Page 300 of The First Time
"True."
"You mind if I ask your age?"
"I'm twenty-one."
"A baby. Your whole life is ahead of you." Her sigh is wistful. "If you do marry Blake… you can't give up on your dreams. I know it's tempting, basking in luxury, spending all your time sunbathing in Cabo San Lucas, but that's not a fulfilling life."
My chest warms. This is the kind of talk mothers have with their daughters. Only I never got the chance. "I won't."
"I'm sorry about before. My kids mean well, but, quite frankly, they're idiots."
I laugh.
"Really. Fiona and that awful stockbroker. He's such an ass. Just like her father. Well, not quite. Thank God."
There's something about her voice.
Blake was casual about his father hitting him. Because it only happened once? Or because it happened all the time?
I stare back at Meryl, but it doesn't offer any insight. I have no idea what a battered wife looks like. Even if I did, Blake's father isn't around anymore. He died when Blake was a teenager. That was in hisabout mepacket.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?" she asks.
"Oh. Just thinking."
She smiles. "I remember being young and in love. It's hard to concentrate."
"Yes." It is, but it's not the love. It's more the lust.
"Is art school what you want?" she asks.
"I don't know. The last few years, the only thing I wanted was for my sister to be okay. I haven't had the energy to think about the future."
"Is she ill?"
"No. She has a back injury, but it's not serious anymore." I run my fingers over the railing. "My parents died in a car accident three years ago. She was in the backseat. She was in the ICU for a few weeks, but she pulled through. After physical therapy, she was okay. She has most of her mobility."
"Is she in school?"
"She's going to NYU next year." I beam. Lizzy is going to be great. I'm so damn proud of her.
Meryl stares into her wineglass. "You must have grown up fast."
"I did what I had to do for my family."
She turns her attention to me, studying me the way Blake does. "Any art schools in mind?"
"Not yet."
"Make me a promise, dear."
I struggle to keep up my smile. Promises are not my strong suit. "Okay."
Her expression hardens. "Whatever happens between you and Blake, promise you'll go to school."
Above us, the stars shine. They offer all the possibility in the world.
I have that now. Well, as soon as I have the rest of Blake's money.
