“Oh, Marnie’s not my mom,” Sasha cut in breezily.Of course,Marnie thought with a scowl,that vapid woman wouldimagine this conversation was about her.Sasha was sitting at the table with a white wine spritzer in her hand, an empty plate shining before her. Marnie didn’t know what she hated more: that Sasha had turned down the sumptuous Thai-infused scallops that had been painstakingly prepared alongside a quail egg salad, or that she’d cut into an exquisite Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore with club soda.
“That’s right,” Ari broke in softly, and Marnie’s eyes immediately flicked to her. “Sasha’s mother has sadly passed, Luis. Marnie is our... our groom’s mother.”
Hearing Ari’s voice break on the word ‘groom’, Marnie felt a deep stab of pity, and another deep stab of frustration with her son.
“Oh,” Luis replied quickly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Marnie turned to him, hearing the lie in his voice. In that moment he looked decidedly awkward, chewing on his lip uncomfortably.I can see where she gets her good looks from now...Luis had been talking about Reine, obviously. He knew it and Ari knew it and Sebastian knew it and Marnie knew it, but not one of them could say it out loud because of Sasha, who still knew nothing. Thinking quickly, Marnie realised that somewhere between the airport and here, Luis had been briefed on the situation. He knew that Tom was Reine’s father, and also the mysterious Tom Somerset who had broken Ari’s heart.
Surprisingly, Marnie didn’t feel angry with Luis. No. She felt almost grateful to him.
I can see where she gets her good looks from.He was the first one of them all to acknowledge her as Reine’s grandmother. The first one to acknowledge that biological link, which Marnie still fervently hoped would soon transfer into an emotional one.
Yes, she realised. She liked Luis De León. Unlike his husband, he was genuine, and she sensed in him an ally of sorts. An ally she hoped to use to her advantage.
So Marnie decided to rescue him, and with him this horribly awkward situation.
“When did you first start designing wedding gowns?” she asked lightly, piercing a scallop with her fork.
Luis grinned back. “You know something? I’ve been designing them all my life. I was the kid in class who drew princesses in ball gowns rather than dinosaurs or dragons. I was the kid who sat on his abuela’s knee learning to crochet so I could dress my sister’s Barbie doll for her wedding to Ken.”
“Ken and Barbie,” Sebastian chimed in drily, “it’ll never last. Ken’s always clearly on the rebound from GI Joe.”
“Obviously,” Luis returned, with another grin that made Marnie’s stomach flutter. “Anyway, I’ve been designing all my life, in one way or another.”
“When did you turn professional?” Marnie was astonished to find she was actually interested in his reply.
“I moved to New York for design school. I was lucky, growing up in El Salvador can be tough for a man like me. I won a scholarship though, went through on a free ride, which meant I could really concentrate on my specialty. After I graduated, I transferred to London to work under Stephanie Allin. Wedding design is a tough industry, especially if you specialise in it like me, and don’t produce other collections. But I got lucky. An old girlfriend of mine was up and coming in the wedding business herself and referred me to a minor member of the British aristocracy. I designed my first gown under my own name. Word spread, and soon I was inundated with design requests. I opened my Kensington boutique not long after, and I’ve been there ever since.”
“An old girlfriend?” Sasha asked, and Marnie could see the confusion on her face. “But I thought you were...”
“Gay?” asked Luis, and when Sasha nodded, he gave a shrug. “I don’t like to define myself, but I believe in love being love, and I’ve always fallen in love with personalities rather than genders.”
“Personalities?” Marnie asked, inadvertently raising an eyebrow towards Sebastian. “You fall in love with personalities?”
“Yeah,” Luis grinned. “I do. And my Sebbie here has enough personality to get me through three lifetimes. Keeps me on my toes.” He reached over to stroke his husband’s arm lovingly, which Sebastian permitted with an affectionate roll of his eyes.
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Sasha gushed. “That’s what I want Tom and I to be like. Just so, you know, in love and everything.”
“How did you meet?” Luis asked, taking hold of his wine glass and drinking heartily. “Ari hasn’t brought me up to speed with that yet.”
Ari. Marnie’s eyes flicked once more to the woman at the corner of the table, her plate of food untouched, her eyes soft and sad. Marnie felt pity threaten to overwhelm her. This conversation, this dinner, this whole day... it must have been killing her.
“We were childhood sweethearts,” Sasha replied dreamily, fingering the edge of her wine glass as she spoke. “We met at summer camp one year. It was meant to be. We were meant to be. Tom, the son of Marnie Somerset, and me, the prettiest and wealthiest girl at camp...” Sasha trailed off with a happy sigh.
“Prettyandwealthy?” Sebastian asked, with an exaggerated shock that Marnie wasn’t sure how to read, although she suspected it wasn’t meant kindly.
Sasha nodded. “And I was runner-up Miss Teen Rhode Island.”
“Noooo,” Luis replied in mock disbelief, “Runner-up Miss Teen Rhode Island? You don’t say?”
“It’s one of the reasons I decided on Tom,” Sasha nodded seriously. “You know he’s descended from French royalty? Well,nearly. Close enough, anyway. And I had a crown — well, Inearlyhad a crown — of my own. Tom and I just... made sense, you know? The perfect match.”
Marnie looked once again at Ari. She’d gone white, her hand clenched around her napkin, her eyes downcast. Heartbreak was etched onto every line of her slumped being, and Marnie decided enough was enough. She cleared her throat.
“Maybe we should talk about something else—” she began, but Luis was too quick, already leaning towards Sasha.
“And you’ve been together ever since that summer camp?” he asked, refilling Sasha’s glass.
