“Listen, um, I’m going to be heading back to Los Angeles—”
“I knew it! What happened?”
“Calm down, Margot” Stirling says. “Girls why don’t you go in the house for a while, watch a movie or something.”
“But why are you leaving, Aunt Amanda?”
I hate disappointing Cammie most of all. We were going to have a day excursion, just the two of us, next week.
“Everyone, stop. Please. I can’t do this right now. Things…are not working out for me here right now. Besides, Margot, you know I’ve got a ton of work to do on the plan we have for the company, and I can only do so much remotely.”
“I’m sorry, kiddo,” says Stirling. “I thought everything was going so well.”
We all know that he’s referring to Damon, but I’m glad no one is saying it out loud.
“Sucks, Amanda. Sorry you have to leave,” says Sylvia. Not that she’s not genuinely sorry, but I suspect she’s also relieved in some way. One less person to randomly confront her about trying to seduce Damon.
“I’m sorry too,” I say before I kneel down by the edge of the pool nearest to Cammie. “Hey, squirt. I know I keep promising that we’ll spend time together, and then letting stuff get in the way. But we are going to have a whole girl’s weekend together just you and me when you guys get home. Shopping, movies, horseback riding, manicures—whatever you want. Deal?”
“Deal,” she says quietly, but she still looks like she’s about to burst into tears any minute.I know just how you feel, kid.
“Okay then. I need to get my stuff together. If I can get on a flight tomorrow morning, I’m taking it. And I’ll spend the night at a hotel at the airport tonight. It’ll save time in the morning. Oh, and guys?” They all look at me expectantly as if I’m going to change my mind. “Don’t be upset with Damon. It’s not his fault. It’s mine, just like it always has been.”
Two hours later, I’m packed and ready to go. I hear voices in the kitchen, and I suspect everyone is just finishing lunch. I check my watch. Stirling insisted on hiring a car service to take me to the airport hotel tonight, after I insisted that nobody was going to sacrifice family time to drive me. A black SUV, just like the one that delivered me here just over a week ago, pulls up just as everyone appears to see me off. I hate goodbyes, so I start out the door, when Stirling grabs my suitcase for me and leads the way. Margot and Cammie are there too, but Cammie grabs my arm before I can get out the door.
“Bye, Aunt Amanda. I love you.” She’s already crying as she throws her arms around me.
“I love you too, squirt. Be good, okay? I’ll see you again before you know it.”
“I will,” she sniffs, and runs back inside.
“I’ll talk to her,” Margot says. “Maybe we’ll bake cookies today or something. I’m sad too, you know. We all are. But I understand.”
All I can do is hug her, because if I try to say anything, I’ll burst into tears just like Cammie did.
I see Stirling tip the driver in advance over Margot’s shoulder. He just winks at me and tells the driver not to accept any money from me.
Just when I think this scenario couldn’t get any more difficult, Sylvia pops out of the front door, and Damon pulls his car around from the garage at the side of the house. We all stare in shock—no one had seen him leave the house. He cuts the engine and gets out.
“How nice, everyone’s here,” he says, giving me a cold look. “Even Sylvia. How nice.”
“Um, I just came to say goodbye to Amanda,” she says nervously. “Looks like you’re leaving too.”
“That I am. My flight leaves in just a couple of hours.”
“Damon, you don’t have to leave—”
“Wow,” he says and barks a laugh. “You think I’m leaving because of you? There’s no way I’d let you chase me out of my own home, Amanda. I’ve got important reasons to stay, and as it turns out, much more important reasons to go.”
“Well, we’re all sorry to see you go,” says Stirling.
“Ah, Stirling. Always the diplomat,” Damon says. We’re all just looking around at each other in stunned silence. No one knows what to say or do next. “Well. I’ll leave you to your goodbyes then.”
It all happened so fast. Damon strides over to Sylvia, cups the back of her neck, and kisses her—hard—on the mouth. Stirling rushes in, pulls them apart and punches Damon in the jaw. Margot starts yelling. My driver jumps out to see if he can help. Sylvia and I are both dumbstruck. It’s madness, and I’m so glad Cammie went back inside so she can’t see it.
“Now that’s more like it,” says Damon, as he rubs his jaw.
“So, something did happen between you and Sylvia the other night,” says Stirling. I’ve never seen him so angry.
