by Claire Adams
“I’m happy for Nancie; she deserves it,” Ron said. “That girl practically poses in her sleep.”
“And how would you know that?” I frowned. “You’ve been stalking her at night?”
“She wishes.” He laughed and left to check on the fish. He returned with a sample for me as Milo sniffed the air. It was flaky and buttery, with a slight crisp on the outside that was salty and sweet at the same time.
“It’s delicious,” I said. “Nancie’s going to love it.”
“Well, I guess I won’t be winning her heart over with my fish fry anytime soon,” he said and refilled my wine.
“Only two glasses,” I said. “I have to drive home eventually.”
“I got you. The fish is ready if you want to eat,” he said, and I followed him into the kitchen. We made our own plates and sat at the table with Milo at our feet.
His house was quaint with second-hand furniture and electronics that were at least two years old. Ron didn’t live a life of luxury or restraint; he was more in-between. His fishing business had done well for him, just enough for him not to worry about bills and a little extra to spoil his favorite cousin. I smiled at the thought of the first time he had gifted me a present after taking over his dad’s company. A small vanity mirror, since I had complained that all of the models had their own. My next present had been the script for my favorite movie, a romantic musical about a bohemian lifestyle set in Paris, and the very same movie on Blu-Ray.
“So are you okay?” he asked as we ate our fish. “I mean, you two are best friends, and she’s following the same dreams you have.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said honestly. “I won’t lie though; I can’t help but feel jealous. Nancie is already buying designer clothes and wearing expensive jewelry, and not just ones she gets from shoots.”
“She’s enjoying the finer things life has to offer,” he said.
“I want to enjoy those, too,” I said. “And I know you do as well. You’ve been saving up for one of those new TVs, with the 4K, and that new gaming console that’s sold out anywhere.”
“Well, of course, I’m going to want to buy the things I like,” he said. “But Maddie, that doesn’t mean I’m not happy without them.”
“You sound just like mom and dad,” I finished the two fillets on my plate and thanked Ron as he placed one more on it. Milo groaned as Ron walked to and from the kitchen. “I just don’t understand how this family is so okay with living in debt and barely paying bills. Don’t they want more? I know mom would love a hundred-year-old bottle of wine, and dad an outing at an actual golf course, not just put-put at the local YMCA. You can’t tell me money isn’t everything when it quite literally is.”
“Money means a lot, I agree with that,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean happiness. Gavin’s the richest asshole in the state and trust me when I say the bastard’s always moping around.”
“Gavin doesn’t realize what he has then,” I said, remembering that Ron’s childhood best friend had sold his father’s company and made several billion dollars from it. “He could move to the States, get a giant mansion, a yacht, buy out a theme park and put his face on every window if he wanted. He doesn’t because he’s spoiled.”
“I don’t know about that.” Ron fidgeted, and I realized I must have said something offensive. “Look, you want to live the rich life, right? Gavin’s having a dinner at his house on Friday. Come with me, and you can see how they live. I guarantee you’ll realize there’s more to happiness than just money.”
I considered his offer. It had been at least six years since I’ve even seen Gavin. Back then he was just the weird best friend of my cousin, a man barely out of college who didn’t seem to have anything to do with his life. Ron had filled me in only a little, something about his dad’s death and mom’s illness, but our paths hadn’t crossed in so long that he barely took more than a second of my thoughts in the past several years. But a fancy dinner party at a fancy house meant that I could wear a fancy dress, and who knows, maybe there would be important guests at dinner. Nancie believed in taking every opportunity that presented itself, to broaden your connections just in case. And Nancie would be thrilled to go shopping with me.
“I’ll go,” I said. “Now, can I get the rest of the fish to go? Nancie will kill me if I come home smelling like fried fish without bringing her a bucket.”
Ron chuckled and handed me a container as I said goodbye to Milo.
“I’ll see you on Friday,” he said, and we exchanged goodbyes. Nancie was waiting when I arrived home, and as expected she squealed when I asked her to go shopping with me.
“Who’s Gavin again?” she asked after eating her share of fish.
“Just some guy,” I said. “He’s not important though. It’s the other people who might be there.” We ended the night trying to decide what type of dress I would wear while looking up apartments in Hollywood that Nancie had been considering. They all were studios, but I chose not to say anything.
Chapter Five
Gavin
Mom’s legs were weak as she stood in front of her vanity and applied light touches of blush to her cheeks. She wanted to add color to her otherwise pale face before this mistake of a dinner, and I had special-ordered a custom powder from France and had it delivered to her within the day.
“I really wish you would reconsider this,” I said as I stood in the doorway of her room. My suit jacket was uncomfortable and itchy, a fancy designer jacket that mom had gushed about the minute she saw it in a catalog. It had been overnighted to me as well, along with pinstriped pants and leather shoes that practically still smelled like the cow it came from. I was uncomfortable in such an outfit.
“This is what I want,” she said. “Our closest friends and family together for dinner one last time before they find out. I just want to have a simple conversation without the constant reminder that I’m dying.”
“Our closest friends and family?” I laughed. “These people haven’t visited you once in the past half year.”
“People get busy with their lives,” mom said. “That doesn’t mean they care about us any less. If anything, I hope that they learn a lesson from me.”
“Your life is not a lesson,” I argued. Mom turned to me with a sad smile.
“But shouldn’t it be? Shouldn’t we all be lessons?” She finished her blush and leaned against the chair. She had a sudden burst of energy from the excitement of planning this dinner, but it seemed it was beginning to fade.
I didn’t want to upset her and ruin the night, so I nodded and helped her finish getting ready. She ordered a pair of custom tailored heels for the night, despite my concerns of her wearing such a heel, and slipped into them before heading over to my house. Already there were a dozen cars parked in my stretched driveway, and a hired butler was greeting people at the door as he subtly asked for their names.
Mom and I went in through the back, into an entertainment room that was sectioned away from the house. A hired worker for the night handed me a slip of paper that listed the guests who already arrived.
“Thank you,” I said and glanced at it. Twenty-five names were marked down, barely half of the invitations. Most everyone had RSVP’d, with just two expressing their sorrow that they couldn’t attend such a last-minute extravagant affair. Mom leaned on my shoulder as I led her to the grand foyer. She lit up as old friends greeted us, and I shook hands with several second and third cousins whom I forgot were related to us.
“Gavin, boy,” an older man in his sixties pushed my shoulder in a greeting. I smiled and turned to find Bill Schild, the very man who had purchased dad’s company for the billions that he thought were worth it. “Glad to see life is going well with you.”
“Thanks, Bill,” I said. “How’s Schild Corp?” He had changed the name from Hayward Corp to his own nearly the minute the transfer was complete.
“It’s moving smoothly. Your dad really built a wonderful company; don’t ever forget that,” he said and excused himself fo
r the bar.
I grimaced and held my tongue. Of course, I knew it was a wonderful company.
Another handful of guests arrived, and I stood by mom’s side as we welcomed them, each face a disappointment as I looked for my best friend. Appetizers would be ready within the hour, and it wouldn’t be surprising for Ron to show up at the very last minute. Had he known what this was truly about, he would have been the first one.
Ron’s own mother had been absent in his life for the past 10 years, starting after his father passed, and my mom had taken it upon herself to treat him like a son. His mother had been my dad’s best friend, and in a way, Ron shared just a few traits of dad. His laugh, the way he was the life of the party, his inappropriate humor. Mom recognized them, and sometimes I caught her staring in his direction with a sad, soft smile.
Maybe she saw dad in both of us, and that’s why she was always happy when Ron and I were together. In a way, it was keeping dad alive as well.
The clock struck five, and the butler announced appetizers. I had arranged for a top tier restaurant to recreate their most popular dishes in my kitchen, and the hired workers would be arranging the appetizers on a giant, oak dinner table that I purchased hours after mom first suggested this dinner. Before my dinner table was for a quaint family of five, and as mom continued listing the guests she would invite, I realized that I was going to need an upgrade.
I hadn’t realized how empty my house was until mom hired a cleaner and a decorator. The cleaner had the easiest job; the decorator hadn’t known what to do. There were whole rooms on the first floor that were entirely empty, and the entertainment room had only a computer nudged into the corner. Two of the upstairs bedrooms were furnished, one mine and the other a guest room in case Ron was ever to inebriated to drive, and I had only two televisions. We purchased several more and turned on several games for the guests to enjoy.
In fact, the only useful part of the house that wasn’t new was the giant bar with the marble top and oak cabinets built into a wall between the kitchen and dining room. It had enough room for a dozen to sit at, and enough space to store at least a year’s worth of alcohol. I designed it myself.
Beef cuts smothered in bacon jam nestled in a bed of fried potatoes were arranged on the dinner table, and the guests began to enjoy themselves with a glass plate in one hand and a drink in the other. I had a glass of imported bourbon in mine as mom excused herself from the group she was speaking with and greeted Ron at the door.
I finished my appetizer and met him halfway when I realized he brought along a woman. In fact, he had brought a beautiful woman.
She was tall and lean, with soft brown hair braided down the middle of her back. There was a tint of red in her hair beneath the light, and she wore a tight black dress that clung to her curves in all the right spots. I bit my lip as my eyes ran over her body, all too aware that it had been ages since I’ve bedded a woman, much less a woman like her. She must have been a model, and I was trying to remember if Ron had ever mentioned meeting a beautiful woman when she turned as Ron gestured toward me, and then I saw her eyes.
Bright green eyes stared at me, surrounded by long, thick eyelashes and high cheekbones that tightened as she smiled. Her lips were heart shaped, with a red shade that complimented her tanned skin. I recognized her the moment I saw those eyes. Madeline, Ron’s baby cousin.
“Your mom said she wanted some air before dinner,” Ron said as he led his cousin into the dining room. He picked up an appetizer, and each accepted a glass of wine from one of the workers. Madeline offered him a dazzling smile, and the worker nearly tripped over his shoes as he walked away.
“I’ll check on her. I’m glad you could make it,” I said and turned toward Madeline. “How long has it been since we’ve seen each other? Years?”
She tilted her head in thought. “Six, Ron and I decided.”
Six years. She had been 19, just going into college, when I had last seen her. But she hadn’t been this beautiful, or else I would have remembered to check up on her. In fact, she had always been Ron’s weird younger cousin, with a head too big for her body and a voice to manly for a girl.
“Well, I hope you enjoy the evening, Madeline,” I said.
“Speaking of that, what’s this about?” Ron asked. “You’ve never had such a fancy party before. I didn’t even think you knew how to throw a party.”
“I don’t know how to throw a party; that’s why you hire people who do,” I said. I considered telling him the truth, just to ease the shock a little, but I knew that was mom’s place, not mine. “You’ll find out soon.”
“Apparently, the gossip here is saying that you’re getting married,” Madeline said. She smiled at me. “I have a talent for listening to gossip wherever I am. It’s a useful trait in the entertainment business.”
“Definitely no marriage here,” I said and excused myself. I had to make sure mom was okay. A small hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to find Madeline’s face inches from my suit.
“It’s Maddie, by the way,” she said. “Last people to call me Madeline were my high school teachers.”
“Maddie, then,” I said. “Excuse me, Maddie; enjoy the party.” I watched as she walked toward a group of chattering men. Maddie had grown since I last saw her.
I found mom sitting on the steps outside the house. The guests had all arrived, and soon dinner would be served, and then the truth revealed. I sat beside her and tried my best not to think about it, but it was the only thing my mind had room for. She grabbed my hand.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, my voice strained.
“A little heat flash,” she said. “The important question, though, is how are you? I know this is the last thing you wanted to do.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about the party or planning my own mother’s death.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “If you’re uncomfortable, we can postpone, you know.”
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I’m already beyond happy that so many showed up. Everyone is having a good time, so you can relax and at least enjoy yourself a little bit, couldn’t you?”
I made sure her shawl was wrapped properly around her as the wind bit at our skin. How could she ever expect me to enjoy myself?
“I’ll try,” I promised.
“So you won’t be too much of a grump?” She smiled and squeezed my hand. “There are plenty of beautiful women in there, you know.”
“So I’ve noticed,” I said almost absentmindedly. “Have you taken all of your medicine for the day?”
“It’s almost six, of course, I took my medicine,” she snapped. “Gavin, I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing this for two years.”
I paused; had it really been two years already? It felt as if it was yesterday that the Dr. Marxx had given us the first diagnosis. Life had sped up significantly afterward, from selling the company to finding Dr. Lemonis to building her house. A huge part of me felt that this was going to be our regular life, for years to come. But it seemed it would be ending in just six months’ time. Two years had flown by quickly; would the six months be gone just like that as well?
“Gavin,” she whispered, her voice soft. “I have only one wish before my time is up.”
“A wish?” I faced her. “Anything, Mom. Just name it, and it’s yours.” I expected a vacation to her favorite mouse-themed theme park, or maybe a trip to an island. She had always wanted to go snorkeling. Even a trip to Europe would have been special for her; she had an obsession with medieval castles and their haunted histories. Speaking of haunts, maybe she wanted to go ghost hunting at the country’s most haunted hospitals. With mom, her wish could have been anything.
“Find a wife,” she said. “Before I pass, I want to see you happy with a wife.”
I felt as if the wind had punched me in the face. “A wife? Why?” I asked.
“You’re so lonely; it’s obvious. The only friend you have is Ron, and something tells me that’s mutually platonic.”
/> I groaned. “Please no more jokes about our friendship,” I begged.
“Which is why I want you to settle down. I can’t leave you by yourself without knowing you’ll be taken care of,” she said.
“I can take care of myself, mom,” I argued. “I have everything I could ever need.”
“You need love,” she said. “What your father and I had, it was everything. I wouldn’t change a single thing between us. He completed me, and I know there’s a girl out there who would complete you.”
“I can’t just find a woman and marry her. I’m not even dating, and there’s no one I’m remotely interested in,” I said. “It’s impossible.”
She smiled at me. “Nothing is impossible,” she said. “I need you to promise me that you’ll find someone.”
I shook my head and looked at the sky. This was a promise I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep. But she was serious, and it tore my heart to see her worry about me when she had so many other things to be concerned with.
“I promise,” I muttered.
“I’m going to freshen up; I’ll meet you inside.” She patted my hand and stood, a little wobbly but otherwise fine. She returned inside as I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. What on earth had I just promised?
I stood moments after and turned toward my house. A shadow in the corner of the entrance caught my eye, and I realized Maddie was standing in the corner of the doorway, in perfect earshot of our conversation.
“I couldn’t find the restroom,” she said. I didn’t have to wonder if she used her eavesdropping talent on us; her startled, pale face said it all.
Chapter Six
Maddie
Gavin remained neutral as I followed him toward the other side of the house. We passed plenty of guests lounging about the mansion as they spoke of the stock market, racing horses, and sports events. Ron mentioned the guests were close family and friends of Gavin’s family, but it didn’t seem as if he paid attention to any of them. In fact, the only people I’d seen him speak with were his mother and Ron.