“I’m Eliza,” I said and was suddenly overcome with hot flashes and giggles.
He grinned at me and said, “Eve said she saw you this afternoon, but she didn’t tell me you were gorgeous.”
“Okay. That’s it! I’m gonna die right now!” I said, feeling like I had just fallen into one of those dreams where the impossible was happening, like flying. And I thought my laughing would never stop. I didn’t even care if he thought I was completely crazy.
“Are you all right?” he said.
“Um, yeah, really, I’m sorry. I should’ve known. That’s all.”
“What? You should’ve known what?” He was smiling and politely waiting to be let in on the joke, whatever it was.
I was not about to say what I was thinking.
“Listen, Carl. I’m sorry, but no one has ever called me gorgeous.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Really. It’s okay. I was just surprised.”
“Well, you are.”
“Well, thanks. You’re not exactly Uncle Fester yourself.”
He shook his head in agreement. After all, he knew what he looked like. “Uncle Fester. Remember that guy?”
“Yes. Um, okay, how about an adult beverage? A California agricultural product?”
“And you’re funny too. Well, I’m sure glad we met. It’s going to make this vacation so much easier to take!”
chapter 3
eliza’s new friends
The notion that Carl and Eve were just stopping by for a glass of wine and that then they would be on their way was not what Fate had in mind. Once we all started talking, it was clear they were there for the duration of the evening.
We sent the boys off to their rooms again and again, telling them they could watch television for an hour. Between pigs in blankets, PB&J sandwiches, and snitching the adults’ hors d’oeuvres, their seemingly bottomless stomachs were finally full. There was no need to fire up the grill for burgers.
“At eight thirty I’m coming up to turn out the lights!” I said. “Give your dad a kiss.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
They gave us a peck on our cheeks and ran up the stairs, thrilled at the idea of watching an hour of unsupervised television.
“Are your boys always so well behaved?” Eve said.
I said, “No. They most certainly are not. But overall, when they’re not sassy, they’re really great.”
“My Daphne is a sneaky little hellion,” Eve said.
“That’s because you give her everything she wants,” Carl said.
“Oh, you! I do not!” Eve said and gave him a little pinch on the arm.
“She spoils her rotten,” Carl said.
“Where is your daughter?” I asked. “I was looking forward to meeting her.”
“She’s at our condo with our au pair. My sweet mother, who usually travels with us to watch her, sprained her ankle on a cobblestone street. She’s at home on crutches,” Eve said. “Hey! Here’s an idea. We can throw the kids in the pool together tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“Wonderful!” I said, finally but only slightly warming up to Eve. “I’m sure the boys would love a new friend. And I hope your mom’s okay.”
“My mother-in-law’s a good egg,” Carl said. “She always babysits for us when we need her.”
“Where do you live?” Adam said.
“Raleigh,” Eve said. “Anyway, Carl’s right. My mother is a bona fide saint.”
Adam lifted an eyebrow, and I knew he disagreed for some reason. He said, “Well, we always say it’s too bad kids don’t come with a manual on how to raise them.”
“Listen, earlier today our little devils nearly drowned a couple of dogs with their water guns. Nice, right?” I said.
“I feel better,” Eve said.
As the evening rolled along a camaraderie was forming. Before we finished the first bottle of wine, which after all is only five glasses, everyone was feeling more comfortable with each other, except me. Something about Eve irked me. But I remained congenial. A second bottle of wine was opened.
“So, y’all live out on 17?” Eve said.
“Yes. We do,” I said with an unintentional bit of emphasis on the we.
“What do you do out there? I mean, it’s like—”
“A wasteland? Yeah, it’s half an hour to anywhere. But Adam always wanted a river house, and he found this property that was an old farm on the Stono River. Then he built our home and a dock, which is really terrific for him and the boys.” I didn’t say it was my dream home, nor did I brag about how Adam had insisted on my having my dream kitchen. Or that we hand-selected each stone for the fireplace together or that the mantelpiece was hand-hewed and carved by my father’s father. Our house was the perfect expression of our love for each other in so many ways.
“But what about for you? Do you even like living in the country? I’d lose my mind!”
Then it’s a good thing Adam didn’t marry you, I thought.
“It’s not the worst thing. I handle all the accounting for his business, so I get to work from home. And then I can see about the boys too. Would you like one of these?”
Eve had unearthed a secret I harbored and worked hard to hide. But I wasn’t quite ready to abandon caution and bare my soul to her. It was true. Sometimes when I was there alone at night with just the boys, I’d hear a noise and it would frighten me to death. I definitely had moments of feeling vulnerable. In fact, I really didn’t like being alone. It was so dark at night that if I went outside I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Adam proposed having a gun in the house, but I was terrified of them. To my mind too many terrible accidents had happened with guns.
I offered Eve one of the sausage-in-puff-pastry nibbles and her eyes grew large as she took a bite.
“This is delicious!” Eve held her cupped hand under her chin to ensure that flakes of puff pastry wouldn’t fall to the floor. “Honey? Try one of these!”
I turned and offered the platter to Adam and Carl. Each man promptly took one, dipped it in the mustard, and popped it into his mouth. Then they moaned in unison.
“Ma’am?” Carl said. “Please stand right here until that platter is empty.” Then he picked up another one and ate it, grinning like a teenage boy. “Outstanding.”
Not to be outdone, Adam had two. And then I broke out the marinated shrimp, which brought about more wide eyes and moans of simple pleasure.
“Eliza? Please tell me how to make this! The shrimp are so fresh and light. I love them!” Eve said.
“I’d be happy to give you the recipe, although it’s just something I made up,” I said. “I think it’s the cilantro and lime zest that make it sing.”
“Eliza is the best cook in the world,” Adam said and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Wow,” Eve said. “I can hardly boil water. Now, tell me more about living outside of the city. Isn’t it lonely?”