He turned to his mother. “What did you say to her?”
“She’s quite capable of speaking for herself,” Celia said calmly.
“Nothing. We weren’t talking about anything,” I said immediately.
James reached out his hand and grabbed mine. “Let’s go.”
I looked back at Mrs. Preston as he pulled me away. She was looking at me with an expectant smile on her face. “I’m as**suming we’re on the same page, dear,” she said.
All I could manage was a nod.
James
“Let’s stay and have another drink,” Audrey said. Her voice was jagged. All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and hold her, but she looked wary. I ordered us drinks, and we went and stood with Todd and Evie.
“What’s Celia’s problem?” Todd asked, watching our mother.
“Nothing,” Audrey said. She took a shaky sip of her martini. “She was just talking to me about graduate school.”
Todd raised his eyebrows at that. “She probably wasn’t that helpful,” he said. “Mother’s education consisted mainly of sorority rushes and mixers.”
“She had some insight,” Audrey said. I watched as she put her game face on, tight and intact. “But enough about that. How does it feel to be newlyweds, you two?” She reached down and twined her fingers through mine, holding on for dear life.
“It’s so great,” Evie said, linking her arms through Todd’s. “We are enjoying every minute this trip. And then it’s back to reality.”
“Are you going back to work after this?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” Evie said and laughed, her teeth a blinding white against her new tan. “We’re buying a townhouse, and I’m going to be managing the remodeling, the decorating… and then we’re going to try and start a family.” Evie turned and grinned at Todd, as he squeezed her tiny frame against his.
“That’s wonderful,” Audrey said. Only I would notice this, but I could hear sadness in her voice, maybe mixed with a little envy. “You two will be wonderful parents.”
“And you two will be a wonderful aunt and uncle,” Todd said, beaming at her. “We’re going to start our own family traditions. We can come out to California for Thanksgiving, you two can come to Boston for Christmas. Mother and father are being put on the back burner—they no longer get to boss us around. Evie’s going to organize everything.”
“As long as that’s okay with you, Audrey,” Evie said.
“I’ll happily defer to you, Evie. I’m sure you’re better at all that than me,” Audrey said, and I could still hear that undercurrent of sadness in her voice. Her hand held mine in a death grip, and she drained the rest of her martini in one gulp.
“If you two will excuse us, it’s past Audrey’s bedtime,” I said.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Todd said, looking at his watch. “It’s only nine o’clock.”
“We’re still in that new relationship phase where we have to have sex every couple of hours,” I said. “You old married people probably don’t even remember that, right?” I grinned and swept Audrey up in my arms; I was going to pretend that everything was normal with us, even if it was clear to me that Audrey was about to crack.
“On that note,” Evie said, laughing. “Just remember to get some rest, too! We’re snorkeling the West End reef tomorrow.”
“Good night,” I called jovially. I leaned down to Audrey’s ear. “Smile,” I commanded.
She made her best effort at it. But inside, I could tell her heart was breaking.
* * *
“What happened?” I asked when we were back in the safety of our room. “What on earth did she do to you?”
Audrey was pouring herself a glass of white wine. “I can’t tell you,” she said. Her voice was flat, dead.
I went over and stood next to her. Without asking if I wanted any, she poured me a glass and handed it to me. I had a sip and watched her face, which was drawn and pale underneath the color she’d gotten today on the boat. “You have to tell me. We’re in this together.”
“I can’t be in this anymore,” she said, her voice small and far away. “And your mother said that if I tell you what’s going on, the deal I just made with her is off. And it’s not even a good deal, James. It’s not gonna end well, and I know it.”
She looked defeated. My heart broke for her then, for her and Danielle both, what loving me had done to them. I pulled her to me. “This is on me. I should have known it wasn’t safe…that I wasn’t safe to be with.”