I remained silent and took a swig of my beer.
“She makes you happy, Will. She’s not Shannon.And long-distance relationships can work with the right people.”
“Let’s just focus on your pub, okay?”
Elspeth shook her head. “Okay, Will. But girls like Nairie are one in a million, and I think you guys have something special.”
I squeezed her hand and took my beer to the patio to sulk. I knew Nairie wasn’t like Shannon. That’s what scared me so much—that it was so different with her. Better in so many ways. If it hurt when it didn’t work out with Shannon, how much would it hurt if it didn’t with Nairie?
I also knew she would never leave her family, so if it came down to making it work, neither of us would compromise on moving.
No, it was better this way. Even if I had to see her date other men.
Chapter 11
Nairie
I drove to Aunt Lilit’s home in the Hollywood Hills, a high-profile neighborhood where the minimum property value was two million. She recently purchased it, so I’d never been here before. The long, windy road was canopied with large overgrown trees as I passed countless ten-foot-high gates undoubtedly owned by celebrities. Finally, I pulled up to a wrought-iron gate with intricate filigree and pressed the call box button.
Aunt Lilit’s familiar deep voice crackled through the speaker. “Hello?”
“Aunt Lilit, it’s—”
“What? Who is this?”
“It’s—”
“Speak up, I can’t hear you.”
I yelled, “It’s—”
“I’m just fucking with you. I know it’s you, Nairie. Wave to the camera, sweetie!”
I looked up at the top of the gate and saw a camera pointed directly at me. The gates ambled open, and I rolled my eyes.
The two-story Tuscan villa was complete with a fountain in the gravel driveway and hedges trimmed in phallic and vaginal-like shapes. I parked my cheap Toyota near the front, but it felt like putting a blemish on the Mona Lisa.
Aunt Lilit came out with her cane, her long black silky robe flapping behind her in the wind. The feather-trimmed sleeves rippled as she moved. She opened up her frail arms and revealed a matching set of black satin pajamas embroidered with her initials.
I smiled and welcomed the hug with more appreciation than usual, savoring the floral, cinnamon perfume my aunt always loved to wear. I had a rough past couple of weeks, and it was nice to have familial comfort.
“Something tells me you needed this hug more than me.”
I smiled and pulled away, staring at my aunt’s beautiful face. Even though she was in loungewear, her makeup was still flawless.
“Why are you always right?”
Lilit held my hand and led me inside the mansion. It was like walking into a Nancy Meyers movie set; everything was in tones of cream, black, and beige, but it still felt cozy. We entered the sunken living room with plush white carpets that led out to the veranda with a view of the Los Angeles city skyline.
“We have psychic powers in our family.”
I raised my eyebrows in skepticism.
“That and I’m old as hell, so I know a thing or two,” she chuckled.
We sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows on large velvet armchairs that seemed to swallow me whole. A plate of cookies and tea sat on the small table between us, already prepared for my arrival. Aunt Lilit brought a teacup to her lips and slowly drank, her elegant, large nose dipped down so she could get a better look at me.
I fidgeted and started drinking tea too. This felt more like an interrogation, and I didn’t know what to say.
