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There was no way in hell I’d go through the unique experience of economy again.
“Well, yes, but who’s going to stay with her until she gets discharged?” Celeste Ayi stopped in front of the window, still hunting for designer steals. “Me. And I have a busy Christmas season. I was invited to lots of events.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“Fine, I wasn’t. But I was invited as people’s plus one.”
I set my phone on the stand next to the hospital bed, tapping it with my finger. To say I did not care about my aunt’s social commitments was putting it mildly.
The more I thought about it, the harder I foundit to regret confronting Mom about marriage. Sure, I didn’t want her here. And sure, it was easy to think that when I knew her life was not in actual danger.
But I’d finally ended the cycle.
We could move on from here. Maybe even return to our old relationship.
Before Dad died.
Celeste Ayi stopped pacing and turned to me. “Zachary?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I should go bring myself a bag? I’ll be staying here for a long time, after all.”
“That’s a good idea. I expect to leave here in the next five hours.”
I needed to, in fact, if I wanted to catch Farrow.
“Do you want anything from the hotel?” Celeste slid her phone into her Birkin. “Snacks? Toiletries? Manners?”
“I’m good on all fronts.” I waved her off, staring at my screen, waiting for a call back from the private charter company. “Other than manners. But frankly, I simply cannot bring myself to care.”
Celeste Ayi twisted one corner of her mouth, stopping at the door before she walked off.
She gave me a long, hard stare. “You’ve changed.”
“How so?”
“You became…” She contemplated the right word. “Human.”
“Okay.”
She shrugged. “I don’t hate it, you know.”
“I don’t care.”
T-MINUS 2 DAYS.
Two hours.
My flight would take off in two hours. Straight to Italy, where Eileen resided in a luxurious estate owned by Celeste Ayi’s second ex-husband.
I intended to break off the engagement with her, taking no more than seven minutes, then hopping on the jet back to Potomac with a little under twenty-four hours left to spare.
I stared at the still vision of Mom, her eyes closed, her skin pale and lusterless. She looked like she’d aged a couple centuries.
And yet, she also seemed at peace.
Finally relaxed, unburdened by the weight of our loss.
