Flying Backwards (16 page)

Corrine confessed she was just too busy to date. Since she ran the family’s London branch of the business, she always felt obligated to pour all her spare time into it. She had not had a boyfriend in two years. Ashley rolled her eyes and rasped, “I am definitely getting you out more.” Even though they didn’t live far from each other in the city, they admitted they hardly had the chance to get together.

Bree and Nora nodded in mutual understanding. Bree explained that with their hectic schedules they didn’t often see each other for a week or two–and they lived together! Bree began telling them what life was like in Philly and trying to convince them to come for a visit when Corrine’s phone rang.

After Corrine hung up she said to the girls, “That was my mum. She’s invited you all back for dinner this evening.”

Ashley looked up and focused her expressive eyes on Nora. “Good, you’ll get a chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Westborough. Wait until you meet Judy. She’s great.” To the others she announced, “We should get going so we’ll have time to change for dinner.” Ashley nonchalantly tucked a mass of auburn curls behind her ear. They gathered their bags and headed for the door. A young man coming in held the door open. He gave Bree a wide smile and nodded hello only to her. The girls were used to the attention Bree received, but they teased her about it all the same. They dropped Corrine off and went back to Ashley’s regal residence to change for dinner.

Nora took extra care applying makeup and used her straightening iron on her hair. She was glad she’d packed an extra girly dress. Nora paired it with a denim shrug and some flats. She was looking at her image in the mirror when Bree knocked before sticking her head around the door.

“Hey, are you ready?” Bree flashed her white smile.

“Yes, I think so.” Nora wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and picked up her purse. She also grabbed the jacket Ben had lent her.
Why do I have butterflies in my stomach?
She closed the door behind her, and they moved down the hallway on the plush carpet.

“Ben mentioned that his mother had passed. His dad remarried someone named Judy?” Nora inquired.

Bree knew Ben did not talk much about his mother. “Yes, he remarried. Hmm. Ben mentioned his mother?”

“No, when we were with Bellefleur he just mentioned she’d passed.” Nora waited intently for Bree’s next words.

“Oh. Yes, their mom died when they were little. Corrine doesn’t really remember her. I never had the chance to meet her. Did he tell you it was a car accident?”

“No. That is so sad.” Nora’s heart constricted, thinking of Ben as a little boy without a mother.

“Yeah.” They reached the bottom of the steps. “Well, his stepmother is wonderful. Her name is Judy,” she reiterated. “We all love her.”

Nora looked at Ashley, who waited at the bottom of the steps, remembering that Ashley had said the same thing about Judy. Corrine had referred to Judy as Mum on the phone earlier. Nora felt sad that her new friend didn’t remember her own mother.

* * *

Corrine welcomed them at the door and led them into a room with comfortable seating. Corrine introduced her parents to Nora. The biggest surprise was that Judy was American; she grew up in Maryland. Nora’s mother had also grown up in Maryland, so they chatted for a while about that. Judy sent Corrine to fetch the hors d’oeuvres tray. Corrine and Ben’s dad, Derek, poured them some wine from the decorative tray set with wine glasses. Nora thought Judy Westborough was abundantly warm and friendly, and Derek Westborough was pleasantly agreeable, although somewhat reserved.

Corrine returned with not only a platter of bite-sized delights but her brother Ben. “Hello, ladies,” Ben greeted the guests. He looked at Ashley and asked, “Where is Evan? I thought he was coming up today.” Nora knew that Evan was Ashley’s older brother who worked for an investment company in London. Bree had told her that as kids it was always Evan and Ben, Corrine and Ashley. It worked out perfectly that both boys were the same age, as were the two girls.

Ben sat across from Nora and poured himself a glass of wine. He glanced up at her and gave her a dimpled smile.

Between bites Ashley answered, “Yeah, he got tied up. Mum is furious. He’ll either arrive later tonight or in the morning. This will be the first event he’ll attend this year. It’s already the end of June.”

“How is your mother, Ashley? I don’t know how she pulls off these charity events year after year. I invited her to come tonight, but she declined, saying she was dealing with an issue with the florist,” Judy inquired.

“She’s fine. There are always problems with these events, but she’s in her element. I know tomorrow night will be epic.” Even though Ashley had her own job, indirectly related to her mother’s charities, and an apartment in the city, she attended every event her mother put on. She was considered by many as a socialite.

Judy excused herself to finish making dinner.

“Would you like some help?” Nora offered.

“Oh no, honey. Sit and visit.” Judy smiled and seemed touched by her offer.

Nora stood and made her way to Judy’s side. “I don’t mind. Let me help you. It’s the least I can do.” She would have liked to talk with Ben, but she felt she was under the watchful eye of Bree and Corrine, who seemed to think Ben was interested in her.

Bree said encouragingly, “Her family has a catering business. Nora likes to cook.”

“Oh well, in that case…” Judy smiled again and led the way to the kitchen. “I’m glad to get a chance to chat with a fellow American.”

As they worked side by side in the gleaming gourmet kitchen, Nora enjoyed talking with Judy, who reminded Nora of her mother.

After about ten minutes, Ben wandered into the kitchen, just as Judy and Nora were discussing the best ingredients for vinaigrette. “Excuse me, ladies, but how much longer until we eat dinner?”

“About twenty minutes. Why, Ben? Where are you off to?” Judy placed a hand on her hip.

He chuckled. “I’m just going out to check on my mare. I’ll be five or ten minutes, tops.” He grabbed an apple from a bowl on a distant counter. His smiling eyes lingered on Nora as he moved toward the back door. Nora noted that he did not call Judy Mom or Mum as Corrine had. She wondered why.

“Don’t get dirty,” Judy shouted after him, as if he were a boy. She then turned to Nora and resumed their discussion.

Judy and Nora passed the stairwell on their way to announce that dinner was ready. Ben was coming down, fastening the sleeves on a new shirt. Judy looked up at Ben and said accusingly, “You got dirty.”

“Yes, but I’m back in time for dinner. And I have on a clean shirt.” He reached the bottom of the stairs as the others filed into the hallway.

“Dinner ready, my dear?” Derek asked his wife. At her nod the group crossed into the dining room and took their places. Ben pulled out a chair for Nora and circled around the table to sit across from her. From this vantage point, Nora noticed, they could easily glance at each other all night. She blushed every time their eyes met.

She became better acquainted with Judy and Derek over dinner, and Judy insisted she stop calling them Mr. and Mrs. Westborough. Her casual American attitude was just one of the things that made everyone love her. Nora noticed when Judy slipped her arm around Ben’s waist to give him a motherly squeeze. Ben seemed used to it. They reminded Nora of her own parents when she saw Judy rest her hand on her husband’s palm at the dinner table. Derek was stately, but it was evident he adored his vivacious wife.

Ashley and Corrine were great at including Nora over the weekend and making her feel welcome. Because Bree was like family to Nora, this group of her friends also felt like extended family. Then there was Ben. She learned he liked British football, better known to Americans as soccer, and he enjoyed playing when he had the time. He had been playing the guitar and the piano since elementary school, and Corrine vouched for his talent. Nora told them she played piano as well and that all three sisters had taken piano lessons since they were little. She and Victoria were good, continuing with lessons until eighth grade, but Lizzy had dropped the lessons by fourth grade; she became more of a jock.

After dinner and dessert, they moved to a less formal room in the back of the house. Corrine and Ben cleared the dishes and could be heard laughing in the kitchen. Derek opened another bottle of wine and offered his guests another glass. Bree and Nora told Judy about meeting during flight attendant training.

As the hour grew late, the chattering died down. Their yawns seemed contagious.

“Well, we have a big day tomorrow,” Ashley said as she stood.

Nora and Bree thanked their hosts. Each girl received a warm hug from Judy. “You girls are welcome. Come visit me anytime. Nora…” Judy gripped both her hands. “
Please
come back soon. You are a joy.” She looked at Bree. “Bree, promise me you’ll bring Nora back.”

“Of course.” Bree nodded.

“I’ll walk out with you.” Ben followed them, as did Corrine.

“Ben, change your shirt if you’re going out to the stables,” Judy softly said.

Ben pressed his lips together and turned slightly to give her a slanted gaze and a curt nod. “All right.” Judy smiled at him and waved. Derek directed his wife inside and shut the door.

Nora observed as the siblings, Ben and Corrine, shook their heads at each other and rolled their eyes. Judy’s mothering seemed to have had become a joke between them.

Nora suddenly remembered the jacket. “Oh, Ben, I have your jacket. It’s in the car.” Nora retrieved it while the others stood around talking. “Thanks again.” She handed it to him.

“Sure, no problem.” His handsome face was all angles in the dark shadows. “So how long are you here for?” He said quietly. His eyes flickered in the girls’ direction.

“We leave the day after tomorrow.”

“You fly international, you said. Will you be flying back to England at some point?”

Nora’s heart started beating faster. She nodded, and they smiled at each other.

“So maybe I’ll get to see you again sometime?”

“Yeah, sure. I frequently fly to London.”

Bree called to Nora, which ended their conversation about future plans.

Ashley piped up and gave Ben a stern look. “Ben, you
are
coming to the charity event tomorrow?”

Ben looked at Nora as he answered. “I’ll be there.”

Nora watched him back away and turn to stroll toward the stables.

In the car Bree turned to look at Nora. “What were you two whispering about?”

“We weren’t whispering. I was just returning his jacket,” Nora replied, her eyes wide with innocence.

When they returned to the Andrews estate, the lights were on; the place buzzed with activity. Nora followed the girls past people carrying furniture, hanging banners, and cleaning and polishing. Nora heard distant sounds of pans clanging in the kitchen.

As the girls reached the landing Mrs. Andrews walked past the stairwell. Once she’d caught their attention, she asked, “How was your evening with the Westboroughs?”

“Great,” answered Ashley. Nora and Bree nodded in agreement.

“Good. We’ll be done here soon, sorry for the noise. Goodnight, girls, sleep well.” Mrs. Andrews strode away, calling after some furniture movers. The girls trudged up the stairs to their rooms, stifling yawns, saying goodnight to one another.

Chapter Twelve

Nora awoke to the beeping of a delivery truck backing up. She rolled out of bed and pulled the window shade aside. Several guys were unloading tables; others were carrying in linens. The florist’s truck parked below, and two guys got out. One man carrying a clipboard headed inside while the other rolled open the truck door. Nora glanced at the time. It was just past nine o’clock. She dressed quickly and knocked on Bree’s door.

Bree was lying in bed thumbing through a magazine when Nora entered and exclaimed, “Wow! This is exciting. How many people are coming to this thing?”

Bree grinned. “Around seven hundred–or more?” she guessed. “I told you it is
the
charity event of the season.”

“How many times have you been to this event? What’s it like?” Nora felt jittery with anticipation.

“I’ve been to countless events similar to this, but Mrs. Andrews’ annual charity event? I’d say seven or eight times.” Bree sat up and folded her feet under her, pretzel-style. “She selects a different organization every year. She’s been hosting this for like twenty years.”

“I can’t believe I’m here!” The most glamorous event Nora had ever attended was a wedding at an upscale country club.

Bree paused in thought. “Oh, here it is.” She reached for an envelope on her nightstand and slipped out a fancy invitation. “It says…‌it starts at five o’clock.” She read silently. “Guest speaker at seven and dinner at nine, followed by another guest speaker… Here.” She handed it to Nora. “You check it out.”

The invitation was printed on thick paper and embossed with gold lettering.

A knock sounded. “Are you up?” Ashley’s raspy voice called from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, come on in!” Bree called out. The door opened, and Ashley shuffled in. She crawled onto Bree’s bed and lay face down. She wore a T-shirt that said
Girls Rule
and baggie pajama bottoms with Sponge Bob images splashed all over them. Her kinky hair pointed in every direction. Nora chuckled to herself at the contrast between Ashley, the charity hosts’ daughter, who looked like an oversized kid, and the elegant invitation she held in her hand.

Bree retrieved a message on her phone and tossed the phone away in disgust after listening to the message.

“What’s up?” Nora asked, forgetting about her excitement for a moment. Ashley opened one eye.

Bree shook her head and dragged her hand through her strawberry blond locks. “It’s my parents. They are fighting over who’s getting the beach house for the Fourth of July. They decided to split the time at the beach house in the divorce, because neither of them wanted to spend the whole summer there,” she explained. “And they keep leaving me messages, each insisting they are getting it and that they want me to come,” she said, exasperated. She raised her hands. “I can’t even go. I’m working.”