Chapter 16 Buffalo Shores
Eva
I drove my mom’s CR-V north to Buffalo Shores, Michigan for the company retreat.
We’d have a weekend of wine, fine cuisine, and strategy all set against the backdrops of the family’s lake compound, farmhouse, vineyard, and fruit orchard.
I couldn’t drive my beater up there. It was too bleak.
I was about to hobnob with the rich and Chicago-famous.
I needed to impress the board, not look like a hick.
The board invited everyone to drinks and apps at the Harbor Country Suites and Spa—a fancy hotel with lake views.
Daphne decided to attend, despite her late-pregnancy fatigue.
I was just grateful to have a friend. Daphne circulated me through conversations with a dozen people, including her fabulous sister-in-law, Chloe Markham.
Chloe was different. Ensconced in expensive resort collection goodies, she didn’t have the same easy Old Money aesthetic the Delphines did when “casually” dressed. She was chic, outspoken, and possessed all the tea.
“You’re staying with us across the street,” Chloe said. “Well, up the road, but pretty much.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Daphne put you at the house. We’re split here and there. It’s a block up the way.”
“Their house?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s massive. Look, this place is trippy. It’s like The Hamptons. The house immediately across the street is owned by a prince.”
“What?”
“Yeah. The Queen’s brother and his husband. No joke.”
I gaped.
“Buckle up, baby. These people… they aren’t like anyone else. Even Cal isn’t like them. He married in, but it’s not the same. I got you.”
I smiled, realizing what she meant. We were outsiders looking in.
“Don’t scare her off, Chlo.” Davey approached. “She’s new.”
“I like her. I’m doing the opposite. I’m spilling tea about this place.”
“What do you think of the area?” Davey asked.
“It’s beautiful. We used to come up here to play at the beach as kids, but… it hits differently in these digs.”
“Oh, shit. There’s my idiot brother! One sec,” Chloe raced off.
“She’s… a lot,” Davey said. “She’s Lanie’s best friend and might as well be one of us.”
Not in her point of view.
“You’re staying with us,” Davey said. “At the house. Not here.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Look, it wasn’t my idea, Eva. I worried it would make you uncomfortable, but my sister was insistent. She’s being all protective.”
“She knows about me—not the whole story,” I said. “So maybe that’s what it is?”
“That explains her urge to shame me for asking you to do anything,” Davey chuckled.
It was sort of adorable.
“Did my mother introduce herself yet?” Davey asked.
“No. I have stayed as far away from that as possible.”
“You’ll be fine.”
That’s not what Chloe said.
“I am going to get through this, and that is all, David,” I said.
“You’ll be fine. Norm has sung all your praises.”
“That’s sweet of him.”
“Maybe he has a crush?” Davey joked. “Either way, he thinks you are smart.”
“That man is closeted,” I said. “I hate to break it to you, but his friend… he’s not a friend.”
“What?” Davey’s astoundment surprised me.
“Who is?” Chloe returned with Davey and Daphne’s sister Delanie.
“She thinks Norm is…” Davey lowered his voice, “gay.”
“Well, he’s good friends with Prince George,” Delanie said. “And goes to all their parties in Chicago, so I’d guess your girl is right.”
Your girl. I wanted to remind him that in youth speak that didn’t mean I was literally his girl.
“How the fuck do you know that, Lanie?” Davey asked.
“I just spent months shooting with that prince’s daughter in New York,” Lanie answered. “She’s an actress. You know her?”
“Leah Roughy?” I answered. “You know Leah? She’s like a gay icon on her own.”
“What?” Davey asked.
“Leah is bi,” I explained. “And anytime she is in London, she throws a party. The woman is fab. I’ve only been to one.”
“Oh, do tell! How?” Chloe asked.
“My ex was a friend. She had a mutual ex with Leah. She works in entertainment law and IP protection.”
“Wait… are you? Can I ask that?” Lanie asked.
“Jesus, Lanie, she’s my employee! It’s considered discrimination.”
“Legally, no. But we’re not in a hiring situation, and I’d say this is a casual conversation. I’m pan and it’s not a secret.”
“You get increasingly interesting. You take care of computers? What is that about?” Delanie asked.
“I promise you I’m pretty boring on paper,” I said. “Now, my obsession with privacy law is unhealthy and will put you to sleep. I’m so fun at parties.”
“Norm would say you are,” Davey said. “Even if you did explain how we were on the forefront of privacy while also data brokering responsibly.”
My mouth dropped. “You listened to me?”
“I was sitting right there, Eva. Lanie, she’s an attorney. She doesn’t fix computers.”
“Alright, everyone!” Daphne shouted. “David, do you mind?”
“Nah, you’re doing a great job!” He joked.
She glared his way. “For those of you staying at ours, grab your luggage and toss it into the car. We can walk up that way and you can leave your cars here. There’s not enough room for everyone at ours. You know who you are.”
I followed, ready to toss my carryon into the waiting luggage car. It made things easier.
“I’ll help you,” Davey offered.
“Don’t be weird,” I whispered.
“Me offering to help you is not weird. And if I don’t, my sisters will give me so much shit.”
“Fine,” I agreed, walking out to my mom’s car in the adjoining parking lot.
“New car?” Davey asked.
“No,” I answered. “My mom’s because I didn’t think you’d appreciate my broke pickup at your retreat.”
“It adds flavor,” he joked, pulling my bag from the lift gate.
I threw a Longchamp containing my makeup over my shoulder and followed.
He did a double-take at my expensive luggage.
“It was a gift,” I answered.
“I am silently judging you for fighting me about paying for brunch.”
“Judge me all you want, Davey, but this is just how I am.”
Davey tossed my bags into the waiting car and sped to catch Daphne and his mother. I gathered if we lingered, people would suspect something was up. I hung back with Chloe.
“He has a crush on you. Watch out,” Chloe said.
I coughed, horrified. “What?”
“Davey. He has a crush. I can tell. He gets all aggro and prince on a white horse. I’m not saying he’s a red flag, but... he’s a man-child and he’s not… without his issues. None of them are. His mother is a pain in the ass. I am warning you woman-to-woman.”
“Good to know.” I broke into a sweat.
The Delphine’s compound gave little indication about the house hidden behind its grand stone fence.
Once the gates opened, a gorgeous country house emerged, set just above the dunes.
Lake views abounded. It was big as could be and somehow effortlessly elegant in a way only billionaires could make it. Danna Delphine had good taste.
“Come with me,” Daphne beckoned. “I put you just around the corner from me. If you need anything, just let me know. I want you to make yourself at home.”
“This is too much, really,” I said. “The hotel would have been totally fine.”
“Well, I would have worried too much. You’re new and it’s a lot. The party animals are over there, and you’d have to explain dozens of times why you weren’t drinking. I wanted to make it easier.”
“I appreciate that.”
My room looked over the boardwalk and shoreline. The breeze felt wonderful. The bathroom had a big soaker tub. It was better than any hotel. I was living a life of luxury. Mona’s parents had a wonderfully decorated grand house in the Lake District, but it paled in comparison.
Lovely or not, I was staying in my baby daddy’s family’s place—the family who had no idea we even slept together, let alone that I was pregnant with his love child. We kissed, didn’t talk about it, and now I wanted to run for the hills but couldn’t.
Davey
During sunset, we hosted dinner for everyone on the patio.
A chef worked in the kitchen while I observed the table setting.
Where had Mum put Eva? I was seated at one end of the table—though not the head—and Mum at the other.
She’d placed Claire and our CFO around me.
I went down to the other end to find Eva was right there—right by Mum.
I flew around to the other side, praying she’d be near Lanie or Chloe.
No such luck. She put her across from our Chief Marketing Officer.
All he’d do was flirt all night and back Mum up because he was a kissass.
“David Jr.!” Mum spoke as if she knew I was onto her.
“Mum, please,” I groaned.
“You better not be moving those seating cards around, Davey!”
“I would never do that, Mum,” I said. Though I would if you’d disappear.
“I very carefully curated the table for balanced discussions. You said she got on with Norm, so I put him on this end. And she doesn’t know the marketing boy—”
I kneaded my temples. “He’s our CMO, Mum.”
“Well, he is young and handsome, and she could do worse. Do you know that she drives a Honda?”
If you only knew, mother.
“Are we judging people on the cars they drive now?”
“She has a very well-paid position at a prestige company. She’s an up-and-comer. The people who want to succeed take pride in their appearances.”
I investigated the living room, where Daphne and Eva appeared deep in conversation. In her jade-colored dress, Eva couldn’t be more beautiful. I didn’t know what my mother was talking about.
“She’s a pretty girl,” Mum insisted. “She should have a car to match, is all.”
“I agree,” I said, “but I think it makes more sense to put me in the middle. We’ll put the least senior people on the outside.”
“What?”
“Put Daphne down there. Let her have it.”
“Why?”
“She’s gestating a human.”
“But, darling, you’re in charge.”
“I would like it to feel more egalitarian.”
I pushed my way over to the place cards and moved my card catty-corner from Eva.
“That’s good enough,” I said. “Better.”
“I had six children and had no special treatment,” Mum protested.
“Yes, mother, you had six children, but Dad treated you like a queen when you were pregnant—don’t deny it.”
“Cal worships the ground she walks on.”
“And that’s great. But she’s been busting ass while relegated to vegetables and I’d like to pump her up. The poor woman is always hungry,” I said.
“I blame the amount of donuts Cal let her eat for the first few months. That’s how babies come out with problems.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gestational diabetes is more genetic than anything.”
“We didn’t have that in my day!”
“They didn’t screen for it back then,” I protested.
I crossed back into the living room, leaving my mother to fuss with napkins. Eva poured another pop from the self-serve bar.
“Is your mother measuring place settings?” Eva asked.
I looked over my shoulder. “Yes.”
“Yeesh.”
“Look, I switched our seating arrangements.”
“Why the fuck would you do that?” Eva’s eyes narrowed, but her tone remained forcefully sweet.
“Because Mum is in a mood and wants to hook you up with Mr. Marketing,” I sighed. “And she’ll keep trying and trying, and it will wear on you.”
“Oh,” she calmed.
“I thought you were being an ass.”
“No. I am protecting you as I agreed I would. Is your room okay? Are you alright?”
“You can back off, Mom,” she groaned. “I’m fine. It is… intense… but I will survive.”
I turned, looking over the patio, trying to keep things neutral, my thoughts anything but.
“You look lovely,” I said, unable to hold back. “The color is beautiful on you.”
“You really—”
I turned, my eyes laser-focused on hers. “I mean it. You deserve to hear it. I won’t apologize.”
“You don’t think it’s inappropriate—”
“I think that train left the station about three months ago,” I said.