Chapter Sixteen
The only good thing that could be said about family pictures in the backyard was that Sarah was so preoccupied trying to keep Giovanni out of them and Mimsy’s dress from taking a plunge, she’d forgotten I wasn’t wearing shoes and didn’t keep me out of most of the photos like she had done in years past. I didn’t even bother to show up last year when they took family pictures. Maybe Sarah would photoshop me out like she had in the past and say it was by accident. We would have to see.
Oddly though, the photographer, Deann, an old friend of Sarah’s, was over-the-top nice to me. She couldn’t keep her hands off my hair and kept commenting how she had never seen my unique color of smoky red. “Do you color it?” she asked me.
I shook my head and shied away, not comfortable with strangers petting me or asking personal questions. I also had to rescue my nephews from Giovanni, who was saying something about how he knew a guy who knows guy and getting something off a truck. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good, and my nephews’ wide eyes were swimming with possibilities that I was sure their parents wouldn’t appreciate.
I never thought I would say this, but I was happy when guests started to arrive. My neighbors and homeowners’ association probably didn’t appreciate it since we had to get a special onetime use code for the guests to enter our community, and several cars were parked in front of neighbors’ houses. I didn’t think we were going to win any popularity contests amongst our stuffy neighbors, but they already thought I was a call girl. There was an increasing amount of people who could be added to that list. I should probably be more bothered by that than I was.
There were plenty of things to be bothered by tonight, though. Giovanni was on top of the list. I didn’t like the way he treated Mimsy—like a misogynistic Neanderthal who believed that women were only put on the earth to please their men and look pretty for them. I was more put off and surprised that Mimsy put up with it. During the last four years, I had never seen her let anyone push her around. Well, I wasn’t one to put up with it, so after the second time I saw him order her to get him a drink, I’d had enough. I was all for couples serving each other, but the way Giovanni spoke to her was a clear indication he wouldn’t return the favor.
I met Mimsy at the table covered in crystal champagne glasses filled with their namesake. The table was one big, sparkly, bubbly magnet. I’d hoped parents were watching their children, aka the parents of my nephews. Not that I hadn’t done my own share of underage drinking when I was growing up, but like many before me, I was becoming a hypocritical adult, not by choice, per se, but having the police show up with my neighbors already under the impression I was a call girl wouldn’t be in my best interest. Though it would be a good story to tell and use for a future book. One worry at a time.
I pulled up Mimsy’s dress before removing the champagne glass from her hand. Her beady eyes bore into me like a drill. Sarah had the same look down and had used it on me many times, so I didn’t flinch once.
“I’ll take that.” I was tempted to down the drink myself, but instead reminded myself there could be more important things than a brief happy buzz at stake. Was I ever going to get pregnant?
“What do you think you’re doing?” Mimsy shook her gnarled finger at me.
“I could ask you the same question.” I stood firm.
“I don’t answer to you.”
“You’re right, you don’t. And you shouldn’t be answering to Giovanni either.” I made sure to say that loud enough for the nearby jerk to hear.
And hear he did. He’d been bragging about how well connected he was to Deann, who was still following me around and snapping candids of me and the other guests. He stopped mid-sentence and marched right over to us—more like shuffled with purpose. His arm immediately went around Mimsy, making her fall into him. “Do you have a problem, young lady?”
I hadn’t been spoken to like that since I told off my principal in high school. Oddly, I had the same type of problem with him as I did with Giovanni. I gave him my politest sneer. “I think you’re capable enough to get your own drinks, don’t you?”
“I don’t care what you think,” he threw back at me. That caught the attention of my husband and his mother, who both hurried over.
Peter placed his hand on the small of my back. “What’s going on?” he asked more me than anyone, but Giovanni was quick on the draw.
“Your wife needs to mind her own business.”
Peter stiffened next to me as if ready to pounce. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen Peter behave in such a way, but he didn’t jump in right away like a knight in shining armor; instead, he let the woman he treated like a queen fight her own battles like she wished.
“Mimsy is our business and we expect her to be treated with respect.” I dared Giovanni with my tone to bring it on.
Sarah’s clenched fists and red face that had been directed toward me for causing a mini-scene now didn’t know what to do. Her hands, which had been in motion, dropped on her hips. She was spluttering incoherently.
Giovanni yanked Mimsy tighter against him. “Let me tell you something—ain’t no one going to talk to me like that. Mimsy doesn’t even like you.”
Mimsy owned the statement with her eyes that hit mine directly and said what of it?
The admission didn’t surprise me, and I was far past being hurt by the knowledge. “Mimsy, I know you don’t like me, but I hope you like yourself enough to know that you deserve a real man, not this cheap imitation who probably can’t even spell respect much less show you any.”
Mimsy continued to stare at me, but disbelief now flooded her features and maybe gave her some pause.
I set my sights on the con man next to her. “Now excuse me while I go see how much cash you managed to steal from my nephews.”
His dentures came falling out.
“Yes, I saw that too. Keep your hands out of their pockets and Mimsy’s. And if every cent isn’t returned, you’ll be dealing with more than me tonight.” I turned to leave but not before Sarah caught my eye. The same look of wonder she’d been giving me the past several days filled her pale blue eyes. But she shook it off quickly to rescue her mom.
With my head held high, I walked away with my knight ever by my side holding my hand, reminding me that humanity and decency existed despite the Giovannis of the world. I bet Giovanni wasn’t even his real name.
By now our house was full. I didn’t think many witnessed the scene that had played out in our kitchen. Most everyone was congregating around Sam and Reed in the great room.
Peter stopped me and wrapped me in his arms before I could find our nephews in the sea of people. “I love you,” he whispered in my ear. “Are—”
“You are the cutest couple.” Deann interrupted by snapping picture after picture of us while she gushed. Not only that, she blinded us with her flash. If only Sarah and I had a better relationship, I could have gotten a real photographer for the event, the same guy who had done Sam’s photos for her website. He was amazing. I’d hired him to do some work for my other job when I’d done a piece about the homeless in Chicago. His lens was able to capture not only physical destitution, but the poverty of the soul in those people’s eyes. It was haunting.
While Peter and I were recovering from having our corneas burned, Deann, with her camera hanging around her neck, placed her arms around us. Her jovial, aged face poked right between our own. Her gray hairs tickled my nose. “I saw what you did back there.” Her voice was conspiratorially low. “You have some balls, sister. I love it.”
Peter cracked a smile. I admit my lip twitched.
“I’m going to go upstairs if that’s okay with you and take some shots from up there so I can capture the crowd, and while I’m up there I’ll keep my eyes on you know who.” She winked ten times in a row.
“Sure,” Peter answered. “That would be great.”
She stepped back all smiles. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you’ve covered.”
That didn’t make me feel any better, but I was happy to have her be wherever I wasn’t. Peter and I needed a moment to figure out what to do about Giovanni.
Peter led me outside where several people had gathered to drink and mingle. A few people looked familiar, and they waved and greeted Peter. Most stared at me like I was an aberration. Must be friends of Sarah. I gave them my best smile, making them turn their sour faces away.
Our new patio loveseat was available, so we tried it out. It was comfortable, but the company was even better. Peter sat close to me, held my hands in his lap, and gazed at me. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Peter’s thumb stroked my hand. “You’re incredible. Only you would ask that after my grandmother insulted you.”
“I’m used to it.”
He let out a heavy breath. “You shouldn’t be. If we were in a different setting I would have said something. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’ve got bigger problems to worry about. You or your parents need to contact the assisted living center. And if your parents are on Mimsy’s bank accounts, they should probably check to see if any large or unusual withdrawals have been made.”
Peter’s eyes doubled in size. “You don’t think he’s . . .”
“I hope not, but swindlers like Giovanni know who to target and how to lure them to get what they want.”
“We should call the police.”
“I agree, but maybe we should wait until after the party.”
Peter looked around at all the nicely dressed people swirling around us, laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. “You’re right, but we can’t leave him alone. I’ll talk to James and Dad. We can all keep an eye on him.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Peter’s warm hand rested on my cheek. Tenderness burned in his eyes. “If I haven’t said it lately, thank you for putting up with my family. They don’t deserve you.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing we never met each other’s parents before we tied the knot.”
He leaned in and kissed me once. “Another thing to thank God for.”
I grabbed his tie, not ready for him to leave. “Peter.”
“Yeah.”
“I still would have married you.” I pulled him to me for one more kiss. “Now go kick Giovanni’s a— I mean . . .” No, that was exactly what I meant.
Peter’s eyes and face lit up. “I love—”
“There you are,” both Avery and James loudly interrupted our moment. There was a lot of that going on tonight and I wasn’t happy about it.
They were practically jogging over wearing smiles that hovered between shock and amusement. This couldn’t be good. My first guess was Mimsy’s dress had finally taken the plunge, but no. More flying monkeys had landed.
James and Avery stood in front of us bursting to blurt out their unwelcome news. But first they had to take a moment. Peter and I sat warily waiting for the bomb to explode.
Avery was finally composed enough to say, “You will never believe who just walked in.”
“The cops?” was my first guess and at this point maybe a wish, even if it did lend to my neighbors’ theory that I was a call girl.
Avery and James both shook their heads.
“Why would you guess that?” Avery asked. “Never mind, tell me later.”
“The cops may need to break up a fight,” James interjected.
“What?” Both Peter and I stood, ready to act.
“Not yet.” Avery waved us down, but we both stayed on our feet.
“Who’s here?” Peter asked, losing patience.
“Neil,” they said in unison.
I shook my head. I hoped I’d heard them wrong. “As in Sam’s ex-husband?”
“The very one,” Avery answered.
James cracked his knuckles. “Looks like I may need to call in some favors after all.” James was always joking, or at least I hoped he was, that he had friends who knew how and where to bury bodies.
Peter placed a hand on James’s shoulder. “Hold that thought.” Surprisingly, his tone wasn’t against it.
“How’s Sam taking it?” I asked.
“She’s flustered, but so far seems to be handling it with grace. Reed on the other hand. . .” Avery gave a mischievous smile. “He’s all for calling in James’s favor.”
James gave an appreciative smile.
Peter, on the other hand, was more alarmed. “We better get in there and see what we can do.”
“Grab a shovel, brother,” James teased.
“Why don’t you two go check on Reed,” I suggested to Peter and James. “But don’t forget to talk to your dad and keep your eye on Giovanni.”
“What? Why?” Avery was more than curious.
“I’ll explain as we walk.”
Avery looped arms with me. I was happy to see she had ditched her shoes too. She was such a tiny thing. I probably looked like the jolly pale green giant next to her. Scratch that, make that unjolly bordering on ready to snap some wings off some flying monkeys. Regardless, I never imagined myself being friends with the cheerleaders of the world. In high school, I fashioned myself as part of the anti-popular crowd, though I’d been popular in my own right, or more like infamous. It probably served me right to marry into a family that bred popular kids for a living. Good thing they were some of the most wonderful people on the planet. It still didn’t make me sorry for writing that exposé in my high school newspaper about the head cheerleader who believed hazing was a right. I was still proud to have stripped the mean girl of her pom poms.
Avery and Sam, though both cheerleaders, were anything but mean.
I was able to tell Avery most of the story as we traversed the crowded house, making our way to Sam, where she’d last been seen near the entryway greeting Gelaire, her ex-mother-in-law, though Sam would never call her that. According to Avery, Neil brought his mother, Gelaire, along with his infant daughter, Farrah. Not sure how that all came about. The only bright spot was that he didn’t bring his pubescent pregnant fiancée. Or, at least, she hadn’t been seen. With the way things were going, I wouldn’t be surprised if she showed up.
Before we made it to Sam, Deann called my name and waved to me from my loft. She had two other women with her I recognized as Sarah’s friends who had been in and out of my house all week. “I’m getting some great shots up here!” she yelled down.
Great. Like we needed this crazy-town parade to be immortalized in pictures. I had no time to pay her any attention or tell her I would be more comfortable if people weren’t up there. There were more pressing matters at hand.
Peter and James had made it to Reed in the nick of time. Reed was about ready to throw a punch if his icy glares directed at Neil from the fireplace said anything. Sam’s grace was expiring quickly as she stood with Gelaire, who was holding her hand and fretting.
“Darling, I’m so sorry. He insisted he drive me instead of taking a cab and I thought perhaps this could heal some wounds.” Gelaire scowled at Neil, the cause of each and every one of Sam’s scars. “I never meant to upset you.”
Sam took a breath and squeezed the elegant Gelaire’s hand. Sam had the best luck with mothers-in-law—even after she was no longer married to their sons, they still loved her. I had to keep my envy at bay.
“Gelaire, I could never be upset with you.” Sam whipped her head toward Neil. “But how dare you,” she kept her voice low, “come here after everything you’ve put Cody and me through and tell me I should rethink this. There is nothing to rethink. Reed is the best man I’ve ever known, and you should be thanking him for the dad he’s been to our son.”
Neil’s face exploded in green waves of jealousy. His hair plugs looked about ready to pop. “It will be a cold day in hell before I thank him for breaking up our family.”
Was he delusional? Avery gave me a look that said she was thinking along the same lines as me.
“Son, enough,” Gelaire demanded.
Neil didn’t acknowledge Gelaire. He continued to stare at Sam with cold eyes. “I think I’ll help myself to a drink. I’ll see you at Cody’s home opener next week.”
Sam didn’t let him shake her. “Make sure you’re there for the right reasons—the only reason. Cody.”
Neil sneered at her before stomping off.
Sam nodded at both Avery and me to tell us she was okay before she led Gelaire back with her to be with Reed.
“Well, that was exciting,” Avery commented. “I better go find Jimmy and Matt and make sure Mimsy’s sugar daddy isn’t taking any candy from my kids.”
I had a feeling it was Mimsy who was the sugar momma. Which was why I was happy to turn around and see that Sarah and Joseph were glued to the pale, wrinkled Kanye and Kim wannabes. Giovanni was trying to stare me down, but all he got in return was a smirk. Mimsy, I noticed, was pouting like a child, and Sarah kept grabbing her and pulling her back like she was a toddler. Joseph smiled warmly at me and mouthed, “Thank you.”
I wasn’t sure why he was thanking me, but I would take a kind word from him any day. And hoped to give him many in return in the future.
First, though, my new fan Deann with her two sidekicks accosted me when I made it to the stairs as if they were waiting for me to pass by. Deann reached for me and they circled around, making me feel like I was the sacrifice for the weird ritual they looked ready to perform. They were all staring at me in what could only be described as bewilderment. I began to back away, more than uncomfortable, but Deann pulled me back into their unholy circle. Where was Mimsy’s holy water when you needed it?
“We were just saying how lovely your home was and how Peter hit the jackpot.” Deann petted my arm. The women all smiled at some inside joke I'd apparently missed.
I wasn’t even sure how to respond, but didn’t need to. The perky dyed brunette to my right who was wearing a puffy dress as if she was going to prom in the 1980s spoke before I could.
“You know, Peter dated my daughter in high school.”
“I didn’t know that.” Nor did I care to. Not like I was jealous, but what difference did it make now?
“They were such a cute couple. I thought maybe he might change his mind about entering the seminary then. He broke Eva’s heart, but I guess he was . . . well, I guess he wanted bigger things.” That sounded like sour grapes with a topping of BS.
I suppose you could consider God bigger things, but I was sure they were slighting me somehow. I should have kept my mouth shut, but I wasn’t going to be insulted one more time tonight in my own home. “You know what they say—good things come to those who wait.” I got too much pleasure at the taken-aback, wide eyes of each woman. “Excuse me ladies, I’m sure my husband is looking for me.”
Like startled mice, they all scurried over to Sarah and instead of acting affronted they seemed excited. Why it was such a thrill for them to tell Sarah what an awful human being I was, I would never know. Newsflash—she already knew. Or at least she thought she knew. To add to the oddity of it all, Sarah hushed them. She didn’t seem happy to have others confirm what she already knew. She looked up from her circle of friends and locked eyes with me. In hers, I saw a look that teetered on perplexed and ashamed. What that was all about, I had no idea. I expected gloating.
No time to think about it. The party gods got their final revenge on me for the evening. Cody appeared with his baby sister wailing in his arms. I assumed he was looking for his dad, or maybe not since he wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with him, but the kid was looking for help and I was it.
Cody thrust ten-month-old Farrah into my arms without a second thought. “I don’t know what I did. One second she was laughing, the next . . . this happened. And she won’t stop.”
I rarely had the opportunity to hold a baby. I was as unprepared for it now as I was the first time. And just like the first time, I instinctively held her close to me, not sure where those inclinations came from. “Shhh.” I bounced Farrah, trying not to get emotional myself. So many memories flooded my mind and I ached desperately for her. The baby with no name. I smoothed Farrah’s blond, wispy hair while she calmed down, wishing for the red hair I had only touched once. Farrah looked up at me with her big brown eyes full of wonder. A smile filled her cherubic face. Tears filled my own eyes. I never knew the color of her eyes.
Peter surprised me and wrapped his arms around me from behind, bringing Farrah closer to me. It was both ecstasy and agony. Farrah calmed and snuggled against me. I held onto her with all that I had.
“You’ve never been more beautiful to me,” Peter whispered in my ear.
Would he feel the same way about me if he knew about her?