Page 96 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
Maybe I should text one of them and tell them to come get me?But I’d left my phone in my room, and no way did I want to wobble back for it.
Low and rhythmic music pumped through the house via invisible speakers. I hadn’t seen or heard from Dina, but maybe she would arrive when Rosalind did? I didn’t know the plan, but I entered past the kitchen, dodging the wait staff, since that was how I usually entered their house.
People packed the rooms, their mingled perfumes and charisma almost choking me.Is it customary to arrive before the hostess, so she can make her grand entrance?I wondered.
I scanned the room, searching for any familiar faces. Three of their fathers—the ones they called uncles—were obvious. They made their way around the room, shaking hands and talking to people. Eric wore a light blue jacket, his collar and white dress shirt open at the neck. Stephen wore a white, seersucker suit, and Daniel was in black, entirely. They all looked very handsome, but it was their mother who caught my attention.
My mouth fell open in stunned shock. They’d tucked Dina’s hair back in a bun that reminded me of pictures I’d seen of ballerinas. She wore light blue, the lace on the bodice barely grazing the top of the skirt below.
Wow. She looked gorgeous. I knew she was gorgeous, but in her family’s cottage, she appeared a queen in a room of peasants. What was more, she knew it. How had she gone from the insecure girl to become the goddess? And how did she get through every day after she lost all of them? It wasn’t something I let myself think before, but suddenly I realized the weight of her being alone. Dina loved those men enough that she’d agreed to a life she couldn’t fathom, but they were gone.
Yet she remained, and she still shined. At seventy-something years old, she commanded every eye in the room as if it had always been her birthright.
I finally spotted all four of my Lents entering together. They wore matching blue blazers, yet each one of them dressed slightly differently. Their pants matched, too: expensive khakis. I grinned. Barrett wore a bow tie, which struck me as the perfect choice for him.The guy who restored his Mercedes wears a bow tie to events. Julian’s collar was open, and I could just peek at a bit of his golden chest. Jeremy’s shirt was untucked, but Phoenix was buttoned all the way up—he even actually wore a red and blue tie. The large headphones around his neck suggested he might put them on and tune out the world at any given moment, though.
His eyes were clear, and I breathed in relief. He likely only took the meds he took when he wanted to be alert—over alert. He took them to be on edge.
The older three were stopped by adults I didn’t know and started chatting. Someone tried to grab Phoenix, but he winced away before he struck up a conversation.
I shifted from foot to foot, because I should probably enter the room fully, but being a wallflower felt more comfortable. The Joneses from Jersey were there, but I didn’t see Jo or Randall. I spotted Marco with people who looked like his parents. His mother wore a white dress so sheer she could’ve been naked.
It looked like a spread from that old eighties show, where everyone looked rich and glamorous. I noticed, though, how everyone watched everyone else. I could stream those on YouTube.
A band outside played music, which then repeated through speakers hidden throughout the house. They likely had dancing on the outside patio, but the inside decorations made the house look like a star- filled night. A chandelier I’d never seen before added to the effect, its twinkling small lights pouring over the dining room. Food overflowed from the buffets, with servers running around with trays of smaller offerings.
Phoenix spotted me, and my whole body knew it before I even looked up to meet his gaze. He walked away from the woman talking to him without a backward glance. Abruptly, he stopped, grabbing a flower from a vase before he resumed his stride over to me.
“Hello, Red.” His voice was low as he handed me the rose. I blinked, heat flooding my cheeks. “I love giving you roses. You glow like I handed you a diamond. I would, you know? Hand you a diamond. I would hand you anything. Seeing you in that dress is like a fulfillment of a dream I didn’t know I had.”
I stared into his sincere brown eyes. It was such an un-Phoenix thing to say, so beautiful. “Don’t give me diamonds. I love this rose. I loved the last one, too.” Despite forgetting it in our rush to the Hamptons. “You look incredible. So handsome. I never could have pictured you in a suit and tie.”
“This look? This is how I’ll be at Pullman all year. I hate it.” He drew me against him. “You are stunning. What have they done to you? I feel like … I feel like I’m seeing a different version of you from some other time.”
It was as if he’d read my mind from earlier. “Don’t I look like I’m playing dress up in someone else’s life?”
“You look like you’re too good for me to talk to or touch, but I’m going to anyway.”
Julian appeared at his side, his gaze sweeping over me. “I couldn’t have imagined this. You are so gorgeous, the most beautiful woman in this room.”
“Stop. You look handsome, too. I can’t decide if I like this or if I want to hide.” I shook my head. “I asked them for something that wouldn’t make me stand out too much.”
He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on my cheek. “They failed.”
Julian pulled back just in time for his brothers to arrive. Barrett shook his head. “I was afraid I imagined it, how beautiful you looked, but I didn’t. You are so pretty.”
“A vision, really, ” Jeremy said in a low, reverent voice. “I could look at you all day.”
Over his shoulder, Stephen caught my eye. While he chatted with someone else, he furrowed his brow. Something concerned him. I didn’t get to question what because Rosalind arrived right then, at the top of the stairs, on Kit’s arm. She wore a gray, sheer, sparkling gown that clung to her every curve. All conversation stopped and everyone stared in breathlessness as she floated down the stairs. Her hair hung in a flowing banner, gracing her delicate shoulders. Kit wore a black jacket with a white shirt and a black and gray tie, his attention entirely focused on Rosalind.
They could be royalty.
“Your mother is incredible,” I whispered honestly to all of them.
Julian touched the small of my back. “Alatheia, you know you’re breathtaking, right? Can’t you feel it?”
Conversation picked back up and to my surprise, Rosalind turned toward us. “Alatheia, you look stunning.” She touched the side of my face. “Beautiful. Enjoy yourself. Boys.” She smiledat them. “You all look so handsome. I think they did a nice job with the decorations.”
Barrett smiled at her. “They made your vision come true, Mom. We all know it’s all you.”
