STELLA
That weekend,my family and I met at a cafe in Virginia.
We sat in a booth near the exit. It was the quietest corner of the restaurant, which bustled with the Sunday brunch rush.
My father wore his favorite blue polo shirt, my mother wore her signature pearls, and my sister wore lethal heels and a mildly annoyed expression, the way they always did during our monthly meals.
It was like our family dinner had transplanted itself into a green leather booth instead of my parents’ prized mahogany dining table.
The only differences were the sunny windows and the awkward silence blanketing the table after we ran out of small talk.
“So.” My mother cleared her throat. “How’s Maura doing?”
I blinked at her choice of topic, but I answered readily. “She’s doing well. She has her garden and puzzles at Greenfield, so she’s happy.”
My mother nodded. “Good.”
Another silence fell.
We’d been dodging the elephant in the room all afternoon. At this rate, we’d be here until closing time.
I closed my hands around my mug and took courage from the warmth seeping into my palms.
“About what happened at the dinner…” Everyone visibly stiffened. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Mom,” I said softly. “That wasn’t my intention. But you have to understand why I’ve been paying for Maura’s care. She’s always been there when I needed her. Now she’s the one who needs me, and I can’t leave her to fend for herself. She has no one else.”
“I do understand.” My mother gave a small smile when I startled in surprise. “I’ve had time to think about it over the past few months. The truth is, I’ve always been a little jealous of your relationship with Maura. It’s my own fault, of course. I was too busy with my career to spend much time with you girls. By the time I realized how much I’d missed, you were all grown up. You didn’t want to spend time with us anymore. We practically have to force you to come to our family dinners.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you. It’s…” My cheeks warmed. “It’s the accomplishments game.”
It sounded stupid when I said it out loud, but every time I thought about that “fun game,” anxiety crawled beneath my skin and ate away at my nerves.
“It makes everything into a competition,” I said. “You, Dad, and Natalia all have these high-powered jobs, and I’m…well, you know. I love fashion, and I’m not ashamed of it. But every time we play that game, I feel like I’m the biggest disappointment at the table.”
“Stella.” My mother sounded pained. “You’re not a disappointment. I admit, we don’t always understand your choices, and yes, we wished you’d chosen a more financially stable career than fashion. But you could never disappoint us. You’re our daughter.”
“We want what’s best for you,” my father added gruffly. “We weren’t trying to keep you from doing what you loved, Stella. We just didn’t want you waking up one day realizing you’ve made a mistake when it’s too late.”
“I know.” I didn’t doubt that my parents wanted what was best for me. It was the way they went about it that was the problem. “But I’m not a child anymore. You have to let me make my own decisions and mistakes. If my fashion line takes off, great. If it doesn’t, I’ve learned some important lessons and I’ll do better next time. I just know that’s what I want to do. I can’t go back to working for someone else.”
My parents exchanged glances while Natalia shifted next to me.
“I have a decent amount of money from some big brand deals I signed, and I…” I hesitated before I finished. “I completed my first collection. A local boutique agreed to stock it, so I’m hoping that’ll bring in more money as well.”
I also planned to do an official launch online, but I wanted to test the waters first.
My mother’s eyes widened. “Really? Oh, Stella, that’s amazing!”
“Thank you,” I said shyly. I traced the handle of my mug with my thumb. “So, you’re not mad that I’m not looking for an office job?”
Another exchange of glances.
“Obviously, you’re doing well with your partnerships, and the fashion line is off to a good start.” My father coughed. “There’s no reason why you should get an office job if that’s not what you want. But,” he said when a smile blossomed on my face. “If you ever run into trouble, you need to tell us. No hiding it like you did the D.C. Style debacle.”
“I won’t,” I promised.
“Good. Now, where’s that smart-mouthed boyfriend of yours?” he grumbled. “It was disrespectful, the way he spoke to me in my own home, but I suppose he wasn’t entirely wrong.”
My smile dimmed. “We, um…” I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat. “We broke up.”
Three pairs of surprised eyes turned to me.
Considering the way Christian and I had defended each other at the dinner, they’d probably thought we would last longer than a few months.
So had I.
“I’m sorry,” my mother said sympathetically. “How are you doing?”
I forced a smile. “I’ll be okay.”
“You’ll find someone better.” My father’s tone turned brisk. “Never liked him. If you knew some of the rumors”—he broke off when my mother elbowed him sharply in the ribs—“But I guess they don’t matter now,” he finished with another grumble.