Page 12 of Until Now

Nick turns the new information over in his mind. “Eileen said something happened with your mom. Is everything okay?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” I can tell he wants to ask more, but he doesn’t push. “Guess we better go, Diana won’t be happy if I miss dinner on the first night.” I shove my bookmark inside and leave the book on the side table, glasses on top of it. “Thanks for checking on me.”

Chapter Eight

Any sign ofthe earlier altercation gone. A delicious scent flows from the kitchen where a middle-aged woman dressed in a chef’s coat plates dinner. Diana Edwards — private chef and by far one of my favorite things about Haven. The first summer Diana worked for us she almost quit. Mother kept referring to her asthe helpand always had a comment about the menu or the food or the wine… It finally boiled over one day and Diana told Mother exactly how she felt and walked out in a huff. Daddy managed to get an apology out of Mother and convinced Diana to come back. Now, it’s normal for the two of them to take small jabs at one another. Working for my mother requires a thick skin, but the tolerance of those who make it doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated — Daddy pays them a little extra on the side.

Diana quietly scolds me for pulling out a bottle from the wine fridge built into the island. “Wouldn’t want to upset your mother again, would we?” She winks.

“Oh no, wouldn’t want that.” I fill a glass with Chardonnay and return to join the group in the dining room.

The dining room is situated in an open space between the kitchen and living room on the third floor, separated from the kitchen by a knee wall. The back wall painted a faded earthy green, a stark contrast to the neutral colors coating the rest of the floor. Atop a white buffet cabinet, a large gold-framed mirror leans against the wall. A pale oak table runs the length of the room — six rattan chairs on either side and two beige armchairs on the ends.

“Place cards?” Indeed, around the table, small cards with our names written in precise calligraphy designate our places at the table. “Seriamente, Mother?”

“I thought they would be a nice touch, that way Nick knows where he can sit,” Mother shrugs.

“This isn’t one of your fancy, bullshit dinners, it’s family dinner. He can sit anywhere he wants.”

“Nina,” Daddy warns. “Drop it.”

I flick the card to the middle of the table. “I don’t think he meant literally,” Nick whispers, pulling my chair out. A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips from behind the glass.

“So, Nick, tell us about yourself,” Daddy says as Diana sets a plate in front of him. Herb-crusted lamb chops with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. For dessert, we’ll have New York Style Cheesecake with fruit, Daddy’s favorite.

“Well, there isn’t much to tell. I grew up in Bridgeport, my family owns a garage out there,” Nick says following my lead cutting into the lamb. I wonder if he’s ever had lamb before? I can only assume not as he takes a timid bite testing the waters.

“Do they do well?” Mother asks jumping right to the important stuff.

“It pays the bills. My brother and I used to help out when we were younger, but I can’t help as much as I would like to with work.”

“Where did you go to school?” Daddy cuts her off from asking more about finances.

“RU.”

“Oh?” Mother glares at me. “You know, Nina and Lee attended Rosecliffe. Is that where you two met?”

Nick doesn’t respond right away, he slowly cuts a piece from lamb chop and chews on the inside of his cheek. Did he already forget what we talked about on the plane? We didn’t meet at Rosecliffe. A brief tug at the corner of his lips catches my attention, but the others miss it. “Nope, we must have run in different circles,” he finally says and takes a bigger bite of the lamb.

Mother spent the rest of dinner gushing about her latest finds in an estate sale in Napa last week. She has recently gotten into antiquing, but it’s just a phase, something for her to spend money on. She goes to auctions and swoops things out from under people just because she can. Then turns around and sells them back to the same person for double the price. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes she keeps them and finds a place for them in one of the family homes. Only if she really likes the piece, though. It’s obvious Daddy is not a fan of her newest activity, but it keeps my mother busy and out of his hair, so he doesn’t complain too much.

§

The living room is a mixture of whites and grays. White walls match the rest of the house. Gold pillows stand out against the light gray fabric of the couch. A marble coffee table separates the couch from two rattan chairs, two white stools sit on either side and a white rug covers the wood floor. An artificial succulent and two black covered coffee table books rest atop the table. The rooms look as if they’ve been taken straight from a home and garden magazine — staged and unlivable.

Eileen and I sit on the couch discussing my latest trip to New York. She wants to know every detail, especially if I ran into a certain someone or someones. Daddy sips whiskey from one of the rattan chairs across from us vaguely interested in the conversation himself. But, he pretends to be scrolling through a news article on his phone. Nick is about to join him when Kai beckons from the balcony door.

“He’s cute, Nin,” Eileen grabs my attention. I hadn’t even noticed I was staring at him through the window. “Where have you been hiding him?”

“I just wanted to have him to myself for a bit.”

Kai looks over his shoulder and gives me a small smile through the window. I wonder what they’re talking about. I’m sure he’s apologizing for our mother probing into Nick’s family financials at dinner. That’s just who she is, always has been. They laugh at something Nick says — that’s a good sign. I can live with Mother not liking him as long as Daddy and Kai do. Their laughter is cut short when Mother rips open the balcony door. “Boys, I’m so glad you’re bonding, but you should wait for Lee. Don’t you think?”

“We’re good.” Kai rolls his eyes. No one misses the tight smile that pulls over Mother’s lips when Kai doesn’t comply. She hates it. Hates that he doesn’t jump to do what she wants anymore. Kai refuses to look at her, his eyes trained on the sunset. Nick looks between them, unsure what to do.

Finally, she says, “Well, won’t you come in? The rest of us would like to get to know Nick a little better, too.”

Kai downs the rest of his whiskey before he finally follows Mother’s orders. She smiles brightly before taking Nick’s arm leading him back inside.

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