She stayed in bed for most of the weekend, and came up with an idea. She’d hardly seen her children for the past two months, and she wanted to have them come for dinner. They were all leaving town for Thanksgiving. Reed was taking Claire to the Turks and Caicos for some sun, Tammy had promised to go visit Stacey’s family in Ohio, and Anthony was going to San Juan with Alicia to meet her father and assorted other relatives. Kate still hadn’t met her, and hoped to soon. A small dinner in the next couple of weeks would get them all together, and give Kate a chance to meet Alicia.
She texted all of them asking for dates that worked for them, and by the end of the weekend, they had agreed on a date. She was going to serve sushi and Mexican food, which they all loved. There would be eight of them, her children, their significant others, Kate, and their grandmother. It sounded like fun, and distracted her from the ache and burning of her hands and knees.
Claire had called her when she got her mother’s text, wanting to know what the dinner was about.
“Do you have more confessions for us?” she said with an edge to her voice.
“Not at all. It’s just dinner, since you’re all going to be away for Thanksgiving.” Claire relaxed after that. Reed was coming too.
Anthony called her late that night, nervous about it. “Is this so everyone can meet Alicia?”
“It’s a nice sidebar and we all want to meet her, but the only purpose is to be together and enjoy each other’s company.”
“Oh,” he sounded surprised. “What should she wear? She’s worried about it.”
“Whatever she wants, jeans, whatever. It’s just the family for dinner, Anthony, there’s nothing behind it.” He sounded relieved, and the conversation was brief.
Kate was looking forward to it. It was going to be interesting to see how the group blended, with three new partners in their midst. Her family was changing. Margaret was curious too, and they only had ten days to wait.
Chapter 13
The day of the dinner with her children, Kate bought flowers, put them all around the apartment, and enjoyed arranging them herself. She put an embroidered tablecloth on the table, brightly colored napkins and a set of red plates she used once in a while. It looked festive and she put a chocolate turkey at each place, just as she had when the children were little. She had champagne for those who wanted it, and good French wine for dinner. By the time they all arrived, it felt like a party. Tammy and Stacey got there first, and thought the table looked lovely.
“I can never do that and make everything match,” Stacey said. “It looks like Martha Stewart did it,” she said admiringly. The candles matched the decor too. Tammy was used to her mother doing beautiful table settings when she entertained and even for the family when she had time, but it was new to Stacey.
“Tammy is good with things like that too,” Kate said, smiling at both of them. “And you can cure a sick child. You can’t do everything. We all have our talents.” She was happy to see Stacey again, she had done the seating carefully, and had used place cards to seat them, trying to guess who would get along best with whom. She had gone all out, and had bought a fabulous cake for dessert, and a huge box of chocolates.
Reed and Claire were the next to arrive. The baby was showing now. She was five months pregnant, and she could feel it move. She put her sister’s hand on her belly several times to feel a kick, but didn’t invite her mother to. She still had an attitude with Kate, because she had been critical of her getting pregnant and their not getting married. Claire could hold a grudge forever and apparently intended to, but she was pleasant with everyone else.
Margaret said something to her about it before dinner, when Kate was out of the room tending to something in the kitchen. “What you’re doing to your mother isn’t fair. She wants the best for you, and she had a right to be upset by your news.”
“I have a right to be upset by her attitude, and by her being judgmental about me,” Claire said coldly. She was being intentionally petulant with her mother, which seemed very wrong to Margaret, and childish, since she was about to become a mother herself.
“You don’t need to abuse her, Claire. You’ve been very rude to her since July. Why do you want to hurt her?”
“She hurt me being so angry about the baby, and trying to force us to get married. She’s embarrassed that I’m pregnant. She’s not happy for us.”
“She’ll adjust to it, but she won’t if you continue to be nasty to her. Sooner or later, she’ll stop trying, and then you’ll regret it.” Margaret knew her daughter and Kate had her limits as to how much abuse she was willing to take. Margaret could sense that Kate had reached hers. Claire didn’t comment, but showed no sign of relenting and went cold whenever her mother was near her. Reed was embarrassed by Claire’s behavior, and tried to compensate and whispered to her when they sat on the couch.
“Why do you always act like a brat around your mother? She’s perfectly nice to us. You don’t need to punish her.”
“Whose side are you on?” she said angrily.
“The adults’ side,” he said firmly. “Why don’t you join us? It’s a winning team.” He was disappointed by her childish attitude, but he loved her in every other way. He was more in love with her than ever, particularly as the baby’s birth got closer. It was only four months away. Claire had already started decorating the nursery. It was a boy, which made Reed even happier. Stacey came over to sit next to Claire, and asked her about the due date and how she was feeling, which touched Claire. She warmed to Stacey immediately, although she had been shocked when Tammy had called her and said she was gay, after she’d told Kate. Claire was meeting Stacey for the first time that night. They chatted while Tammy and Reed talked business.
Anthony and Alicia were the last to arrive, half an hour late, but the Mexican food was staying warm in the oven, and the sushi was in the refrigerator, so Kate wasn’t worried about the dinner.
“She changed outfits six times,” Anthony whispered to Tammy when he kissed her, and she laughed.
She introduced him to Stacey, and they talked videogames. She said she had been addicted to them in college, and once she started playing she couldn’t stop. She knew several of his games and loved them.
Anthony was immediately caught up in the swirl of family activity, and after he introduced Alicia, he forgot about her momentarily, teasing his sisters, and chatting with Reed and Stacey, while Alicia stood shyly at the edge of the group. Kate saw what was happening and went over to her. Alicia had worn a cream-colored skirt and sweater, which showed off her figure and was perfect with her café au lait skin.
“All the kids’ partners are new to us,” Kate said warmly, “so you’re not the new girl at school, they all are. Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. I met Stacey two months ago for the first time, and Reed this summer. I’ve heard a lot about you,” she smiled and lowered her voice, “I’m glad things worked out. He’s crazy about you.” Alicia beamed when she said that, and was relieved to see that Kate had worn a skirt, and so had Tammy, so she’d guessed right about her outfit. As she glanced at Kate’s skirt, she noticed her legs and gasped.
“Oh my God, what happened to you?” Her legs were still black and blue from knee to ankle, she had huge scabs on her knees, and Alicia saw that she had scabs on the palms of her hands too.
“I fell on the ice when it snowed two weeks ago. I felt really stupid. I was wearing six inch heels.” None of her children had noticed her legs, but they saw Alicia’s expression and looked down. Stacey was horrified.
“Why didn’t you call me? Did you see a doctor?”
“No, nothing’s broken, just bruised and scraped. The opposing counsel in a deposition I’d just finished bandaged me up. He’s a former Navy paramedic.”
“That must have hurt, Mom,” Tammy said sympathetically. Claire said nothing, yet again to prove a point. It was getting old, and Anthony told her
to shape up and be nice to Mom. He was happy to see his mother talking to Alicia. She had been terrified to meet her. And Margaret was quick to join the group, and chat with Alicia too. By the time they sat down to dinner, Alicia felt totally at ease, and was talking animatedly with all of them. At dinner she was very funny about where she went to school, and Hunter College now in her final semester. They were impressed that she was determined to get her degree, even at thirty. She was obviously smart and persevering, and hardworking.
“Where did you go to college?” she asked Stacey, who looked instantly embarrassed.
“Don’t ask her,” Tammy intervened. “I feel stupid every time someone asks her. She went to Harvard, and graduated summa. She’s obviously some kind of alien. Normal humans can’t do that.”
“Holy shit! Really?” Stacey nodded, and Alicia looked profoundly impressed, but Stacey was modest and unassuming about her achievements. Kate smiled, watching the interactions at the table, and was pleased that everyone got along. They gobbled up the food, the conversations got louder and louder and the wine flowed. Margaret was happily part of it, and Kate had Anthony and Reed opening more wine.
“Nice group,” Kate whispered to her mother.
“I told you the family hadn’t fallen apart. It just looked that way for a while. It’s different, that’s all,” Margaret responded.
“You have to admit, it’s a little unorthodox,” Kate reminded her.
“That’s what families are about. No family is normal these days. There is no such thing, even in Disney cartoons.” Kate patted her mother’s shoulder and handed Anthony another bottle of wine to open. Alicia looked comfortable in their midst. She had an incredible body and Tammy asked her how she kept it that way. She said she did kick boxing and had gotten Anthony into it. She said she had taken lessons from a pro at a gym as a kid. “I could kick any boy’s ass in the neighborhood, which came in handy where I lived.” Anthony handed his phone around with a video of her boxing on it, and everyone was impressed. They were all different, from different backgrounds, with a variety of talents, but the mesh worked well. The only disappointing member of the group was Claire, who was quiet a lot of the time, and only wanted to talk about her pregnancy. She was totally self-involved.
“Can’t you talk about anything else?” her brother finally scolded her. “You’re not the first woman on the planet to have a kid. How’s your job?”
“Fine,” she said, looking sullen. “I can’t wait for my maternity leave. I’m taking three months off.”
“I’m fascinated,” he said, and rolled his eyes. Kate thought it was good for her to be back in the fold of her family, and not pampered by Reed all the time. He treated her like spun glass and hung on her every word. And felt her belly for every kick.
Stacey asked her if she was signing up for Lamaze classes, and Claire said they sounded boring and she didn’t need them since she wanted drugs at the delivery anyway. Stacey said she might find the classes helpful and Claire brushed her off.
Tammy asked Alicia about her modeling, and she explained that she did it to pay the rent, but was trying to be an actress, without much success so far, but she was determined.
“She’s a genius with computers,” Anthony said proudly, “she understands all my games.”
“I’m glad somebody does,” Tammy said.
“I do!” Stacey piped up. “I have a lot of them. They’re brilliant.”
The teasing and talking went on for many hours. They demolished the cake, and Kate ran out of wine. They switched to champagne, and Anthony and Reed drank tequila shots after dinner and Alicia had one too. They were a lively group, and finally left at one-thirty in the morning. The living room was a mess and Kate was delighted. The evening had been a huge success and they all liked each other, which was a major coup. Reed made a date with Anthony and Alicia to try their gym. He had been extremely congenial, and with no family of his own he really enjoyed Claire’s, in fact more than she did.
Margaret had gone home earlier and slipped away quietly, and Kate disappeared to the kitchen after a while to clean up, and not intrude on the young people, who were showing each other videos and photographs on Instagram, and all spoke the same language. Alicia talked to everyone. Claire finally warmed up and stopped talking about her baby. They were better than ever, and one happy family again, with partners who got along. And Kate didn’t care that some of them were gay, or about where Alicia had grown up, and despite his enormous success, Reed was happy to be part of a simple evening, and was able to roll up his sleeves and join the fun. There was nothing pretentious about him. It was Claire who was getting too big for her breeches and overly impressed with herself. Her brother tried to put her in her place whenever she did. She talked about Reed’s plane and everyone at the table booed and hissed at her, and Reed said it belonged to his company and he didn’t own it. It was good for Claire to be back among real people who didn’t care what she had now, or how spoiled she was becoming. It wasn’t attractive.
“Wow, Amanda would never have survived with this lot,” Kate commented to Tammy when she came out to the kitchen to check on her mother and help.
“I really like Alicia,” Tammy said admiringly. “She’s a live wire, and she’s good for Anthony. She doesn’t take any shit from him, and she gets his geek side.”
“I’m glad someone does, and I like her too.” Kate smiled at her, happy with how it had turned out.
They all promised to do it again soon, Alicia wanted to have them to dinner at Anthony’s apartment, and Tammy and Stacey wanted to host a family dinner too.
Kate was thrilled with the evening, and it took the sting out of losing them all for Thanksgiving, which had never happened before. She was going to spend it alone with her mother. But she was determined not to spend a lonely Christmas. She had gotten them all to agree to Christmas Eve dinner together at her place again. Kate was hosting it, and everyone was excited at the prospect. She didn’t mind losing Thanksgiving so much, if she had them all with her for Christmas. It was the first Christmas that Stacey was going to be in New York, to spend it with Tammy, and now her family. It had been a long wait, but well worth it. The day after Christmas, Reed and Claire were flying to Saint Bart’s for the last trip they would take before the baby. She’d be too pregnant to fly after that.
Alicia’s eyes were alight on the ride back downtown, and not just from the tequila. She could drink most of the men under the table as well as kick their asses, and was proud of it.
“Your family is fantastic!” she said happily and Anthony beamed at her.
“They loved you.” He had never felt that way with Amanda. Alicia was part of everything, and the center of the excitement. She wasn’t intimidated by anyone in the group, not even his mother, who had been very kind to her.
“I love your mom,” she said, smiling at him.
“Yeah, me too. I’ve got to hand it to her. She’s made a hell of an adjustment in the past four months.” It was a major understatement, but she had done it, because she loved them. They made it all worthwhile.
Kate spent Sunday cleaning up the kitchen, putting things away, and tidying the apartment. They all called to thank her, and she reminded them about Christmas Eve.
It seemed hard to believe but the people they had added, the eclectic group of partners they had chosen, made things better, not worse. They were all close in age, however different their backgrounds. It was a fantastic mix. And her mother was right. There were no normal families anymore. Normal was accepting whatever cards you were dealt, and how well you played the hand.
Chapter 14
The first settlement meeting about the case Kate and Scott White were on opposite sides of was scheduled for the Monday before Thanksgiving. After consulting with her associates, their decision was to get rid of the case if at all possible. It was taking up too much time, a trial would take months of preparation, wou
ld cost a fortune, and juries were unpredictable. She and her partners set a ceiling for the amount they were willing to throw at the unworthy opposition, and Kate hoped that Scott and Jack Hirsch would be able to convince their unpleasant client to settle for that amount. She was counting on Scott now that she knew there was another side to him, after he had rescued her when she fell.
She wore slightly lower heels to the meeting. She saw Scott lean down and check discreetly, and give her an almost invisible thumbs-up, and she laughed. They didn’t talk to each other before the meeting. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the settlement of the case, or be accused of improprieties later that might overturn whatever decision had been reached.
The meeting got under way quickly. Both the plaintiff and defendant were there. Kate’s client was being pleasant and polite and non-inflammatory. Scott was invariably rude and insulting, calling people names so that he had to be reprimanded frequently. It was tedious dealing with him. The meeting droned on for four hours, the opposition offering fresh accusations of malfeasance to strengthen their argument, which Kate knew meant nothing, and was only done to try to increase the settlement.
The defendant’s side finally made their offer, and left the conference room, so the plaintiff and his team could discuss it. It was all about a business deal which had gone sour. Money invested had been lost, and the plaintiff was trying to recoup his losses inappropriately by accusing Kate’s client of everything under the sun, most of it lies. She didn’t think a jury would buy it, but it could take years to resolve if they went to court. The logic of doing so made no sense, and Scott had tried to convince his client of that also, to no avail. His client was a street fighter who had nothing better to do, was bitter about the failed deal, and had billions, so money wasn’t the issue. In reality, the settlement, whatever it was, made no difference to him. It was more symbolic. He wanted his legal costs paid for too. And his lawyers were charging him a fortune.
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