“Things will be fine, pretty girl. Just wait and see.”
Then with another wink, we’re out the door.
Thirty minutes later, we arrive at my mother’s apartment. My mom, as a well-to-do widow, also lives in a fancy apartment, and Patty oohed and ahed when we approached her building.
“Wow,” she marveled, shaking her head. “This is a whole different world from what I’m used to.”
I grin, keeping her hand snug beneath my elbow.
“Yes, my mom lives on Park Avenue, but it’s fine. Martha’s a hoot, and you’ll like her.”
Now, my fiancée and I stand outside of the door, my hand poised to ring the doorbell. I turn to her one last time.
“Ready?” I ask.
Patty takes a deep breath and nods. “Ready, steady.”
I grin and squeeze her hand before ringing the bell. Seconds later, my mother appears in the doorway, a large smile already brightening her face.
“Luke!” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around me. I let go of Patty’s hand to hug her back. My mother is a petite, sprightly woman with pure white hair and bright blue eyes. She’s about fifty-five, but doesn’t look a day over forty. When she’s finished with me, she turns her attention to Patty.
“Welcome, darling,” she says, giving Patty a hug. “It’s so good to meet you!”
“Likewise, Mrs. Montgomery,” Patty responds.
My mother waves that away with a smile. “Call me Martha, please. Mrs. Montgomery makes me feel like an elderly dowager, and I’m not there yet.” She steps back and gestures for us to come inside. “You’re right on time because James was just saying how hungry he is.”
Patty reaches for my hand again, and I give it another reassuring squeeze. Then we stroll into my mom’s home and I watch my fiancée’s reaction as she takes it all in. Martha’s penthouse is nearly the same size as mine, but my mom is anything but minimalist in her décor. Shelves are covered in souvenirs she’s collected over years of traveling. She prioritizes comfort over aesthetics when it comes to her furniture, so her sofas are all different colors, and quite a few have rainbow afghans thrown over them. This is set off by modern sculptures of various colors and textures artfully placed in niches and in corners.
“Wow, it’s very unique,” Patty says diplomatically.
Martha laughs.
“It looks crazy, is what most people think,” my mom quips. “But I like it, and it’s all mine.”
Then, we enter the chef’s kitchen and see that my brother, James, is already seated at the table drinking a scotch. He turns to us as we walk toward him and raises his glass in greeting. People tell us all the time that we look like we could be twins, but I don’t really see it. We’re both tall with dark hair and blue eyes, but beyond that, we couldn’t be more different.
“James,” my mom begins, “this is Patty, Luke’s fiancée. Patty, this is my youngest son, James. He’s also an executive at Montgomery Holdings.”
Patty shines a sweet smile and offers her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, James.”
My brother takes her hand and shakes it, but then holds on a bit longer than I’d like, his gaze roving over her curvy form in the most irritating way. What a douche. I’m already glowering but before I can say anything, he lets go. Then James’ eyes flash with mischief, and I roll my eyes. God. Still behaving like a teenage boy even though the ass is in his early 30’s now.
We take seats at a comfortable table, where lunch is already set. There are lobster rolls and my favorite homemade kettle chips, no doubt made by my mother’s personal chef. Meanwhile, Martha comes around with a few bottles of beer, the glass already sweaty and slick. Then, she takes a seat at the head of the table and turns all of her attention to Patty.
“I’m so excited to finally meet you, dear,” she enthuses. “Luke likes to play his cards close to his chest when it comes to matters of the heart, so he hasn’t said a lot about you beyond the fact that he’s engaged. But now, we’re going to find out everything.”
Fortunately, Patty isn’t thrown.
“Ah,” she laughs. “That doesn’t surprise me. You know, Luke actually only told me about this lunch last minute, so you’re right when you say he plays his cards close to his chest. I didn’t even have time to put on something dressier before we left the apartment!”
I lean over to kiss her temple. “I already told you that you look perfect,” I growl.
Her cheeks flush and she smiles while squeezing my hand. Uncharacteristically, my heart thumps hard, and I can’t take my eyes off her.
“Oh, that’s just like Luke,” my mother scolds. “Luke, you need to take it easy on Patty. Us girls love to get all dolled up, and we like having a lot of time to do just that. Right, darling?”