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I sat on my kitchen floor eating ice cream straight out of the carton. I knew I was crying, but I didn’t bother to wipe away my tears. I just ate. Sometimes it was okay to cry…
“Can you go somewhere else? I’m having guests over,” my aunt said, frowning in disgust. For a split second I moved to get up and then I stopped.
“No.”
“What?”
“I’m sitting here until I feel like moving. It’s my house, my kitchen, and my ice cream. So take your guests somewhere else…”
“Coraline!” she yelled at me just like when I was a kid.
Ignoring her, I just kept eating.
What I else could I do?
DAY 5
I rushed into Absolon, already five minutes late for my business dinner with Mr. Stevens, and our client, Mrs. Graham. However, when I got to the table, Mr. Stevens was sitting alone.
“You made it.” He stood.
“Yeah, but aren’t I late? Where’s Mrs. Graham?” I sat down.
“She called to say that she was also running late. Did you read up on her file? She can be quite difficult,” he stated.
I nodded as I took a sip of my water. “Yes I did. Don’t worry, I’ll follow your lead…”
The last time you followed a man’s lead, you got hurt.
Shaking my head, I took a deep breath as I gripped my phone under the desk. He hadn’t sent me an email me today and it bothered me. The more I read his last letter, the more it felt like he was gone. Like he’d let go of me, and it hurt. I didn’t understand what I was feeling anymore.
“Before she gets here I wanted to talk to you about something,” Mr. Stevens said, pulling me from my thoughts.
Nodding, I gave him my attention. “Please, go on.”
“It’s about the job you gave your uncle.” He frowned.
Oh no.
“Has he done something?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I checked on him and he’s doing fine. But you should be careful. Your father always said that he could never trust his brother. That his greed often gets the best of him. And he’s made it clear that he wants the bank. If you aren’t careful he could steal it away from under you.”
Part of me wanted to say he could take it.
“Thank you…I…” I paused as I saw him and his family enter in the restaurant. The hostess led them over to a private table next to the shark tank. I instinctively put my hand up to block my face.
“Coraline?”
“Huh?” I asked as I looked back to Mr. Stevens.
“Are you alright?”
“Tyrone!” Mrs. Graham loudly exclaimed as she came up to us. She was dressed in a full-length fur coat…even though it was summer, and her white hair was immaculately styled and held in place by what I could only assume were a thousand hairpins.
Stevens stood up cheerfully and welcomed her. I glanced to their table hoping that he hadn’t noticed us, but he had. His green eyes pierced though me for the longest second of my life before he looked away.
“Mrs. Graham, this is Ms. Coraline Wilson.”
“Oh my! You are beautiful!” She kissed both of my cheeks.
I smiled. “Thank you so much, you look amazing. Please have a seat.”
“Oh, you would never believe the traffic, my driver had to take all the back streets just to get us here.” She waved her hands in the air.
“I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am. Would you like to order now?”
“So polite.” She laughed.
Well, she could be my grandmother.
“Of course. How else are we supposed to earn your trust?” Stevens laughed, but it was fake and hard to listen to.
They started talking, but once again my eyes drifted to Declan. I noticed how close they were all siting together. Evelyn, smacked one of the boys’ hands when he reached for the last piece of bread before taking it for herself. They all laughed…well, all of them but Declan, though he did manage a smile. Another member of their family…Liam, I believe his name was, wrapped his arm around his neck and said something that made the rest of them laugh. Declan just nodded and his eyes drifted back to mine. I reluctantly turned back to Mrs. Graham who was still talking about the traffic.
I couldn’t help but wonder how it felt to sit over at that table with them. To laugh, with them like one family. They seemed so happy and warm…was it all an act? If it was, they all deserved awards.
When I stepped out of the bathroom stall, there was Evelyn Callahan washing her hands, in her soft, pink lace cocktail dress. She looked in the mirror and smiled.
“Coraline! I had no idea you were here.” She turned to me as I moved to wash my hands.
“Hello, Mrs. Callahan.” I whispered without looking at her.
“Why are you so stiff? Is everything alright?” she asked so kindly that I had to face her. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes brimmed over with genuine concern as she looked at me.
She had to have known. Surely Declan had told them by now.
“I know,” I whispered. “I know who you all really are.”
She frowned. “Coraline, that is no reason to go around looking like the sky has fallen.”
She couldn’t be serious.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. I said I know that—”
“We’re the mafia,” she whispered conspiratorially as leaned into me and a small smile crept over her face. “So? Is that why you’re not at my son’s side?”
“How can you be—?”
“So what?” she questioned as she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. She opened her clutch and pulled out a small bottle of lotion. She placed a few dots on her hands before she held the bottle out to me.
I stared at her, too shocked and confused to speak.
She lifted my hands up and placed a squirt of the lotion into them before she put it away. “I swear these bathroom soaps make your hands feel like sandpaper.”
“I’m confused,” I finally managed to say as I rubbed my hands together. “Why are you like this? How can you be so calm? It’s not like he told me that you guys skip taxes, he told me what you really do.”
“Never skip taxes, sweetie. Uncle Sam forgives no one and has a long memory. You know that’s how they got Al Capone, right?”
I felt like someone there should be a sign somewhere saying, “Welcome to The Twilight Zone.”
“To answer your question.” She sighed as she faced me again. “It’s not a big deal because it isn’t a big deal.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of people who would disagree.”
She shrugged. “You and I aren’t plenty of people. If you didn’t know, would you still with be with him?”
I said nothing.
“Of course you would be. You were happy. You, even if you don’t want to admit it, already started to picture your life with him. So what? He’s not hundred percent good. He’s still better than anyone else you will ever find. The men of this family are loyal to the very end. They don’t just love their women, they worship them. Anything you could ever want in life, he will not stop until he gives it you. You have no idea how many mothers have come to me asking me to present their daughters to him…how many of them have begged to be in this family. You are always loved. You always have a family. So what if he isn’t perfect?”
