She turned to see Trent motioning to her. "Hold on, Mom."
Trent leaned over and whispered, "Invite them to come visit."
"What, now?"
Trent raised his eyebrows. "No time like the present, right?"
She took her hand off the receiver of the phone. "Um, actually Mom why don't you and Dad fly up to visit us and meet Trent's parents tomorrow. We'll make all the travel arrangements for you."
"Oh Marina, you don't need to go to such trouble. Your father has so many of those mileage points."
Mara sighed. This was not the kind of conversation that she wanted to have over the phone. "Actually, Mom, Trent's parents have a company plane. He's going to send it down to pick you up. So don't worry about anything, okay?"
Her mother was quiet for a moment. "Oh my, that's very generous. Tell him thank you so much. I am looking forward to this."
Suddenly overcome with emotion and feeling very homesick, Mara clutched the phone tighter. "I am, too. I miss you guys."
“We miss you, too but there is no reason to be sad, Marina. You have a good man who will be a good provider. And to think I was so worried about you. Now your brother, that’s who I need to worry about.”
Mara tuned out her mom’s voice as she worried aloud about her brother’s relationship with Penny and whether they’d ever start their wedding planning. Even after they hung up and Trent returned, cuddling her against his side as he watched television, her mind was on one thing.
How lucky she was to have found a man who was excited to marry her. They'd come through the hard parts and now they were safe on the other side. But as she snuggled closer to Trent’s side, she had to ignore the nagging feeling that fairy tales didn't last.
* * * * *
"PENNY HAS TO know for sure how much I love her now. I sat through the entire show. And they were singing the entire time."
Trent laughed along with the rest of the table as Matt continued telling the story of his first experience at a Broadway show. He glanced over at Mara, who looked completely relaxed and happy for the first time in days. Even though Matt had come along originally because he didn't trust Trent, he was actually glad he'd been able to come with them. Family was a huge part of what Mara needed to feel happy and secure. Having her brother and Penny there went a long way toward showing her that their way of life didn't have to change because of where he came from. In fact, they could have all the things they had now and more if she'd allow it.
Penny leaned over and kissed Matt on the cheek. "He's pretending like it was awful but he had fun. I know he did because he went backstage with me."
When he'd asked Gina to set up a tour of the city for his friends, she'd outdone herself by finagling an invitation to a private rehearsal for a show that wouldn't open for weeks. It was a joy to be able to use his influence to make his frie
nd's time in the city memorable and fun.
Matt shoved a piece of artichoke in his mouth. "Whatever. It was people singing for two hours. I would have gone anywhere you wanted after that was over."
Trent took a sip of his beer and leaned closer to Matt, whispering loudly enough for the entire table to hear. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you actually liked it."
Matt scowled. "Hardly. The best part of the day is coming back to that fancy hotel. Thanks for putting us up in such a swank room, by the way."
"It's nothing." Trent took another sip of his beer, suddenly self-conscious. Normally he would have turned the conversation to another topic but then he stopped himself. That was exactly what had hurt his friends before, shutting them out of certain areas of his life just because he wasn't sure of their reactions. If he was asking Matt to trust him not to hurt Mara, then he needed to extend that same trust back. In all areas.
"It's really nothing and I mean that literally. My family owns that hotel."
Surprise flashed through Matt's eyes. "Oh yeah?"
He peeled at the label on his beer, suddenly awkward since the entire table had grown silent. "Yeah, Castle Towers is one of our flagship properties. It was one of the first hotels my grandfather built."
"It's a beautiful hotel," Penny said.
Matt picked up his fork again. "Cool. Well if you own it then maybe you can put bigger televisions in those rooms. And free Wi-Fi wouldn't hurt either."
Penny gasped and swatted Matt on the arm. "Matt! He's just joking. Everything in that room is perfect."
Trent laughed, glad that they could talk without any lingering awkwardness. It had been one of the things he was most worried about, that he'd lose the easy camaraderie they'd developed over the years and their friendship would devolve into a series of stiff encounters. But if they could joke about the service at a hotel his family owned, then that bode well for the future.
"I'll be sure to tell my father all of your suggestions. Not that he ever listens to me but for the record, I agree with you completely."