Chapter 14b Kendall
Like most of the Banks’ LA mansion, the sunken dining room adjacent to the kitchen had a black and white color scheme.
Stark white walls, ceiling, and floor, black pendant chandeliers directly above the black dining table with ten white side chairs—five on each side—and two black armed chairs at each end.
While the black bar and its black marble counter were edgy, it would’ve worked just as well with a splash of color.
The only variance were the six gray steps that led up to the kitchen. Even the wall art was black and white.
To each their own, but around the time of Bailey’s last redecoration when she refused any of Bunny’s suggestions, she’d begun to pull away. Whereas before it was home away from home, now the estate reflected a joyless monochrome that bled into their everyday lives.
Mattie sat a bowl of salad and a cruet filled with oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs on one end of the table while Harley mimicked her and did the same at the other end.
Kendall and Bunny poured wine into everyone’s glasses except Axel and Winnie’s.
Because of her orthopedic boot, Meggie watched the bustle.
Her ankle was mostly healed, but the house was big with multiple levels.
Axel scowled at Bunny when she bypassed him, but Meggie lifted a brow at him and he immediately smiled at her, then grabbed his water glass and took a big gulp.
“Meggie darling, will you hate me if I ask that we leave tomorrow?” Kendall asked as she and Bunny took their seats.
Zoann sipped her wine, but Meggie didn’t miss the way her sister-in-law’s eyes lit up. “Tomorrow? I, uh, we do have a new client Monday morning. It’ll also give Harley a day to rest before she returns to school.”
“I can get back to Derby,” Gypsy put in, eyeing the salad with anticipation. “I’m sure he misses me.”
“In your fucking dreams,” Kendall said, not the biggest fan of Gypsy. She blamed her for opening her mouth to Derby and turning him against Meggie.
Kendall felt as if Gypsy purposely repeated whatever advice Meggie gave to her because she felt threatened by her. Once, Meggie argued it was up to her to stop offering advice and Gypsy knew Meggie would never betray Christopher with anyone.
“I need to prepare for my meeting with Bash,” Kendall went on. “It’s supposed to happen Wednesday. I want to try to talk Johnnie into coming with me,” she said quietly, although she couldn’t hide her pain and sadness.
It was contagious.
Meggie nodded and looked at the women at the table.
Friends, family, her strength in times of distress.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I love all of you so much. I want to see Rule before I go. Or at least visit the place he’s at if he w-won’t see me.
I haven’t been able to get through to Father Wilkins.
” He constantly sent her calls to voicemail.
“If I haven’t heard from him by Friday, I’ll come home.
” She swallowed, drew in a deep breath, and looked at Zoann.
“Val must be crushed. He did nothing. Thank you so much for dropping everything to come with me. You don’t know how much it means to me.
But go to your husband. Love him the way he loves you. ”
“Oh Meggie, baby,” Zoann said quietly. “I could kill Christopher.”
“Do you want me to stay as your bodyguard, Mom?” Axel asked. “You’ll be here all alone.”
“What do you want to do, baby boy?”
“I want to go home and have a man-to-man conversation with Dad. Somebody got to get through to that motherfucker. Phone conversations are fine, but they don’t work the same way. However, if you need me to stay to protect you, I will.”
Meggie’s heart melted and she smiled at Axel. “I’m sure you miss your men, too.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Why do you say that? Remember, I’ve been almost too sad to have fun since we’ve been here. They were just so mean to me.”
“Maybe you should stay—”
“Don’t worry, Meggie,” Bunny said. “I’ll be there to keep everything in order. I won’t let Ransom and Ryder bully Axel.”
Meggie nodded. “Okay then.”
“I want to stay with you, Momma,” Rebel said, tasting her wine. “If he’ll let me, I just want to hug Rule.”
“Me too, sweetheart. That might not happen, though. As long as you understand that, you can stay with me.”
“At least we’ll try. If we go there but can only see Father Wilkins, I can give him a letter for Rule to read whenever he’s ready.”
“Maybe you should come back with us, Reb,” Gypsy offered, grabbing the bowl of salad on her end, near Axel. “You know the minute we return, Outlaw is going to get the info from someone and ride here.”
“Christopher has every right to know where his wife is,” Ophelia chirped. “He must be as sick with worry as Cash.”
Zoann snorted, and Ophelia glared at her.
“He might get the info from me for the right price,” Gypsy said with a laugh. “I need as much money as I can get for my birthday present to myself.”
“You will need a fucking body bag if you open your goddamn mouth,” Zoann said coldly. “Fuck your birthday present. If Meggie doesn’t take a stand now, that motherfucker will continue to be a motherfucker.”
“That’s our brother!” Ophelia said.
Zoann flipped her off.
Pasting a smile on her face, Meggie picked up the bowl of salad on her end, then handed it to Bunny after piling lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and red onions onto her plate.
She wasn’t particularly hungry, however she needed to keep her strength up, even if her spirits had sunk to the pits of hell.
Dinner was almost two hours late because LAX was a nightmare, and Georgie had been determined to leave tonight. Meggie understood. She appreciated how her friend dropped everything, grabbed Brynn, and joined Meggie for her first night away from Christopher, Jo, and her sons.
Jo wasn’t home, but Meggie cherished her daily visits with her baby girl.
She should never have allowed Christopher’s behavior to run her so far away.
Except she’d had no choice. Kicking him out of their room was one thing.
Forcing him out of the house or checking herself into a nearby hotel was another.
He’d probably torn the town apart searching for her.
If she hadn’t left, he would’ve found her and convinced her to come home or allow him to return if she’d asked him to leave.
“MOM!”
Axel’s scream startled Meggie, and she jumped.
“Stay present,” he told her. “Lolly wants me to say grace.”
Sipping her wine, Roxy smiled. “As the man of the house,” she said.
Beaming, Axel puffed his chest out and clasped his hands, throwing Meggie a severe look since she hadn’t followed suit.
“Oh, um,” she said, rectifying her mistake immediately.
“Thank you for this food. Please let it be good. After the day I’ve had, I’m definitely not in the mood to eat no fucking wood.
” He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Which that piece of meat looks like. So, Big Dude, from one of your stressed-out little dudes, please work a miracle and make this edible. Amen.”
“Can I leave the table, Momma?” Rebel asked into the silence. “When Axel’s struck by lightning, I don’t want an accidental buzz.”
Glaring at her, Axel stomped to the other end of the table and plopped down. “Mom and Lolly always says to pray from the heart and I did, so I can’t be punished ‘cause it was honest.”
“It was disrespectful,” Rebel said flatly.
“All right, enough,” Meggie ordered. “Axel’s prayer was interesting, sweetheart. Let’s leave it at that.”
“I thought it was sweet,” Mattie said.
“Original,” Harley added.
Gypsy stood and leaned over Ophelia, snatching the salad dressing, then returning to her seat.
“Well, excuse you,” Zoann sniffed. “I’m sure Fee loved your fucking tits in her face.”
Smiling, Ophelia shook her head. “It’s fine, Zoann.”
Meggie exchanged a glance with Kendall. It most certainly wasn’t fine since Gypsy could’ve simply asked Ophelia to pass it to her. If Fee couldn’t open her mouth and stand up for herself, Meggie wasn’t interested in doing so.
“Of course it’s fine with you,” Zoann bit out. “What isn’t?”
“Axel,” Winnie blared, from where she sat on the other side of Rebel, “can I sit next to you?”
“No.” Axel threw her the evil eye, snatched his fork, and dug into his lettuce, then shoved it into his mouth without any dressing as usual. He frowned the entire time he chewed, then set his fork aside. “I’m finished with my salad.”
“Why don’t you add dressing, son?” Meggie suggested. “The way you usually like it.”
“Do you want me to eat salad, Mom?”
“That would be nice, Ax.”
“I can bring you the dressing,” Winnie offered with a bright smile.
Axel made a face at her.
“Be nice,” Meggie warned.
“Zoann, I have a question,” Ophelia started, ignoring her salad and pushing her plate away. Elbows on the table, she leaned forward and glared at her sister. “What’s your problem with me? You’ve been on my ass for days.”
“Your fucking boyfriend is my goddamn problem,” Zoann said, snatching her wine and draining her glass.
“We’re back to this?” Ophelia cried. “You throwing it in my face that my boyfriends haven’t put a ring on my finger.”
“Unless you want to end up in fucking jail,” Kendall said with saccharin sweetness, “only one of them can marry you. I vote for Stretch personally.”
Meggie drummed her fingers on the table, wondering if she should intervene, but still not caring.
“And you, Zoann?” Ophelia demanded.
“I want Cash drawn and fucking quartered, so I choose Stretch by default,” Zoann retorted.
“Do not discuss Winnie’s father in such a manner in front of her,” Ophelia said heatedly, her face flushing.
Grabbing his water, Axel rolled his eyes and took a sip.
“I saw that, Axel,” Ophelia screeched. “I do appreciate you wanting to protect me, but not at your uncle’s expense. You owe him an apology.”
“No, I don’t, Aunt Fee,” Axel cried.