“Nice to meet you, sir,” Caden says, as my father forces a smile and leaves the room. My heart tugs as I stare at his back. I turn my attention back to the table.
“My brother-in-law, Beecham.” I hold out my hand toward Beecham, and again, Caden is the one who makes the first move. I feel a wave of pride about him.
I look around and don’t see my mother or her sidekick. “Where’s Maman?”
Just then, my mother comes in and Louie is on her heels, dragging a ragged stuffed animal. No. No, no, no.
“Maman, please don’t let Louie bring Raffi in here tonight.”
She glances at me and flicks her cream pointy nails over her pink silk blouse. She looks lovely this evening. She even changed after work, something she doesn’t normally do when it’s just us. She must be trying to make an effort for Caden. The thought fills me with warm fuzzies for about .02 seconds. She still hasn’t even looked at Caden. She smiles down at Louie and sits down, and Caden holds out my chair for me before sitting down himself.
“He won’t bother anyone,” she says, still looking at the dog.
We’ve not even put our napkins on our laps before Louie runs around and lies down between Caden and me. With Raffi. The completely desecrated giraffe. It’s still quiet as a church between my family when the sounds start. Caden glances at me first with alarm and then realizes it’s coming from the dog. The humping is severe. Louie is making love to Raffi and staring at Caden like he wishes it could be him. It doesn’t help that Louie is also dressed in a red satin robe, channeling his inner Hugh Hefner. My mother has all of his clothes made, and I don’t miss the way Caden studies the monogramming on the dog’s back.
“Maman,” I hiss. “Please.”
She laughs and waves her hand like it’s nothing. “He’ll be done soon. He’s French, darling, and he’s had a stressful day. We won’t even hear him once we start eating.”
Louie came from a breeder in the States. The only thing French about this dog is his wardrobe.
“I am so sorry, Caden,” I whisper. I can hardly even look at him, I’m so mortified, but when I do, I realize that it’s taking every ounce of his strength to not lose it laughing. He’s laughing but trying so hard to hold it in. It makes me laugh too. He reaches out and takes my hand in his, and everything inside of me instantly calms.
“Nice of you to join us tonight, Calden,” my mother says.
I sag into my chair. Not this nonsense again.
“I’m starting to think you might be losing your memory, Maman, with your names. What a shame to be getting so forgetful at sixty.”
Her eyes go wide as saucers and her hand flies to her neck. “I am nowhere near sixty, and you know it.”
“Oh?” I ask, all innocence.
“I’m barely fifty,” she cries.
Fifty-seven, but whatever.
“Maybe you should start a fish oil supplement. I heard that it helps with memory.”
I wish my father was here. He always gives me that go get em’ tiger look when I stand up to her. I miss our chats. I miss having one person in my corner in this family.
“So Caden, how did the two of you meet?” Beecham asks.
“My brothers and I saw Cosette’s work on the Ivy and knew she was the one we wanted for our hotel project.”
I feel a burst of giddiness inside because the Ivy is the only project I’ve ever done solo. My mom bristles and my bubble pops, but then Caden lifts my hand up to his mouth and kisses it, and you could hear a pin drop. The entire table is staring at us, mouths hanging open.
“And of course, once I got up the nerve to ask her out, I never dreamed she’d say yes. She’s so beautiful and kind … so talented, but so much more than that. She has an inner beauty that absolutely glows from the inside out.”
My mouth is hanging open too. He is so, so good at this. And when he looks at me with adoration in his eyes, I have to remember that he’s playing a part that I asked him to play.
This is not real. I have to repeat that in my head at least five times.
Apparently, Louie is not happy with how much attention I’ve been getting from his new favorite person because he ups his fervor with Raffi.
Putain de merde.
Of course, everyone is too distracted to say anything, so we’re all quiet while Louie reaches his grand finale. When he’s done—yes, thankfully, it does end—he drops Raffi at Caden’s feet like he’s presented him with a gift. He gazes up at Caden with his snaggle smile and Caden shakes his head at him.
“Glad you’re feeling better, little guy.”
I have to cover my mouth, I start laughing so hard, and trying to hold it in just makes my shoulders shake harder. Caden’s hand tightens against mine.
“As I was saying,” Caden continues, his voice choked with laughter, “Cosette is a dream come true for me.”
I glance at Juliette and she looks like she wants to throw up. Beecham looks perplexed, but that could be from the fact that the man can’t make it through a meal without running to the bathroom. Between his irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut, combined with my sister’s penchant for French food—the man always appears to be in a state of discomfort. Regardless, both of them seem confused by the idea that I could stir up this kind of passion in someone.
I know. The idea is ridiculous. No one has ever spoken about me in such poetic terms before, and the fairy garden! Damn. What I wouldn’t give for someone to really feel this way about me.
Nancy brings our food out, placing each plate in front of us one at a time and then removing the silver domes with a flourish.
“Nice presentation,” Caden says under his breath.
We’re barely two bites in when my mother decides to speak. I knew her quietness didn’t bode well. She’s been simmering that I said she was sixty, for one thing.
“What are your intentions with our daughter, Caden?”
“Maman! Give the man a break. It’s his first dinner with us.”
“I can’t wait to hear.” Juliette raises a brow and purses her lips.
“I’d be happy to answer that,” he says.
Part of me wants to stop him because this is going to be brutal when my family finds out the truth. I’ll never hear the end of it. But the rest of me wants to hear what he’s going to say next.
“I am going to spend every day showing her how important she is to me until she falls so madly in love with me she won’t want to live without me.”
Again, every mouth drops. Mine included.
And then everyone concentrates on their food. I think my mother is afraid to ask any more questions about Caden’s feelings because he’s only making himself look like a saint in my eyes. The peace is short-lived.
Before the passion fruit and lemon meringue tartlets come out, Maman starts singing the praises of Jeremy. And Beecham and Juliette being the simpering sycophants that they are, quickly follow suit.
“So, I’m sure you know that Jeremy is practically a part of the family?” my mother says.
“That’s great for Jeremy. I’m guessing he has a family of his own too, yes?”
“Yes, of course,” Juliette says and her eyes double in size. “Do you not know who the Toussaints are?”