18. Natalie
18
NATALIE
H ow was it possible that the brunch display made me hungry and nauseous?
Bernie, James, Christopher, Kathleen, Teddy, and a few other relatives whose names I’d forgotten were gathered around the long table in Bernie’s grand solarium, nursing hangovers and trading stories from the night before.
“I always judge a party’s success by how many people fell into the pool, and based on what I saw going on last night, I’d venture to say that this was the best one on record,” Bernie said, raising her mimosa in a toast.
“Did people fall in, or jump?” Teddy asked as he looked around the table. “Because I definitely jumped.”
Kathleen broke out in giggles and reached for his hand. He brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. They were so in love it was almost embarrassing to watch. I glanced over at James, but he seemed oblivious.
“And some of us were pushed,” Christopher added, glowering at Teddy.
At first I couldn’t tell if it was good-natured teasing or if the two had an actual beef. But Christopher’s face transformed into his usual cheerful expression, and Teddy reached across the table to fist-bump him.
“What happened to you, sir?” Bernie fixed her gaze on James, and he seemed to brace for impact. “You seemed to disappear for quite a while.”
I felt my cheeks go hot at the memory of the fun we’d had in the pool house before people started jumping in the water.
“What do you mean?” he asked, wide-eyed and innocent. “I was there the whole night.”
“Mm-hmm,” she replied. “Maybe I should check the security cameras, because I have a distinct memory of you excusing yourself with your lovely girlfriend right after you danced.”
“My strap broke,” I volunteered quickly. “On my, uh, undergarment. We only missed a little bit of the party.”
“Speaking of missing things,” Kathleen began, shooting a guilty look at Teddy. “I have some bad news about the couture launch.”
James sighed. “Let me guess: you can’t make it.”
“I take all the blame,” Teddy said, raising his hand. “I booked the trip without checking in with Kathleen on the dates, and now we can’t get out of it.”
With their resources I had a feeling that they could change any plans at any time, but I wasn’t about to say anything.
“You two are always on the go,” Bernie said. “Doesn’t it get tiring?”
Kathleen beamed at Teddy. “Never. I’ve always wanted to see the world, but I didn’t have a chance. But this guy makes sure my suitcase is always packed and ready. He’s the perfect travel companion.”
“Where to this time?” James asked warily, clearing his plate at an alarming pace.
“Bucket list trip: a safari!” Teddy said.
“Yes, and because of the weather it’s the best time for us to go. I wish we could be there for the show, but you have to understand.”
James snorted out a laugh. “It’s sort of expected now, Mom. We have an event, you can’t make it. We have a crisis, you’re out of the country. Someone needs a shoulder to cry on, your phone is out of range.” He shrugged, still not looking at her. “But I guess you have to listen to your heart.”
The table had gone quiet as James tossed grenades at his mom.
“Yes, that’s exactly what one must do,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s something I wish you’d do more of, actually.”
Christopher sucked in a breath. I froze, wishing I could melt into the floor.
“And what does that mean?” James demanded, with his fork frozen in the air.
“Well, sweetheart, you seem to cycle through partners fairly quickly. I hope things are different this time.” Kathleen glanced at me and gave me a warm smile. I managed a lopsided grin back, because the conversation made me want to squirm right under the table. James didn’t look any happier to be discussing his past in front of the group.
“I’d say the Branson Boys have had their fair share of bad luck when it comes to relationships,” Christopher said with a frown. “There’s my mess with Amanda, and let’s not forget what Heidi put James through.”
“It was awful,” Bernie agreed. “That story in People was so cruel. I can’t believe she had the nerve to say that you’re emotionally stunted. How dare she?”
“The whole article was filled with lies,” James muttered.
“If that was the case, why didn’t you refute it?” Christopher asked. “Let people know that she’s full of shit.”
I tried to focus on the frittata in front of me, but I was riveted by the conversation, as uncomfortable as it felt.
“You know how that works,” James replied warily. “I issue a statement, then she does, then it’s a tennis match of who can hurt whom more. And honestly, she had the upper hand since she claimed I refused to commit to her. Public sympathy was already on her side.”
“Well, that part is kind of true, if you ask me,” Christopher said gingerly. “It’s not like you wanted a lifetime commitment from Heidi.”
James barked out a laugh. “Exactly. Can you imagine?”
I glanced at James and tried to figure out if he meant any lifetime commitment, or just one with a shallow, attention-hungry supermodel.
“Enough about her,” Bernie called from her spot at the head of the table. “We’re all in a good place now, yes? The Bransons are happy! Right? We’re all happy, happy, happy!”
It sounded like a plea. Everyone quickly agreed, but when I glanced at Christopher, I noticed that his expression had gone stony. And James didn’t even look at me during the whole discussion, to the point where I wondered if he even remembered that I was seated across from him.
I felt a tension headache coming on from the stress of the conversation, but the moment we were back in our room, James swept me into his arms and gave me a kiss that erased any of my doubts.
“What was that for?” I asked when we finally pulled apart.
“For putting up with all of that bullshit,” he said as he ran his thumb down my cheek. “I hate it when my mom brings up relationship stuff. She hasn’t exactly been a great example over the years.”
He let go of me, then pulled his travel bag out of the closet to start packing up even though the household staff had offered to do it for us.
“Yeah, but now she seems like she’s in a good place. She and Teddy are happy, right?” I grabbed my ratty old gym bag and started packing as well. I’d been embarrassed when I realized I didn’t have suitable luggage, but no one called me out for it.
I hugged the red party dress to my chest before gently folding it and stashing it away.
“They are, to the detriment of everyone else.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
James rolled his shirt from the night before in a ball and shoved it in his bag. “Since she met Teddy, it’s like she’s a whole different person. When we were growing up… I mean, I get that it couldn’t have been easy for her. By the time she was my age, she was a widow with two kids, living with her mother-in-law. She loves Bernie, we all do, but you know my grandmother has a very strong personality. I don’t think Mom had a lot of say in how things went around the house. But she stuck it out, putting family first. She was there for everything— every T-ball game, every parent-teacher conference, every science fair. As we got older, we didn’t lean on her as much, but we always knew she was there. I think she still blames herself for not realizing how bad things were for Christopher, but she was a real rock during the intervention and the process of getting him into rehab. Then a few months later, she’s at a support group meeting, and in walks Teddy.” James grimaced.
“I thought you liked Teddy,” I managed to say.
James shrugged. “It’s not that I think he’s a bad guy, but I’m not wild about the way Mom fell in love with him, and suddenly that was all that mattered. Nowadays, she goes M.I.A. constantly, and sometimes it feels like nothing matters but Teddy. My mom is in love with love.”
I frowned. Part of me agreed that Kathleen needed to be present for her family’s challenges, but blaming the very idea of love for her issues? Besides, it sounded to me like Kathleen had gone a lot of years without having much of a life outside of her family. In a way, wasn’t it a good thing that she was finally living for herself?
The conversation ended there. We packed in silence, and I wondered if all the talk about Heidi triggered memories. I’d done a tiny bit of research on their relationship but stopped when I saw the beach photos of them in Capri, with a bikini-ed Heidi draped over James’s muscular back. The way he had his hands casually wrapped around her arms, like he didn’t want to let go of her, made me want to throw up in my mouth.
James came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist, as if he could feel the nervous tension radiating off of me. He kissed the side of my neck.
I closed my eyes at the sweetness of being pressed against him. “Did I do okay this weekend?” I whispered as I leaned back and breathed him in. I’d been dying to hear what everyone thought about me.
He turned me around and gave me a long kiss.
“You were perfect,” he murmured against my mouth. “A goddess among mortals.”
I laughed. “Ooh, say more.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime,” James said, running his hands down the sides of my body and lighting a fire inside of me.
Did we have enough time for a quickie?
“We made a great team, huh?” I kissed him tenderly, then nipped at his lip, which made him kiss me back even harder.
“Oh yes,” he said, backing me towards the bed. “You’re an incredible fake girlfriend.”
My skin went cold, and I wondered if he felt the chill roll through me. It was a stupid reaction since he’d been straight with me about my role since I’d agreed to go. But still…even after everything we’d shared, did he really consider our time together nothing more than acting?
“What’s wrong?” James asked as he pulled away, eyeing me suspiciously. “It seems like you disappeared for a second.”
I smiled even though my insides were churning. “Nothing, I’m fine! Just thinking about the flight home. I still don’t have my helicopter legs.”
He gave me one last kiss, then walked back to his bag, our sexy moment lost. “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time for you to learn to love my helicopter.”
Plenty of time? How long was this fake relationship going to last? Or did he think there was a chance of it actually turning real? That was what I wanted…but did he? He didn’t seem to think much of love.
I had so many questions…but I didn’t dare ask them. When I was young I’d learned the hard way that asking too many questions and making too many demands could bite me in the ass, so I shut my mouth, smiled, and pretended that I was happy to go along with whatever happened next.