Family in Progress. Brenda Harlen

even remember. There were friends and neighbors, family members and business associates, and it seemed to Steven that, aside from he and Samara, everyone else was part of a couple.

      He felt an unexpected pang of longing as he glanced around the table, noting the affectionate looks and silent communications of partners who knew one another well. As he and Liz had known one another.

      Then he glanced at Samara and wondered if she was feeling as out of place as he was. But she turned to the man seated on her other side, laughing at something he said, and he figured he’d probably imagined the sadness he’d glimpsed in her eyes.

      He was glad when dessert was finally cleared away and the guests began to wander away from the table. Some moved into the library for after-dinner drinks, others made their way downstairs to play billiards, but Steven was in the mood for neither.

      He hovered on the periphery, watching the others mingle, noting the ease with which his brother worked his way through the crowd.

      He and Liz had never done much entertaining, and nothing more elaborate than having friends over for a meal or a game of cards. Usually those friends lived in the neighborhood and had children of similar ages to Caitlin and Tyler and who went to school with them. But most of their weekends had been spent quietly, and he’d preferred it that way.

      Richard, on the other hand, seemed very much in his element surrounded by people. Of course, Richard had always been the one with the big plans and ambitions, who had achieved everything he’d ever dreamed of. Steven used to envy his older brother his status and success, until he’d finally realized there was no reason to. Because Steven had achieved everything he’d wanted, too, he’d just wanted different things.

      He saw Jenny pass her husband, noted the momentary link of their fingers, a quick and silent communication. He saw Richard’s eyes follow his wife’s progress across the room, though his conversation with Jenny’s stepbrother never lagged, and Steven felt the old familiar tug in his heart again. Not a day had gone by in the years since Liz died that he didn’t think about his wife and how much he missed her. But being surrounded by so many happy couples made the empty space by his side loom so much larger.

      He hadn’t noticed that his sister-in-law had made her way all around the room again until she was by his side.

      “I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to you tonight,” Jenny noted.

      “You’ve been busy.”

      “That’s no excuse for neglecting my favorite brother-in-law.”

      “I’m your only brother-in-law.”

      She waved a hand. “Technicalities.”

      He smiled. “Then I should tell you that you’re my favorite sister-in-law, too,” he said. “And that dinner was spectacular.”

      “Thanks. Though the only part of the meal I can take credit for is the planning. Preparing anything on that scale is way beyond my domestic capabilities.” Then her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

      Steven instinctively reached for her arm. “Are you all right?”

      She exhaled slowly, nodded. “Junior just caught me off guard with that one.”

      Before he could drop his hand, she took it and laid it on the side of her tummy. He glanced around, inwardly questioning the propriety of having his hand on his brother’s wife’s body. Then the baby kicked again and he forgot everything else.

      “That’s your nephew,” Jenny said. “Who seems increasingly unhappy with the limited size of his living space these days.”

      Steven looked pointedly at her round belly. “Doesn’t look so small to me.”

      She swatted him playfully. “Thanks for that ego boost.”

      He grinned. “Isn’t that what brothers are for?”

      “Brothers are also for helping their sisters—and their sister’s friends.”

      “Haven’t I already done that?” he asked.

      “Yes, and I wanted to thank you for giving Samara a chance to work at the magazine.”

      “She was the best candidate for the job.”

      “As I knew she would be.” Jenny’s smile was just a little smug. “But I need to ask another favor.”

      “Anything,” he said automatically.

      “I don’t see Samara anywhere,” she said. “Would you mind taking a look around for her and make sure she’s having a good time?”

      Steven didn’t need to look far. He’d been conscious of Samara’s presence all night, somehow aware of every step she took, every man she talked to.

      Every one except him—or so it seemed. Not that he could blame her after the stilted conversation they’d shared in the car. He felt so unaccustomedly awkward and tongue-tied around her, unable to think about anything but how beautiful she was, and how much he wanted to take her in his arms.

      And while his sister-in-law had just given him the perfect excuse to go after Samara, he wasn’t sure he wanted one. He wasn’t sure he was ready to acknowledge the feelings she stirred inside him, never mind to act upon them.

      “I don’t know your friend very well,” he said, “but I get the impression she can take care of herself.”

      “Of course she can,” Jenny agreed. “But I’d feel better if I knew she wasn’t alone.”

      And Steven would feel better if he wasn’t alone with her, but he nodded to his sister-in-law and went after Samara anyway.

      Samara had been talking to Jenny’s husband when Richard excused himself to take a phone call. She took advantage of the opportunity to slip into the hall and out the back door. She just wanted ten minutes of quiet and solitude before she put the smile back on her face and returned to the party.

      Muted light spilled out of the windows to illuminate the patio, so she moved farther away from the house to one of the lounge chairs deeper in the shadows.

      She appreciated Jenny’s efforts to introduce her to new people, but she was feeling a little overwhelmed trying to remember all of the names and faces. And though she was sure it hadn’t been intentional, every one of the twenty-four people seated around the table were part of a couple. Every one except Samara and Steven.

      She wondered if he’d noticed that, too, and if he felt as awkward about it as she did. She certainly wouldn’t guess that he did. Of course, she wouldn’t try to guess anything about what Steven Warren was thinking or feeling. In the nearly two weeks that had passed since their first meeting, she really didn’t know any more about him than she’d known when she’d walked into his office for that initial interview. Their paths rarely crossed at work, and when they did, it was only long enough to exchange a brief greeting.

      “Did you really want to be alone or did you just need a break from the crowd?” Steven asked, stepping out of the shadows.

      “I wanted some fresh air,” she said, ashamed to have been caught hiding out.

      Steven handed her a glass of red wine. “I noticed this was what you were drinking at dinner, and since I know you’re not driving home, I thought I’d bring you another. A peace offering.”

      She accepted the glass. “Thank you.”

      He lowered himself into the chair beside hers. “I didn’t just come out here to deliver the wine.”

      “You wanted a break from the crowd, too,” she guessed.

      “I’m a little out of my element in these kinds of social settings. For the past couple of years, a night out for me has meant a G-rated movie and a tub of popcorn with my kids.”

      She smiled, pleased with both the image and his admission. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”