“We will be just in time.”
My parents live just on the North Shore in a fairly luxe area, fairly uppercrust. In the back of my mind, I have to reassure myself that if Clarissa can tolerate Sunny’s ostentatious displays of wealth and privilege, she can probably get along with my parents.
I can feel her drinking it all in as the estates get larger and larger the farther north we go. I haven’t told her too much about my background. Well, not specifically. But I’m certain she has the ability to figure some of it out. And I’m certain she Googled me.
But as I turn in the driveway and the security gates slowly open on their mechanized chain, I hear her suck her breath in between her teeth.
“It’s not as big as it looks,” I lie softly.
Gravel crunches beneath the Tesla’s tires and she leans forward, pulling her cell phone out of the bag.
“Hello? Hi, Landry,” she sighs in her soft, friendly voice.
I’m glad to hear it and pull around the side of the house while she and her sister chat for a few minutes. But gradually her tone gets slightly more stiff as Landry chatters away. I can tell that Clarissa is doing her best to not sound judgmental, which of course means she sounds very judgmental.
“That’s great news, Landry,” she smiles stiffly. “Can we chat about it this weekend? Why don’t I give you a call. We are just going over for dinner right now.”
I gesture that we could wait a minute if she wants to talk to her sister, but she waves me off.
“And you’re feeling good? Great, that’s great,” she continues, still smiling. “Give my love to Sunny. Don’t let her talk you into marrying a movie star or anything! Ha, ha. Okay, talk to you soon, sweetie.”
She thumbs the button to disconnect the call and slumps slightly.
“Everything okay?” I ask cautiously.
“Medical transcription, can you believe that?” she huffs. “Sunny talked her into signing up for a medical transcription class! Without even asking me!”
Well, she is an adult who probably doesn’t have to ask you, I remark silently, but I know better than to say that kind of thing out loud now.
“That’s like typing? Data-entry?”
“Yeah,” she explains distractedly. “Doctors send her paperwork, and she enters the data into the patient files. It’s not medical school, that’s for sure.”
Getting out of the car, I walk around to her side and open her car door. Thankfully, she lets me.
“Is that a job she could do from home or something?” I ask strategically.
She scoffs. “Yeah, okay, I know what you are saying!” she admits. “With the baby, a job like this would be perfect.”
“And not exactly a life sentence,” I shrug.
I take her silence as partial agreement, at least. I know that she wants the best for her sister, but it seems to be difficult for her to admit sometimes that Landry is doing the best she can. As a matter of fact, I think Sunny has been an incredibly good influence on her. I don’t know if Clarissa would entirely agree yet.
My mother greets us at the door, flinging her arms open to hug me and drawing me close immediately so she can press her lips to my ear.
“Don’t be mad,” she whispers before pushing me away and turning toward Clarissa.
I’m confused but introduce them anyway. Clarissa holds out a hand politely, but my mother kisses her cheek instead.
“My father, Marshall,” I smile so that Clarissa can orient herself.
Under the soft glow of the crystal chandelier, she’s beautiful, and he shoots me an apologetic look before shaking her hand politely.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Clarissa smiles.
“You as well!” he bellows in his characteristically loud voice. “We’re just in here…”
He ambles down the hallway toward the dining room and my mother glances at me with a worried expression. It only takes a moment before I realize what’s happening. The reason my father said we are in here…