Accidentally Perfect (28 page)

“There wasn’t a need for a garage when the house was first built.  As the family started collecting cars, one of my great uncles had the free standing garage built.  It actually took the place of the front
stables
. 
Once the automotive came along the need for horses dwindled, so the stables are now behind the garage, further down the way.”

We exit the car,
and I grab Amanda while Nathan makes sure Addie is out and steady on her crutches.  She sure has gotten better over the past few days.  The penthouse is so open and spacious she’s been able to practice till she’s just about perfect. 

We walk along a walkway that brings us to the side of the house where there are
hundreds of staff in white uniforms hustling about.  “I’m sure my sister has the tents and everything off to the side of the house. There
is
a huge garden and piece of flat grass.  Our childhood tree house and a conservatory
are
over that way too. The room is completely constructed out of windows, from the walls to the ceilings. It was my mother’s favorite room.  She was able to enjoy the magnificence of her garden any time during the year whether it was snowing or
sunny;
that room made you feel like you were standing outside.  I remember she would sit there for hours while my sister and I would run about on the grass
, play in the playhouse, and tree house. Of course, Natalie called it her tree palace while I said it was a fort.”

We enter the side of the house and into a large kitchen.  People were busy getting trays of hors
d'
oeuvres ready while others looked busy cooking the actual dinner.  “Wow, I would think that everything would have been cooked
off site and then trucked in.”

“No, my mother never did it that way.  She welcomed whoever was catering into our home and let them use the facilities.  Her events were really the only time it was used.  There is a smaller kitchen on the other side of the house that she usually used.  My mother wanted everything to be as fresh as possible.  Natalie has continued the tradition.”

Nathan stops and asks if anyone had seen the lady of the house and they directed us to the study.  We continued through the
house,
and I couldn’t believe the beauty of it all.  There were open beamed rooms with cathedral ceilings.   Huge stone fireplaces and hearths seemed to be the center of almost every room.  I guess they
needed
them before they had the convenience of central heating and cooling. “Along there are the stairs that lead to the sleeping quarters.  The main bedrooms are all upstairs, plus a few other rooms my mother used for sewing and crafting.  There is also a small theater upstairs as well, but the larger theater is just along the back hallway.  All the guest rooms are
downstairs, and there are a couple of offices and a library downstairs too.”

“This sure is a big house,
Nathan.  Didn’t you get lost when you were little?”

“I think I may have a time or two.  Come, Auntie Nat should be right around this corner.”

There she was, sitting behind her desk busily writing on some note cards. 
“Hey, Nat.”
  She looks up when we enter the room. 

“Well hot damn, you make a seriously gorgeous looking family.  I’m proud to call you mine.  Give your Auntie some loves girls.”  She gets up from her desk and wraps her arms around both girls.  “How are you guys getting along with this oaf over here?” He flicks her thumb over to Nathan.

“Good.”   They both say. 

I think they’ve been getting along better than good, better than great.  This week the three of them have totally bonded.  They are like three peas in a pod.  If they aren’t in their
playroom, then they are sitting next to Nathan constantly hugging on him and making sure they’re close to him
at all times. He had to push me out the door to run my errands alone, just so he could have alone time with his girls.  Amanda is now Mandy, and Addie is Adds.

“I have to admit, he is a natural.”

“Thank you, love.  So what are you doing in
here?
  Aren’t you supposed to be sweetening up all those deep pockets out there?  There looks to be a drone of cars already.  Another hit, I’m sure.”

“Yes, I was just writing down some ideas and points that I want to make in
my speech tonight.  I need all those deep pockets to understand what their money is helping out.”

“I want to donate, Natalie.  In fact, I have a check here from Jacobs Cattle and Oil for fifteen thousand dollars.  I hope that gets the ball rolling.”  I pull the check from my purse.

“You don’t have to do that Laney.”

“Of course I do.  This is the first time that I have taken it upon
myself
to donate anything in my family’s name.  This means a lot Natalie, I would like for you to take it.”

“Well, thank you.”  She turns and looks at Nathan, “
Well,
brother of mine.  Are you going to allow your wife to show you up like that?”

“Of course not, I plan on donating fifteen thousand and one tonight.”

Natalie rolls her eyes, “Good lord Nate,”

“What?”  He questions her.

“Come on, let’s get outside and see if the party has started.”

The girls and I follow behind Nathan and Natalie.  “The house is so gorgeous Natalie.”

“Well, that would all be because of my mother.  I haven’t really changed anything about the house since Nate gave it to me.  It is quite lonely here all by
myself
, most of the time I stay in my apartment in the city.  This house is just too big for one person.”

“Where does your father live?  I figured he would still be here in the family home.”

“My father,” Nathan
cuts in, “really stopped living here a couple of years before my mother got sick.  Yes, technically this was his home, but he kept himself busy in the city and rarely made the drive out.”

“Let’s not forget Nathan; how he tried to move back in once
mother had passed.  It seemed that the drive didn’t bother him once mom was gone.”

“It was something else seeing him turn red in the face when I told him he was no longer welcomed in
my
home. He acted like I cut him off from all the money and never looked back.  He spouted so many bullshit logics at me trying to convince me why he belonged in the house.  Why the house and all the land was his and not mine.”

“Yes, father didn’t take any of that too well did he?”

“Is he coming tonight?”

“I’m assuming he is.  When have you known him to miss something like this?  It’s you who normally doesn’t do these
hoity-toity type of things.”

“Yes, well I guess we all have to grow up sometime
.” 

“Not a better time like the present.  It’s
show time.”

We step out of the house into a mass of people impeccably dressed.  The women are all wearing gorgeous
gowns,
and the men are dressed in very dashing tuxedos.  I look over to
Nathan,
who is dressed in all black.  His black tux is over a black shirt and black silk tie.  The only color is a red splotch of satin that sits in his breast pocket.  I think I may have underdressed for the evening.  This is truly my first charity event.  My father never dragged me to these things and my mother never offered to take me, even as I become an adult.  This has never been my scene.

As we continue to make our way through the crowds, we keep tight hands on the girls who are walking next to us. Natalie walks off to a group of men who are talking amongst themselves.  The more people stare at us, the more I begin to feel that maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.  I should have stayed home with the girls while Nathan came to support his sister.  I have never been good with all this
attention,
and I’m not certain I ever will be.  “You look gorgeous, love.  Don’t even start to think you don’t measure up, or you don’t belong.  You belong here more than most of these people do.”

“I don’t know Nathan,
I think I feel like I’m going to be sick.  I don’t want to have to answer any questions about us, or our marriage.”

“Then don’t.  Don’t try to be someone you aren’t. 
Especially because of these people.
  I could give a
rat’s
ass what any of these people think.  The only people I care about are you, the girls and my sister.  Everyone else can take a flying fuck for all I care.”

“The opinions of others are important Nathan, especially when you hold such a powerful name.  When will you learn that?”  I can feel Nathan tense as he turns around.

“I’ve learned a long time ago father, that I can’t live my life worrying what everyone thinks of me.”

“Perhaps you need to remind yourself who should be important in your life.  Then you will realize it’s those people whose opinions matter.”  He turns to me.  I can feel Amanda grip my hand.  “You must be the lady who is stirring up all the hype among the press. 
The one to finally wrangle my untouchable son.
  Joseph Riley, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Laney Richards, Mr. Riley, Laney Richards-Whitmore.”
  I extend my hand for him to shake, but before his father can reach for it, Nathan takes it and intertwines his fingers in mine.

“Yes, I see.  Aren’t you missing a name in there?”

“Well, I no longer use my maiden name, sir.  I don’t see why spouting that I’m a Jacobs helps me be a better person, mother or wife.”

“I was talking about the Riley name
.  If you have married my son, then my surname should be included in the long list of last names you have accumulated.”  He is a piece of work.

“There’s no need for that father, as there is no need for me to carry it anymore.  Whitmore is more than suitable.”

“Yes, well you have always found a way to discredit me as your father.  Why would I think you would allow my name to carry on into your marriage?”  His eyes rake over my body.  “Now I know what all the hype is though.  You are ravishing, simply gorgeous.”  He gives me a
wink
while Nathan bring his arm protectively around me bring, me closer to him.  “And I see that you have already adorned her with the family’s jewelry.”

“My mother’s jewelry.”

“Yes, well nice choice.  The tassel of that necklace sits perfectly between her glorious breasts.

“Are yous Nafin’s
daddy?”  Amanda asks.

He looks down at Amanda, “Yes I am, and who might you be?”

“Her name’s Amanda and I’m
Adele.  Does that mean you’re our grandpa?”

“I guess it does, yes.  You ladies are very pretty.  You take right after your mother in the looks department don’t you?”

“Don’t father.  You aren’t their family.  I may not have a choice in the matter, but they sure as hell do.”  I put my hand on Nathan’s arm hoping to calm him a bit.

“But we don’t have a grandpa, Nathan.”  Adele sounds hurt. 

“I know pretty lady, but sometimes it’s better not to have one at all
than to have one that isn’t worth anything.  This one will only disappoint
you, and I don’t want you to ever be disappointed.”

“Oh Joseph, there you are.”  Her voice was deep with a slight rasp to it.  By the feel of Nathan’s fingers digging into my
shoulder,
I didn’t have to guess who it was.  Looking over to her I didn’t miss the hatred that shown brightly in her eyes.

I should have guessed they would have been here together.  My father lives to torment me.  You would think by now I would have learned my lesson and thrown his ass out on the streets as soon as the first shovel of dirt was thrown on my mother’s grave.  But as much as I loath him, and as much as he has hurt
me, and as much pain he has caused my sister, it’s the love my mother had for him that keeps him living the life he is accustomed to. If she had ever once conveyed to me any disdain
she had towards him, then he would have been long many years ago, but she never did.  She made excuses for him.  She blamed his upbringing, the lack of love his parents showed him.  She would always tell me that if he were loved as a child then he would have loved as an adult.  You can’t do something you have no knowledge of.  I call bullshit.  He knows how to love power and money, so his lack of love towards his family is something that I can’t comprehend.