Chapter Sixteen

"I'm nervous," I say as we make the drive to Greenwich to Gavin's parents' house. We're almost there and the closer we get the more nervous I feel.

"Don't be nervous." He glances at me and smiles. "My parents are going to love you."

"I don't know about that."

"I guarantee they'll like you more than your father liked me."

"He liked you," I insist.

"He looked like he wanted to kill me the whole time we were there."

I laugh. "That's just how he is. With all the guys I date. At least he didn't bring out his guns."

"Has he really done that with other guys you've dated?"

"He did it with all my high school boyfriends. Scared the crap out of them."

"Then why'd you let him meet them? You didn't live with your dad. He didn't have to know who you were dating."

"My mom used to tell him. She actually wanted him to come over and check out these guys and put a scare into them. I swear my parents conspired to ruin my dating life back in high school."

His phone chimes and he checks it. "It's a text from our hotel. Says our room's ready and we can check in early."

"Maybe we should skip lunch and go straight there. We don't want them giving our room away."

"Nice try but we're still going to lunch. The room is paid for. They won't give it away."

"I'm really excited about this weekend."

"Me too. It'll be good to get away. Have some privacy. King size bed."

"Yeah, that'll be nice." I let out a dreamy sigh. I'm still in a state of bliss dating Gavin. That happy euphoric feeling you get when you first start dating someone hasn't worn off. I thought by now we'd start to get on each other's nerves, but that hasn't happened, despite all the time we've been spent together.

Gavin stayed at my apartment the past three nights, which I've never let a guy do. I usually don't sleep well with someone else in my bed. But I've been sleeping great with Gavin, even better than when I sleep alone. Of course it could be because of all the great sex we have.

"What are you thinking about?" Gavin asks as we sit at a stoplight.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"Sex." I smile.

He smiles back. "You were thinking about sex?"

"I was."

"What about it?"

"About how great we are together."

"We are, aren't we?" He puts his hand on my knee and slowly slides it under my dress.

"Gavin, don't. We're almost at your house."

"We can be late."

"We'll do it when we get to the hotel."

"Now that you've started this, I don't think I can wait."

"I didn't start anything. I just said I was thinking about sex."

"Which got me thinking about it and now I want to do it."

I point to the light. "It's green."

He puts his hand back on the wheel and continues driving. "I know what you were doing."

"What?"

"That was a trick to get me to skip out on lunch with my parents." He says it with a grin on his face.

"Yep. You figured it out. Did it work?"

"No. But if the light had taken longer to change, it might have."

"Damn light," I mutter.

He laughs. "We could always do it at my parents' house. There are plenty of rooms there. And the place is so big they'd never find us."

"No. Absolutely not. We are not having sex in your parents' house."

"That sounds like a challenge." He pulls in front of the giant mansion and parks the car, then hops out to get my door.

"Don't even think about it," I say as he helps me out of the car. "We are not doing it until we get to the hotel."

He grabs my hand and leads me to the front door.

"You told them I'm coming, right? You didn't just say you did but really didn't, did you?"

"They know you're coming and they're excited to meet you." He rings the doorbell.

"You have to ring the doorbell at your own house?"

"Only when I have a guest. My mom is formal that way. She likes to greet guests at the door."

But his mom doesn't greet us. A maid does.

"Hey, Anna," Gavin says.

"Hello, Gavin. Your mother is coming."

I hear fast walking on the shiny wood floor, and then Gavin's mother appears, wearing a red sleeveless dress and heels. She's very dressed up for lunch. I wore a casual wrap dress that I thought would be appropriate but now I feel underdressed.

"Hello, Gavin," his mother says.

"Hey, Mom." He gives her a quick hug.

"And you must be Kate." She gives me the same phony smile she had at the dinner party. At least she uses it on everyone, not just me.

"It's nice to meet you." I shake her hand. It's cold as ice even though it's hot outside. But she has no body fat to keep her warm.

"I'm Celeste." She steps away from the door. "Come inside."

I go in first, followed by Gavin. Celeste leads us past the foyer into the living room. I feel like I should be going to the kitchen and getting a tray. It's strange being here as a guest.

"Have a seat." Celeste motions to the white sofa that I was afraid I'd spill something on the night of the party. Every time I walked past it, I'd move my tray to the opposite side so I wouldn't risk having a random crumb or drop of cocktail sauce fall onto the bright white fabric.

The three of us sit down; Gavin and me on the couch and Celeste on one of the high-backed wing chairs that's facing it.

"Mom, we can't stay long," Gavin says. "Can we just start lunch?"

"We will in a few minutes. We have to wait for your father. He's on an important phone call regarding the campaign."

"How long will it take?"

"I really don't know. Could be ten minutes. Could be thirty." She smiles at me. "But this will give me time to get to know Kate."

I smile back at her, but my smile is probably as fake as hers. I'm feeling nervous and unsure of myself, like Celeste is judging everything I say and do. But I feel that way around all rich people.

"So tell me about yourself," she says, crossing her legs and placing her hands elegantly across her lap.

I glance at Gavin, who's giving me a look of encouragement.

"I um." I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. I should've practiced this in the car. I knew she'd ask me questions. Shit. What do I say?

"Are you from the area?" she asks, sounding annoyed that I didn't finish my sentence.

"Yes. Well, not here. I grew up just outside of Hartford. My mom had a restaurant and I helped her run it."

"Is that what sparked your interest in catering? Your mother's business?"

"Yes."

"And how do you like catering?"

"I like it, but I don't plan to do it forever. I'd like to own my own restaurant someday."

"You would?" Gavin asks.

"Not right away, but yeah, in the future."

"I didn't know that."

"That's understandable," Celeste says to Gavin. "You just met Kate. I'm sure there are a lot of things you don't know about her." She says it in a way that implies I'm hiding some deep dark secrets, which I'm not. I'm an open book. I don't have any secrets. So why would she say it that way?

"Actually, I know a lot about her," he says, taking my hand and smiling at me. "We've spent a lot of time together."

"And what about your school work?" his mother asks, a hint of anger in her tone. "School comes before socializing, Gavin."

"Yes, Mother, I know. You don't have to worry about school. I'm already acing my classes."

He is? How is that possible? He never has time to study. He's always with me.

"Gavin is an excellent student," his mother says. "He's always excelled in academics."

"Mom, don't brag. It's embarrassing."

"I'm just stating a fact. But regardless of your ability to achieve, I still expect you to put forth effort at Moorhurst. No skipping classes. No late assignments."

Gavin starts to roll his eyes but then stops and looks to the side. I'm guessing eye rolls are not acceptable behavior in this house. His mom probably thinks they're a sign of disrespect. I'll have to make sure I don't do that. I roll my eyes a lot around Megan and she does the same to me.

"Where did you go to school?" I ask Celeste, taking the focus off Gavin.

"Moorhurst." She looks at Gavin. "So I'm beyond thrilled that my son is going there too. And his father and I are thrilled to have him so close to home again."

"It's great he's able to help with the campaign," I add.

"Yes," she says, her eyes going back to me. "It certainly is. Niles was so pleased when Gavin offered to move here in order to help."

"I never even questioned not doing it," he says. "It's not every day your dad runs for the Senate."

"How's the campaign going?" I ask Celeste. Gavin's already told me about the campaign, but I'm trying to make conversation.

"It's going very well," she says. "Niles can tell you more about it at lunch, if you'd like. Are you interested in politics?"

"Um, sure." I didn't sound at all convincing. Damn.

Gavin laughs. "I think Kate's probably sick of hearing about it. I talk about it all the time."

"I'm not sick of hearing about it. I think it's interesting." I look back at his mom. "Gavin said you have a lot of fundraisers coming up. That must get tiring."

"It does, but I'm used to it. And I have people I hire to do most of the planning, including Carol, your boss. She's been wonderful to work with. I plan to make her my primary caterer going forward."

"Yeah, she's great. Very organized."

"And discreet." Celeste looks down at the armrest of the chair and brushes her hand over it. "It's hard to find people who can keep secrets." Her eyes lift to mine and she smiles. "Not that we have any."

Okay, that's weird. Both her words and that strange look she gave me, which was basically telling me she does have secrets and that Carol knows what those secrets are.

Is that why Carol keeps telling me to stay away from Gavin? But why? What secrets does she know about him? Or are the secrets about Gavin's family? Now I'm intrigued, and a little worried. What do I not know?

"She's kidding." Gavin chuckles. "We don't have any secrets."

And yet they do. His mom's an alcoholic, which he's never told anyone but me. But I guess that's normal to hide something like that.

Still, I feel like there are other secrets they're hiding. Maybe Gavin doesn't know what those are. Maybe only his parents do.

"Would anyone like a drink?" Celeste asks as she stands up.

"I'm fine," I tell her.

"Gavin?" she asks.

"Why don't we wait until lunch?" Gavin asks with an undertone that's urging her not to drink. She doesn't seem drunk but that doesn't mean she wasn't drinking before we got here.

She walks over to a tall cabinet on the other side of the room. She opens the doors, exposing a stocked bar and an assortment of glasses.

"Your father should be done shortly," she says, taking a wine glass and filling it with chardonnay. She turns to us, holding her glass. "Kate, are you sure you don't want anything?"

"No thank you," I say, although a few sips of alcohol actually would be good right now to take the edge off. I was nervous just being a caterer here, but it's even worse being a guest. I'm not used to socializing with people like Celeste. You can tell she's from old money. She's not like Gavin, who can just hang out and relax and be himself. Celeste is stiff and uptight, like the stereotype of a snooty rich person. I feel like she's putting on a show for me, pretending to be the perfect wife, perfect mom, perfect host.

Gavin's watching his mom, his jaw tight. He keeps his eyes on her as she walks back to us. He doesn't want her drinking, especially in front of me. I understand. I was the same way when I used to stay with my dad. I didn't want my friends coming over and seeing him drink.

I give Gavin's hand a squeeze and he looks over at me. I smile slightly, letting him know it's okay. I get it.

His jaw relaxes along with his body and he rubs my hand with his thumb. His subtle touch puts me at ease and is just another sign of how good we are together. We read each other so well and are able to calm each other.

"I see the guests have arrived," a deep voice says.

I turn and see Gavin's dad walking up to us. He's wearing navy dress pants and a shirt and tie. His smile seems real and looks just like Gavin's. He doesn't seem nearly as intimidating as he did the night of the party. Maybe because he's not wearing a suit. Or maybe because he's not surrounded by all the other men in suits. The night at the party, Niles seemed tense and anxious, but now he seems more relaxed.

"And you must be the famous Kate we've heard so much about," he says as I get up to shake his hand.

I smile. "I didn't know I was famous."

He chuckles. "My son can't stop talking about you. I call to ask him a question about the campaign and we somehow end up talking about a girl named Kate."

"I didn't know that," I say, looking at Gavin.

He shrugs. "What can I say? You're always on my mind."

"I was the same way when I was courting his mother." Niles walks over to Celeste and leans down to place a kiss on her head. "Sorry to delay our lunch, darling."

"It's fine, dear." She sips her drink. "It gave me time to become acquainted with Kate." She says my name in a curt tone, her eyes zeroing in on me. I can almost feel her anger shooting across the short distance between us.

She hates me. But why? What did I do? Is it just because I'm not rich?

The men don't seem to notice and when I look back at Celeste, her fake smile is back.

"Well, shall we adjourn to the dining room?" Niles asks in a much lighter, happier tone than he used the night of the party. He's like a totally different man than he was that night.

"Yeah, let's eat," Gavin says, standing up and taking me with him, our hands still linked. "Kate and I need to be going soon."

"There's no rush, Gavin," Celeste says as she rises from her chair. "New York isn't going anywhere."

"I know but with traffic it'll take forever to get to our hotel."

"You're spending the night?" she asks, her brows lifted. "That seems a little soon given the fact you two just met."

"Celeste," Niles says. "Gavin is an adult now. I don't think it's our place to be commenting on such things."

"Perhaps not." Her eyes land on mine, like daggers piercing through me. "I, myself, would find it rather soon if a boy asked me on an overnight trip but that's just me." She stares at me a moment longer, then goes around Niles and walks off, her drink in her hand.

Niles smiles at me. "Never mind Celeste. She's very protective of her little boy. Only child and all. You know how it is."

"Yeah, of course."

"C'mon." Gavin tugs on my hand and we follow his dad down the long hall that leads to the dining room.

It's a nice day out and I was hoping we'd eat on the patio but instead we're stuck in a dimly lit, ornately decorated room with a table that seats twelve. It seems too formal for lunch but I think that's intentional. I think Celeste wanted the setting to be intimidating in the hopes to scare me off from dating her son.

Celeste and Niles take the seats at the end of the table, leaving Gavin and me in the middle with multiple chairs on either side of us.

"We should've eaten on the patio," Niles says. "It's the perfect day for it."

"I didn't want to contend with the bugs," Celeste says, glaring at him.

He seems to get her not-so-subtle message not to challenge her and says, "I suppose you're right. It's better we eat in here." He looks at me. "So, Kate, I hear you're quite the cook."

"And who did you hear that from?" I ask, smiling at Gavin.

"I had to tell them," he says. "It's not every day a girl cooks for you. And that cheesecake you made was incredible. I told my dad all about it. He loves cheesecake."

"I could make you one," I tell Niles. "It's kind of my speciality. It's my dad's favorite dessert so I grew up making it for him."

"That won't be necessary," Celeste says. "Niles and I don't eat dessert. We're trying to improve our diet."

They're both so thin they could use some dessert but maybe she just said that because she doesn't want me making him anything. I was just being polite but I think she took it differently.

"She's right," Niles says, agreeing with his wife, although I get the feeling he really does want the cheesecake. "We're trying to avoid desserts."

"Speaking of desserts," I say to Niles, "your dad made an awesome rhubarb cobbler last weekend."

Niles brows draw together. "You met my father?"

"We went to see Grandfather last weekend." Gavin clears his throat, seeming uncomfortable.

"Was this for any particular reason?" Niles asks Gavin. "Or were you just paying him a visit?"

"He invited me to a cookout at his house and I invited Kate to come with me." Gavin straightens up in his chair like he's preparing for an argument with his father. An argument I'm guessing happens a lot.

A woman walks in with a tray. "Are you ready, Mrs. Bishop?"

"Yes," she answers. "Go ahead."

The woman serves us each a plate of salad and a small cup of soup. It seems like a first course but I get the feeling this is all we're getting. And nothing for dessert.

"Why didn't you tell me you went to see him?" Niles asks as he picks up his fork.

"Why would I tell you?" Gavin stirs his spoon around in his bowl, which seems to hold some kind of cold, vegetable-based soup. "I don't need your permission to see Grandfather."

"And what did your grandfather have to say?" Niles cuts into a tomato, his knife clanking against the plate.

"Not much." Gavin sets his spoon down, not interested in the soup. "He mentioned he has a girlfriend."

Niles coughs a little. "A girlfriend?"

"Well, maybe she's not a girlfriend, but he's dating her."

"I'm sure it's just one of his nightly companions," Celeste scoffs.

"Dear," Niles scolds. "Let's not bring that up, please."

Bring what up? Are they implying Gavin's grandfather sleeps around? If so, that's kind of funny. And I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Henry seemed like a lady's man.

"I liked Henry," I say, smiling at Celeste. I should be trying to impress her, not make her mad, but something in me made me say that. And it's the truth, so why not say it?

"Of course you did," she mutters.

"We went to his cabin," I say, then notice Gavin's eyes meet mine across the table. He shakes his head just enough to let me know I shouldn't have said that.

"Gavin Michael Bishop!" Celeste says in a high-pitched tone. "How many times have I told you not to go to that horrible cabin? It should be condemned."

"It's not that bad," he says, catching himself before he rolls his eyes.

"Your mother's right," Niles says. "It's not safe. I'm sure by now the roof is about to collapse."

Gavin sighs. "The roof is fine. There's nothing wrong with the place. It's not a five-star hotel but it's good enough for a fishing cabin."

"It's filthy," Celeste says. "You could catch something just being in there."

"Why in the world would you take a girl there?" Niles asks.

"I wanted her to see the lake," Gavin says.

"It was beautiful," I say to Niles. "We went at night. We went in the boat and looked up at the stars. It would've been perfect except—"

"She fell overboard," Gavin says, laughing as he looks at me across the table. "Sorry. I shouldn't laugh."

"You should," I say, laughing with him. "It was hilarious."

"You find falling into a lake at night to be funny?" Celeste asks, her lips pursed, not at all amused.

"She didn't get hurt," Gavin says, although I'm sure his mom didn't care about that. I'm guessing her reaction is more about the fact that a lady should not be getting in a fishing boat at night. Or ever.

"We went home after that," I say, trying to end the story. It seems to be making both Niles and Celeste angry.

"I don't want you going back there," Niles says to Gavin.

"Why? Just because you don't like it doesn't mean I can't go there."

"I don't want people seeing you there. It doesn't look good for the campaign."

Gavin looks at his dad. "How could it possibly hurt the campaign?"

 "A future senator's son spending time in a run-down cabin? A cabin that could be dangerous? It'll look as though I don't care about my son and his safety, which couldn't be further from the truth."

"The cabin's not dangerous. And nobody's going to see me. There's nobody even out there this time of year."

"Gavin, I am asking you not to go there. And if I find out you still are, I'll tear that place down myself."

"What the hell?" Gavin shakes his head. "You'd seriously tear down Gramps' cabin? Just to win an argument?"

"This isn't about winning an argument. It's about your safety."

"No, it's not. It's about getting back at Grandfather. You want him to live in a better house, move to a better neighborhood, and you're pissed because he refuses."

"Gavin, don't use such language!" Celeste scolds.

"We're not having this discussion," Niles warns. "We're done talking about your grandfather."

"And I'm done with lunch." Gavin tosses his cloth napkin on the table and stands up.

"Sit down," Celeste orders. "Lunch is not over. You haven't even touched your salad."

"Kate and I need to be going." He looks at me to get up.

I set my napkin down and scoot my chair back.

"Niles!" Celeste says, urging him to do something.

"Gavin." Niles' voice is calmer now and he motions Gavin to sit down. "Don't upset your mother. She's worked hard to put this lunch together and we'd both like you to stay."

I doubt Celeste worked that hard. I'm sure she just told her cook what to make and that was it.

Gavin takes a deep breath and sits down. "Fine."

I sit down as well and the four of us go back to eating. The woman who served us comes back in and Celeste asks her for another glass of wine.

The table is silent for several minutes, although it feels longer than that, and then finally, Gavin's dad asks him about school and they talk about that until lunch is over.

At two, we're finally excused and we go out to Gavin's car. As we're driving away, I feel a sense of relief, my nerves finally settling. I was uptight the whole time I was there.

His mom definitely doesn't like me. But his dad seems to think I'm okay. Niles is actually nicer than I thought he'd be. He has his snobby side but I think that comes from being around Celeste. As lunch continued, he loosened up and smiled like he did earlier.

Even so, I have no desire to see either Niles or Celeste again any time soon.