“I think I need to catch my breath,” Charlotte said. “You grew up here?”
“Yep,” he replied. “So did my dad. And his dad. And his… Well. You know. The DeGraffs have been around a while.”
“I see,” Charlotte said, suddenly nervous. She wiped her hands against the side of her dress. “Is your mom from here too?”
“She’s actually from Alabama. Mountain Brook,” Declan said. “She met my dad at her sister-my aunt’s-debutante ball. He was an escort.”
“Romantic,” she said. “Like something out of a…”
“There you are!” a voice called from behind them.
They both turned to see Anna DeGraff standing behind them. She was a tiny woman, shorter than Charlotte, but classically beautiful with styled blonde hair and big blue eyes like Declan’s. She wore a lavender kaftan and flats. Large diamond earrings hung from her ears, so heavy from the weight of the stones that they stretched her earlobes a bit.
She looked like money.
“Hey, Momma,” Declan said, stepping forward and bending down to wrap his arms around her. “You look nice.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, her eyes on Charlotte. “And this must be our summer tenant. Well, don’t you look lovely?”
Charlotte smiled, “Thank you, Mrs. DeGraff. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Please, dear. Call me Anna,” she replied with a comforting smile. “I hope y’all are hungry. Antonia has made quite a meal for us tonight. Have you ever had a Lowcountry boil, Charlotte?”
“No, ma’am,” Charlotte said.
“Oh, you’ll love it,” Anna replied, motioning for them to sit down in the seats across from her as she gingerly sat down in her own chair. Demonstrating the decorum he’d begrudgingly learned at countless cotillion classes, Declan stood until his mother was seated and then offered Charlotte a chair, which he pushed into the table once she was comfortable. “It’s sausage, crab, shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and red potatoes. It’s a staple around here, we have it every so often. It’s nothing fancy but it’s our favorite meal here. Right, Declan?”
Declan nodded, “I could eat it every day.” He squeezed Charlotte’s knee under the table.
“Your daddy should be here shortly,” Anna said. “Until then, Charlotte, why don’t you tell me about yourself? You go to the college?”
Charlotte nodded, “Yes, I plan on being pre-med once I get all of my general prerequisites out of the way. I’m about to be a sophomore.”
“Oh, how lovely!” Anna said. “I like an ambitious girl. You want to be a doctor?”
“Yes, I’d love to be a pediatrician,” Charlotte said. “Or maybe an obstetrician. I can’t decide yet.”
“Well, you’ve got time. That’s so admirable,” Anna said. “I wish Declan here had a clue as to what he wanted to do.”
Declan rolled his eyes, “Like you said, plenty of time to decide.”
Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the other room and with all the discretion of a bull in a china shop, there was Henry DeGraff. He was tall and imposing, a large man with a gruffness in his features. Henry was a man that suffered no fools, and Charlotte could tell right away that if she should be anxious about meeting anyone, it was him.
“Dinner’s not out yet?” Henry said. “I don’t have all the damn time in the world, I’m supposed to meet with a client over on Montagu at seven.”
“Henry,” Anna said, warning in her tone. “Now, be polite. We have our guest with us tonight. This is Charlotte.”
“Oh,” Henry glanced at Charlotte. “You’re the girl squatting in the carriage house?”
Charlotte gulped and Declan responded, “Dad. She’s not squatting. She’s renting it out, just like we do almost every summer. Jesus. Squatting?”
“It was a joke,” Henry said, but no one believed him.
An awkward silence ensued but it was broken by the entrance of Antonia carrying a large pot.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said. “Good evening.”
Charlotte was relieved to have a distraction. Henry DeGraff had really caught her off guard. She sensed maybe her being in the carriage house was not something he’d been consulted about. She wanted to kill Declan.
The four of them began to eat, the sounds of silverware clinking the only sound in the room for a few minutes.
“So,” Declan finally spoke. “How are things?”
Anna smiled, “Very good. I spent the morning with Helen planning the St Vivian Ball.”
“But it’s not until December,” Declan said. “You already have to start planning it?”
“Oh yes,” Anna said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. Helen was wondering if you could be one of the escorts.”
“What’s the St Vivian Ball?” Charlotte asked, wanting to show her interest in what was happening.