by Karen Booth
“He does like playing things a little too close to the vest,” Echo said.
“Indeed, he does,” Lela agreed.
Outside the formal living room, Echo’s three girlfriends, Ola, Neely, and Kendra, were waiting. Lela had met them last night, right after the dogs disrupted cocktail hour. From her vantage point, Lela spied Genevieve and Eileen inside, working away.
“Echo,” Lela said. “I’m going to help your mom and grandmother.”
“Sounds good,” she replied, quickly returning to her conversation with her friends.
Lela found Eileen trailing behind one of the caterers who’d helped serve dinner the night before, double-checking each chafing dish as it was set out. Genevieve was hovering over a large side table, putting out supplies for what appeared to be bridal shower activities.
“Can I help with anything?” she asked Genevieve.
Genevieve straightened and granted Lela the faintest of smiles. “I think I have it all ready, but thanks.”
Lela surveyed the impressive spread. There were adorable games, like a jar of foil-wrapped chocolate kisses and notecards for guests to guess, “How many kisses?” as well as a silver bowl labeled “Wishes for the couple” with small slips of paper for anyone to add their happy tidings. One activity in particular grabbed Lela’s attention—a stack of clipboards with silver grosgrain bows tied at the top, each with a piece of brown craft paper featuring a simple line drawing of an undressed woman wearing a veil. In white scrolled typography, “Guess the dress” was scrawled across the page, serving as the instructions.
“I’m so impressed. You’ve really gone all out.” Lela couldn’t help but remember what Echo had said about her mom taking this too seriously. There was another side to that observation—Genevieve had put a great deal of thought into her daughter’s big day.
She arranged a spray of silver and white pens in a jar. “She’s my only child, and if everything goes right, this will be her only wedding. I want her to remember it fondly.” She turned and looked out over the room. Eileen was busy chatting with Lucius’s mom and aunt. “We didn’t quite have the start I hoped for yesterday. Cocktail hour went all to pot with the dogs. Hopefully today will be better.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
Eileen clapped her hands as another member of the catering staff entered the room with a tray of champagne flutes topped with mimosas. “Ladies. I’d like to get started if we can. The food is hot and it’s not going to be like that forever. Echo, why don’t you go through the buffet line first?”
Echo cued up, followed by her friends. Lucius’s mom and aunt went after them, then Eileen. At the very end were Genevieve and Lela. Lela filled her plate with all sorts of delectable brunch goodies—mini spinach quiche, roasted asparagus with a lemon butter sauce, breakfast potatoes, and a lovely fruit salad. They sat at a long table at one end of the room, with Lela seated between Lucius’s aunt and Eileen.
“Hosting your granddaughter’s wedding must be so much fun for you, Eileen,” Lela said.
“It is. Echo is an absolute peach. I love her to pieces.”
“Of course you do. She’s smart and beautiful, strong and independent. Of course, her parents had a lot to do with that.”
“More or less,” Eileen said. “I wasn’t always so sure Donovan would figure out his life. He’s got an awful lot of his dad in him.”
Lela struggled to swallow a bite of strawberry, so she slugged down her mimosa. “He’s working hard to make up for his past mistakes.”
“There’s only so much making up you can do.”
Lela didn’t have a chance to respond, as Genevieve stood and raised her champagne glass. “I’d like to propose a toast to my daughter, Echo. Darling, you are the most brilliant and beautiful person I have ever known. May you always be happy and feel loved.”
“To Echo,” Lela and the other women at the table said in chorus.
“As soon as everyone’s finished eating, we’ll get started with games,” Genevieve said.
A half hour later, they were all seated on the couches in the center of the room, with Genevieve and Eileen running the show. They ran through Genevieve’s carefully planned activities, Echo seemed embarrassed for much of it, but everyone enjoyed themselves. A few times, Lela spotted Eileen, looking wistfully at Echo. There was no question that she was the true golden child of this family, even if she didn’t seem to want it.
Lela offered to help Genevieve clean up after the festivities had died down and everyone else had left. She was picking up discarded pens and slips of paper when Genevieve asked a question. “You still have feelings for him, don’t you?”
“Wait. What?” Lela had been unprepared for the question. It had come completely out of left field.
“Donovan. You’re still in love with him. I knew it when we were in school. I see the same look on your face now.”
Lela was deeply surprised to hear this from Genevieve. If she’d figured it out, why hadn’t the actual object of her affection been able to see it? “I did have a crush on him in college. That’s true. But it went away when you two got engaged.” That last part was a lie, but she didn’t want Genevieve to feel bad about what was very much not her problem.
“You weren’t gutted?”
Lela felt like Genevieve was trying to get a rise out of her. “It wasn’t a big deal. Everyone experiences unrequited love at least once in their life, right?”
“I suppose. There were plenty of guys who didn’t take to me like I hoped they would.”
“Plenty?”
“I got more than my fair share of inquiries.” She laughed quietly, and shook her head. “But most of them didn’t stick around.”
Lela could only look back on her life before Mark, when she’d wasted so much of her youth crushing on guys. Every time she got up the nerve to make her confession, she was struck down, and each of those instances pierced a hole in her heart. A few too many and she started to feel like a sieve. So she kept her feelings to herself. That was why she’d never told Donovan she was in love with him. “I’m sorry that happened.”
“You still haven’t owned up to Donovan, Lela.”
“Sure I did. I had a crush on him.”
“It was more than that. I’m pretty sure it broke up our marriage.”
That was a step too far for anyone to believe, especially Lela. “Excuse me? I wasn’t even in the picture. You guys were an ocean away.” Lela’s head was spinning. What in the hell was Genevieve implying? “If he had any feelings for me, I never knew about it. And if that’s true, why didn’t he reach out to me after you got divorced? I didn’t hear from him. Ever.”
“Because he’s a bloody fool? I don’t know the answer to that question.”
Lela was getting more than a little annoyed. Genevieve had everything anyone could ever want—beauty, brains, and by all accounts, more than enough money to be happy. She’d also had the guy Lela had wanted. “Donovan was in love with you. He always gravitated toward you.”
“Well, I saw the opposite. Do you know what it feels like to have your boyfriend do all of the fun things he likes to do with someone else? I was fine for sex, but you were the one he wanted to go see music with. You were the one he wanted to study with or talk to for hours.”
Lela was hit by a realization that was difficult to wrap her head around. So much of her college existence framed in an entirely different way. That whole time she’d been spending time with Donovan, she hadn’t thought about what it might feel like from Genevieve’s point of view. “Oh, God, Genevieve. I’m so sorry. I never thought about it that way. I just looked at you and thought you had everything. I didn’t see any way I could possibly compete, so I didn’t see it that way.”
She reached over and gripped Lela’s shoulder. “Don’t be sorry. You were friends for two years before I came along. I understand some of it. But the bottom line is that I always felt like he was carrying a torch for you.”
Lela shook her head. She wasn’t going to go
into the details of her two encounters with Donovan, where that theory had been so soundly refuted. “Trust me. He wasn’t. We’ve talked about it.”
“Huh.”
“What?” Lela asked.
“Maybe it was all in my head?”
“I really don’t know.” Lela needed air. She needed to escape this conversation and the room.
“It was probably for the best.” Genevieve returned to tidying up. “He would’ve just broken your heart. Donovan doesn’t stick around.”
Lela didn’t know many things, but she was absolutely sure of that.
Chapter Eighteen
The hike from hell was over. Miraculously enough, there had only been one painfully awkward moment during it, when Stuart stopped the expedition halfway and made a declaration to Austin and Donovan: “I love your mother more than anything in the entire world.”
“Good for you,” Donovan had replied, not being entirely sincere.
“I’ve asked her three times to marry me, and every time she’s told me I’m crazy and should take a nap or fix myself a drink. One time, she turned up the volume on the TV and pretended like she couldn’t hear me.”
“What do you want us to do about it?” Austin asked.
“Can you talk to her? Help her see my side of things?” Stuart pled, holding on tight to his trekking poles atop the hillside, sun beating down on them. They were all sweating like crazy.
“We try to stay out of our mother’s personal life,” Donovan answered. “She doesn’t want our opinion. We learned that long ago.”
Stuart sighed heavily. “Just think about it. That’s all I ask.”
Donovan and Austin had a brief conversation about it when they got back to the house, quickly reaching the conclusion that Stuart was a nice guy who was oblivious to what wasn’t good for him. It was best to let their mom stay the course. Plus, they’d never be able to convince her of anything.
Feeling sweaty from the hike, Donovan changed into his swim trunks and headed to the pool. Down by the pond, Stuart was arranging a handful of white folding chairs for the ceremony. Donovan had asked if he needed help, but Stuart said that he needed time with his thoughts.
When Donovan dove in, the water was cool against his skin, helping to clear his head. He swam several laps, kicking off from the side and streamlining beneath the surface for as long as his breath would hold. He tried to think about nothing. It took some work. Everyone in his life wanted to stake their claim on his thoughts, but Austin and Lela won out. What if Austin kissed her last night? What if Lela kissed him back?
What if she took charge?
It was too horrible an idea. If Lela and his brother ended up together, Donovan might lose it.
Who was he kidding? He would definitely lose it.
Tired of laps, he stopped in the center of the pool and floated on his back, staring up at the wide blue sky, listening to the even pace of his own breath. That was when he heard voices. He raised his head above the surface. It was Lela and Austin, out of view, probably on the other side of the rose bushes.
“You’re sure you don’t want to go out with me?” Austin asked.
That perked up Donovan real fast. He treaded to keep his head above water. His heart was pounding as he waited for her answer, but he was pretty sure he had one piece of the puzzle—Austin wouldn’t be asking that question if he’d had any luck at all last night.
“Dating isn’t a thing I do anymore,” Lela said.
“Not at all?”
“Nope.”
This was news to Donovan. Although he didn’t have any specific intel on the state of Lela’s love life, he wasn’t aware she’d made such a definitive decision.
“What if the right guy came along?”
“You know, romance just isn’t in the cards for me. Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I’m over it.”
Donovan snickered.
“Completely?” Austin said.
“For now, I guess. I have other things I want to focus on. My business is at the top of the list.”
There were several seconds of silence, during which Donovan’s imagination kicked into overdrive. The thing was, Austin did not give up on anything easily, especially if there was some aspect of beating Donovan involved.
“Okay. Well, you know where to find me if you ever change your mind.”
Donovan wasn’t convinced his brother had actually given up. He was simply taking care to read her cues.
“Thanks, Austin. I’m going to go for a quick walk before I help Echo get ready. I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, you will.”
Donovan caught a glimpse of Lela coming his way and he quickly ducked his head under the water, admonishing himself for eavesdropping. When he came up for air, she was standing on the pool deck peering down at him.
“The sign says adults should not swim alone,” she said.
“Yeah, well. I’m not really an adult and I’m not really swimming.”
Lela laughed and grabbed a seat at the end of one of the chaises surrounding the pool. “Did you just overhear my conversation with Austin?”
Donovan swam to the side of the pool and rested his arms on the edge, looking up at her. She was stunning in a black and white checked sundress and a pair of black Chuck Taylor low-top sneakers. “A little bit. I’m sorry. I should have warned you that he was interested in you. Although I guess you were able to figure it out on your own.”
“I did. It’s fine. He’s pretty persistent, but he also seemed to handle the rejection well.”
Donovan didn’t want to smile, but he couldn’t help it. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“Why are you grinning like the Cheshire cat?”
Heat flushed his face. “Sibling rivalry. I swear, I come home and I turn into a bratty teenager. My brother wants to do something and I immediately start formulating a plan to stop him.”
“Interesting. I’m an only child, so not sure I get that.”
“It’s the same thing with my mom. Whatever she says, I want to rebel.”
Lela nodded. “Now, that I get. I’m like that when I go home to Wisconsin.” She looked back at the house. “Although if I had such opulent digs to return to, I might find a way to be a bit more agreeable.”
“How are your parents?” Donovan had met Deb and Ben once, during Lela’s sophomore year when they came to visit the city for a weekend. They seemed very concerned with every little thing Lela did, which Donovan found endearing. He couldn’t imagine having that much attention from a parent, let alone two.
“They’re good. They’re actually coming to visit soon. I have to get psyched up for that, but it’s mostly just a meal or two every day and some touristy activities. Dad’s allergic to cats so they always stay in a hotel.”
Donovan side-stroked to the steps and climbed out of the pool, grabbing his towel from the chaise next to Lela. “You have to mentally prepare for them showering you with affection?”
“Yes. It sometimes feel like I’m being smothered. But I can’t say anything. I’m their only child. It’s not hard to imagine why they’re like that.”
Donovan sat next to her, tossing the towel on to another chair and leaning back, propping himself up with both arms. “Genevieve was really worried about Echo being an only child. She was sure she’d end up being spoiled, but I think that’s just a myth. You’re not self-centered and neither is Echo.”
“Echo is wonderful. I can’t imagine a more generous person. You must be so proud of her.”
It was such an understatement, but he couldn’t think of a way to express the bounds of his pride in his daughter. Not just in her success, but in the woman she’d become. She was a free spirit, strong, someone who lived in her own skin, didn’t take no for an answer, and refused to let other people define her. She was everything he’d always wanted to be but never quite got there. “She’s the best thing I ever did. Unfortunately, I can’t take much credit.”
Lela quietly scan
ned his face like she was looking for clues. “What happened? That you weren’t able to be around when she was little?”
This wasn’t an enjoyable story to retell, but he wasn’t about to hide it from Lela. “Genevieve struggled after Echo was born. She had postpartum depression. Echo didn’t sleep a whole lot, and she had trouble nursing. We had no clue what we were doing, and we were living in my apartment in the city. My upstairs neighbor was constantly complaining about the baby crying. We were sleep-deprived and miserable. We needed help and we needed space, so we came up here.”
“To this house? To live with your mom?”
“It was our only real option. Genevieve’s parents were in England and that just wasn’t a leap we were ready to make. My mom seemed like the logical choice, but it was really hard. Even in this giant house. She was always offering unsolicited parenting advice, which really rubbed me the wrong way. She was not exactly the model parent.” The biggest guiding force during that time in Donovan’s life was that no matter what, he was not going to be like his dad. He was going to stick around, especially through the hard times. Unfortunately, every bit of criticism his mother launched at him felt like she was telling him he’d never be anything but exactly like his father. “So, yeah,” he continued. “It was hard. After Echo turned one, Genevieve said she’d had enough. We’d given my family a try and it wasn’t working out, so she wanted her turn. We moved to London to be near her parents. It was great for awhile, but the happier she became, the less she wanted me.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.”
“She said she felt like I wasn’t present in our marriage. She asked for a divorce right before Echo turned three. I agreed, left England, and came back to the states. I didn’t really know what else to do. She didn’t want to be married to me and I wasn’t equipped to be a single parent. After that, I saw Echo maybe once or twice a year. It felt like I wasn’t her dad anymore. I became more like this guy she knew. That was heartbreaking.”