Chương 14
Davina nodded.
“Thank you.”
“The luggage has already been transferred.”
Joel looked impressed.
“I have officially been upgraded from homeless to sofa.”
“You are not putting that on social media,” Davina said.
“I wasn’t.”
“You were thinking it.”
“I think lots of things.”
Her children followed him toward the path, and Linda went with them to inspect the residence despite having no reason to.
Marcus disappeared toward the bar after announcing that he needed “ten minutes with a bourbon and no relatives.”
Kevin stayed.
Patricia stayed.
Lily had reached the stage of exhaustion where every object became deeply interesting.
She was arranging sugar packets by color.
I watched her and thought about how close I had come to leaving earlier.
Maybe I should have.
Maybe staying had already cost more than I wanted to admit.
Thomas stopped beside me again.
“May I speak with you privately?”
Patricia looked at him.
“Another disaster?”
Thomas considered that.
“Nothing operational.”
That answer did not comfort anyone.
I stood.
“I’ll be back.”
Kevin said, “I’ll stay with Lily.”
Lily looked up.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You’re seven.”
“That’s temporary.”
Kevin nodded solemnly.
“Fair.”
Thomas and I walked toward the lower terrace.
The lights along the stone path had come on.
Guests sat around the firepit with blankets over their knees.
Somewhere behind the lodge, dishes clattered in the kitchen.
Thomas waited until we were out of earshot.
“I pulled the reservation call log.”
“You listened to it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I suspected the notes were incomplete.”
I looked at him.
“And?”
“Your mother did use your name.”
“We know that.”
“She also asked whether the rate would remain confidential.”
I stopped walking.
Thomas stopped too.
“What exactly did she say?”
“That she preferred not to involve you because you were extremely busy.”
I stared at the dark lawn.
“That sounds like her.”
“There is more.”
Of course there was.
Thomas’s face softened slightly.
“She asked whether the property was doing well.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“The agent assumed she meant financially.”
“Did she?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did the agent say?”
“That Crestwater was having an exceptional year.”
I felt something twist in my chest.
Thomas continued.
“Your mother was quiet for several seconds.”
“And then?”
“She said, ‘Good.’”
That was all.
One word.
I looked toward the terrace where Patricia sat beside Lily.
My mother was showing her how to fold the edge of a napkin into a fan.
Lily was doing it incorrectly on purpose.
Patricia knew.
She was pretending not to.
“I thought you should know,” Thomas said.
“Why?”
“Because incomplete information has done enough damage in this family.”
I looked at him.
“That sounded almost personal.”
“I have sisters.”
“Ah.”
He nodded toward the lodge.
“There is also the matter of the reunion account.”
“What about it?”
“Your mother asked to settle everything tonight.”
“With what card?”
“She provided a different one.”
“Did it clear?”
“Yes.”
I exhaled.
“At least that.”
“I removed the discretionary credits.”
I turned toward him.
“You did?”
“They were obtained under misleading circumstances.”
“Did she argue?”
“No.”
That surprised me.
“She asked what she actually owed and paid it.”
Thomas paused.
“She also paid for the Willow Residence.”
I frowned.
“I comped that.”
“She overrode it.”
“She can’t override me.”
“She can pay an invoice.”
I almost smiled.
“Did she know I comped it?”
“Yes.”
“And paid anyway?”
“Yes.”
That was very Patricia.
Apology through accounting.
“What about Lake Briar tomorrow?”
“Two cancellations came in during dinner.”
“At Crestwater?”
“Yes.”
“Real cancellations?”
His eyebrows rose.
“I do not manufacture cancellations for your family.”
“I had to ask.”
“The rooms are standard kings.”
“Davina needs beds for the kids.”
“We can place rollaways in one and connect the rooms.”
“That works.”
“I thought so.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
Thomas started to turn away.
“Thomas.”
He stopped.
“Did my father ever contact Crestwater?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
“I checked.”
“Meridian?”
“That I cannot answer.”
I nodded.
“I’ll ask Renata.”
He studied me.
“Tomorrow.”
“I didn’t say tonight.”
“You were thinking tonight.”
“That’s irritating.”
“It is one of my stronger skills.”
He walked away.
I stood alone near the firepit for a while.
A couple nearby was arguing quietly about whether to order another bottle of wine.
A boy in a navy sweatshirt slept curled against his mother’s shoulder.
One of the firepit logs collapsed inward and sent sparks into the dark.
None of it meant anything.
That helped.
When I returned to the terrace, Patricia was alone.
Kevin and Lily had gone inside to find hot chocolate.
My mother had the pinecone beside her wineglass.
I sat across from her.
She looked toward the empty chair where I had been.
“Thomas told you.”
“Yes.”
“About the payment?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want charity.”
“I know.”
“I especially don’t want yours.”
That sounded harsh.
She heard it too.
“I mean—”
“I know what you mean.”
She nodded.
We sat quietly.
Then I said, “He also told me about the phone call.”
Her face changed.
“The reservation call.”
“Oh.”
“You asked if Crestwater was doing well.”
She stared at the pinecone.
“I was curious.”
“You could have asked me.”
“Yes.”
“You keep agreeing with that now.”
“I know.”
I almost laughed.
She looked at me.
Then she laughed too.
It was brief.
Awkward.
Real.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” she said.
“You probably can’t.”
She looked hurt.
I did not soften it.
“But you can stop making it worse.”
“How?”
“Tomorrow morning, we collect everything you have on Evan.”
Her shoulders tightened.
“And then?”
“I’ll have Miles review the contracts.”
“Your attorney?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want to be treated like some incompetent old woman.”
“Then don’t act like one.”
Her eyes flashed.
I regretted it instantly.
“That was cheap.”
“Yes.”
She looked away.
“I deserved some of that.”
“Not that.”
We sat in silence again.
I said, “You make it very hard to help you.”
“You make it very hard to need you.”
May you like
That stopped me.
She continued before I could respond.
