Chapter 65
Feeling restless, Cheri decided to Skype with her stylish, youthful mom since she missed her jet-setting parents.
As Victoria Van Buren’s image appeared on the screen, Cheri leaned forward and frowned. “Did you have plastic surgery, Mom?”
Her mother threw her head back and roared. “Just a minor tune-up. Nothing serious, darling.”
Cheri groaned. “Please don’t get carried away. Remember Jane in New York?”
“Darling, Jane looks more like Tarzan now.”
“Mother.”
“Relax. I’d never tell Jane that.” Victoria Van Buren waved her hand, as if shooing a fly. “Don’t worry about my face. Besides, it’s nothing. A little this and that.” She shrugged. “How’s it going at Grandma’s house?”
“Fine. I’m getting settled and am either on the phone or emailing my crew at Fifth Avenue Catering nearly daily. So far, I’ve been able to manage it from afar.”
“Good, darling. We’re proud of you.”
Cheri grinned. “Also, I’ve met three new girlfriends.”
Victoria perked up. “Tell me all about them. What do they do? What do they look like?”
Cheri discussed Alex, Suzy, and Hope in great detail and told her mother she had invited them over for drinks and appetizers. Before she finished, Victoria gave a breathy sigh. “They sound simply adorable. I’d love to meet them some day. I’m happy you’ve made good friends, darling. My friends are, well—”
“Are what?”
Her mother paused. “Not really friends, I’m afraid. More like clingers but they’re at least fun to dine and shop with.”
Cheri felt sorry for her mom and decided to change the subject. “Where’s Daddy? Is he on the computer again?”
“Do you really have to ask? He can’t miss out on day trading, you know.”
Cheri frowned. “Doesn’t he have a stock broker who does that?”
“Of course. We have several but Tom’s really gotten into this. He’s making tons of money.”
Cheri paced. “You already have tons of money.”
“Can you have too much?” Victoria asked, obviously bemused.
As Cheri studied her mother’s frozen forehead and overly arched brows, she made a mental note to rethink any future plastic surgery, Botox, or fillers. “We’re lucky, I guess.”
“You guess?” her mother asked.
Cheri forced a smile. “We have a fantastic lifestyle. But there’s more to life.”
“More to life than clothes, shoes, parties, and wine?” Victoria laughed. “Like what?”
“Simple things are nice, Mom. Really nice. I love it here in Crystal City and Branson.”
“Darling, I think that fresh air is getting to you.”
Cheri shrugged. “It’s helping me put everything in perspective, plus, remember, I don’t have to fight off the paparazzi.”
Victoria made a face. “Those bloodsuckers.” She glanced at her gold Rolex and waved it close to the screen. “Like my new watch? I thought I deserved a present.”
“It’s pretty but did you really need another Rolex?”
“What’s gotten into you? You know you enjoy the good life. We’ve worked hard for what we have.”
Cheri detected an edge to her mother’s voice and felt a lecture coming on. Silence filled the uncomfortable void. Since being apart for months on end, their mother-daughter bond had begun to fray. It wasn’t perfect to begin with. Cheri felt her forehead crease and she wasn’t sure why. “Tell me about this day trading Daddy’s doing.”
“Ah.” Victoria waved her hand again. “You should see his office. He has huge computer screens plastered on three walls. It looks like NASA. I don’t know how he keeps up. He rarely comes out during the day, just for a quick lunch, if that. He’s obsessed with it, really. He might be a workaholic but that’s much better than a girlfriend on the side.”
“As if. You two are the perfect couple. You’ll never have to worry about that.” Cheri studied her fading pedicure and made a mental note to find a nail salon in Branson. “How are you occupying yourself since Daddy’s so busy?”
“How else? Shopping. I bought a gorgeous six-foot Murano glass sculpture in Venice. You should see it. The swirling colors are extraordinary. It’s like a towering glass red, white, and gold Picasso. I’m having it shipped to our penthouse in New York this week.”
“The freight will cost a fortune,” Cheri said.
“True. Shipping is almost as much as the sculpture but it’ll look perfect next to our white fireplace. Do you suppose it’ll look lopsided, darling? Maybe I should commission a second piece for the other side.”
Cheri suppressed a yawn. Oh, to have another sculpture be her daily worry instead of clients changing menus at the last minute, sous chefs quitting on the spot, or red wine spilled on a celebrity client.
“I’m sure the sculpture is gorgeous and one should be enough. Listen, it’s good to hear your voice but I’ve got to run. Give Dad my love. And to you too. I’ll call soon.”
“Love and kisses from Daddy and me. Ciao.”
Cheri watched as her mother’s image faded from the screen. After powering off the computer, she felt disconcerted since she thought she detected loneliness in her mother’s voice. Glancing around the gleaming kitchen, she perked up. Cooking always calms me. I’m going to try new fig recipes.
Opening the cabinets and fridge, she found a jar of fig mustard, fresh figs, peppered bacon, garlic, ricotta cheese, rosemary, and a loaf of sourdough bread. There’s nothing like a discussion with Mom to drive me to create a new bruschetta. If this turns out, I’ll put it on Fifth Avenue Catering’s menu.