“Lucky me.” And I mean it. Only one night! Still, my smile feels like one on a ventriloquist’s dummy.As in, painted on.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t be here before.” My mother cants her head to one side in a look that’s maybe supposed to convey regret.
“When? Oh, you mean the wedding!”
Her head jerks up, not quite so dignified.
Yes, Mother dearest, I went there!“Don’t worry. It’s not like it’s a secret. Oliver knows I was about to marry another man. He did pick me up at the venue, after all.”
“Quite literally, as I recall.” Lifting his glass, he presses his smile to it. I love how he’s playing along. “It was quite the experience.”
“You were at the wedding?” Todd looks disturbed.
“When are you going to get around to asking what happened? Quick recap?” I offer, talking fast and with my hands. “My fiancé cheated. I left during the ceremony.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie,” my mother says. “It was very unkind of him, but I’m sure it happened for the best.”
Him screwing multiple women was formybest? That’s because she was under the impression (as was I) that Mitchell had no money.No name. No prestige to bring to her bridge game.
“How come you knew where to find me?” We haven’t spoken for, what? Four months? Since she’d decided to inform me she couldn’t make my wedding.
“Now, Evelyn, I know you were upset, but we had the Tregar benefit that weekend.”
“So you said.” Such a perfect excuse and bound not to cause offense—my own mother choosing to attend an annual fundraiser over her only daughter’s wedding.
“We RSVP’d last year, before you said you were getting married. I don’t know why you had to plan things so late.” She glances around as though expecting agreements.
“Mom, it’s fine.” The reality is, it’s good she was absent.
“I’m sorry for what happened, though I’m still not really sure what that was. Riley said—”
“You’ve spoken to Riley?”
“Chelsea did,” Mom says. “He told us where you were staying.”
Because he has the hotel address, since he’d asked me to arrange to have his belongings sent from France back to London.Not that they’ll do him any good now that he’s back in the States.He also knows about Oliver.The unicorn.The rest Chelsea and my mom would’ve ferreted out for themselves, hence this visit and apparent approval.
“Chelsea is my daughter,” Todd explains for Oliver’s benefit.
Todd is very proud of his daughter, to the extent that he funds her life choices. Orlack of action, as I prefer to call it. It’s not that she doesn’t work, because she helps out from time to time at an art gallery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Muffy has convinced her it’s the best use of her time while waiting for her Prince Charming to arrive, because it’s not like she can spend her whole day drinking cocktails at Soho House.
“It’s good that Chelsea caught up with Riley.” At least, I hope it was good for him, because that had to be a booty call. At leastthey didn’t see the Pulse Tok. I’d know if they had. I would’ve heard my mother’s screams.
“Poor Riley. It was good of Chelsea to visit him, wasn’t it?” Mom says.
Good for himandhis penis.
“How is Parker?” I ask, then turn to Oliver. “Parker is Todd’s son. He’s studying to be a doctor.”
“Very admirable,” Oliver remarks pleasantly.
“A plastic surgeon.” Todd nods, proud. “Great money in that game.”
I note the tiny twitch of my mother’s right eye. Good breeding prevents the talk of wealth, but she understands there are some things she can’t control.Forgive him, Lord, for his new money ways.
“A family with two medical professionals,” Oliver says.
Todd snorts, but my mother cuts in. “What is it you do, Oliver? If you don’t mind me asking?” If I didn’t know her, I’d say she was just being polite. But I do know her. She probably knows where he buys his underwear, along with his net worth.
