Chapter Twenty-Six Lee
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lee
‘Ma?’ Nico gasps and I freeze.
I absolutely must be dreaming. This has to be a nightmare.
There’s no possible way that Nico’s mother is here on his doorstep, while the terrifyingly unimpressed-looking lawyer sent by Nico’s dead father to evaluate his life hovers nearby.
And certainly not while I am wearing my pink cat pyjamas. That is too absurd to be real.
I pinch myself, but the results are disappointing.
‘What… what are you doing here?’ Nico asks, blocking the doorway so that Claudia can’t get in.
‘Darling, Magda told me all about this lawyer your absolute bastard of a father was sending…’ I hear her say with devastating clarity. Her clipped, American-English hybrid of an accent carries beautifully.
Nico lets out a strangled cough. ‘Yes,’ he interrupts hastily. ‘Mr Saunders. He actually arrived a few minutes ago.’
There’s a heavy silence. While I can only see Nico’s back, I’m certain that there is a very intense soundless exchange happening between the two of them. Finally, Nico steps back, a frozen smile on his face. ‘Why don’t you come in?’
Claudia glides into the house, her tall frame draped in furs, and she pulls off her sunglasses, her gorgeous green eyes sweeping the room until they land on me.
‘Lee!’ she exclaims, her arms thrown out as she approaches me.
‘My beautiful daughter-in-law! How are you, darling? You look…’ There’s a hitch in her stride as she actually registers what I look like, but it’s barely noticeable…
‘So charmingly cosy,’ she finishes, bundling me into a Chanel No. 5 scented hug.
‘Hello, Claudia,’ I say robotically. ‘What a nice surprise.’ I haven’t seen her for almost two decades, but honestly, if anything, she looks younger than the last time.
Her skin is absolutely poreless; the perfect bone structure that put her face on the cover of every major fashion magazine still looks sharp enough to be dangerous.
Her hair is a long, straight dark curtain underneath the unnecessary fur hat.
It’s not really that cold outside, but she looks like she’s stepped out of a glamorous ’70s après-ski photo shoot.
Claudia turns the focus of her attention on Charles.
‘Of course, you must be Mr Saunders, hello, I am Claudia Hart.’ She delivers the line in a way that makes it clear that she knows that he knows who she is, but she’s graciously not going to make a big deal of it…
which somehow makes a very big deal of it.
Even Charles Saunders’ professional game face can’t stand up to this, and there’s a light flush on his cheeks, his hand goes to touch the knot of his tie.
‘Ms Hart. I’m a great admirer. How lovely to meet you.’
‘Oh, Charlie!’ Claudia tinkles. ‘Can I call you Charlie?’
‘Well, I—’ Charles begins, but Claudia ruthlessly cuts him off.
‘Charlie, I’m so sorry to come crashing in unannounced when you’re just beginning your work here, but I can never bear to be away from my precious family for too long.’
‘Hi, Granny,’ Phoebe pipes up, her smile angelic.
Claudia swings around and her eyes narrow. ‘Now, Phoebe,’ she says sweetly, but there’s steel at the back of her words. ‘I believe we discussed this before. You’re to call me Claudia.’
‘Oh, right,’ Phoebe says with zero contrition. ‘I forgot.’
‘I’m sure you did,’ Claudia murmurs, but she leans down to give Phoebe a careful hug. ‘I have brought you some fabulous Murano glassware in my luggage,’ she tells her granddaughter.
Phoebe darts a look at her dad, who runs a weary hand over his face. ‘Thanks,’ she says finally.
There’s an urgent knock at the door, and I let out a desperate choke of laughter. What now?
Before anyone can answer it, the door swings open and Magda comes flying in. ‘Nico!’ she yells. ‘Bud’s been to the airport and…’ She comes to a screeching halt in the middle of the room, taking in the scene in front of her. ‘Ah,’ she clears her throat. ‘I see everyone else beat me to it.’
‘Magda!’ Claudia recovers almost instantly, delivering airy kisses to both of Magda’s cheeks. ‘How gorgeous to see you, I was just telling Charles the lawyer here that I can never stand to be away from my family for too long, particularly my beloved daughter-in-law, Ophelia.’
I don’t think anyone can claim to be surprised that Claudia never followed the model to actress pipeline.
‘Right,’ Magda nods with way too much enthusiasm. ‘That’s exactly right. And very normal.’
There’s another beat and Charles steps forward.
‘Charles Saunders,’ he says, introducing himself to Magda. ‘Of Saunders, Saunders and Sneed.’
‘Which Saunders are you?’ Phoebe asks. ‘The first or the second?’
‘The first.’ Charles dips his head.
‘Yeah, but I bet you’d still say that even if you were the second,’ Phoebe muses. ‘That’s what I’d do.’
Charles pauses. ‘The second Saunders is my son, so I think it’s safe to say that I come first.’
‘Ah,’ Phoebe says wisely, ‘a nepo-baby.’ Then when we all look surprised, she shrugs. ‘Hey, I see stuff on TikTok.’
‘Hahaha!’ Nico breaks in. ‘No you don’t!
As if my eight-year-old daughter would be allowed access to TikTok!
’ He fixes her with a hard stare. ‘That would be ridiculous, because my daughter and I have had several conversations about the dangers of social media and she knows that using my phone to go on TikTok would result in an immediate grounding.’
‘That’s right,’ Phoebe agrees instantly. ‘Sorry, did I say TikTok? I meant Wikipedia, which I sometimes use for educational purposes.’ The angelic expression is back.
God, she’s good.
‘Well,’ Magda says heartily, ‘it looks as if I’m interrupting, but I wanted to come and pick up Phoebe for our usual…’
‘Pancake breakfast,’ Phoebe supplies helpfully. ‘I’ll go and grab my stuff.’ And with that she dashes out of the room.
‘Perhaps Mr Saunders would like to join us?’ Magda offers him a friendly smile. ‘It looks like Nico and Lee have had quite the morning, and I’m sure they’ll want to catch up with Claudia.’
‘Well, I—’ Charles begins again, but once more Claudia steamrolls him.
‘What a wonderful idea, Magda. You and Phoebe really must show Charles the delights of this charming town. Charlie, I do hope that you’ll be able to make time for dinner with me while you’re here?
After all, no one knows Nico better than his mother!
’ She’s fixed him with a hypnotising, unblinking stare and it must be working, because Charles only nods, his throat bobbing as he allows Magda to guide him towards the door.
‘That would be my pleasure,’ he murmurs. ‘Mr Hart, now that I’ve introduced myself, my secretary will be in touch to set up a more formal appointment.’
‘Can’t wait,’ Nico deadpans.
Phoebe barrels out of her bedroom, dressed and carrying her backpack. ‘Okay, let’s go. Come on, Taco!’
She grabs his lead and clips it onto Taco’s collar, dragging him along with her. I manage a weak goodbye as the three of them head out, and Magda shoots me a reassuring thumbs up as she passes, already chattering to Charles about the town’s many excellent qualities.
When the door closes behind them, I crumble to the floor, my head in my hands.
‘This is a dream,’ I say firmly. ‘This is a bad dream. We cannot possibly be this awful at this. He’s only been here for half an hour.’
‘Maybe it wasn’t as bad as we thought.’ Nico is slumped over the kitchen counter looking haggard.
‘I don’t know what you’re worrying about,’ Claudia says breezily, pulling off her hat and fluffing her perfect hair. ‘I thought it went great.’
‘Ma, I say this with love,’ Nico pulls himself up, ‘but what the fuck are you doing here?’
Claudia pouts. ‘Where else would I be in my son’s time of need? I came to help, of course.’
‘Right.’ Nico pinches the bridge of his nose. ‘And how exactly do you plan to do that?’
‘Well, for a start I’m going to seduce Charles Saunders for you.’
A groan comes from somewhere deep in Nico’s chest. I pull myself to my feet and go to stand beside him, rubbing soothing circles on his back as he drapes himself over the counter again.
‘Yes,’ Claudia muses, coming to take Phoebe’s recently occupied seat at the breakfast bar across from us. ‘And it might not be that bad. He was very sweet, wasn’t he? And distinguished-looking. I do like a man in glasses.’
Nico’s mouth is set in a straight line. ‘I think it’s probably best if you leave the man alone.’
Claudia waves a perfectly manicured hand in a casual gesture of dismissal. ‘Darling, you keep your attention on your own role and I’ll handle mine.’ She looks between the two of us. ‘I must say this informal set up for your first meeting was quite the choice… I guess it does scream domesticity.’
‘We thought he was arriving tomorrow,’ I jump in. ‘I was going to wear a suit. It had shoulder pads,’ I add desperately.
Unlike Nico, Claudia appears to understand the significance of this because her face crumples in sympathy (or at least as much as someone very clearly pumped full of Botox can crumple).
‘Terrible,’ she murmurs. ‘Still,’ her voice perks up, ‘you really did look like a normal family.’
‘I suppose,’ I agree, still trying to process the last thirty minutes. ‘But it wasn’t the most auspicious start. I don’t think I made a great first impression.’
‘You?’ Nico shakes his head. ‘What about me? Hungover and feeding my daughter ice cream for breakfast. That just screams responsible parent, doesn’t it?’
‘Now listen,’ Claudia says suddenly all business, ‘you two are going to have to get your shit together. You can’t let a little blip like this get in your way.
Not when the stakes are so high. I swear to god, if that rat-bastard ex-husband of mine was still alive I’d murder him myself for putting you through this. ’
She leans over the counter and presses a hand to Nico’s cheek.
‘My sweet boy,’ she coos. ‘So smart and so very, very good. You didn’t get any of that from your sperm donor.’
‘You were married for three years,’ Nico protests weakly. ‘I don’t think we should refer to Dad as my sperm donor.’