Chapter Twenty-three
Weston
March
Some days were diamonds, and some days were shit... I’m sure that’s not the saying, but that was what I was experiencing.
First, I’d called Edmond to set up lunch. He claimed he was getting ready for a fucking trial, though I’d never known my uncle, a trusts and estate lawyer, to go to trial. I had to believe him because I had no proof of anything else.
After that chore was done, I held my nose and called my brother, Claude Junior.
He worked in the Aames Building, which I didn’t feel comfortable visiting any longer since I wasn’t supposed to know anything about the firm.
It was a stupid rule someone had come up with, and if I succeeded in my trip, I was going to fire them.
Well, maybe not. They were just looking out for the company, I supposed.
CJ refused to meet me, even going so far as to hang up on me. Okay, I guessed I could count him as a no vote.
I walked into the five-star restaurant where Claudia had agreed to meet me for dinner, not lunch.
“Little West, dear, I don’t get into the office before three in the afternoon, so I’ve already had lunch.
Cocktails at six, and dinner at seven. Tuesday night.
I won’t bring a date, so don’t you, either.
” That was the message she’d left on my phone after I’d left a message with her assistant inviting her to lunch.
The assistant was someone I pitied more than anyone I’d ever met.
When Claudia floated into the restaurant in a cloud of expensive perfume with a man I’d never seen before, I was pissed.
I’d left Bridges at home with a carryout club sandwich and a stupid reality show on a streaming platform.
We’d been watching it together, but I gave him permission to watch an episode ahead.
“Hello, Weston. Good to see you. What have you been up to?” I could tell Claudia knew exactly what I’d been up to by the smirk on her slightly Botox-enhanced face.
“I’m training to ride from New York to San Francisco for a charity. I’ve planned the trip, and I’ll start the ride on May first. How’s work at Aames?”
I was sure she hadn’t heard a word I’d said, but that was what I expected. At least Claudia agreed to meet me, though I hadn’t expected she would. The unknown man, her date or maybe a stalker, stood with his back to our table observing the crowd for god knew whatever reason.
“Where’s the waiter?” Claudia’s head turned on a swivel as she searched for the server.
“Uh, they’re not called waiters or waitresses anymore. Servers,” I said as I lifted my hand to hail the person who had brought us water and menus.
After Claudia ordered her drink—a Negroni—the server left to put in her order. I was fine with water.
“Why am I here, Little West?”
God, it came back at me like a bolt of lightning. Claudia called me Little West, and CJ called me Fuckhead. Fun times during my childhood.
I took a sip of water as Claudia’s drink was delivered. She didn’t even acknowledge the server. She kept glancing around the room as if she was looking for someone.
“I thought maybe we could talk. We don’t know each other very well because we weren’t allowed to spend much time together. I thought maybe we could get to know each other now,” I answered.
CJ and Claudia had both been mean to me when I was a kid, but Mom told me not to be upset because they were just jealous. I didn’t doubt that in the least, but I didn’t understand why they didn’t like me.
Now that everything was out in the open, I got it. It wasn’t anything I’d done. It was my father’s bullshit. The sins of the father. Bridges had said it to me once, but now I understood what he meant completely.
“Okay, what do you want to know about me?” It was no surprise that Claudia would make it all about her. It had been that way for most of our lives.
“I know you went to Brown University, but I don’t know what you studied. Dad never said.” I felt guilty about saying it. I didn’t want her to think Dad didn’t talk about her, though he didn’t. That seemed cruel to me.
“I studied liberal arts. I wanted to be an interior designer, but Dad said no. He wanted me to study business.” She stared at me as though she was waiting for a response from me.
“So, you didn’t want to study business. We have that in common. I didn’t want to study business, either.”
Claudia offered a weak smile. “What did you want to study?”
“I honestly didn’t know. I thought maybe I’d want to be a therapist—you know, help people who don’t have anyone to support them. Dad wouldn’t even consider it.”
Claudia laughed. “Yes, that sounds about right. So, why did you want to see me?”
“I wanted you to know the real me, Claudia. I’m not a horrible person.
I have an MBA I didn’t want, but I’m glad I have it.
I’m working as an administrative assistant for someone important to me.
I’m getting ready to do a charity ride across the country to raise money for an LGBTQIA charity, and I believe I have a lot to offer to Aames. ”
Claudia lifted the glass in her hand for the server to bring her another drink. When the drink was delivered, so was my salad. I really wanted to get the fuck out of the place, but there was still shit left unsaid.
“So, you’re really queer, and Claude was okay with that?” she asked as she sipped her drink.
I chuckled. “I’m not sure if he was okay with it because he didn’t say much about it. Do you have a problem with my queerness?”
Claudia smirked. “I’m bisexual. My mother told me I was a dirty whore and my father could never know.”
“I told Dad and my mother when I was young. They weren’t thrilled, but I think Mom talked him down from being a prick about it.”
We both laughed. “Elise would never stick up for us. You’re lucky. May’s a really nice person.”
I nodded. “My mom liked you a lot, Claudia. I remember when you and CJ would come out to the East Hampton house. Mom was always excited to see the two of you. I remember that CJ didn’t like her at all, but you liked her.”
“I love May, much to my mother’s disapproval. She’s a good person, and she’s always been kind to us, though CJ refuses to acknowledge her. How is she?”
I sighed. “She’s in Burlington with friends.
She needed to get away to grieve Claude’s death.
I know she loved him very much. Hell, I loved him but I don’t think he loved me in return.
He felt guilty about divorcing your mother.
I was the mistake that was never supposed to happen and it tore your family apart. ”
It was the most honest I’d ever been, and I was certain it would be used against me, but it was neither of our faults. Our parents did what they did, and as their offspring, it wasn’t our fault.
Claudia reached over the table and took my hand before she looked into my eyes.
“West, I’m sorry CJ and I were so horrible to you.
You’re as innocent in all of this as us.
The bullshit in our family was over our heads and my mother is a bitter harpy because she didn’t want to lose her status in society.
I’m sorry as hell that you got caught in the middle. ”
Hearing Claudia admit that she didn’t hate me was surprising. She said her mother was a bitch, which was even more satisfying, though I wouldn’t officially agree. Life took turns and spins that we weren’t prepared for. I hated it, but there was no way to change it.
“Who’s the guy?” I asked, pointing to the sentinel standing three feet away and interrupting a couple’s date by glaring at them.
Claudia grinned. “CJ insisted I hire him to come with me. He’s a trained bodyguard. CJ said you might try to kill me.” I laughed my ass off at that.
We ate our dinner, talking about stupid shit that didn’t matter and laughing about some of the things that happened when they came to visit us. Midway through our meal, she dismissed the goon, and we split a dessert. We actually closed down the restaurant.
When I walked Claudia out to the waiting sedan at the curb after she paid for our dinner—she insisted, seeing as I had no job to speak of, and she was really sweet about it—I opened the car door for her. “You’re okay to get home?”
Claudea giggled. “I am but thank you for caring. Can we do this again, West? I had no idea you were so great. We were both taught to hate each other. I don’t want to continue down that path. We’re siblings. We should be in each other’s corners.”
She kissed my cheek before dropping into her car. I hoped she wasn’t gaslighting me. I wanted to have a familial connection of some kind, and if Claudia was it, I’d do everything I could to support her.
When I got home that night, Bridges was still watching television. “How’d it go?” he asked.
I went into the living room and sat down. “It actually went well. She’s not the horrible person I thought she’d be.”
He stood from the couch, kissed me, and led me to the bedroom. “So, what do you think?”
I sighed. “It could have been an act, but it didn’t feel like it. If it was, she should be on Broadway.”
I took off my suit jacket—leftover from my days of attending parties with Mom and Dad—and Bridges hung it up for me. As I was unbuttoning my shirt, something occurred to me. “The new bike is going to have the same kind of seat as the practice bike, right?”
“Actually, I found a wider seat that I think will be more comfortable for you. How’s the shoulder?”
“My shoulder is good. No pain relievers were needed today. I think, Mr. Eaton, that we should make love. Now, before you start protesting and give me a lot of stupid reasons to wait, let me toss this out for your consideration. One, I’m not a virgin and I actually enjoy the burn.
Two, we’re in a loving, committed relationship and neither of us are cheaters.
And three, I walked to the bodega today and bought these.
” I went to the nightstand drawer and pulled out a box of condoms and a new bottle of lube.
Bridges stared at me before he laughed and held up his arms in surrender. “You win, baby boy. I’m too weak to say no to such a well-thought argument.”
Yesss! Hopefully, my powers of persuasion would work on the Board of Directors as well as they worked on Bridges.