“And you look amazing,” I say. And she does.
“Amanda! You made it.” Stirling comes out to take my suitcases from the driver. I step away from Margot briefly to hug him.
In addition to being very tall, Stirling is quite a bit older than Margot. But he’s extremely handsome in that distinguished investment banker kind of way. His crewcut is more salt than pepper these days, but he has kind blue eyes to match his good heart.
“Hi, Stirling,” I say, as he kisses my cheek. “Good to see you. Thanks so much for sending the car.”
I open my purse to tip the driver, but Stirling stops me.
“I’ve got it,” he says, and hands the driver some folded bills before turning back to me. “Ah, it’s the least we could do. We both worked late to finish up before the long weekend, and Margot also wanted to have a late meal for you.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Margot puts her arm around my shoulders, and Stirling plucks up my suitcases. We follow him inside, and Margot closes the huge doors behind us.
The instant I cross the threshold, my breath catches, not from the expanse of the foyer or the dandelion-shaped crystal chandelier casting its happy light down on us. I feel a rush of familiarity pass through me, followed by its stark impossibility, since I’ve never been here before.
“Pretty great, isn’t it?” asks Margot, probably because of the look I must have on my face. “I couldn’t believe we got it as late as I waited to book something. But I guess it wasn’t even available until the last minute, but the owner decided to travel for the holidays after all.
“Yeah, it’s great,” I say, trying to get a grip on myself.
Stirling is halfway up the wooden staircase with my luggage.
“I’ll just put these in your room and be right down so we can eat,” he says.
I nod, and before I can take my next breath, Cammie is running down the front hall toward me.
“Aunt Amanda! You’re here!”
“Yes, I finally made it,” I say as I take her into my embrace. “Hang on, let me look at you.” I hold her back from me. She’s always been tall, but I can’t believe she’s only nine. “You’ve gotten so much taller since I saw you!”
“More than a few, I’m sure. Too bad I have not proof of the ten feet you’ve grown since then!”
We laugh, and lock elbows as we make our way to the back of the house.
“Have you started your summer reading list?” asks Margot. Apparently, she and Stirling aren’t allowing Cammie’s summer to be quite as carefree as she’d like it to be. “Dad and I gave you the whole month of June off to hang out with your friends before we left for Kauai.”
“I have actually, and I really like the first book on the list. Since it is actually summer vacation and I don’t have to wake up early, can I hang out with you and Aunt Amanda while you have dinner?”
“Speak for yourself,” says Stirling from behind us. “The ribs for tomorrow aren’t going to barbecue themselves. But yes, you can sit at the table with us for a while, if it’s okay with your mother.”
“Fine, but you’re helping. Go set the table.”
“The girls ate earlier, but Margot and I had our own last-minute work stuff to finish, so we decided to wait and eat with you,” Stirling says.
“That’s awesome,” I say. “I’d hate to be the only one scarfing down food while everyone else stares at me. Where’s Sylvia, by the way? I hope she’ll at least make an appearance.”
Sylvia is Stirling’s daughter from his first marriage, which ended badly. Neither Stirling nor Sylvia has been on good terms with Sylvia’s mother for several years. It hasn’t been easy, but Margot has done her best to be a positive maternal presence in Sylvia’s life, especially when Sylvia moved in with her and Stirling just a few months before Cammie was born.
“She’s pissed at us for making her come to Hawaii instead of spending the whole summer unsupervised with her boyfriend, who we’re not too keen on,” says Margot. “She’s been holed up in her room since she and Cammie finished dinner a few hours ago, no doubt Tik-Talking or Facesmashing or whatever it is the young people do these days. You might not see her until tomorrow.”
The back of the house is a stunning open-concept layout with a sunken living room, complete with fireplace and a flatscreen tv over the mantle, a more formal dining space, and a massive kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances, wine bar, coffee bar, and a huge island with six stools. The three areas of the space are tied together by the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, some of which are actually panels of an accordion glass door that opens to the back yard paradise where the swimming pool, jacuzzi, outdoor kitchen and fire pit await. Outdoor lighting shines into shadows that hint at the lush beauty that will be revealed when the sun comes up tomorrow. Whoever the owner of this house is has done very well for themselves.
“Can I do anything to help?” I ask, even as I’m moving toward the couch.
“Not a thing,” calls Margot from the kitchen area.
“Drink?” Stirling asks from the bar in the corner that I hadn’t noticed. “We’ll have wine with dinner—there’s a nice Riesling chilling in the fridge under the wine bar over there—but I’m going to kick off your arrival with something a little stronger.”
