She laughed. “So am I. I keep myself busy, but sometimes I wonder if anyone in this town would notice if I was gone.”
That night at the drive-in, when they’d met as strangers, he’d had a similar thought. That he’d made his life so small, her smile might be the biggest thing in it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rachel listened to Vivaldi to calm her nerves while Faith drove through rush-hour traffic. The Four Seasons was long enough to make it to Potomac, where Niles and his fiancée lived. Faith had been so eager to get behind the wheel since coming home, she pulled her blue Mini out of the garage with a flourish that nearly took out their mailbox.
In addition to her daughter’s rusty driving skills, Rachel was also anxious about the party. Alesha would be there, and so would Mia, with her bloodhound ability to sniff out messy secrets. Thinking about it made her stressed and lonely, so Rachel distracted herself the same way she had all week, by texting Nathan about his photographs. In between messages, she snuck wistful glances at Faith.
Sunlight lit the angles of her daughter’s face and sharpened her features in a way that made her briefly unrecognizable. That always happened when Faith returned after long periods away; her daughter would seem like a different person. She’d suddenly care deeply about things she’d never mentioned before or notice nuances in situations she used to overlook. That morning, Rachel had gotten up early to beat Lenora in their ongoing war to control the laundry, and Faith had asked, “Why are you fighting for something you hate doing?”
Her daughter wasn’t growing up anymore. She was growing into herself, uncovering morals and values that she’d formed on her own. As a mother, Rachel found it gratifying, but also scary. Her little girl had been raised, past tense, and was now a full-blown adult, reckless driving habits and all.
Faith motioned for Rachel to turn her music down. “Who were you texting earlier?”
Rachel considered lying. But those were starting to pile up, and it was hard to hide things from Faith anyway. “The artist whose work we commissioned for the gala.”
“Nathan Vasquez?”
Rachel paused. “Yes. Do you know him?”
“Do you remember Celia? We went to junior prom together. She wore that baby-blue suit, and—”
“It got covered in makeup when you two hugged. I remember that. I felt so bad for her.”
“Yeah, well her current girlfriend’s cousin dated Nathan’s best friend, Dillon, who, according to Celia, is a drug dealer.” Faith’s eyes briefly flicked her way. “She also claimed that Nathan is his connection to a cartel, which is why he got sent away for high school and no one talks about him.”
Faith recited the story with the flat inflection of a newscaster. “That isn’t true,” Rachel said. “About Nathan. I don’t know any Dillon, but that cartel stuff is really racist.”
“Right? Who would believe it anyway? He’s a bubble kid. Probably paints landscapes of the hood with thousand-dollar paintbrushes.”
Rachel thought about Nathan’s expensive drafting table. “What’s a bubble kid?”
Faith turned in to a long driveway. “It’s what we used to call people who were born and raised in Oasis Springs. Rich, diverse utopia. None of it’s real.”
“You grew up there.”
Faith shook her head. “We live there. It’s not the same.”
Faith pulled into a half-circle driveway with a derisive nod at the large house owned by Niles’s fiancée. It was a sprawling estate that reminded Rachel of the Vasquez property. The builder had added structural flourishes like Corinthian pillars and elaborate lawn sculptures that would have made the conservative property owners association in Rachel’s neighborhood march with torches. It wasn’t Rachel’s taste, but she respected the sentiment: a middle-finger-up, less isn’t more, it’s just less attitude.
Faith unlatched her seat belt with the keys still in the ignition, but Rachel didn’t move. This wasn’t one of Matt’s campaign events. This was family—her family, even though they felt like strangers. But she wasn’t really an Abbott either. Which meant today she was simply Rachel, unmoored, with no prep or sound bites. It made her feel exposed.
“Let’s get this over with,” Rachel said, and hoped Faith didn’t notice the way her hand trembled as she reached for the door. They both walked slowly, trying to take it all in. There was so much house. Everywhere you looked, there was a sprawl of space lit by the early evening sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. The tile was a custom ombré mosaic that gradually changed from burnt orange to gold as they moved closer to the ballroom. Who besides royalty and those Sound of Music kids had an actual ballroom?
“Holy shit,” Faith mumbled beneath her breath.
Rachel looked around and realized that she’d made a huge mistake. Everyone was dressed in costumes—1920s-style outfits that made them look like they’d stepped into East Egg. There were drop waists and fringe, double-breasted suits and long cigarette holders perched on people’s fingers. The centerpieces were plumes of pale pink ostrich feathers mixed with red carnations. An all-Black jazz quartet played in the corner, while a group of women attempted the Charleston in four-inch heels.
“Uh, Mom?” Faith and Rachel exchanged confused glances. “Did Niles say anything to you about costumes?”
“No,” Rachel said, though she wasn’t sure if that was totally accurate. She remembered a brief period of phone tag, followed by an email that she’d skimmed with the RSVP request. “I don’t feel like Tyler Perry’s Chicago is a dress code I would have missed.”
Faith snickered, and the proximity of her daughter, unimpressed with the artifice of opulence as always, eased some of Rachel’s embarrassment. This was supposed to be some sort of post-birth baby shower. She’d brought a Boba wrap and leather diaper bag for Kat.
“You came!”
Their eyes widened as Kat Jones, in a black bob with a white ostrich plume that curved against her cheek, grabbed Rachel’s arms and pulled her into a tight hug. “Niles said you wouldn’t make it, but I told him you’re family! How would you not see the baby?” She stepped back and looked at the present. “Oh, how sweet! What is it?”
“A Boba wrap.”
Kat’s excitement dimmed. “Drop it off on the table by the kitchen,” she said. Her eyes swept over their clothes. “I guess Niles didn’t tell you guys about the theme?” She forced a smile through her obvious annoyance. Kat was a part-time event planner and full-time trust fund diva. In Rachel’s experience, people who planned parties for a living attached an unnatural importance to the uniformity of their vision. She wouldn’t be surprised if Kat had them escorted off the premises at some point.