Chapter 10
PHOEBE
Dominic made sure I had a shot of whiskey before we walked through the doors of Baldwin Mansion. The smoky liquid left a slight burn down my throat, but it relaxed me just enough to keep me focused and my head screwed on right—at least for a little while.
“It’s a beautiful home,” he says.
We stand in the foyer as Maggie, one of the housekeepers, politely takes our jackets.
I grew up in this place, yet ever since my father died, I have felt like a guest here.
It’s as if the house itself doesn’t really want me anymore.
Or maybe it’s because of the way my own mother and sister make me feel when I’m here.
“It is,” I agree, looking around.
The foyer is airy and inviting. My mother stresses the importance of always having fresh flowers around the house, so it’s no wonder that every porcelain vase in this space overflows with blossoming chrysanthemums.
“Ah, Phoebe, darling,” Mom says as she comes down the main staircase. “Gentlemen, I’m glad you could all join us.”
“It’s an honor to be here, Mrs. Baldwin,” August politely replies.
“Mrs. Astor-Baldwin,” she corrects. “But please, for the sake of brevity, call me Helen. It’s much easier.”
As usual, she looks beautiful. In her late fifties, my mother is a vision in her silver dress with a V-neckline, diamonds sparkling in her ears and around her throat.
She’s slender with bleached blonde hair and perfectly traced red lips.
She takes a moment to measure each of us from head to toe while her heels click with every step she takes.
She finds my companions charming, while I get a silent look of disappointment, which makes me feel stocky in my peach cocktail dress, even though Dominic helped me pick it out, insisting it hugs my figure in all the right places.
Nothing I wear is ever good enough for Mom. It’s written all over her face.
“You got a tan,” she remarks as she comes closer.
“We caught plenty of sun while in Hawaii,” I reply with a polite smile.
She leans in, weakly pressing her cheek against mine. It feels cold, forced, and for show. I’m sure she’s more concerned about smearing her perfect lipstick than about showing me any sincere affection.
“Gentlemen, you look absolutely dashing,” she says, as each of my men shake her hand. I think she expected each of them to kiss it, the disappointment noticeable in her voice as she motions for us to follow her into the dining room. “Right through here, if you will.”
“After you, Helen,” August replies.
Maggie scurries ahead and opens the embossed doors, revealing an elegant space with cream walls and lacquered parquet floors.
A dining table stretches across the middle of the room.
There are twelve chairs, but the table is only set for seven.
I’m trying to figure out who the seventh person could be, praying to God my mother didn’t invite Matthew.
“Sis!” Crystal exclaims as she springs from her seat. She rushes over to hug me, though I’m not sure where the enthusiasm stems from and it makes me a bit uneasy. “Welcome back!”
“Thank you.”
She pulls back, frowning as she scans me from head to toe. “Went wild on the churros, huh?”
“Crystal, honey, don’t be mean to your sister,” Mom says. She doesn’t sound like she means it and alarm bells start ringing in the back of my head. This feels like a setup to a really bad joke. “I assume you’ve already met Matthew’s groomsmen?”
“Oh, I know these fine fellas from a while back,” Crystal replies, then gives each of my men a playful, flirtatious wink. “So thrilled to have the three of you here tonight.”
I’ll bet she is.
I’m going to need a hell of a lot more than one shot of whiskey to get through the night. Dominic discreetly squeezes my upper arm, and I glance at him. He smiles as if to quietly reassure me that everything is going to be okay.
Honest to God, I want to believe that. But my gut says otherwise.
“Let’s take our seats, shall we?” Mom says after all the usual pleasantries are exchanged.
Mom sits at the head of the table, her usual spot. Crystal sits beside her, while Dominic, August, and Theo take the three seats to her right. I take the fourth. Maggie quietly moves the place setting over to where I’m seated while Mom and Crystal glower at me.
“Love what you’ve done with the place,” I say, glancing around at the ivory curtains and silk ivory tablecloth with embroidered golden lotus blossoms. “The dining room looks like something out of an Architectural Digest magazine.”
“Thank you, darling,” she replies with a faint smile.
I always compliment her design style. It’s a lesson I learned early on to keep the conversation pleasant or to steer it away from the unpleasant. I figured I’d start strong.
“Is that bohemian crystal?” I nod at the wine glasses. “They look gorgeous.”
Crystal snickers; she knows my angle here. We are sisters, after all. We follow the same playbook, except hers usually works.
“So, how was Hawaii?” Mom asks, avoiding my question and looking directly at the guys.
“You don’t waste any time, do you?” I ask her. “Maybe try getting to know them better before you start your interrogation.”
“I know everything there is to know about these three gentlemen,” Mom says.
Theo’s eyebrows pop up. “You do?”
“Of course. Three men decide to run off to Hawaii with my heartbroken daughter, and you don’t think I’ll do some digging to find out precisely who they are and what they’re after?”
“They’re not after anything,” I curtly reply, working overtime to keep my temper under control.
It’s obvious that both my mother and sister are out for blood—if only to make my evening miserable.
Tonight’s dinner is clearly my price to pay.
“They wanted to make sure I made the most of my experience, especially after what Matthew did.”
Mom gives me a sour look then smacks her lips. “And did you have fun?”
“So much fun,” I shoot back.
“It’s impossible not to have fun in such a beautiful place,” August says with a charming smile. “The weather is perfect. The beaches are pristine. Service at the resort was exceptional. We all enjoyed our stay there.”
“It shows,” Crystal replies, smirking at me.
If she weren’t so mean, I think she would truly be the most beautiful girl in my world.
Crystal looks a lot more like our mom, with the same figure and sparkling smile.
She’s even wearing a silver skater dress—a shorter but equally elegant version of Mom’s, which she matched with a diamond tennis bracelet and tiny, gorgeous earrings.
I got the blonde hair and the blue eyes, but I didn’t get their dress size.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.
Dominic firmly grips my knee in his hand to keep me anchored and calm. “I’m sure it does show because we truly had a great time.”
The sound of incoming heels fills me with dread.
“So sorry I’m late!” Georgina says, as she rushes into the dining room.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter, realizing what havoc is about to be unleashed upon us.
Sometimes I think Crystal and Georgina came out of the same model factory.
Perhaps it’s why they’ve gotten along so well since middle school.
While Crystal stuck to the family business, albeit on a mediocre level while pursuing the socialite’s endeavors on the side, Georgina made her name on some of the world’s most prestigious runways.
She’s been on every fashion magazine cover there is, and designers practically fight each other to book her for their shows.
The woman is beautiful. Slim with legs for days and plenty of filler and Botox to give her an edge in an already insanely competitive industry.
“Phoebe, welcome back,” Georgina says after she gives Crystal a warm hug and plants a kiss on my mother’s blushing cheek. I swear, Mom likes Georgina more than she ever liked me. “Heard you had a blast in Hawaii.”
“Hi, Georgina,” I reply with a weak smile.
She doesn’t give me another second, shifting her focus directly to Theo and the twins. “My, my. Long time, no see.”
“You weren’t at the rehearsal dinner,” Theo says.
The three of them get up purely out of politeness, but I can tell there’s something scratching just beneath the surface, at least between Theo and Georgina. Something I most definitely don’t like.
At least now I know who the seventh place setting was for, and while I’m glad it isn’t Matthew, I still give my mother a sour look to express my displeasure. She doesn’t care.
“The dinner wasn’t the most important part,” Georgina answers as she takes her seat. “I was gearing up for the actual wedding. By the way, what happened there, honey?” she asks me, offering a soft smile.
“Ask Matthew,” I bluntly reply.
“No need to ask anybody,” Dominic intercedes. “It was a foul move, and we all know it. He shouldn’t have done what he did. Phoebe is better off without him.”
“Fair enough, but it had to come from somewhere,” Georgina insists, her smile growing wider as Maggie pours her wine and water. “Thank you, Mags.”
Mags. She’s calling our maid Mags, like she lives here. Ugh, the nerve.
“Wait, what had to come from somewhere?” I ask, suddenly picking up on the jab. “I’m confused.”
“And that’s why we’re sitting here, having this conversation,” Crystal rolls her eyes at me. “Because you’re still confused.”
Mom clears her throat, demanding the room’s attention. “What Georgina and Crystal are trying to say is that we saw this coming.”
“Oh, you knew Matthew was going to humiliate me in public?” I ask tightly. Dominic’s grip on my knee tightens, though I’m past the point of that being helpful.
“I suspected it would boil over eventually,” Mom says.
“I didn’t know there was anything to boil over,” I reply.
Crystal scoffs. “Come on, Phoebe. Matthew suggested you lose those extra pounds more than once. And honestly, he was quite patient about it.”
“Patient,” I gasp. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”