Chapter Three

Kate

I'm dreading this dinner with Gavin's mom tonight. I know I need to get along with Celeste for Gavin's sake, but she makes it nearly impossible. I try to ignore her rude comments and innuendos and be the bigger person but I shouldn't have to do that for the rest of my life. If I'm going to have a future with Gavin, Celeste needs to stop treating me this way and accept me.

Last year, Gavin threatened to stop speaking to his mom if she continued to be rude to me, and for a while he actually followed through on his threat. But then everything with Niles happened and Gavin went back to talking to her. That's understandable, given that his mom needed him during that time, but now it's months later and I'm hoping he'll at least say something to her to remind her she has to be civil to me.

When we reach the door of the Bishop mansion, it opens before Gavin can get the key in the door.

"Gavin." Celeste smiles at him and holds her arms out.

He hugs her. "Hi, Mom. You look good."

"Thank you, honey."

She does look better than the last time I saw her. After Niles died, she lost a lot of weight, and given that she was skinny before, the weight loss made her look frail and sickly. And her excessive drinking made her skin pale and her eyes red and bloodshot. She really looked bad. But now? Her skin has color and she appears to be back to her normal weight, which is still too thin but at least her bones aren't poking through her clothes.

She's wearing pants today, which I've never seen her wear. She's always in a fancy dress. But today she has on black slacks and a white silk blouse, which is casual for her.

"You look older," she says to Gavin, her hands gripping his arms. "My little boy just keeps growing up."

"I haven't been a little boy for a long time, Mom."

"I know," she says with a sigh.

This is awkward, standing here watching her fawn over Gavin. I feel like I shouldn't be here. I knew I shouldn't have come.

Celeste is acting like I'm invisible, which is typical for her, but I can't keep putting up with this. I can't keep letting her act this way to me.

Just as I'm about to announce my presence, Celeste lets Gavin go and turns to me, smiling. "Kate. It's so nice to see you." She opens her arms to me and I freeze, not sure what to do. Is she seriously trying to hug me? Is this a joke?

I glance at Gavin, who gives me a nod, telling me to hug her back. I don't really want to but I don't really have a choice. She's waiting with open arms.

We exchange a quick hug, then I stand back next to Gavin who holds my hand and gives it a light squeeze, letting me know he's happy I went along with the hug. He could tell how uncomfortable it made me. We're good at reading each other that way.

"How is the restaurant coming along?" Celeste asks.

I look at her to make sure she's talking to me. Usually, even if the topic is about me, she'll ask Gavin instead of me. But this time, she's actually directing the question to me.

"It's going well," I tell her. "We're in the middle of renovations right now and hope to be open in a month, or six weeks at the latest."

"That's wonderful." She's still smiling. This is strange. She never smiles at me. It seems forced but still, I rarely get even a forced smile out of her. "Come inside." She moves out of the way and Gavin and I join her in the foyer.

"Why don't we just head to dinner?" Gavin asks. "Kate and I can't be out late. We have to be at work early."

That's not the only reason he wants to leave. The other reason is because he's used to his mom making us sit in the living room for before-dinner cocktails, except she's the only one who ever drank. Gavin and I would just sit there and watch as she had at least two drinks, which became three or four after Niles died.

Feeling his hand grip mine tighter, I know he's getting anxious, fearing his mom's about to fall off the wagon.

"I thought we could sit and talk," Celeste says to Gavin. "I'm not having a drink, if that's what you're worried about."

"I wasn't—" He glances away. "I'd rather just go to dinner. We can talk at the restaurant."

"Very well," she says, hurrying off. "I'll get my purse." She disappears down the hall.

"She's angry," I whisper to Gavin.

"What does she expect?" he whispers back. "I've never seen her without a drink in her hand. I'm not used to it. I don't trust she'll stay sober, especially now that's she's home, living alone."

"I was the same way with my dad, but at some point you have to trust her to do this. You can't keep her sober. She has to do it herself, and not trusting her only makes it harder for both of you. Believe me, I've been through this more times than I can count."

"And your dad kept going back to drinking."

"But eventually he quit. He's been sober for years, but he had to do it himself."

Celeste appears again. "I thought we'd go to The Fish House for dinner." She rushes past us to the door. "Your father always loved that place."

Gavin meets up with her. "Why don't we go somewhere else?" He softens his voice. "Somewhere that doesn't remind you of Dad?"

Her posture straightens and her shoulders become stiff. "Nonsense. We can't avoid every place your father ever went. And I've missed the lobster there. It's been ages since I had good lobster." She glances back at me. "And I'm sure Kate would enjoy it, wouldn't you, Kate?"

"Um, sure," I say, not knowing what answer to give. Gavin doesn't seem to want to go there but I'm trying to get along with his mom so I felt like I had to agree with her. "I love seafood."

"Then it's decided," Celeste says to Gavin. She turns and continues out the door. "Gavin, you can drive."

We go out to Gavin's Audi and Celeste gets in the front seat. Gavin gives me a look, like he's worried I'm mad I have to sit in back. I shake my head, telling him I'm fine with it. It's not worth starting an argument about.

The restaurant is very fancy with white linen tablecloths, dim lighting, and classical music playing softly in the background. It overlooks the water and we're seated at a table by the window.

"This is nice," I say to Celeste.

Not looking up from her menu, she says, "Niles always thought so. We came here on our tenth anniversary."

"Mom," Gavin says in a hushed tone. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about Dad tonight."

He thinks talking about Niles will make his mom drink, which is possible if Niles is a trigger for Celeste. My dad had triggers that made him drink but he wouldn't tell me what they were. I think one of them was my mom. When he'd see her, he'd miss her and what they had together and it made him drink. He'd never admit it, but even today, I know a part of him still loves her and wants her back.

The waiter approaches us. "Can I start you with a cocktail or a glass of wine?"

"No, thank you," Celeste says with a smile. Then she looks at Gavin and me. "Unless you two would like something."

"No," we both say at once.

"I'll give you some time to review the menu." The waiter walks off.

Gavin's nervous again. I can feel his leg moving side to side under the table. He needs to relax. Like I told him, he can't control whether or not his mom starts drinking again. Alcohol is everywhere and she'll have to learn to get used to turning it down.

Moments later, the waiter returns and we place our orders. Then we stare at each other, not sure what to say. Gavin's mind is still on his mom and her drinking. I can tell by that faraway look in his eyes. He gets that way whenever something's bothering him.

"Gavin," I say, nudging him. "Why don't you tell your mom about your job?"

He turns to me. "My what?"

"Your job. Tell her how it's going."

"It's going well." He picks up his water glass and takes a drink. "Peter wants me to work on the next senate race."

"He does?" I ask. This is the first time I'm hearing this, and the first time I've heard Gavin call his boss by his first name. He usually calls him Mr. Farrell. Gavin's parents are friends with the guy so maybe that's why he used his first name.

"He asked me the other day," Gavin says to me. "I must've forgot to tell you."

Or he purposely didn't tell me because he knows I don't trust politicians and don't like him being around them. Gavin told me he got a degree in political science to work on the policy reform side of things, not to work on electing politicians. He said he helped with his dad's campaign only because it was for his dad, not because he liked campaign work.

"I think that's wonderful," Celeste says to Gavin. "Which senator would you be working for?"

"Senator Falkin from New York."

She smiles. "Jett Falkin. Nora and John's son." She looks at me. "Niles and I were friends with Jett's parents for many years. I still see his mother from time to time at charity functions."

"How old is he?" I ask.

She pauses to think. "I think he's around 36. He's the youngest member of the Senate. He's very accomplished for his age."

"Anyway," Gavin says, "he's up for re-election next year and is already hiring staff to work on the campaign."

"But how will you have time for that and your other job?" I ask.

"Peter said he'd divide my time up so I could do both. Peter's one of Falkin's biggest supporters so he'll do whatever he needs to do to make sure I can work on the campaign, assuming I agree to it."

"Why wouldn't you?" Celeste asks.

Gavin glances at me, then back at his mom. "I'm not sure if I want to get back into campaign work. It's long hours and I'd have to travel to events and...I don't know. I need to think about it."

Celeste's eyes wander to me. "What do you think, Kate? Should Gavin work on the campaign?"

I pause, not sure how to answer. "It's really up to Gavin."

"True, but given the seriousness of your relationship, I presume you have a say in the matter. As for myself, I was never shy in offering my opinion to Niles about his career endeavors. That's not to say he went along with my wishes but he took them into consideration."

The fact that she's encouraging me to offer my opinion about her son's career is completely out of character for her. I don't trust her. Her comment is probably an attempt to get Gavin and me to argue. She knows I don't want him going into politics.

"Let's talk about something else," Gavin says, sensing the tension at the table, most of which is coming from me. Celeste seems perfectly calm.

"Before we change topics, what are you thinking you'll do?" Celeste asks. "I'm attending a luncheon later this week and Peter's wife will be there. She might ask about this. I don't want to say something I shouldn't."

"Just tell her I haven't made a decision."

"I think it'd be a good opportunity," she says. "Jett is young. Intelligent. Ambitious. You two have a lot in common. He'd be an excellent mentor for you."

Gavin clears his throat. "Mom, you'll have to go see Kate's restaurant. It's really starting to take shape. She's done a great job with the design."

I'm assuming Celeste will steer the conversation back to Gavin and the senator, but instead her focus goes to me.

"I hear you're working with Tad."

Celeste knows Mr. Walcott? I guess it makes sense. They were often at the same parties I catered.

"I'm not really working with him. We've only had one meeting. His team is helping me with the business side of things."

"You should feel honored to be selected for his entrepreneur program. He usually only accepts young people who've graduated from Harvard or Yale. Or Moorhurst, of course."

Moorhurst. Why Moorhurst? It's a decent school but not even close to being on the same level as the Ivy League. And why did she say 'of course' as if it was a given? Is it just because Walcott sent his kids there? I still don't get his loyalty to that school, or his involvement, given that he's not even an alum.

"I am honored," I say. "I was really surprised when he picked me. I'm still not sure why he did."

Gavin's arm wraps around my shoulder. "Because he knows you're smart and talented and going to be a huge success."

"He's taking a chance on you," Celeste says. "He normally wouldn't do that." Her eyes land on mine and she smiles. "He picked you for a reason."

What is she trying to say? Was that a compliment or an insult? I can't tell.

The waiter arrives with our food and our dinner conversation switches to Gavin's job and the low-income housing proposal he's been working on. Then I talk about my plans for the restaurant and what items I'll be featuring on the menu. Celeste doesn't say much, but simply listens to Gavin and me talk. Not once does she make any condescending remarks or sneer at me or interrupt me when I'm speaking—all things she would've done in the past. Maybe this rehab place has made her a better person, although I'm not ready to believe that just yet.

As Gavin and I are driving home later, he reaches over for my hand. "Thanks for coming tonight. It turned out to be a good evening."

"Yeah, it did. Your mom seems to be doing really well."

"I think she's finally accepting us as a couple. She didn't make one rude remark all night."

"It's just one night."

"Kate." He squeezes my hand. "Give her a chance. She was really trying tonight. I don't think it was an act."

"I know. I'm just not used to it."

"Well, get used to it, because this is how it's going to be from here on out. We're not going back to how it was. This is a fresh start. My mom may still be struggling with the loss of my dad but she's not drinking anymore and I want her to be part of our lives again. I think she wants that too, which is why she's finally accepting you."

I don't respond, because truthfully, I don't agree. I don't trust Celeste, and until more time has passed, I'm going to watch my back.

"So you want to just get this over with?" Gavin asks.

"Get what over with?"

"The argument we're going to have over me working on Falkin's campaign."

"There's nothing to argue about. If you want to do it, go ahead and do it."

"And have you angry at me from now until the election?"

I swallow, not wanting to have this discussion now, or ever. I hate fighting with Gavin but I also don't want him getting involved in politics again. It's a topic we'll always disagree on because we see things differently.

Gavin believes politicians are good people who really do want to make changes for the better. I completely disagree.

I never told Gavin about the corruption my dad witnessed when he was on the police force years ago. A lot of that corruption involved politicians and the people working to get them elected. I don't know all the details and even my dad isn't sure exactly what was going on, but he knows those men were committing crimes and getting away with it. Like me, my dad believes those men were part of some secret group who uses their money and power to do whatever they want. I'm convinced Niles was part of that group, or working for them, but I can't prove it so it's no use trying to convince Gavin it's true. And if I told him my theory extends to other politicians, he wouldn't believe that either.

"I'm not angry," I say. "If it'll make you happy, then I think you should do it."

"I don't know if it'll make me happy. I've only worked on one campaign and it was for my dad so that's different. I don't know much about this Falkin guy. I only know what Peter told me, and he practically worships the guy so it's hard to say how much of what he says is true. But I do know that I liked the excitement and energy of working on a campaign, so in that sense, yeah, I want to do it. I want to feel that excitement again."

"Are you saying you're bored in your current job?"

"Not really bored, but it's not very exciting. I sit and read policies all day and then try to write new ones. I knew that was the job going into it but after a few months of doing it, it's starting to get old. I guess I thought maybe I'd get some time in the field, actually going out to low-income housing communities and talking to people, asking what they need, so I'd know exactly what it is I'm fighting for. But instead, I sit in an office and read legal copy all day."

"Maybe you should look for something else."

"I need to give it more time. I made a commitment to Peter and he did me a favor giving me this opportunity. And now he's doing me another favor by offering to let me work on Jett's campaign. He can tell I'm getting restless and want to do more. That's why he offered me this opportunity. So I feel like I shouldn't turn him down. Plus, I really am interested in at least trying it."

"If you try it and don't like it, can you change your mind?"

"I don't know. I'd have to ask. I'm assuming I can."

"Then you should just do it. Give it a try. I can tell how much you want to."

He smiles at me. "How can you tell? I was trying not to sound too excited."

"You can't hide it. Your voice raises and you talk faster when you really want to do something but aren't sure if you should."

He chuckles. "You know me too well."

"Because I love you."

We're parked at our apartment now and he leans over and kisses me. "I love you too."

"So you're going to tell him yes?"

He takes a breath. "Yeah. I think I am."

"Good." I give him a kiss. "Let's go inside."

Gavin really wants to do this so I need to support him in his decision, but I'm still worried. I don't want him doing this.