“Devin! Anna! This nice lady is here for a visit. Say hello to Ms. Ludlow.”
“Fina, please.”
They walked over to the kids, who gave her smiles and shy hellos.
Andy consulted his watch. “How about a mojito?”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Can I give you a hand?”
“Nope. Just make sure nobody falls on their head.”
Shit. She’d rather mix the cocktails.
“Push me,” Anna demanded once Andy had gone toward the house. Fina walked behind her and gave a gentle push on her small back.
“Guess how old I am,” Anna said.
“Hmm. Forty.”
“What!” She giggled, as did her brother.
“No? Okay. Sixteen?”
“I’m not that old!” Anna hollered. Devin paused at the top of the slide.
“Okay,” Fina said. “One last guess. Four and a half.”
Anna twisted around in her swing, wide-eyed. “How did you know?”
Fina smiled. “I know lots of things.”
Devin came careening down the slide, and Fina pushed and listened to the stream of chatter from the little girl.
“Are you two twins?” Fina asked.
“We are, but Devin’s older!” She giggled, clearly tickled by the notion.
A minute later, Andy emerged from the house, his arms full. Fina walked over to the patio and sat down on one of the outdoor couches. On a tray, a pitcher of mojitos was sweating, the very sight of it increasing her thirst. There was a plate of cheese and crackers and a large bunch of plump grapes. Cocktail napkins were fanned out next to small glass swizzle sticks. Andy poured their drinks into heavy tumblers filled with crushed mint and raised his in a toast.
“Your kids are very sweet,” Fina said.
“Thank you.” He smiled.
“Did you know Hank well?” Fina asked.
“I knew him socially, from company events, that sort of thing.”
“What did you think of him?”
“He was a nice guy. Very bright, obviously.”
“What about the two Mrs. Reardons? I got the sense from Dimitri that he was a bigger fan of Juliana.”
“He’s known Juliana longer; I think he feels some loyalty to her. Dimitri always does favor the underdog.”
“You mean the discarded first wife?”
“Exactly.”
“And do you have a preference?”
“They’re apples and oranges, but I’m partial to Danielle.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s more fun. These dinners and conferences we go to can be a complete bore. Having a fun buddy makes all the difference, and I can’t let down my hair with just anyone—it wouldn’t reflect well on Dimitri.” Fina knew that being married to the president or CEO of an organization could be isolating. If you’re married to the head honcho, you have an image to maintain.
“There was a meeting in Vegas last year; we had a ball.” Andy popped a grape in his mouth.
“You and Dimitri?”
“Me and Danielle. Dimitri has no time on those trips. I see him when we check in at the hotel and a couple of days later when we check out. Danielle and I did a spa day and went to some shows. It was great.”
“So you two get along; did Dimitri and Hank?”
Andy refilled his glass. “You want me to tell tales out of school?” He narrowed his gaze.
Fina shrugged and grinned.
“They were business partners, and sometimes they disagreed, but they’d compromise and move on.”
Devin ran over and put his little hands on Andy’s large knees. “Daddy, when’s Papa coming home?” Pieces of his hair were plastered to his face with sweat. Playing was hard work.
“Soon, sweetie, soon.” He stroked his son’s back. Andy’s lip was slightly curled, and Fina wondered if Dimitri’s schedule was a source of friction.
“My dad worked crazy hours when I was growing up,” she said, stabbing at the mint with a swizzle stick.
“Things were supposed to change once the babies were born, but that didn’t really happen.” He glanced at his watch.
“I don’t envy parents trying to figure all that stuff out.”
Andy didn’t respond, just stared into his drink.
“I’m hungry!” Anna hollered from the swing set.
“Have some grapes,” Andy suggested.
Anna hopped off the swing and ran over. She studied the grapes but instead reached for a piece of cheese, which she picked up and examined. After handling it, she put it back down on the plate and chose another. When she started the routine with a third piece, Andy interceded. “Anna, peach, you can’t touch all the food. No one else will want to eat it if you’ve put germs on it.”
Anna look surprised. “I don’t have germs,” she insisted, wiping her nose with her bare arm.
“What about the waterfront development deal?” Fina asked once the twins had taken their spoils over to the table.
He frowned. “Did you ask Dimitri about it?”
“Not yet. That’s why I’m here.”
Andy considered for a moment. “It was a bone of contention. I don’t think it was Hank’s finest moment.”
“Because he cut Dimitri out of the deal?”
“I can’t be specific.”
“Sure.” Fina nodded. “I assume the police asked Dimitri for an alibi.”
“Yes, and he was here with me, asleep, all night.”
Of course. Wasn’t everybody tucked safely into bed on the night of Hank’s murder?
“Papa!” Devin slid off his chair and ran to the doorway. Dimitri was standing there in his work clothes, his phone in his hand.
“Hey, buddy!”
Anna joined her brother, and Dimitri kneeled down and gathered the kids into a bear hug. “I missed you guys.” Fina smiled at the scene. She supposed that’s why some people had dogs, so they could be slobbered with love when they walked in the door.
“Hey.” Dimitri walked over and gave Andy a peck on the cheek. Andy poured him a drink. Dimitri took a gulp and sat down next to his husband. He looked at Fina and seemed to register her banged-up appearance, but was either too polite or too disinterested to comment.
“What happened to five o’clock?” Andy asked reproachfully.
“What always happens,” Dimitri said, and avoided his gaze.
Andy studied him for a moment, then sat up straighter, a physical indication that he was done with that subject for now. “Fina was asking some questions about Hank.”
“I introduced myself when I arrived. There hasn’t been any subterfuge,” she assured Dimitri. “You have a beautiful home and children. Under other circumstances, I’d ask you two to adopt me.”
Dimitri let a small smile crack his face. “Andy deserves the credit for that. He’s very welcoming.”
“Fina was asking about the waterfront development deal,” Andy said. A look passed between the two men, the kind of brief look that spoke volumes to the two people who spoke the language.
“There’s not much to say about it,” Dimitri said.
“I got the sense that it generated some bad blood between you and Hank,” Fina said.
“I wasn’t happy about it,” he admitted, “but we moved on.” Anna came over and climbed onto Dimitri’s lap. Devin stayed at the table, overseeing a race between a slice of cheese and a club cracker.
“Got it.” Fina drained her drink and moved forward on the couch. “Thank you for your hospitality and for answering my questions.”
The two men stood up, Anna in Dimitri’s arms, and followed her to the front door. They exchanged pleasantries, and Fina walked around the corner to her car. Over the fence, she could see the two men engaged in what looked to be a heated exchange. Maybe they were discussing Dimitri’s tardiness—or maybe her questions had ignited a spark.
• • •
“Is anyone coming?” Risa asked.
Fina looked around the changing room. “It’s just us. Open your mouth.”
Risa did as she was told, and Fina ran the cotton swab along the inside of her cheek. She popped it into a plastic tube, pushed on the top, and sealed it with a sticker.
“I feel like this should be a bigger deal, more of a process,” Risa commented.
“You mean like the procedure should match the gravity of the situation?”
“Something like that.”
The women emerged from the clubhouse and walked over to the patio. Elaine was sitting at a table with Patty. The table had been cleared of plates and glasses, and the boys were back in the pool.
“Did you eat?” Patty asked Fina and Risa.
“I’m waiting for Marty,” Risa said.
“What were you two doing in there?” Elaine asked.
Fina looked at her mother. “Peeing.”
Patty gave Fina the hairy eyeball. Fina knew she antagonized her mother, but her questions were nosy and stupid. She got the answers she deserved.
“Oh, I see Marty,” Risa said, and pushed back her chair. “I’m going to round up the kids for dinner.” She exchanged good-byes with the other women.
A waitress appeared and took Fina’s order for a diet soda, and Elaine asked for a refill on her gin and tonic. Patty was nursing a glass of white wine.
“You’re not eating?” Elaine asked.
“I’m not hungry, Mom.”
“You should eat.”
Fina ignored her and accepted the glass from the waitress brimming with ice and diet soda. “Where’s Scotty?”
“He and your dad had a business dinner,” Patty said. “Your mom was just telling me about the work they’re having done on the kitchen.”
“What’s wrong with the kitchen?”
“It’s outdated,” Elaine said.
In an ideal world, Fina would ask about the updates, gush about paint colors and fixtures, and offer to shop for backsplash tile, but that wasn’t the world she lived in. As it was, she thought it demonstrated tremendous restraint not to remind her mother that the kitchen was two years old. Fina felt that her silence was a gracious response. Elaine didn’t feel the same way.
“You could at least pretend to be interested,” Elaine said.
“I am interested,” Fina said. “I’m just surprised. I didn’t think the kitchen was that old.”
“Well, it is.” Elaine pouted.
“Two years is old?”
Chandler, Patty’s youngest, hollered from the pool, requiring some adult assistance. Patty started to rise, but Elaine stopped her. “I have to use the ladies’ room anyway.” She got up and walked toward the shallow end.
Patty stared at Fina.
“What?” Fina asked.
“Why do you care how old her kitchen is?”
“Because it’s ridiculous. It’s completely wasteful and just shows how out of touch she is with the real world.”
“That’s bull. It’s because it’s her. If I were redoing my kitchen, you wouldn’t have such a strong reaction.”
“First of all, you wouldn’t redo a brand-new kitchen. Second of all, I could tell you what I think and you wouldn’t pout.”
“Fina, you are never going to change who she is. Your disapproval serves no purpose except to keep the two of you angry with each other.”
Fina shrugged. “I can live with that.”
Patty shook her head. They sipped their drinks in silence.
“What was the problem?” Patty asked when Elaine returned.
“He just needed the tie on his bathing suit retied,” her mother said, slipping into her chair.
“Thanks.”
“Have you spoken with your brother?” Elaine asked.
“Which one?” Fina replied between sips.
“You know which one.”
Fina traded looks with Patty.
“What? Are you two in cahoots about this?” Elaine asked.
“No, Mom,” Patty said. “But I share Fina’s feelings on this one.” Fina
was always taken aback when Patty referred to Elaine as “Mom.” Why would you claim this woman as your own if you weren’t legally obligated to?
“Well, he’s her brother.”
When Fina uncovered Rand’s crimes, the decision had been made to keep Elaine in the dark. Sometimes Fina wondered if that had been the right decision.
“I know you’ve had a falling out,” Elaine said, “but—”
“It’s a little more serious than that, Mom.”
“Fina . . .” Patty warned.
“I’m just not sure why we’re doing this,” Fina insisted.
“Doing what?” Elaine narrowed her eyes.
“Not now, Fina. Just stop,” Patty said.
Fina took a swig of soda and avoided her mother’s gaze.
“You listen to her but not me.” Elaine drained her glass. “I’m going home.” She stood up and gathered her bag. It was ugly and expensive, Elaine’s signature style.
“Mom, you don’t need to go,” Patty said, but Elaine left anyway.
“Don’t stop her,” Fina said, “and please don’t act like this is the same as our kitchen issues. Maybe we should tell her the truth about her precious son.”
Patty rotated her glass on the tabletop. “I don’t know. It’s all a big mess.”
“No argument here.”
“Finally,” Patty said, and smiled at Fina.
• • •
Milloy called her during the drive home, offering to swing by with Chinese food since he was in the neighborhood. Miraculously, her appetite reappeared.
After a meal eaten off actual plates (Milloy insisted), they took their usual positions on the couch: Fina lying on her side, her feet bumping
up against Milloy’s thigh. Before long, Milloy pulled her feet onto his lap and began kneading her insteps.
“Easy, easy,” Fina instructed. “You don’t know your own strength.”
Milloy eased up on the pressure. The circular pattern he made with his thumbs felt good.
“Are you feeling frisky?” Fina asked.
Milloy raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.”
“Don’t be coy,” Fina said, sitting up. “But remember, I’m not one hundred percent.” She leaned toward him and made a poor attempt to pucker her lips.
“You’ve got other body parts,” Milloy reminded her, and was pulling her toward him when there was a knock on the door.
“Seriously?” Milloy asked. “For someone who doesn’t like people, you have an awful lot of visitors.”
“I know.” Fina padded over to the door in her bare feet and looked through the peephole.
“It’s work. I can’t blow it off,” she said, opening the door.
Cristian stood on her threshold when she opened the door. He looked pleased to see her, until he noticed Milloy in the background.
“Sorry. Is this a bad time?” he asked.
“It’s fine.”
“Hey,” Cristian said to Milloy.
“Hey,” Milloy responded.
The two men knew they had similarly ambiguous roles in Fina’s life. Neither wanted clarification of his own role, but wished the other’s status were more explicit.