Chapter 32 #2
“Well, Diana, don’t you look lovely, very different from high school,” Mrs. Wright said as Diana approached, and Diana fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“Mr. And Mrs. Wright, Mary,” Diana said with a tight jaw.
She would never forgive that family for what they had done to Coach Matthews, and knowing everything she knew now, she definitely didn’t feel like even speaking to them.
“And you are?” she said, turning to the plain but kind-looking young man.
“Oh this is Evan, Evan McAvoy, oh Mary do tell her the good news!” Mrs. Wright squealed.
In answer, Mary raised her left hand. A stunningly pretty diamond glimmered there.
“Wow,” Diana found herself blurting, and she meant it. They were twenty years old, for crying out loud. Evan chuckled from beside Mary, but whatever shock had been in Diana’s voice, the surrounding party seemed to think it was about the sheer size of the ring.
“Yeah well, we aren’t going to marry until after we graduate, but this is just to let everyone know,” Mary said happily.
“Evan’s father heads up a small paper mill and Evan here is going to take over the business when he graduates,” Mrs. Wright enthused, and beside her, Diana caught Mr. Wright smiling smugly next to his wife.
They were proud of their daughter getting engaged so young, and leveling up while doing so.
Diana wanted to roll her eyes but she didn’t dare.
Instead she looked back to Evan and saw the dreamy way he was looking at the smug-looking Mary.
It was clear that he at least was also getting something out of the whole thing, something way more important than the Wrights.
Also, Diana realized, inheriting a small business in a town her parents practically owned explained why the Wrights had been invited.
Her mother hadn’t been inviting the Wrights, she had been inviting the future McAvoys.
“Well, it’s not a race! I am sure you will meet a lovely boy too, where are you at school again?”
“Berkeley,” she and Mary answered at the same time. Diana gave Mary a questioning look and Mary raised an eyebrow at her that said, “I make it my business to know everything.” Fair enough.
“Well, I am sure you can find a nice boy out there, but stay away from those sinful movie stars!” Mrs. Wright joked, and everyone laughed except for Diana and Evan.
“It’s a shame, you were so close with the Blacksmiths, weren’t you?
” Mrs. Wright said, but this time she was directing the question at Diana’s mother, whose cheeks blushed slightly.
Diana’s stomach flipped, she really didn’t want to start up with that again.
From what she knew, Greggory was in New York studying film or something.
“Well, yes, Greggory and Diana and Julia were quite close, I used to think he’d be a future son-in-law, but of course, not now,” her mother said, and Diana thought the words hurt her mother to say.
Especially when Mrs. Wright smiled triumphantly.
“Well yes, too bad for you, can’t believe the scandal his parents are dealing with.
” Diana was sure her face was full of questions.
Mary leaned over and said, “He came out as gay, has a boyfriend and everything.”
Diana was both shocked and proud. She knew what that had probably cost him, but knowing everything she knew now, she hoped he was happy and bet that he was.
“Unnatural, I told his parents I would pray for them, not that I see them at church often, mind you, probably part of the problem,” Mrs. Wright said, giving a meaningful look at Diana’s mother.
“Well, I must simply make the rounds, Diana?” With that, her mother whisked her away from the Wrights and Evan.
Diana was not sorry to go in the slightest, mainly because despite her and her mother’s problems, she wasn’t about to sit there and listen to Mrs. Wright do some kind of victory lap simply because her daughter was “marrying up,” let alone at the expense of Greggory.
“Well, so now you know,” her mother said quietly as she led them towards the other guests.
Diana contemplated revealing whether she always had, but her mother beat her to it, “Well I suppose you always knew, you never seemed interested in really giving him a go.”
Diana raised an eyebrow at her mother who realized too late what she’d said. “You know what I mean!”
Diana couldn’t help it, she laughed and was surprised that her mother laughed a little beside her. For one brief instant, they were united in their laughter.
That was, until they finally reached another group of guests, clearly a family.
“It’s no matter, there is someone else I want you to meet,” her mother whispered as the guests turned around.
There was a short brunette woman with watery blue eyes and pale skin.
Next to her stood a giant of a man, with kind hazel eyes, pale skin, and sandy blonde hair.
Between them stood a boy who could only be their son; he had inherited his father’s sandy blonde hair but had his mother’s eyes.
Diana felt her insides cool, the moment she’d had with her mother extinguished.
“I am so happy the three of you made it! Let me introduce you to my daughter Diana who is studying at Berkeley, not far from where you are in San Francisco, right?” Her mother gestured to the young man and he smiled and nodded.
“Well, maybe you two can find something in common, but either way,” she turned to Diana, “these are the Millers, they just moved here from Boston, and this is their son, Gavin.”