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I find my father’s eyes on me then. From the looks of it, he’s the only one who was listening to Lord Carlisle’s story because no one else seems to have caught his mention of Harry being in Ghana a few months ago.
I look away from him quickly and survey the rest of the people at the table. Cara's parents are excusing themselves. Cara and Louis go with them. They have errands to run for the wedding. My mother was practically sitting in my father's lap and he’s whispering into her ear while she giggles. My sisters are both lost in conversation with their men and the children are running around the room playing hide and seek with each other.
My eyes land on Simon's brother Kyle, who was the other single person at the table and we rolled our eyes at each other. He grins at me.
"We'll have to keep each other company, I guess."
"Sounds like a plan."
"As long you're not going to force me to look at make up with you on that site that should be called Suffering instead of Sephora, like Addie does, we'll get along just fine."
I laugh out loud at that and my parents and my sisters all turned to look at me, their expression ranging from mild surprise to suspicion.
"What?"
"You never laugh that hard,” Addie pipes up.
"How would you know? I see you twice a year. And maybe you're just not as funny as Kyle." I shoot back.
She rolled her eyes and turned back to Simon. Milly was about to say something when Anthony screams that he has to go to the bathroom and is too scared to go alone.
"I'll be back," she says wearily as she gets up to take him.
My mother turned back to talk to my father, but his eyes linger on me. A deep sadness in them that was different from the warm happiness that had been there a few minutes ago. I hate that I put that look in his eyes.
"I'm fine." I mouthed to him and then he turns away too.
We had all just been clearing up when Jan comes in. “Hope lunch was to your liking.” She’s speaking to the whole room, but I can see a sly smile on her face as her eyes linger on my empty, crumb laden plate. Everyone responds affirmatively, raving about the meal.
Then she looks at me and says. "Come to the kitchen at five o'clock, an hour or so before you all leave for dinner tonight, I'll show you around and you can make me that mojito."
"You're making mojitos?" Addie asks with a cheerful smile on her face. "And you didn't invite me?"
"Or me?" Milly adds.
"I didn't invite anyone, you two. But you're invited now."
"You girls don't go getting drunk." My mother warns.
I share a smile with my sisters at our mother's words. She doesn't drink at all and has always thought that we drank more than we should. Even if it was just a glass of wine with dinner. I cross my eyes at them and they both burst out laughing. I've missed them.
"Laugh all you want. Just remember you've still got to join us for dinner and everyone will be there. Don't embarrass yourselves." My mother says primly.
"Mary, they're on vacation. Let them have a little fun. Maybe you should join them. A little rum never hurt anyone." My father said in his good-natured way.
"I don't need rum to have fun. And you've never complained about me being fun before, Omar."
"Oh, pet. I wasn't complaining. Come, let's go for a walk." And he presses a kiss to her cheek.
"Let's all go. I need some fresh air and l want to explore a little." This from Dean. Everyone seems to be in agreement. But all I can think is that if I go out there, I might run into Harry and I'd rather set my hair on fire than deal with that right now.
"I've got to get some emails out, so I'll just see you guys later. Let's meet in the foyer right before five?" I said to my sisters and then I hustled out of the room before anyone can object.
We're on our second round of mojitos and I'm beginning to question the wisdom in drinking so much. Addie and Jan are laughing at absolutely everything. Milly's not drinking. I am but clearly have a higher tolerance than those two because I feel a nice buzz, a slight loosening in my inhibitions but not the euphoria that seems to have overwhelmed Jan and Addie.
"This is delicious." Jan sings as she takes another long sip.
"Mmmm, I know. I love them. I haven't had one in a while. I needed something nice and stiff today." Addie says and then laughs like a loon.
