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“You didn’t tell me Gale was coming,” Collin said to his mother.
“Didn’t I? It’s all right, isn’t it? Gale mentioned to her mother that she was such a treat so I thought it might be nice for your new girl to have a familiar face on such a momentous occasion. Meeting the parents can be stressful,” she said only to Collin, as if I weren’t there.
“It’s fine,” Collin said, but his tone suggested otherwise. He winked at me. It seemed like Collin also wanted this moment of ours to be private. I smiled at him and looked forward to our eventual gossip sesh on the drive home, provided he was game to talk shit about his family, which most normal people are after a get-together.
“Hi. Sorry we’re late,” another sultry voice announced in theentryway. Must have been genetic. Chloe Case entered the room with Gale Wallace-Leicester in tow, looking like total opposites. Chloe was the spitting image of her mother, all prim and puckered, though she had the same chestnut hair as Collin, expertly balayaged for dimension. She possessed a definitive youthful glow suggesting a lifetime of shunning the sun, and donned all-black attire, tailored to perfection. I knew she was in her mid-thirties but her buoyant skin didn’t let on. Severe and chic, she would be one to impress and it wouldn’t come easy. She also worked at the Case Company, in public relations, but like her father, was also rarely in the office, so we hadn’t met yet either.
Gale lumbered in after her, draped in a shapeless shift the color of old concrete, and began the requisite greetings around the room. I was last in her receiving line.
“Surprised?” She smiled.
“And delighted,” I replied. I went in to give her a hug and she stumbled slightly, taken aback. We both laughed, knowing that the energy had shifted with her presence. I was coming alive. What little traps would Gale try to set for me in this house of horrors? I’d have to sniff them out at every turn, refusing the lure of any bait. She’d expect nothing less. Nor would I.
“Shall we go to the dining room?” Haven suggested, leading the way, and we all followed, Calliope practically skipping along in her ridiculous skirt. Collin grabbed for my hand as we joined in the perverse parade. Perfect. Everyone needed to know that he was crazy about me. Brazen in-house hand-holding would surely send a message to that crowd, people who merely grazed one another with their lips and fingertips to show any semblance of familial tenderness.
The dining room was as grandiose as expected, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering striking views of the grounds and the pool.Taper candles had been lit by unseen staff, and a harpist resembling a young Stevie Nicks strummed contemporary tunes in the corner, dressed all in white like an angel.
“She’s like part of the family,” Haven whispered, awaiting my reaction to this over-the-top display. I knew it was all meant to make a point about how I was different from them, but I wouldn’t give Haven the satisfaction of appearing dazzled. I belonged there because Collin belonged there and we belonged together. We all sat down around the table, and Collin put his warm hand behind my neck, giving me a few gentle squeezes. I rubbed his knee in return and kissed him softly on the mouth.
I could make points, too.
“You have a lovely home, Mrs.Case. Thank you both for inviting me,” I said.
“We couldn’t go on much longer without meeting. You’ve clearly cast quite a spell on our son. He’s usually very professional.”
“Mom,” Collin gently scolded her.
“I adore Collin,” I interjected, taking control. “You know, initially when he called me, I hesitated to accept his invitation because of our established business relationship. But he was such a gentleman, and so handsome and funny, that I just couldn’t resist his request to take me out.” Flattering Collin meant flattering his mother, but I also wanted to set the record straight thathepursuedme. I wasn’t some two-bit temptress with no class.
“We’re all very tickled that Collin snagged himself a career woman,” Chloe said between bites of arugula. “Thankfully, society girls are starting to fall out of vogue, though nobody’s shared that with Calliope.”
“Oh, please.” Calliope snorted. “As if your job is real.”
“Anyway,” Chloe continued, not taking the bait for a sisterly row. “Gale tells us you’re fromNorth Carolina?” Chloe saidNorth Carolinalike she was sayingNew Jersey. “I don’t think we’ve ever been. Do you visit often?”
“No. Both of my parents have passed,” I said, taking a sip of my mimosa.
“Bea is absolutely crushing it at the agency. She’s going to be running the whole show in no time.” Bless him. Collin attempted to take the heat off me with a non sequitur, but I knew any praise in my direction would fall on deaf ears. They would require all the details of my past and not a minute too soon.
“I could totally see that,” Calliope said. “She looks like she doesn’t take any shit.”
“Calliope, not at brunch,” Haven said, teeth gritted. “We’re so sorry to hear about your parents, Bea. That must be awful to be without family when you’re still so young. Tragic.”
She was painting me as some kind of hillbilly orphan girl, just grateful for the opportunity to be in their presence. Gale was noticeably silent, likely because the Case women were doing all the work for her. She must have been getting a real kick out of it, too, not that she would let on. A front-row seat to my dressing-down could be squandered with her involvement. Could be seen as out of turn. She was in the circle, yes, but she wasn’t in this family. So Gale remained perfectly still for the time being. Watching and waiting.
I’d have to go on the offensive, treading lightly, to keep up.
“I’ve managed, but I do miss home sometimes. Speaking of home, how’s it been going here for you, Calliope?” Per Collin, I knew that Calliope had had a recent messy breakup with a live-in boyfriend. She was nursing her wounds back at her parents’ home. What wassupposed to be a few weeks had turned into a few months and she wasn’t on the scene as much as she had been previously. What would she have to say for herself about that?
Turns out, not much, since Haven took over from there.
“Oh, Hayes and I absolutely love when our children are home, so her stay has been a welcome distraction from the regular grind. Calliope and I have even been taking American Sign Language together. She recently joined a junior board for the cause, so we thought it would be prudent to better acquaint ourselves. Our tutor comes to the house twice a week.”
“Can we see a demonstration?” I asked earnestly. I had a few signs of my own I wanted to share with them, but I thought putting them on the spot like that would be a better use of my time.
“Maybe after brunch,” Calliope said, clearly mortified and hoping I would forget.
“Do you speak any other languages, Bea?” Gale asked me, finally chiming in.
