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Kate glanced back over at Giancarlo, who was nodding to that same woman. His signet ring flashed in the light that poured in through the frosted window. It must be afternoon, she thought mildly, if the sun was pouring in.
She turned her attention back to Mrs. Cavatino, who was looking at her expectantly.
“Oh,” said Kate. “Sorry. I was daydreaming. Yes, Giancarlo’s Italian.”
Mrs. Cavatino raised her brows. “Giancarlo? Oh, now that’s a name to love. Have you known him long?”
“Two years or so,” said Kate. Had it been that long? Really it seemed impossible, even now, when she totted up the time in her head.
“And is it serious? I presume you two are together, I mean, since he’s here and all.”
Kate found herself nodding. “Yes, yes, I suppose you could say that.” She was suddenly conscious of the engagement ring on her finger, and she slipped her hand under the table. She picked up another chip.
“How’s Mr. Cavatino doing? And Brody and Cheryl? They must be, what, in their thirties now?”
Mrs. Cavatino gave her a huge smile. “Everyone’s great. Both of them are married. Brody’s an accountant at a big firm over Hartfield, and he and his wife Merry have two boys. And Cheryl married Carson, you remember him? He has a construction business and they live in Waterbury. Cheryl’s a housewife and hoping.”
Hoping? What would she be hoping for? It was a puzzle that held her for a moment until Don returned and greeted her. She rose from her seat, grateful for the reprieve, and after answering Don’s greeting, left.
By the time she reached Giancarlo she’d been stopped several more times by people giving their condolences. It wore her out, and for a brief moment wished for the concert to begin so that she could escape it for at least a while when she was on the stage.
“There you are, darling,” said Giancarlo rising.
He pulled out the chair on his other side and took her plate from her while she sat down. She greeted the woman next to him, remembering suddenly that her name was Sunita.
“Sorry it took me so long,” she said to Giancarlo. “A lot of people stopped me as I was getting food.”
“Yes, of course,” said Giancarlo. “I saw that. Sunita was kind enough to keep me company.”
She could tell by his even tone and formal manner that it had been far from entertaining company in his view, but his smooth manners from years of socializing and networking for his business gave him the skills to hide it well. She realized perhaps that she did know him to judge that much.
“Sunita, how have you been?” Kate felt provoked to ask. “Did you head into law in the end? You went to Wheaton College, didn’t you?”
Sunita nodded, beaming. “Yes, yes. I did and then on to Harvard. My father went to law school there, so he was determined that I would go there too.”
“So no Columbia, then.”
Sunita grinned. “Bite your tongue.”
Kate picked up another taco chip and crunched down on it loudly. She could feel Giancarlo’s disapproval, and it made her smile. He was so funny, she thought. “So, are you with a practice or did you set up on your own?”
“I was in Boston for a while at a criminal law firm, if you can believe it, but now I’m doing contract law in New York. I switched when I married my husband. We’re at the same firm. He does patent law, though.”
“That’s great,” said Kate. “Are you living here?”
Sunita nodded. “Well, not too far out of town. We built a house overlooking the lake on the north side. We’re trying for a baby now, and we want a healthy environment for our children.”
Kate nodded, trying to feign interest in something that seemed so alien to her. Sunita had moved here with her parents from Boston when she was young. Her mother had been an ethics professor at the college and her father had been a lawyer in New York. She’d spent her first two years of high school in Somerton Lake, if Kate remembered right, because her parents thought she was too frail to attend boarding school.
“Your parents are doing well?” Kate asked as soon as Sunita had finished citing the merits of her life.
Sunita nodded enthusiastically and began updating Kate on them, while Kate marveled that she had both parents and was starting her own family, and all Kate had was Tom. Her only other relative was an uncle that lived in Canada.
Giancarlo took her hand, as if sensing her thoughts. She fought the urge to withdraw it, just as she wanted to withdraw herself from this table and this room.
Stokey came up to the table and leaned over it to Kate. “You about ready to get up on stage so that we can do the final setup?”
Kate looked up at Stokey, his eyes searching hers, the questions, love, and compassion all there for her to see. His question held more than the words implied. And she realized at that moment that of course she had a family. And her family was about to go on stage.
