Текст книги "Heart Block"

Автор книги: Melissa Brayden

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

They sat at a table along the sidewalk so Carmen could keep an eye on her boys, who were busy wreaking havoc on the small playground across the street from the café.

Carmen set down her glass. “So you’re serious about this.”

“I’m serious.”

“I just never would have—you know what? You have a lot of explaining to do,” Carmen chastised her, changing directions. “Who is this woman? Are you a lesbian now? Why didn’t I know about any of this? That’s really my first question, why didn’t I know about any of this? I’m your best friend.” Through the anger, Sarah spotted that earnest quality in Carmen’s eyes that signaled she was hurt she’d been left out. Sarah tried to explain as best she could.

“Part of me didn’t fully realize I was feeling what I was feeling until it was well underway, and I just needed time on my own to process. I guess there was another part of me that worried about what you, what everyone, would think. This probably seems like it’s out of left field.”

“It’s definitely a lot to take in. I’ve known you since the fourth grade, and you’ve never even hinted at anything like this. We’ve scoped guys together for as long as I can remember. Granted, I did a little more of the scoping, but you were right there with me. A sidekick scoper.”

“That’s true. I scoped.”

“So, yeah, I’m a little shocked here.” She paused. “That being said, I might find a way to forgive you, but only after you tell me every last juicy detail, and leave nothing out.” Carmen leaned back in her chair and grinned expectantly.

Sarah lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I’m not exactly sure. It was out of the blue. But now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t. It started with the house. There was coloring at the kitchen table. Then the crying on the patio outside, hers not mine, and then long talks. Mad kissing in the entryway, like socks-knocking caliber, an actual date with way too expensive wine, and then lots more kissing, groping, and pretty much all-around torture on the couch a few days ago. Now I don’t know which end is up.”

Carmen squinted. “Only because I’ve known you forever, am I able to translate half of what you just said. This is all so—wow. But it’s good? It sounds good.”

“It feels good. But the logistics are pretty dicey.”

“Okay. Well, start with the good.”

Sarah smiled. “It’s all so different than with anyone else I’ve ever dated. It’s like I crave being in her presence, and not just physically. She was my friend at first, and I deeply value that side of us too. She’s smart and funny and—”

“Rich,” Carmen supplied, grinning.

“She is that, but to be honest, that’s been more of a hindrance than anything else. There’s somewhat of a culture gap because of it.”

“But you are attracted to her physically?”

Sarah exhaled deeply and thought about Emory. Even now, with Carmen, that sneaky wave of lust overcame her. “Yeah, I really, really am.”

“But there’s been no sex.”

“Sex has not happened.”

“Do you want the sex?”

Sarah regarded Carmen seriously and took a moment to ask herself the question. Easily finding the answer, she nodded slowly.

“Wow.”

“I know. As far as sex goes, I think I’m finally starting to understand what all of the fuss is about. Listening to you go on about Roman for years and the guys you dated before him, I thought you were just an overly enthusiastic person, when actually I was the one who was out of touch. I feel this, I don’t know, jolt of heat every time I’m around her. Or even when I just think about her.”

“So what’s the problem, Juliet? There are issues?”

“Well, yeah. Am I ready to change my life this way? It’s a big lifestyle shift and not everyone is going to approve. I wish that kind of thing didn’t matter to me, but it does. It always has.”

Carmen regarded her seriously. “I remember.”

“And if it came down to it, I would need to know that she was all in first. And right now, I’m not getting that from her. Family, based on the way she was brought up, almost has a negative connotation, and so she’s leery of me, Grace, and the concept of happily ever after. She doesn’t trust it.”

“So you’re in this, but it feels like you may be in this alone?”

Sarah bit her bottom lip as she thought on this. “Yeah, I guess that’s it.”

Carmen reached across the table and squeezed Sarah’s hand. “Are you sure you haven’t bitten off more than you can chew?”

“I’m not sure, no. But what I do know is that when I’m around her, I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Carmen’s face lit up listening to Sarah talk. “Aww. It’s so cute when you talk like that. Seriously, you’re all glowy. I like seeing you happy. It looks good on you.”

Tears touched the corners of Sarah’s eyes against her wishes. “Thank you. I don’t know if there’s a future here yet, but for now, it feels right. Is that crazy? Am I crazy? I feel a little crazy.”

“To want to be happy? No, Sarah, that’s not at all crazy.” And then schizophrenically switching gears the way only mothers of young children can, she yelled, “Nicholas, freeze! Put that rock down right now, mister.”

Sarah laughed and took a fortifying swig of her beer, waiting out the tongue-lashing. Once Carmen came back to her, she brought up obstacle number two hundred and twelve. “So there’s more. I received a delivery of roses from James today.”

“Oh shit, I forgot about James, and the fact that Roman introduced him to your father when he stopped by the job site earlier this week. I meant to tell you. I’ll do it now. Your father met James.”

“Oh God.”

“I know. And your mother’s already drafting a guest list for the wedding. I don’t think they’re going to take this well.”

“Probably not. Let’s not tell them. Ever.”

“Just a shot in the dark. Why not bring Emory to your brother’s birthday party next weekend? Let them get to know her first. That way, if they already like her when and if you decide to spring the relationship on them, well, that’s half the battle.” Carmen narrowed her eyes. “She is likable, isn’t she?”

Sarah smiled. “Yes, she’s very likable.” And she was. Usually. “That might not be a bad plan. You’re a smart one.”

“The smartest.” Carmen grinned. “And the cutest. You consistently forget the cutest.”

*

James stood as she approached the bar and smiled in that charming way he often smiled. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d put it off long enough.

Deep breath.

“Hey there, beautiful.” He kissed her cheek and pulled out the bar stool across from his. “I ordered myself a drink, but wasn’t sure what you’d like.”

“Um, a Crown and Coke,” she said to the bartender. Stronger stuff than her normal fare, but she’d need it. She turned her attention to James. “Thanks for meeting me. You’ve been so sweet about giving me time to catch my breath.”

He took her hand and held it in his lap. “I’m just glad we’re back on track. Speaking of which, how do you feel about the Eagles?”

Slight diversion. “They’re my favorite band.”

He smiled and pulled the back of her hand up for a kiss that made her discomfort level spike. “Thank God the rumors were true. They’re in town on the fifth of next month. I got us tickets.”

Her drink arrived and she took the opportunity to not only free her hand but to take a large, fortifying swallow. And then another. “About that. I asked you here because I wanted to talk. Some things have…shifted in my life and, God this is hard to say. I’ve met someone else. And this person has started to mean a lot to me.”

James sat back and studied her. The silence seemed to go on forever. “When did this happen?”

“I guess rather unexpectedly over the past few weeks. And as much as I enjoy your company, James, in light of the circumstances, I don’t think I can continue seeing you. At least not in a romantic sense.”

He stared into his drink. “Well, I certainly didn’t see this coming. Is it serious? With the other guy?”

She considered the question, choosing to ignore the pronoun. “It has the potential to be, I think.”

A pause. He raised his eyes to hers and offered a halfhearted smile. “Definitely not what I wanted to hear. But I care about you, Sarah, and want the best for you. Given, I still think that’s me, but if it’s meant to be between us, it will happen someday. Right?”

She decided not to argue, and to just roll with it. No need to drag out the conversation. “Thank you for understanding and if at all possible, maybe we could be friends.” It was generic and lame but all she had.

He nodded, his energy noticeably lower. “Of course. Women like you aren’t easy to come by. I don’t plan on letting you get away entirely.”

She smiled at the compliment, but still felt a little uneasy. “I should go.” She took out a ten from her wallet and slid it toward the bartender. “Take care, James.”

He nodded. “You too.”

*

It was windy on the beach as the sun made its final descent in the sky and Emory enjoyed the view as she slowed her speed to a moderate walk. The run on the beach had been just what she needed, and she was glad she’d picked up what had at one time been her daily routine. It felt good, she thought, stretching her calves.

As she approached her back door, she saw a familiar face waiting for her, and much to her chagrin, she actually smiled at his unannounced visit.

“Hello, Walter.” She stroked him behind his ears. “And how was your day today?” He whined softly and leaned into her hand for more. She knelt and scratched gently under his chin, earning herself a few swipes of his tongue across her face. “All right, all right, that’s enough of that. Yuck.” She stood and wiped away the dog slobber. “It was nice to see you, Walter. Thanks for stopping by.” Emory gave his head a final pat and went inside to set about the task of cooking herself a small dinner.

Deciding on a chef salad, she went to work pulling the ingredients from her fridge. She decided to whip up the dressing herself, as the store-bought stuff never seemed to sparkle. She threw some red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, and rosemary into a small bowl, and set about whisking like there was no tomorrow. She stopped a short time later to sample her work. Nice flavor balance. She offered herself a mental high five and accepted it.

While she ate, she turned on some soft jazz and enjoyed the pairing of her salad with a little Charlie Parker. It was the second chorus before, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed none other than Walter himself, still on her deck. He sat at perfect attention and stared at her through the glass, his eyes warm and expressive as if to say, “I’m a very good dog. Give me some salad.”

But she was more annoyed by his adorable display than anything else and turned away, taking her dinner to the living room where she could veg out in peace. The DVD case to Up was still tucked into the arm of her sectional. She studied it while she ate, letting it mentally take her back to the recent evening she’d spent with Sarah and Grace.

She’d talked to Sarah a couple of times on the phone since then. There had been some mild flirtation, which gave her day an extra added charge, but their schedules, coupled with Grace’s, had kept them from actually laying eyes on each other. This was a problem she hoped to remedy soon. She had dinner plans with Vanessa on Saturday after they closed on the house, but she was hopeful she could persuade Sarah to see her Friday. Pulling her cell from her pocket, she decided to try her luck. And after three rings, there she was.

“Hey, you,” Sarah said.

“Knock, knock.”

Amused chuckling. “All right. Who’s there?”

“Wanda”

“Wanda who?”

“Wanda go on a date with me tomorrow night?”

Sarah laughed at her lame attempt at humor. “That was really, really bad. You have to know that was bad.”

“I do, which makes it awesome.”

“I don’t think it gets any worse than that.”

“Oh, it can.”

Emory heard her laugh again and pause. “And as absolutely horrible as that joke was, I would like nothing better than to say yes.”

“Then say yes,” Emory said, still playful.

“I would but, um, how should I say this? I already have a date.”

Emory took a moment, her heart sinking as the fun fell from her voice. “The architect?”

“Not actively seeing the architect anymore, no. I closed that loop. He accepted my offer of friendship. Kind of.”

Emory was confused and still a little deflated. “Okay, then who are you going out with?”

“She’s eight years old and a tad on the feisty side. I promised I would take her to the movies tomorrow night. However, I think she would love it if you came with us.”

“The movies?” Her spirits were lifting. “That could be fun. There’s an art house I like to check out sometimes. I could see if they have anything kid friendly. Sometimes they have subtitles, but—”

“Gonna have to nix the art house this time, Ivy League. We want to see the new Twilight flick.”

She paused for the punch line. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I am most definitely not kidding. Meet us at our place at six thirty?”

“Okay, but I want you to know how much this could damage my reputation if word gets out.”

“Blackmail material makes this all the more alluring.”

Emory sighed softly. “Okay, well I’m all for alluring. See you at six thirty.”

“I can’t wait. Bye, Wanda.”

Emory grinned to herself as she carried her plate to the kitchen wondering what rabbit hole she’d fallen down. Twilight, seriously? Though she had to admit there was something appealing about the sheer whimsy of it.

As she walked past the back door, she was forced into an honest to goodness double take at the newest demonstration just outside. With all four paws standing straight up in the air, she would have thought someone had shot Walter dead if it weren’t for those ridiculously earnest eyes blinking back at her from his upside-down position. She tilted her head to the side and held eye contact with him. His eyes seemed so soft, yet so hopeful. She felt her resolve crumbling. “All right! I’m not made of stone. You win.”

As she opened the back door, Walter leapt to attention and trotted eagerly into the house. He stopped at her feet and gently pressed his wet nose into her hand, offering a lick. She rolled her eyes and relented, scratching obediently behind his ears. “This doesn’t mean anything. You can hang out for a little while, but if you get the furniture dirty, I swear, there’s going to be trouble.” Her answer was a powerful thwacking of his tail against the back of her legs.

She spent the rest of the night reviewing sales reports for work, her eyes growing hazy from strain, her neck muscles aching from use, and Walter curled warmly into her side, fast asleep.

Chapter Ten

On Friday night, Sarah entered her kitchen, shrugged into a long cardigan sweater, and found Emory standing in front of her refrigerator, studying the myriad of random snapshots. “Grace should be ready in just a minute. Are you all set?”

Emory looked back at her and nodded happily. “Is this your friend Carmen?”

Sarah leaned in over Emory’s shoulder and followed her gaze to the photo in question. “Yep. That was taken right after high school graduation. Please ignore my hair. I hadn’t discovered the magical world of hair care products yet.”

Emory shook her head in amusement and pointed at a photo near the center of the group held to the fridge by an Immaculate Home magnet. “How old is Grace in this one?”

Sarah frowned in concentration. “She would be four years old there. You can’t tell, but she burst into tears moments after that photo was taken. Santa kind of freaked her out until she was about six.”

“Her and me both.” Emory chuckled, turned around, and took Sarah’s hand. “I like that you have all of these photos up here. It just feels so, I don’t know, homey.”

“Is that a secret word for lame?”

“Nope. I like your place. It feels happy and vibrant, like you.” While that was true, Emory was also aware of just how strange it felt to her. She tried to imagine herself living in such a bright little busy world, but she was stalling out. She wouldn’t know how to go about creating “homey” if she tried. It was a problem.

“It’s excruciatingly small next to yours.”

Emory had to agree. The place was tiny. She was guessing less than nine hundred square feet, but Sarah had definitely made use of the space. There were potholders dangling from the oven, magnets of the alphabet on the dishwasher, and framed photos of family and friends all over the place. Organized chaos was a good word for it. “No, it seems perfect for you two.”

Sarah beamed back at her. Her smile could end wars. Unable to help herself, Emory leaned in for a soft kiss, lingering a bit longer than she meant to and sighing internally at the tingling sensation Sarah always seemed to leave her with.

“You know, I’ve missed you,” Sarah told her quietly. She brushed Emory’s cheek ever so softly with the back of her fingertips. “Is it mandatory that we wait a week to see each other? I know you’re busy but—”

Emory placed a gentle thumb to Sarah’s bottom lip, quieting her. “I can find more time. I’ll buy it if I have to.” For some reason, when she was with Sarah, the rest of the world seemed less important. It was an illusion, she reminded herself, but lately that was getting harder to remember.

Sarah kissed her thumb. “Good. Now that that’s solved, we have some vampires to watch. Let me rustle up my kid.”

Once at the theater, Grace bounded to the concession stand. Emory followed casually behind her as Sarah paid for their tickets, a condition she insisted upon. After settling on popcorn and Junior Mints, they found their seats in the theater, Sarah sitting in the middle.

“I guess I should update you on what’s happened so far in the series,” Sarah said.

Emory stared back at her blandly. “If you feel it’s important.”

“It is,” Grace chimed in. She leaned across Sarah in all seriousness. “Very.”

“Got it. Inform away.”

As Sarah recounted the trials and tribulations of Edward and Bella in precise detail, Grace waved to a boy a few seats in front of them, who waved enthusiastically back and continued to steal glances at Grace throughout the next few minutes. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” Emory said. “But I think the child has an admirer.”

Grace blushed and shook her head emphatically. “That’s just George. He’s my friend. Can I go talk to him, Mom?”

“Sure,” Sarah answered, seemingly amused at Grace’s sudden shade of red. “Be polite to his parents.”

Emory watched Grace scamper down to the front of the theater. As soon as Grace was out of earshot, she turned to Sarah. “How’s she been?”

“She’s had a great week, actually. Hasn’t mentioned camp once, and invited Mindy over to play, which from what I hear, I have you to thank for. I’m glad she felt she could talk to you.”

“I hope it was all right. I think she just wanted an outside opinion.”

“You are the cooler one, after all.”

“Well, obviously,” Emory replied. “What about the cardiologist? Tell me again what he said.”

“He doesn’t love that she had a second episode, but thinks it’s nothing to get too alarmed about, as fainting can be a symptom of this particular condition. But he did recommend we consider a pacemaker so Grace can live a more active lifestyle without worry of similar spells in the future. He wants to implant it over her Christmas break so she has time off from school to recover.”

“That sounds a little scary. Are you going to do it?”

“I think so. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t terrify me to have her operated on, but maybe it’s for the best when you think about it in the scheme of her entire life. I’ve talked to Grace and she’s all for it, but then she’s always been a little too fearless.”

“It sounds like you’re doing the right thing.”

Sarah elbowed Emory softly as the lights in the theater dimmed. “Shhh, vampires are about to make out.” Sarah snuggled down into her seat and smiled up at Emory. “Hand me the popcorn.”

Grace returned and the screen lit up with action, adventure, and romance. Emory, as hard as she fought, found herself actually sucked into the vampire storyline. About halfway through the movie, Sarah climbed over Emory for a quick trip to the restroom. It was less than a minute before Grace leaned across the empty seat between them.

“Can you keep a secret?” she whispered.

“Usually,” Emory whispered back, curious.

“It’s important.”

“Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Grace leaned in a little closer. “I think my mom likes you.”

“I like her too. I like both of you.”

“No. I mean, I think she has a crush on you.”

It was all Emory could do to not choke on her mouthful of Diet Coke. She was fairly certain this was not information Sarah would have shared with Grace. “What makes you say that?”

“She smiles a lot more when you’re around or when she talks to you on the phone, and it’s not like with her other friends. I’m telling you, it might be a crush.”

“All right, I’ll keep that in mind.” She leaned back into her own seat, still trying to process Grace’s very surprising revelation.

And then in a much louder whisper, audible to almost the entire theater, Grace asked her final question. “You are a lesbian, right?”

Emory didn’t have a chance to answer and pretended not to notice the several curious heads that turned her way because luckily, Sarah chose that exact moment to return to her seat, planting herself between them. “What did I miss?” she asked excitedly, looking from one of them to the other.

Emory offered her a wry smile.

*

“Are you sure she actually used the word lesbian?” Sarah eyed her skeptically two and a half hours later. They sat on the stairs in front of the door to Sarah’s apartment so Grace, now asleep for the night, would not overhear.

“I’m fairly certain, yeah.”

“Wow. Just when I think she can’t surprise me any further.”

“She’s a very intuitive little person.”

“Apparently, more than even I realized.”

Emory stood. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. She didn’t seem distressed at all. Strangely, quite the opposite. I have a feeling she’ll come around and talk to you about it sooner rather than later.”

“If she waits too long, I think I’ll have to broach the subject with her first. I want to make sure she’s not full of some wild notion she saw on television.” Standing up and joining Emory, she shook her head. “I could just kill my father, by the way. I’m pretty sure this is straight from their afternoons of CNN.”

“Don’t be too hard on him. At least he’s spending time with her. I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch television with my parents growing up, not to mention my grandparents.”

Sarah nodded and seemed to study Emory for a moment longer than usual.

“What?”

Sarah shook her head. “You’re so beautiful. Sometimes it just hits me.”

Emory didn’t know what to say. There were times when Sarah rendered her speechless, and this was one of them. All she knew to do was kiss her, Sarah, who could make her feel so many things. And she did just that, leaning in, and then sinking into that wonderful flood of pleasure that kissing Sarah always led her to. But what was meant to be just one kiss turned into much more as the always-present spark between them took hold and caught fire.

Sarah kissed Emory back eagerly until she found herself pressed up against the brick wall of the stoop. Emory was kissing her now with what could only be called skilled precision and she was getting lost in it all. She must have a master’s degree in kissing. Sarah felt a weakness creep into her body that could only be cured by pulling Emory closer to her, up against her, so she could feel her all over. She allowed her hands to drift lower from around Emory’s neck where they rested, until she caressed the small curve of her hips and even lower until she was cupping Emory’s ass tightly, all the while their mouths continued to dance.

Sighing deeply, and warring with her body’s natural instinct, Sarah reluctantly slowed the pace of the kiss and pulled her mouth begrudgingly from Emory’s. She took a moment to catch her breath and right herself.

When she raised her gaze, there was a new look in Emory’s eyes. There had been so many times Sarah had asked herself how Emory was feeling, but in this moment, she knew. She could see the sincere emotion clear as day. Sarah lifted her palm to Emory’s cheek and caressed it softly.

“I might be in trouble here,” Emory finally whispered. “Doesn’t feel casual.”

Sarah shook her head slowly in agreement. “Maybe trouble’s okay.”

“I didn’t plan on this.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“It’s like no matter how many barriers I put up, you’re able to decimate each and every one.” Emory moved away, and when she did, her eyes flashed a vulnerability Sarah had never seen in her before. It was clear she was uncomfortable and it pulled at Sarah.

“Don’t run from me, Emory.”

“I’ll probably screw up.”

“It’s possible.”

“But I want to try.”

Sarah leaned in and kissed her softly. “Then we will.”

Emory took a deep breath and smiled. She took Sarah’s hand as they walked the short distance to her car. “Let me know how it goes with Grace.”

“Okay.” And then a terrifying thought occurred to Sarah. “What if she says something to my parents?”

“I get the impression she’s protecting you a bit, so I don’t think she would do that. But would it be so terrible if she did?” Emory seemed to be testing the waters a bit. “I’m going to take the freaked out expression on your face as a yes.”

She should probably explain. “Don’t be upset. I think it might be best for them to get to know you a little first before I say anything…about this.” Emory didn’t respond. Her face was carefully blank. “You know, so they have a real life reference and not just a perceived idea to draw conclusions about. Make sense?”

“I guess so.”

“I was actually hoping you’d come to my older brother’s birthday party next Sunday. You can meet everyone together, all in one fell swoop.”

Emory seemed to brighten at the mention. “Done. I would love to meet your family. I’m actually kind of excited about the idea.” She then leaned in for one final toe-curling kiss that left Sarah thinking about so much more. They were one spark away from a fire that wouldn’t be so easy to put out, and it was beginning to feel like the worst kind of torture.

“We need to schedule a more adult themed date. Soon. No eight-year-olds allowed. Did I mention the word soon? Because I meant to.”

“I think I could be agreeable to soon.” Emory raised an eyebrow. “How soon are we talking exactly?”

“Are you free tomorrow?” Sarah feathered her fingers through Emory’s hair.

“Damn it, I’m not. My sister’s coming into town, and I’ve agreed to have dinner with her and her family.”

“Vanessa? That’s great news.” Sarah practically bounced with excitement. “I’m happy you’ll get to spend time with her. I can’t imagine my brothers not living close by.”

Emory seemed to mull this over. “I wouldn’t go with wonderful. As I’ve mentioned before, Vanessa and I are very different people, and tomorrow is going to be, what’s the word I’m looking for? Hell. Tomorrow is going to be hell.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? I bet you wind up having a great time.”

*

Twenty-two hours later and Emory was not having a great time. She and Vanessa had signed the papers for the sale of the house earlier that day at the realtor’s office and decided to meet that evening for dinner.

Traditionally, the day had been a hotbed of passive aggressive comments and thinly veiled judgments from Vanessa, mostly aimed at her. Deciding to be the bigger person, she’d let them all go.

Emory had opted to cook dinner for her sister’s family at the beach house, thinking the in-home environment might relax everyone a bit more than the ambiance of an expensive restaurant would. Plus, Vanessa hadn’t ever actually been inside her house, as they’d always spent family dinners together at her mother’s house. She’d been kind of excited, much to her own chagrin, to show off the place to her older sister, hoping with some strange backward childhood derived reason that she would like it. No such luck.

Vanessa and her minions arrived half an hour late. She breezed in wearing a striking red dress with a wide belt and gorgeous Jimmy Choo pumps. Her twelve-year-old twin nieces, Calie and Chloe, were dressed like miniature trashy pop singers in short-shorts, fishnets, and matching low-cut blouses. She didn’t let herself dwell too much on the style of parenting that had allowed for such ensembles. Lastly, her brother-in-law, Lawrence, strode in behind them looking utterly bored with the world and his place in it. Kill me now, she thought to herself.

Vanessa floated casually into the living room and gazed around. “So, little sister, this is where you live. My, my, looks pricey.” Was that a backhanded compliment? Emory was pretty sure it was.

“Vanessa, Lawrence, can I offer you a glass of Chardonnay?” She was going to remain super cheerful if it fucking killed her. “Girls, I have several options for you in the fridge if you want to take a look.”

Her nieces scurried from the room in search of a fruity drink, as Vanessa seemed to consider her options. “If the Chardonnay is unoaked and at least five years old, I’ll take it. If not, some mineral water will suffice.”

“Chardonnay coming right up,” she sang through gritted teeth.

“Make sure it’s from California,” Vanessa called after her.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Luckily, the bottle she’d chilled seemed to fit the very specific bill her sister had laid out for her. She retrieved it from the chiller and set to pouring three glasses.

“What’s that smell?” Lawrence asked, seeming to wake up from his trance and join the land of the living.

“Um, dinner, I guess.”

“How nice.” He seemed unconvinced.

“Not to worry, everyone. I made sure it’s vegan. I looked up a few recipes I thought you might like, and I think it all came out nicely.” She didn’t mention that she’d spent the entire afternoon slaving in the kitchen to make sure every detail of the meal would be to complete and utter perfection. “So tonight we’ll be dining on spinach and tofu cannelloni, apple coleslaw, and some tropical sweet potatoes. We’ll finish with vegan chocolate cake for dessert.” That one had really killed her.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Vanessa said. “We’re not vegan anymore. It just got to be too hard, and the food never tasted good. But I’m sure your meal will be sublime. Won’t it, girls?”