Anna laughed, cringing at the next sentence. “But boy, did we fight when we were together!” Anna sighed, shuddering at the memories. “The best thing we ever did was to divorce. It wasn’t easy on you, I know that. And I wish it had been different. I didn’t like you shuffling from one house to the other.”
Naya shrugged. “It wasn’t so bad, Mom. It was better that way. I knew that then and I know it now.”
“Yes, but you’re wary, aren’t you?”
Naya couldn’t lie. Not about this. “Yes.”
“That’s why you’re here, right?”
Naya shifted and took a long sip of the wine. It was good, she thought. Surprisingly good. “Yes.”
“You’ve met a man.” Anna wasn’t asking. The driver, the private plane, Naya’s unexpected visit all spoke volumes.
Bowing her head, Naya admitted the truth. It would be hard to deny anyway. “Yes.”
“Tell me about him,” her mother urged.
Naya closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she had to blink to hold back the tears. “I love him,” she finally admitted. It was almost a relief to say those words. She hadn’t even been thinking them until that moment, not allowing herself to admit to an emotional connection with Luke. “I love him so much that it hurts sometimes.”
Anna smiled. “Is there a problem with that?” she asked, taking Naya’s hand and squeezing gently.
Naya held onto her mother’s fingers as if they were her only lifeline. “Yes. I don’t want to love him. There’s no future for us.”
Her mother was silent for a long moment before she said, “Have you spoken to him about your feelings?”
Naya smiled through her tears. “Luke is pretty amazing. But I also know that he’s not really into marriage. Nor am I.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Anna replied, shaking her head.
“No, really, Luke is…he’s…well, the guy is just too fabulous for words. He could have any woman he wants,” she explained. “He only wants me for now.”
Her mother took a moment. “And what do you want?”
Naya stared at the wine in her glass. “I don’t want to be married.”
Anna laughed. “That’s your brain answering. What does your heart say?”
Naya didn’t answer. She took a deep breath and looked over at her mother. “It doesn’t matter.” Her relationship with Luke would have to wait. She’d thought to come here and work things out, talk with her mother, but now everything was more complicated. Deciding that a change of subject was in order, she tilted her head towards the house where she knew Jeff was hanging out, giving them some privacy. “Tell me about Jeff. How did the two of you meet?”
From the look in her mother’s eyes, Naya knew that the change in subject was understood but that the subject was not forgotten. It would come back and Naya knew that she’d have to answer that question honestly. But since she hadn’t even acknowledged her feelings for the man until a few minutes ago, she couldn’t give her mother an honest answer.
Oh, that was such a lie, she thought as she listened to her mother talk about her romance with Jeff, their wedding plans, and all of the fun things they had planned for the future.
“Dinner is ready,” Jeff announced as the sun started to lower in the sky. It was still warm, but dusk was falling, and it felt cooler than the afternoon had been. Jeff carried two plates filled with something that smelled amazing, setting them down in front of Naya and her mother. He then went back to get his own plate and to refill their glasses.
“Paella,” Jeff explained as he sat down at the patio table. “Shrimp, spicy sausage, scallops, clams, chicken, along with spices. I use barley instead of rice, since it is healthier and, in my opinion, tastes better.” He winked at Anna and Naya was astonished when her mother blushed. Actually blushed! It was bad enough when Naya did it at Luke’s teasing, but her mother was in her mid forties!
That proved to Naya that love makes a person young again.
Yeah, Naya could feel that evil monster “jealousy” creeping up on her again. And for her mother! That was what felt so wrong! Naya would have sworn that her mother never would have ventured down the marriage pathway again.