhere she went, scaring the tar out of everyone, because it looked like it had been

  turned inside out. I think her name was Charlotte Katrina or something.”

  Heron corrected, “Her name was Carlotta…”

  “The cat or the woman?” Roberta asked, causing laughter again, and earning her a tweak

  on the nose by Heron.

  “The Italian woman. She was very sweet, really, and a Lesbian, which she was hiding

  from her mama and caused her a lot of stress.”

  “Then there was the rubber heiress from the east coast,” Tanner continued. Across from

  the table, Heron rolled his eyes, but looked ready to enjoy himself. “Beautiful, mind you, but

  had the brain of a pin cushion. She thought there were eight continents, with the Arctic as the

  eighth one. And never lifted a damned finger to do anything for herself, and so always had this

  entourage everywhere she went. One hired hand was there strictly to dial the phone. Another one

  ordered for her, not only when they were in restaurants, but also in boutiques, beauty salons,

  coffee shops, and so on. And whenever she was at my parents’ house, she would pick up

  everything and assess its value, sometimes asking our mother if she could have it. The last two

  times you brought her over to the house, Mother was ready to strangle her, Heron.” Tanner

  pointed a finger at him. “Now, I know you were thinking about marrying her. Don’t tell me no, because Mother told me that the heiress had asked her if she minded that her son’s wedding was

  in New York.”

  “That’s a tissue of lies,” Heron claimed.

  “Oh, yeah. Well, Dad’s secretary told me that you asked her at the time who the best

  jeweler was
in San Francisco. And then there was the heiress of dog food, and who had a deathly

  phobia of canines. My parents have two labs at the house. One time, Heron brought her over for

  dinner and she was so frightened that she started to hyperventilate and went into a panic attack.

  My brother was forced to take her to the emergency room, because she had started to turn blue. –

  And, then, remember that English lady you met when you were in London? Lady Ashley Halsey,

  her name was, and she had been a second cousin to Princess Diana. She had this cutest lisp…” “I think that’s enough,” Heron cut in firmly, while the others were still laughing. He bent

  and kissed Roberta on the cheek. “If you’re really interested in hearing the rest of my love life,

  I’ll tell it to you after we’re married.”

  She looked up at him, a little uncertain. “Is it really true that your parents don’t mind you

  marrying me.”

  “No, darling. They adore you, as anyone who meets you do.”

  Tanner said, “Are you kidding, Roberta? They have high hopes that once you two are

  hitched, that you’re going to vastly improve that dour mien of his. My mother always kids that

  Heron missed his calling by not entering the monastic order. Mother has already booked the

  Grace Cathedral in the city. I think, Heron, here, is looking into garnering the top floor of the

  Hilton Plaza for the reception.”

  The faces of Caroline, Lawrence, and Riley froze. At first they looked at one another,

  then at Roberta, whose eyes were cast down on her plate.

  “Grace Cathedral?” Riley said, ignoring her mother’s warning look. “Roberta, I thought

  you were going to get married at the church in Bodega Bay? I thought you wanted to keep the

  wedding small?”

  Roberta gave her a helpless look. “Well, I did, but Heron felt that…”

  Heron said smoothly, “Roberta told me about the church out in the coast, but I told her it

  was inappropriate for our wedding.” He brushed the back of his hand against Roberta’s cheek.

  “She said that she wanted to not make such a big deal out of the wedding, but make it small and intimate, with just a few of our friends and family there. But I told her that I’m afraid that my

  wedding will be a big deal. There will be too many people who will be expect us to invite them.” Riley pointed out, “But Grace Cathedral holds how many people?”

  “Over five hundred,” Roberta said weakly. Her face started to look a little pale. “Five hundred. Are you telling me that you have five hundred friends and relatives that

  need to come to this wedding?”

  “The reception is expected to be over a thousand,” Tanner murmured.

  Caroline and Lawrence exchanged brief looks, their eyes equally appalled. Heron stared at Riley coolly. “It will be a major social event in San Francisco. And using

  some connections, I was able to book the church for Christmas…”

  Caroline gasped. “Christmas! You mean this coming Christmas?”

  Heron nodded. “Yes. The sooner the better.”

  Caroline said faintly, “But that’s only four months away.”

  Lawrence looked as if he couldn’t breathe. He rasped, “Four months to prepare for one

  thousand guests.”

  Riley protested, “But that’s not what Robbie wants…”

  “Yes, it is, Riles,” Roberta interjected forcefully. She smiled at her, trying to reassure her.

  “Look, Heron’s right. It will be a major social event. People will expect it of Heron and his

  family. He’s an important man in San Francisco, and his family is well known in the state.” She

  smiled at her fiancée and put a hand to his cheek. “If I really wanted a small wedding, then I

  have no business marrying Heron, or his family. Besides, we’ve hired one of the most soughtafter wedding planner from Hollywood. She does all the stars’ weddings down there. And she

  has a big crew to get all the millions of things that need to be done.” She gave her sister and her

  parents a pleading look. “So, please, believe me. This is what I want.”

  Caroline and Lawrence nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. Riley had to swallow

  hard to suppress the rising words of attack that she wanted to throw at Heron. She breathed to

  calm down, and caught Heron’s dark eyes watching her, and detected the hint of cool triumph in

  them.

  Ever the one to always try to ease tensions with stories, Tanner said brightly, “Did I ever

  tell you about the time I got arrested when I was rushing my fraternity?”

  Latching on to the gambit like a lifeline, Caroline pleaded, “I can’t wait to hear about it.” Towards the end of the evening, after the desert and after-dinner drinks. Riley was still

  fuming over at how Heron had, once again, steamrolled over her sister’s wishes. To settle her

  nerves, she slipped out into the back yard and snuck a cigarette. At the sound of the door

  opening, she stiffened. It was Tanner Wait, stepping out for a breath of air.

  “Are you going to tell on me to your big brother about this filthy habit?” she asked

  sulkily before she dragged on her cigarette. “I’m not a habit smoker. Just once in awhile.” Tanner sat down the porch steps next to her. “No matter to me. And I won’t tell if you

  give me one.”

  She handed him the pack and lighter. She knew she shouldn’t say, but she couldn’t help

  it. “What, you can’t do what you want to do out in the open in front of your big brother, as

  well?”

  Tanner inhaled deeply then blew out with pleasure. “I don’t smoke all the time, either.

  And, yeah, it’s probably because I would hear no end of it from big brother if I did,” he added

  when Riley looked at him.

  They both sat and smoked in companionable silence, enjoying the cool dark evening, the

  inky sky cloudless so that all the stars shone brightly down at them.

  Then Tanner spoke, gently. “Look, he’s not such a bad guy, once you get to know him.” “I know him as much as I want to get to know him.”

  “He’s going to be your brother-in-law.”

  “I can’t do anything about that.”

  “You know, my parents and I are pretty stoked about this marriage.”

  “Why?”

  “What I said back there that we were all afraid that Heron was going to make some

  socially advantageous marriage was true. With our money and position, Heron and I have been

  thrown our way a lot of women who were looking to marry rich men. And they are a scary lot,

  believe me. I mean, the stories I was telling to your family about some of them were all true. And

  that wasn’t even half of it. So, when your sister came along…Well, she’s like a breath of fresh

  air, compared to the heiresses and nobilities that we’ve run into; unpretentious, sweet, smart,

  real, and, most important of all, not a calculating social climber or a money grubber. My parents

  can’t wait to meet you and your parents. And I think they will enjoy you guys just as Heron and I

  do.”

  “Does Heron take after your father?”

  “No, actually not. My father can be autocratic, at times, but mostly, he’s pretty even keel

  and amenable. You’re asking why Heron’s the way he is, aren’t you? He’s a lot like my

  grandfather. He’s the one who grew the family’s modest banking fortune to an obscene

  proportion by turning our banking business to a financial conglomerate. He ruled his company,

  and his family, with an iron fist. Did you know that Grandfather arranged the marriages of all his

  four child
ren? All daughters. He was like a king, arranging all these alliances with various

  provinces.”

  “He arranged your parents’?”

  “No. My mother made him think he did. She was the clever one out of the whole bunch.

  She fell in love with my dad when he was a junior executive at the bank. My mother worked on

  my grandfather until he came to believe that my dad had the potential to succeed him as head of

  the company, and that making an alliance with this junior executive through marriage was sound

  judgment.”

  “What’s your mother like?”

  Tanner thought for a moment, carefully going over the various choices of words and

  expressions. Then he said with some satisfaction and with some relish, “A mother. No, really.

  That’s the only word that describes mother most accurately,” he added when Riley would laugh.

  “For all her wealth and privileged upbringing, my mother turned out to be the quintessential

  mother figure; loving, devoted, fiercely protective of her children, and yet wielding her family

  with a firm hand, brooking little nonsense, and determinedly shaping her children to become

  decent and productive citizens. That’s saying a lot for rich family, when mostly, we are so easily

  allowed by all of society to live off the fat of the fruits of our forefathers, and foremothers, go

  through life in meaningless idleness, and know little of life except our own self interests and

  circumscribed life. My mother was the disciplinarian, and my father was the more easy-going

  parent. He tends to be peacemaker. Similar to Roberta.”

  Riley smiled at him through the dark. “Not unlike yourself?”

  Silence fell between them.

  Then, Riley said softly, “I just want her to be happy.”

  “I know. Just give Heron a chance, and I think he will make her happy.” Riley nodded. They fell into silence again, each smoking fresh cigarettes. Then Tanner turned his head and gave Riley a mischievous grin. “So, tell me about this

  club that you own.”

  Riley laughed, completely comfortable and at ease, as she began to describe her club.

  CHAPTER THREE

  In the following two months, Roberta was immersed inches above her head in wedding

  preparation. Her every movement and decision was dictated by the wedding planner, Hildegard,