Chapter 20
Calida
Walking into my house, I welcomed the quiet after spending all day with Malcolm and our families. As much as I loved them, I always felt as though I was being watched. How’s Calida doing? Is she smiling enough? How’s she acting around Malcolm? On top of fielding relationship questions, they all assumed the next step would be me moving in with Mal. It was exhausting to keep up with everything they expected from me. I now had to add being self-conscious about how much I drank after the comment Malcolm made.
Shawn squirmed in my arms, readjusting himself as he slept. Placing a kiss on his nose, I repositioned him to better adjust his weight before maneuvering up the stairs. He was getting so big, and he seemed to double in weight when he slept.
Dorian was coming in just as I got back downstairs. All I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and enjoy the silence, so I prayed she wasn’t in a talkative mood.
“How was the cookout?”
“Good. Sorry you missed it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are such a crap liar.”
I walked over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of Chardonnay from the wine fridge, and pulled down two glasses. “I’ll work on that.”
I popped the cork, and filled one of the glasses, and held it out toward her. She took it from my outstretched hand, kicked off her shoes then headed over to the sofa. I let out a small sigh, realizing she had no plans to head downstairs. I filled my own glass, before carrying it and the bottle over to join her.
“Here.” She handed me an envelope. “Happy birthday.” I stared at her before taking it. “What?”
“You’ve not gotten me a gift in years. Most times, I was surprised you remembered to send me a text.”
She took a sip of her wine. “It’s the least I can do since you so graciously let me stay here.”
I handed her my glass, so I could open my present. It was a gift certificate for a full weekend getaway at a luxury resort in Asheville, NC—a romantic getaway for two. Et tu, Dorian?
Folding the paper, I stuck it back in the envelope. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And it has a two-year window, so no rush on using it.”
I smiled, taking my glass back from her. “Two years. Well that’s nice.”
She raised an eyebrow and gave me a once-over. “Figured you’d appreciate that.”
I nodded, and took a drink of my wine. I did appreciate it, more than she knew, or maybe not based on the look she gave me.
“That’s new,” she commented, pointing toward my neck.
My hand went to the necklace in response. My fingers ran across the rough surface of the diamonds inlaid in the infinity symbol. “It was my gift from Malcolm. To match the ring.” My thumb rubbed across the smooth metal on my finger. I made a mental note to get the roses out of my car later.
“The infinity symbol, how very romantically cheesy.”
“Look, you can talk shit about me all you want, but not him. Understand?”
She held her hands up in mock surrender. “Whoa there, Sally, I wasn’t talking shit. Well, not really. While that whole never-ending-love thing is a little cheesy, I have to admit the sentiment is actually kind of sweet.” She stopped to take another drink of wine before grabbing the bottle to refill her glass. I held mine out to be topped off as well. “Daniel certainly never made any gestures like that. Hell, even his proposal was less than romantic, more like a business deal.”
I sat back, quietly drinking my wine, unsure of how to respond. Dorian and I didn’t do heart to heart sisterly chats. We certainly didn’t talk about men and relationships unless she was flaunting hers in my face, as she’d done for so many years. Now, for the first time since she mentioned getting divorced, she actually looked sad over it.
“At least he asked you,” I said quietly, before taking a large gulp of wine. I didn’t know what possessed me to say that, and especially to her, but it came out before I could stop it.
She frowned, “Oh, please, you know Malcolm would ask you in a heartbeat if he didn’t think you’d say no.”
Dodged bullet, she didn’t know I was talking about Seth. However, I hated that she was correct about Malcolm. Now, that he had Macy’s blessing in dating me, he acted as if we’d been in this relationship for years.
“It’s too soon to be talking marriage. We’ve been dating for like a month.”
“What’s with you? Really?”
“What do you mean?”
“In the few times I’ve seen you with him, you don’t look like a woman that’s in a new relationship. You look like me.”
“Huh? What does that even mean? We look nothing alike. You reminded me of that every chance you got.”
She circled the contents of her glass around before taking another sip. “Whatever. Don’t be mad because I’m the better-looking sister.”
“Dorian…”
“I’m joking, I’m joking.” She laughed. She actually laughed like she was having a good time and not as if she was laughing at me. The wine must have been going to her head. “Malcolm is crazy about you. Anyone can see that, but you...you look like you know the relationship is dead and you’re just waiting on him to realize the same.”
Holy shit. Who knew Dorian cared enough to pay attention to anything related to me? She’d not even been around Malcolm and I that many times since we started dating. If that’s what she saw, what did everyone else see? I drained my glass and discovered the bottle was empty when I went to refill.
“I’m gonna get another.”
“Well, at least when you get wasted this time I don’t have to worry about you puking in my car.”
“I’m not getting wasted. You drank your fair share of that bottle. And I didn’t even puke in your car, so why are you still bitching about that?”
She finished off her glass and had it outstretched for a refill when I returned to the couch. “Because, as you said, I would look for ways to hold it over your head. You never did explain why you were getting smashed in the middle of the afternoon anyway.”
“Have you found a place yet?”
“Wow, real smooth change of subject there. I’ve narrowed it down to two, a townhouse in Johns Creek and a condo in Buckhead. Leaning toward the townhouse, I think. More space, but the amenities at the condo are great, and it’s closer to work, so I’ve not made a decision. Or I could just stay here. It’s not like you’re planning on moving anytime soon. Besides, who doesn’t want to live in such nice accommodations rent-free?”
“So, to get rid of you sooner, I need to start charging you for inconveniencing my life?”
“I’m family, not an inconvenience.”
“That is debatable.”
I missed being alone, being able to take the mask off and be me without anyone watching. With her here, I was still on guard until I was in the safety of my bedroom.
We settled into an odd but somewhat comfortable silence. My gaze went to my painting. I stared at the lady standing at the edge of the cliff, ready to jump. Ready to leave it all behind in hopes that something better waited for her on the other side. Of all the things Seth bought for me, that painting remained my favorite. I envied her, and the freedom she must have felt in that moment.
“Well, I’m going to head to my dungeon and go to bed.”
I simply shook my head, and drained the rest of my wine, and stood as she had. “Goodnight, Dorian.”
“Night.”
I waited until she’d left the room before picking up the half full bottle, and carrying it with me to my room.