The unfortunate thing was that she had no one to confide in. Not in her family, anyway. Usually, these nights ended with her confiding in her wife about her feelings regarding her parents and sister. Kennedy was her best friend. Kennedy was her sounding board and the one who reassured her that she was beautiful, smart, witty, and a tiger in the sack. Who knew how that would go tonight?
In truth, Lara didn’t remember much about Christmas dinner. There was food. Kids whined. Brothers-in-law laughed, and sisters huffed. Mothers popped drugs. The in-laws insinuated that they wanted to go to Brazil for their upcoming anniversary, something that usually translated to a plea for money. Lara ignored it. If Kennedy wanted to give her money to her parents, so be it.
“Lara.”
She snapped off autopilot sometime after dinner, when her partner leaned in and pointed to a maid carrying platters of pie. “Huh?”
“Pumpkin or blackberry, dear?”
“Oh. Pumpkin, please.”
After dinner, Lara was obligated to spend time with her mother and sister in one of the studies. There she got to hear all about her brother-in-law’s legal troubles at work. Something else she was expected to pitch in funds to help with.
“Perhaps, if you want to save money, your husband should stop harassing his help.”
Inid sniffed. “You know how men are. They chase tail. Be grateful you don’t have kids. Even Kennedy wouldn’t think twice about straying from you if she saw you as amother.”
“Inid,” Juliet said sternly, the first thing she said in twenty minutes.
Lara pursed her lips. Her sister never stood a chance against her. “It’s not kids that would do it, sweetie. It’s the fact you haven’t had a personality since you popped out the first one.”
“Lara!”
Maybe this was why Juliet Losers was on so many benzos – raising these two assholes she called daughters.At least one is filthy rich, and the other gave her grandchildren. That’s all that mattered to a woman like her.
Lara didn’t have a chance for peace until later that evening, when she excused herself to go to bed. The next day was Christmas, and although some in-laws would scatter to see other family in the area, most of the brood would be at the Losers Estate to exchange presents. Lara wished she could remember what she got anyone…
“…She’s going to lose her mind when she sees it.” Kennedy’s voice, in the library with her younger brother, Travis. The two were always friends growing up, and things hadn’t changed now. If Kennedy were to have a private conversation with anyone at a family gathering, it would be with him. “Chloe is already in love.”
Lara stopped in the hallway. Don’t listen, idiot. That’s what her common sense said. Her gut? It made her stand outside that door, one ear completely open.
“Who’s Chloe?”
“The maid. Man, listen for once. That’s what I’ve been telling you this whole time.”
“You sly bitch.”
Kennedy laughed. “Don’t I know it.”
“Does Lara know about it?”
“Of course not. Would spoil everything.”
“And this from the one who says the secret to a successful marriage is being open about and sharing everything.”
“Trav, if I shared this with Lara, I may not have a successful marriage anymore.”
“Good luck with that. I mean it. You’re a crazy fucker, but good luck.”
Lara moved on to the bedroom. I see. Kennedy was definitely keeping something from her. Something with Chloe. That if Lara found out about it? May mean the end of her marriage.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed when Kennedy arrived, all smiles as she said a chipper good evening to her wife and disappeared into the bathroom. When she reemerged a few minutes later, she had her hand clasped around a black box with a red ribbon.
“I know it’s not quite Christmas yet,” she said, sitting next to Lara on the bed. “But I wanted to give you this away from family eyes.”
Detached from reality though she was, Lara took the box into her hands.Jewelry. Kennedy had given her countless pieces of jewelry over the years. Earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets… watches. Even a pair of nipple clamps. Yet Lara always counted on a carefully selected piece that her partner had thought out ahead of time. She never bought Lara something for the sakeof buying it, or because she didn’t know what else to get her. Like the finch pendant she gave Lara for her birthday. According to their mutual personal assistant, Lara’s spouse bought it two months before her birthday when Kennedy came across it in a store and thought of her.
She has thought of me recently…
