“I guess if I’m going to be your wife, I should know some things about you.”
He gripped the steering wheel more tightly, apparently bracing himself for my intrusion. “You already know everything.” There was forced calm mixed with defensiveness.
“I mean other things, normal things, like what’s your favorite color?”
“Black.”
“Of course. How many of those black suits do you have anyway?”
“Thirty, but they’re not all exactly the same.” He said it as if he wished they were.
“Okay, how old are you?”
I watched his jaw clench. “Didn’t you figure that out from all those newspaper clippings you copied of me when I was a kid?”
“How do you know about those?”
“When Meridith’s butler brought your briefcase over, the zipper was still open. The file with my name on it jumped out at me.”
“Drew, I’m a lawyer. You can’t go through my briefcase. I keep clients’ confidential documents in there.”
“I thought I was your only client, right now.”
“Nevertheless…” I had run out of argument, so I let my voice trail off. I was starting to think he should have become a lawyer.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Why did you keep all those pictures of me when I was a little kid?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “It was an impulse.”
“Yeah, I have those, except they usually get me into trouble.” He didn’t go into anymore explanation, and I was grateful.
“Drew?”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t want to know why I saved the other one? The one when you were older?”
“No…I know why.” His voice was barely more than a whisper, but I could feel his pain in every word. “I let them see me.”
I had no response. I wanted to comfort him in some way, but I knew the misery from that time in his life went too deep to be cured in one short ride.
I waited several minutes, then asked, “Drew, did you put my files back in my briefcase?”
“Yeah, but I burned the pictures.”
At that moment, the car came to a stop in front of the largest home I had ever seen at such close proximity.
“Is this Meridith’s house? I feel under-dressed.”
He looked over at me in my snug, red turtleneck sweater and simple, dark jeans. “You look great,” he said without an ounce of sarcasm.
I’d anticipated being greeted at the door by a stodgy butler, but Meridith herself opened it for us.
“I’ve been expecting you,” she said cheerfully. “Mia, I’m so glad you’re still with us. I knew you had it in you!”
“Well, I wasn’t sure there for a while.” I tilted my head toward Drew.
“I
am
standing in the room with you,” he said.
“You know I only want the best for you, always,” Meridith cooed as she patted him affectionately on the side of his face. He winced and shooed her hand away. I was surprised when she began removing his black suit jacket for him. He didn’t stop her.
“I always do this when he comes over,” Meridith explained. “I don’t think it’s good for him to walk around in so much black all the time.” Then she whispered, “Sometimes it even seems to loosen him up a little.”
I remembered to thank her for the migraine medicine and, of course, she was glad she could help. She turned to Drew. “Molly and I were making your favorite cookies. She’s in the kitchen waiting for you.”
“Cool!” He sounded genuinely enthusiastic. He immediately disappeared down the hall.
After he was out of earshot, Meridith looked at me, and in a much more serious tone, asked, “Are you really doing all right, darling? I know Drew can be a handful.” I noticed she spoke to everyone as though they were her children, but I appreciated the concern more than I could express.
“Things are okay, now,” I said. “You know I almost left, but he and I managed to come to, sort of, an understanding...at least for now.”
Meridith beamed at me and gathered me into a spontaneous embrace. I was thrown off, but I tried to return the gesture as best I could. “I had a good feeling about you from the second I met you!” she said. “Drew thinks the world of you, you know.”
“The whole world?” I teased as we took the same path her brother had taken a few seconds earlier.
“Oh…” Meridith stopped in her tracks. “I have to run upstairs for a minute. Would you mind helping Drew keep an eye on Molly?”
“Sure.”
I knew what most people would think of the idea of Drew Larson being alone with their child for even a second. Come to think of it, he had every reason to be the baby-sitter from Hell.
But all concern melted away when I heard the sounds coming from the kitchen. A young child was giggling merrily at whatever entertainment was being so skillfully delivered.
I quieted my steps and peeked into the doorway. The kitchen was roomy and rustic with what appeared to be the original exposed brick on every wall, although the appliances were state-of-the-art.
The most adorable little blonde sat on the kitchen counter. She was batting at the air and grabbing for something, and when she didn’t get it, she’d dissolve into uncontrollable laughter, her golden locks bouncing around her shoulders. I took baby steps forward until I could see Drew’s fist motioning wildly in front of her.
“No, you can’t have it back. I got your nose fair and square, so I can do whatever I want with it.” He placed his fist within her reach, then pulled it away before she could catch it. “I think I’m gonna eat it.”
“Nooooo!” Molly squealed between giggles. “I
need
my nose!”
“What for?” he teased. “You’re just as cute without it, and I’m really hungry.”
He opened his mouth as though he was about to pop her nose into it, then paused. “No, I think I’ll cook it first.” Suddenly, he pulled the oven open and pretended to throw something in.
Molly doubled over with laughter and almost fell off the counter. He caught her and steadied her convulsing little frame.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said. “You can’t fall off the counter. If you do, do you know what your mommy will do to Uncle Drew?” Molly listened seriously for the answer. “She’ll take one of her kitchen knives and cut off
my
nose! And my ears!” Then he stuck out his tongue and added, “An mayee my ton’!”
Although my experience with children was limited, I thought the mention of knives and facial mutilation was probably a bit unconventional, but Molly was delighted by her uncle’s silly tongue talk. This time, as she laughed appreciatively, she threw her arms wide for a hug. Intrigued, I took another step forward so I wouldn’t miss Drew’s reaction. To my surprise, he embraced Molly and lifted her off the counter as he hugged her tightly. He spun around unexpectedly, and caught me spying.
“Hey, Mia. Want a cookie?” he asked casually as though he hadn’t been surprised to see me at all.
Molly and I got acquainted and the three of us enjoyed the delicious sweets together.
Meridith breezed in. “I see Drew’s been in the cookies.”
“I can’t let him take the rap,” I confessed. “I think I ate more than he did.”
“Well, that’s what they’re there for!” Molly shouted.
“You’re sounding more like your mom everyday,” Drew said as Molly beamed at him.
“I hate to be the party pooper,” Meridith said. “But don’t you have an appointment with Dr. Schultz?”
“Well, I was planning to blow her off today. You know Mia’s with me and—”
“Oh, I’m sure Mia wouldn’t mind waiting here for an hour. Would you Mia?”
“Not at all,” I answered. “In fact, I was hoping for a tour.”
“See, we’ll be perfectly fine here. Now go.”
The idea of leaving was obviously distressing to Drew. He looked at me as if for the last time.
“Drew…” Meridith was using her motherly-stern voice, now, and it had its desired effect. He said his good-byes to Molly and left.
“You know, he really thinks you might run out on him if he doesn’t stay close,” Meridith said.
“I guess the people in his life haven’t always been trustworthy,” I answered. “But he has you now.”
“And you,” Meridith said confidently.
I wished I could be as confident about this odd situation as she was. “Meri?” I said. “How old is Drew?”
“Let’s see. Last February, he turned twenty-eight. Why? Wouldn’t he tell you?”
“No. I don’t understand him. He’s candid about the most awful things, but he won’t answer a simple, normal question like that.”
“He feels the need to remain mysterious to the world,” Meridith explained. “It’s how he protects himself. He doesn’t want them to know his age, or that he likes children, or that he can be really articulate, even eloquent, at times. He prefers to come across as angry and crude. He feels like this shields him somehow, being notorious and feared, and unapproachable. I think that’s why he doesn’t want to meet his own housekeeper. She knows too many personal things.”
“He
is
an enigma,” I said. “When I saw him playing with Molly, I couldn’t believe he was the same person.”
“You see, Mia. It’s in there. All that love, and caring, and fun. It’s just hard to tap into.”
“Do you think he tells his psychiatrist anything?”
“I hope so. She’s really good. I’ve been to her myself. If anyone can get him to open up, she can. So, when are you two getting married?”
The question took me by surprise. “I have no idea. Between the migraine and running away from the maid, we haven’t had time to talk about it.”
Meridith chuckled, then her expression grew very serious. “Mia, I want to tell you how amazed I am at the difference you’ve made with Drew.”
“The difference?” I couldn’t tell if any difference I’d made with him was for the better or worse.
“He’s never shown up at my door without a scowl on his face, until today. And, even when he’s entertaining the kids, I rarely see him smile, but a while ago, when I walked into the kitchen, you were playing with Molly, and he was watching you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Was he?” I tried to sound casual.
“He had a smile on his face—a small one, but still a smile—and he had this look in his eyes I’ve never seen before.”
“A look?” I was responding in silly two-word questions to everything Meridith said. Why did I feel like I needed this information so desperately?
“Like he really felt something. Like he wanted to reach out and touch you.” Meridith’s eyes watered. “I felt as though I was really seeing him for the first time. I wish I had a picture of him like that.”
So do I.
Chapter Eight
I had a wonderful time with Meridith. Despite the daunting size of the house and grounds, Drew’s sister had managed to make it both lovely and homey. I was surprised at how comfortable I was with little Molly, and her six-year-old brother Ben, who was dropped off later from a play date. We all went walking on the grounds, followed closely by Charlie the dog, who was a mutt the family had rescued from “strayhood.”
I had always believed money would make me feel instantly sophisticated, allow me to feel superior to other people, instead of vice versa, and erase all the poverty and shame of my past. However, Meridith had been born rich, and she seemed to desire as normal a life as possible. She used her money to make her family more comfortable and their lives more convenient, while remaining kind, personable, and real. I realized I really wanted to be Meridith’s sister-in-law.