by Nora Cobb
Dad shakes his head. “I was under the impression that they were dating. I never heard any mention of marriage.”
We freeze in place and realize that my mother has never talked to Dad about Vicki marrying Connor. It was all her plan, and I’m sure if I saw a copy of the marriage contract, only her name would be on it.
“Vicki, do you want to marry Connor?” Dad asks.
Mother gives Vicki a brutal look that would make a weaker person say anything to make that look go away. But Vicki’s been through a lot of shit, and this does not ruffle her at all.
“Dad,” she replies firmly, “If Troy hadn’t done something, I’d be halfway to Alaska before he moved out.”
“Meaning what?” he asks.
Vicki clenches her fists in frustration. “Meaning that I would’ve run away. For good this time.”
Dad rubs his face with his hands and tugs at his chin. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Dear,” Mother puts her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not a big deal!” He throws her hand off. “This is an embarrassment! We will be front and center in the gossip columns, and then the Times and the Journal! We better not be ruined by your scheming.”
“My scheming?” Mother shot back, “I did all this for the family.”
“For the family?” Dad shouts. “How dare you! Have you seen what you’ve done to my children? They are so desperate to get away from this house—from you—that they are seeking legal counsel! Troy should be going to college to earn his degree, not trying to figure out how to take care of himself and his little sister.”
Mother waves her hands as if she can dispel everything he just said. “The children are melodramatic. They just want attention.”
“This was not done for attention.”
Dad slumps down on the couch farthest from us. I follow him, and sit beside him, and place a hand on his shoulder. Vicki sits down and places her hand on his leg like she’s holding onto him as if we could lose him in the fallout.
Mother slowly walks across the room to face us. She tosses a mood board off an upholstered chair, so she can sit down. She crosses her legs and leans back, bending her elbow on the arm and placing a finger on her chin. Mother watches the three of us as Dad mentally crumbles into bits.
“I was so stupid,” he moans. “I saw but I never understood. All I saw was that stupid arrangement of flowers in the middle of the dining room table.” He stares at Mother. “But I never took the time to notice what you’ve been up to.”
“Greg, I wish you wouldn’t take that tone with me in front of the children.”
“Children? You want to talk to me about taking that tone in front of the children?” He jumps up, sending us backward. “They’re not children anymore! Not after what you’ve done. My son is suing us for my daughter—the same daughter you shipped off to rehab.”
She purses her lips and shakes her head. “It’s not easy raising children, Greg. It’s a job, same as yours, only I’m not paid for it.”
Mentally, I groan, and Vicki stares at our mother with wide eyes. That wasn’t a smart thing to say to Dad. Dad is about to lose it.
“You want to get paid, Maya?” he asks. “Is that what you want? To get paid? Fine, you’ll get paid in alimony.”
Fuck. That was hard. I wish I had my phone to forever record that shocked look on Mother’s face. Her eyes are so round she may lose them. But it’s not over quite yet.
“I want a divorce,” he nods, looking like he likes the sound of those words as they roll smoothly off his tongue. “You can go get a job, get paid, and fuck that up. But you will never hurt my children ever again.”
My mother stands up from her chair. “I’ll give you some time to calm down.” She walks toward the archway. “And you can find me when you’re ready to apologize.”
“I suggest you pack your bags while you wait.”
***
After the blow-up, I go to my room and look at the Gawk website on my laptop. It’s a terrible article about a philanthropist investor with a fucked-up family life. Everything is true, but dialed up to the max. I can’t even imagine how these people know our personal business. Except that Vicki has been hanging out with Arielle. Arielle won’t care enough about Vicki to not take a swipe at Natalie through me.
As much as I want to go out and party, I have to face what is going on here with my family. I send a short text to Natalie, bailing, and go to talk with my dad, who has retreated to his study.
“Hey, Dad.” I stand in the doorway. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you. But Mother convinced me that you were in the loop … even though that never made any sense.”
“Troy, close the door and come sit down.”
Dad has rubbed his eyes until they’re bloodshot, and a glass of scotch sits on the desk. He grabs a glass out of his desk drawer and pours one for me—an extra finger, neat.
“I want to make it clear that I am not upset with you,” he says softly, “You will always have a home here with your sister.”
I take a sip of the scotch, and it burns my throat. I needed that sting to remind me that this is real and happening.
“I appreciate it, Dad. But I’m ready to strike out on my own. I want to be responsible for my own life—both the good decisions and the bad. It’s past time for me to be a real adult.”
“Son.” Dad rubs his face with both his hands. “I have to apologize to you. Deep down, I knew your mother was not right, but I was focused on the business. I had to stay on top of things or sink to the bottom. I didn’t want us to go under financially.”
I smile weakly. “It’s a competitive business.”
Unblinking, his eyes assess me. “Yes.” He nods. “The competition is tough.”
I press my lips together. “Have you suffered a hit because of the court papers?”
“Yeah,” he scoffs, “I market myself as a philanthropist as well as an investor. Ironic, isn’t it? Promoting well-being in families when your own is falling apart.”
“Dad, I …”
He interrupts me. “I know your mother drove you to it.”
“It wasn’t just her,” I explain. “Montlake is over, and like I said: I’m ready to be my own man. And as cliché as it might sound, I now get what it means.”
He finally smiles again. “Funny how you can hear a phrase all your life, but the meaning changes the day you actually experience it.”
I smile as I nod. “My decision to leave home isn’t to get back at you … or even Mother. It’s time for me to build my own life.”
“Do you plan to still take Vicki with you?”
I hesitate. She is a teenager and, if I’m being honest, so am I. “If I need to,” I pause, “She really counts on me.”
Dad laughs and shakes his head. “Leave her here with me. Troy, I want to rebuild my relationship with you and Vicki. But I understand your decision to leave. Will you need help?”
“With tuition, yes. But I’ve been saving up. And I’ll get my trust in two years when I turn twenty-one.”
Dad looks at the computer screen again.
“I heard Natalie is pregnant,” he says. There’s no judgment in his voice.
“It was just a rumor.” No point in telling him everything. I felt betrayed when Natalie said yes to Jacob. As much as I love her, I’m having a hard time getting over the fact that she was willing to have another man raise our baby.
Dad sighs. “That girl has gone through hell and back, from the sound of things.”
“People are jealous,” I say to him, “Her uncle wants to stop by and discuss the website with you.”
“I’m sure he knows something.”
I nod. “You’ll probably want to talk to him in person.”
“Good.” Dad shuts off the computer. “And you should talk to Natalie.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, “I’ll see her tomorrow.”
When Dad smiles, his eyes sparkle, and I know he’ll be okay. “I spoke to
the admissions board at Columbia, and they told me that Natalie has been accepted.”
“Really?” I laugh.
“Yeah, it took a while, but she’s been a strong candidate from the start. Plus, I made it clear that she has my personal recommendation. There are jealous people in town, and Natalie has always been a sincere, honest person in spite of the mess swirling around her.”
We stand up and hug across the desk. Things are messed up, but they’re changing. They won’t be the same again. They may not be as I hoped, but I’ll keep trying for better.
“Go tell her, Troy. And tell her it’s an apology for all the trouble she’s been put through in this overentitled town.”
I nod, but I guess I don’t look too happy.
“You want to talk about it?” Dad asks. Of course, he knows all the gossip. “Jacob’s upcoming wedding to Natalie. How do you feel about that?”
Suddenly, I feel like the teenager that I am. Not the kind that’s moving forward, but the type that’s sliding back to the way I used to be.
“I’m happy for her … and Jacob.” I pause, catching my breath. “They’re waiting, though. It hurts that she didn’t wait for me. That she picked him instead. I still feel the same way about her. I still love her.”
“I wish I felt that way about your mother.” Dad sits down again, and we finish off our scotch. “I did once, but life got busy for both of us, and we became different people along the way. I wish I had the same amount of love for your mother that you have for Natalie. Hell, even a fraction of it would help right now.”
“So you’re serious about the divorce?” I ask.
Dad nods. “I’ve honored my marriage vows. But I don’t think I can anymore.” He sighs. “You know, there are days when I will periodically think about the one that got away. And I wonder if she thinks about me too.”
Dad slams the desk with the palms of his hands and straightens his back. “Troy, is Natalie a girl worth fighting for?”
I nod. “It would help if I had a ring, though.”
I’ll always be a schemer. I just have to direct those energies toward the positive.
Dad twists off his ring in disgust and tosses it toward me. The size is big, but it’s not as bulky as the typical ring that a man would wear. It’s a thin band of gold with seven diamonds in star settings. I could definitely give it to Natalie.
I slip it into my jean pocket. “Thanks, Dad.”
“No hard feelings?” he asks.
“Never.”
“Don’t you have a party to go to?”
“Are you sure?”
He laughs. “You can stay here and watch your mother pack, or you can go find your girl.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smile full-on. “I’ll see you later.”
CHAPTER 19
Lucas
It’s finally over. The whole thing. My body, mind, and soul are adjusting to the fact that I won’t be going to Montlake ever again. I open the window in my bedroom and look at the green lawn that stretches toward a blue sky. A breeze blows in and ruffles my hair. I’m thinking about the rest of my day until someone taps on my door.
“Come in.”
Smiling, Taylor walks in. We’ve barely spoken since my latest argument with Dad. Bitterness has seeped into me as I remember the times I stood by Taylor while Dad was a bully and an ass.
“Lucas, dear. When you’ve dressed, come join us downstairs.”
I sigh, look out the window again, and shut it. My blue jeans are hanging over my desk chair, and I grab a clean T-shirt from the drawer. My hair looks okay, and I splash water on my face. I should probably put on some shoes, but I carry them with me instead.
Voices carry from the living room as I walk down the stairs. Turning the corner, I see my parents with their guests. Taylor and Dad are entertaining a middle-aged couple and their daughter, who might be my age. I smile stiffly.
“This is my son, Lucas,” my father beams, waving me over. “Lucas, come on over and meet the Spencers. These are Quentin, Tori, and their daughter, Rachel.”
I nod as I look them over. Quentin is a business associate of my dad’s from Connecticut, and I met his wife, Tori, once when she and Taylor went to New Paltz for a spa weekend. If I remember correctly, it lasted a week. But it’s obvious that I’m not being introduced to them; I’m being introduced to their daughter Rachel, who is smiling at me earnestly.
“Lucas just graduated from Montlake, and he’s headed to Yale. Rachel, what college are you headed off to?”
“I’ll be studying art history at Princeton, Mr. Bellman.”
“A wonderful school.” Taylor smiles eagerly. “Lucas, why don’t you show Rachel the art we own in our house? I’m sure she’d like that.”
Before I can say yay or nay, Rachel is on her feet and standing next to me. Our parents look at us, standing next to each other, and smile their approval. My body stiffens until my neck cracks, and I can’t believe they’re doing this to me again. Not after that argument.
“Okay,” I sigh. “Let’s go and take a look.”
“Thank you, Lucas,” Taylor chirps. “Maybe order some food for Rachel. They have a Shimmy Shack at the circle.”
I nod mechanically. Rachel smiles again as if she’s just won a triple lottery. She’s a pretty girl— long dark hair, big brown eyes, tall, and slim. She could model if she wanted to, but I’m not interested. Barefoot, I walk past a painting in the hallway as she follows quickly behind me. I don’t want to take it out on this girl. So, I decide to act decent.
“Do you really want to look at the art in this house?” I ask her when we’re out of earshot.
The smile falls off her face. “No,” she shakes her head. “Anything not so boring?”
I smile. “I’ll check the rec room.”
We continue walking farther down the hallway. Rachel looks behind her shoulder as if to judge the distance. And once she’s determined we’re completely out of earshot, she grabs my arm. Her face comes close to mine, and I freeze.
“Look,” she whispers. “You’re a good-looking guy, and you seem polite, but I have a boyfriend.”
My body relaxes like jelly. “I have a girlfriend.”
She smiles. “You know they want us to hook up, and I don’t just mean to date.”
I nod. “Why else would a girl come to this house to meet me?”
“So, we get each other?” she asks.
“Completely.” I nod. “We could play with their brains, take off in my Camaro, and head out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
I grab my sneakers by the back door. “You’d like my girlfriend if you met her.”
Rachel shrugs. “I don’t doubt that.”
“You want to go hang out at her house?”
“Okay.”
***
Rachel and Natalie hit it off and spend the afternoon swimming in the pool while I discuss my business plan with Phil. Later, I join them in the hot tub, and we pick up burgers at the Shimmy Shack. That evening, we return home after spending the entire afternoon at Natalie’s house. Rachel bounces into the living room and announces that she had a wonderful time with me.
“What did you do all day?” Taylor asks.
“We spent the day with Lucas’ friend, Natalie,” explains Rachel, “She’s so nice. She’s going to Tampa, and told me I could hang out with her the next time I’m in Florida.”
Taylor’s face is paler than the upholstery on her Danish furniture. I smirk as my father glares. He has to keep his shit together while the Spencers are here. But the moment the front door closes after they leave, he’s on me like an attack dog.
“What are you playing at? Taking her to that girl’s house?” he hisses.
I sit down on the couch beside him, stretching out my arms along the back, as if we’re old friends. “I thought she’d have fun.”
“Don’t play dumb,” he says. “Did you tell her you were dating that bitch?”
My smile fades. I’m not going to tolerate my fathe
r badmouthing Natalie. “She knows that Natalie is my girlfriend. By the way, did you know she has a boyfriend?”
Dad pulls his hand through his hair. “Goddamn it, Lucas! I want you to marry Rachel, and Rachel’s parents want her to marry you.”
“Have you ever considered that maybe I don’t want to marry Rachel?” I throw up my hands. “Does it even matter that we don’t know each other and that we’re both in love with different people?”