Page 25 of Drum Me Away
“Yes, you developing a relationship with your only niece is something we both need to work to remedy,” Maria said, letting go of Faith’s left arm so she could wag her finger in Faith’s face. “Agreed?”
Faith nodded, and I caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes. I suspected I’d just walked in on an unexpected reunion.
Maria left, and I took advantage of what was left of the small spread on the counter while Faith stared out the window, presumably watching her sister make her way down the stairs. When she turned back to me, she swiped at wetness on her cheeks.
“What was that about?” I asked, pouring the last of the bottle into a third glass.
She flapped her hand at the window. “My sister. Came to visit.”
I waited because, clearly, there was more to this rather short explanation.
She paced back to the counter and snagged her glass, taking a hefty swallow. “She just showed up. She knows the owner of this property and bumped into him at the coffee shop this morning. He mentioned he was renting the place to a couple of rock stars. and, given the timing, she hedged her bets and drove straight out here.”
“That was nice of her.”
“You don’t understand, Lucas.”
“You’re right. Why don’t you enlighten me?” I’d told her plenty about my own family over the years, but then again, I’d always gotten along with them, so it was easy to talk about them.
And no, I did not understand how she could have such a shitty relationship with all of them, for this long, without attempting to fix it.
She slid onto the barstool, then immediately popped back off and wandered over to the far side of the room, turning her back to me so she could once again stare out the window, wineglass in her hand, occasionally taking a sip.
“My oldest sister, Ava, lives in New York City and works, all the time, just like my father. Maria, the middle child, has been a people-pleaser her entire life. As a result, she has carved out this picture-perfect life that we’re pretty sure my mother approves of, although we can’t say 100 percent because the woman never actually acknowledges that sort of thing.”
She took a moment to drink more wine, and I took a moment to rein in my shock at the amount of information she’d just given me.
“Because Maria was always doing her best to be what our mother wanted her to be, I assumed she and I wouldn’t get along, so I sort of cut her out of my life when I moved to LA.”
Unable to resist, I moved across the room to stand next to her. She impatiently brushed away a tear and then folded one arm over her chest.
“Turns out, I was wrong to do that. Maria has never hated me or disapproved of me or any other negative thing I’ve believed all this time. And Grandma’s death shook her as much as it’s shaking me, so now she’s determined to make sure she and I have a decent relationship.”
“That’s good, right?” I asked.
She barked out a half laugh, half sob. “Yeah, it’s good. It’s more than good. It’s just frustrating that it took us this long to realize we didn’t actually dislike each other.”
I shrugged. “Hey, it’s happening now, so how about appreciating that instead of dwelling on the past that you can’t change?”
“That’s good advice.”
“Thanks. Every now and then I get it right.”
She chuckled.
“Who’s Vic?” I asked.
“Maria’s perfect husband.” Faith glanced at me out of the side of her eye, and I arched my brows in silent question.
“He’s basically our mother in male form. Appearances are everything to him. His family comes from old money, and they definitely have a superiority complex. Maria spends all her time trying to fit into the mold. The good news, I suppose, is, unlike me, she was already used to constantly trying to please our unpleaseable mother, so she was pretty much born for the role of Vic’s wife.”
“She didn’t exactly sound like she likes the role.”
Faith waved her nearly empty glass. “That’s all new. Rather, she’s only just admitting it out loud, courtesy of Grandma’s death.” She frowned. “I hope she comes to terms with her life soon. I’d hate for her to be stuck in a miserable marriage.”
“Do she and her husband love each other?”
Faith shrugged. “No idea. I went to the wedding, but I haven’t seen either of them since. They seemed happy that day, I suppose. And if you look on Facebook, they appear to have an enviable life.”
