Chapter 6
SERAPHINA
“Wait a minute, his guitar is named Georgia?” Lila asked, her wine glass held at mid-air. “That’s so crazy.”
We were all sitting around the table for Saturday dinner at Alex and Gillian’s.
Sonya, Alex and Gillian’s housekeeper and cook, had fixed a delicious paella.
Vance had paired it with a juicy pinot noir from Oregon.
Lila had brought a salad with grilled peaches, arugula and shaved parmesan.
Delphine brought one of her sourdough loaves, fresh from the oven.
“That’s Seraphina’s mother’s name,” Gillian said to Alex as she handed him Leo so she could eat.
“That’s not all,” I said, telling them about his sixty-one chart hits. “And I just turned in my sixty-first book.”
“Also crazy,” Gillian said. “And so romantic.”
“Tyler made a playlist of all his hits?” Vance asked. “What a cool kid.”
“Or manipulative, depending on how you look at it,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“It was sweet that he came to Tyler’s game,” Gillian said. “I’m hormonal, granted, but that made me want to cry right then and there.”
“Also, something I said in passing—became a new song.” I flushed, slightly embarrassed. “He said it’s the first one he’s written since he moved to Willet Cove. After his divorce.”
“Never underestimate the power of a good muse,” Delphine said.
“Seraphina’s the most wonderful muse,” Lila said.
“Yeah, and I’ve had two good writing days in a row,” I said. “So I don’t know—maybe we could be good for each other. Both writers, so we get it.”
“What did you say in passing?” Delphine asked. “That prompted this new masterpiece?”
“‘Or something like that anyway’. After I said something revealing.”
“I cannot wait to hear this song,” Lila said. “A guy who writes songs for his sweetheart—what could be more romantic than that?”
“I’m sitting right here,” Vance said.
“You always pick just the right wine, baby,” Lila said. “Even if you can’t write me a song.”
Alex looked up from baby Leo, who had fallen asleep in his arms. “I’m calling it. Seraphina and Hunter? Soulmates.”
Soulmates. I liked the sound of that.
“Too soon to call,” Delphine said.
“Respectfully, I disagree,” Alex said. “His guitar named Georgia, sixty-one, the song that came from something she said—at some point you have to acknowledge that something is happening that isn’t entirely explained by coincidence.”
“It’s all explained by coincidence,” Delphine said. “That’s what coincidence means.”
“Delphine, you’re absolutely no fun at all,” Lila said, teasingly.
“I’m the only one of you nuts that isn’t a completely hopeless romantic,” Delphine said.
“Of late, we have had some proof that romance is alive,” Vance said, winking at his wife.
“I need to find some new friends,” Delphine said. “Some bitter old ladies who hate the world.”
“No, you’re stuck with us,” Gillian said. “We have a pact.”
“Yeah, but that was when I thought we were all going to be spinsters and grow old together,” Delphine said. “And now you’re all going and falling in love. It’s dreadful.”
Everyone laughed, unbothered by our cynical friend’s proclamation.
I looked through the glass doors to the patio, where the heaters glowed orange in the dark.
Tyler was on his feet, gesturing with both hands at the semicircle of kids watching him—Peter, Mia, Bella and Annie were all listening intently, nodding their heads and smiling.
Margot and Madison were sitting next to each other, grinning from ear to ear, clearly delighted to be hanging out with the big kids.
Grace and Mia got up from the table and did a do-si-do across the patio.
Robbie had his laptop open, typing furiously.
I didn’t need to hear Tyler through the glass to know he was telling them about Hunter and me.
“You know, I was thinking,” I said. “About these guitar lessons Tyler suddenly wanted.”
“Pretty obvious,” Lila said. “The kids, right?”
“We should stop letting them spend time together,” Delphine said. “Before I’m next.”
“Oh, trust me, you’re on the list,” Lila said. “And from what we’ve seen, you should be worried.”
“Yeah, before we know it, you’ll be all sunshine and unicorns like the rest of us,” Gillian said.
Delphine shook her head, chuckling. “You guys are seriously delusional.”
“I’m still a little stunned by the whole thing,” I said. “But we have a date tomorrow night.”
“Okay, wait a minute,” Lila said. “Why didn’t you tell us this immediately?”
“I wanted to text you last night, but then I was afraid I might jinx it,” I said.
“It’s about time,” Alex said. “You two have been circling each other for a year now.”
“Yeah, but that’s just it,” I said. “What if it doesn’t work out, and then we have to see each other all the time at social functions?”
“But what if it does?” Gillian asked. “Work out.”
“I think there’s a song about that,” Lila said.
Leo, still in his dad’s arms, stirred and let out a wail.
“He’s hungry,” Gillian said, standing to take him from Alex. “I’ll go feed my little lion in the nursery.” She kissed the top of Leo’s head. “Don’t say anything interesting while I’m gone.”
“We’ll try to contain ourselves,” Delphine said.
Gillian disappeared down the hallway, and we all got up to help clear the table and start the dishes. We’d had so many of these dinners that we all knew the routine. Dishes, then dessert.
In the kitchen, we all worked together to put leftover food away, rinsed dishes to put in the dishwasher, and wiped countertops, chatting as we did so.
“Am I the only one who worries Hunter has a darkness to him,” Delphine said, snapping a plastic lid onto a container. “I’ve wondered if he’s depressed.”
No one said anything, but we all knew why she would worry about that, given her husband’s tragic death.
“He’s a really good person,” Vance said. “I’ve gotten to know him pretty well over the last year. He’s just not the life of the party, but that doesn’t mean he’s dark or depressed.”
Delphine shrugged. “I hope you’re right.”
“Me too,” I said.
We grabbed our wine glasses and went to hang out in the living room.
Alex put on music and turned on the gas fireplace.
Thankfully, the subject changed from my impending date to hearing about Lila’s new design client, and Alex’s work down at the soup kitchen.
Delphine told us about a new artist she’d discovered.
Vance opened another bottle of red. Someone mentioned Esme and Grady’s honeymoon and that we were all excited for them to return with tales of their adventures.
Gillian came back with Leo on her shoulder, awake and content now that he was fed.
“You okay, honey?” Alex asked his wife.
“Yes, I’m fine.” She took her phone out of her pocket. “But I saw something online just now. About Hunter’s ex-wife.” She handed me her phone.
It was a clip of a morning show appearance, one of the big ones.
Dana King was on a couch, blonde hair coifed perfectly, wearing a simple black suit.
Her music wasn’t my favorite, but she had a good fan base in the country music world.
Not as big as Ivy. Dana’s venues were more country fairs rather than big stadiums.
The caption at the bottom of the screen said: Author of See You On The Other Side speaks out.
“She wrote a book,” I said to the rest of them. “A memoir.”
I propped up the phone on the coffee table so everyone could see. We gathered together on or near the couch to watch.
The host leaned forward with a concerned, inviting expression. “You write very candidly about your marriage to songwriter Hunter Sloan. About feeling shut out creatively. Can you talk about that?”
Dana tucked one ankle behind the other and looked at her hands for a moment in a way that seemed practiced.
“I spent years asking Hunter to write with me. For me. The way he did for—Ivy James.” She stopped and smiled sadly.
“And I kept thinking, if I’m patient enough, if I’m supportive enough, eventually he’ll want to partner in that way with me.
I continued to hope he’d write something for his wife instead of Ivy James. ”
“And he never did?”
Dana shook her head, bottom lip trembling. “I finally had to accept that—whatever he and Ivy had creatively and personally—I was never going to be part of it. I was always going to be the third wheel in our marriage.”
“Do you believe they were having an affair?”
The view became just a close up of Dana’s face. She hesitated for a split second, before dipping her chin, a tear sliding down one cheek. “He wouldn’t admit to it if they were. But a wife knows things.”
The host nodded gravely. The caption changed to: Ivy James has not responded to requests for comment.
“Okay, well, it’s clear she’s a liar,” Alex said.
“Agree,” Lila said. “She’s totally fake. Plus, I know a little about how people can manipulate their social image to their benefit.”
“That’s the truth,” Vance said. “And it’s really hard to combat the jury of public opinion.”
“Why is she doing this?” Gillian asked. “Was their divorce that acrimonious?”
“I know why,” Delphine said. “She wants attention for her career and knew that hinting at a scandal involving Ivy James would do it.”
“That’s right,” Lila said, nodding. “She knows Ivy James is at the top of her game, and she’s jealous.”
“From what Hunter’s told me about his marriage, it was opposite of what she’s saying,” Vance said. “He told me she was never home, always touring, hoping to reach the next level. Not to mention, it was she who had the affair, not him.”
“It’s all in the song,” Lila said. “Already Gone.”
“That’s right,” I said, finding my voice at last. “But it doesn’t matter. The press is going to run with this as long as they can. You know how it works. This is a headline screamer.”
“I wonder if Hunter’s seen this yet?” Vance asked. “Just when he’s getting back on his feet too.”
“What an awful person,” Gillian said, shaking her head while patting the baby on her shoulder.