Belles Page 4

  Hayden, on the other hand, liked being in the thick of the political machine. He was interning for their dad this summer and was more gung ho about politics than ever. Mira didn’t know how he could stand seeing Lucas that much, but Hayden said the internship was too good an opportunity to pass up. The Monroe name would get him far, even if Hayden was determined not to trade on it.

  “I’ll bet you ten dollars tonight’s dinner has nothing to do with a natural disaster and everything to do with Emerald Cove’s centennial,” Hayden said as the two walked out to Buona Terra’s private patio overlooking the bay. Their family usually came to this Italian restaurant once a week; that’s how much their dad liked its lobster. “Lucas wouldn’t shut up today about ribbon-cutting ceremonies and two-hundred-dollars-a-plate state dinners, even though the centennial is over two years away.”

  “I’d rather this dinner be about the centennial than Dad coming to tell us he has to go away for six weeks,” Mira said as they reached their regular table. “Lucas can talk about the centennial all he wants as long as he doesn’t try to stick me on some high school planning committee. I have enough going on, and school hasn’t even started yet.”

  Between her honors classes, field hockey sessions, and her Emerald Prep charity club, the Social Butterflies, Mira’s schedule was overbooked. Sometimes she wished her commitments were things she actually looked forward to doing, rather than things she did just to look good. The Butterflies would give her brownie points on a college application, but Mira longed to find something she could claim as her own. She took the water goblet on the table and twirled it around, watching how the condensation pooled on the sides of the glass and wondering what it was that she was constantly searching for.

  Hayden’s eyebrows rose playfully as he removed his tie. “I think you and Savannah would be perfect for a centennial high school committee. No one knows how to bend people to their will better than you two.”

  Mira hit him in the arm with her linen napkin as their younger brother, Connor, walked in flanked by two of their dad’s drivers. The six-year-old looked like a pint-size version of their senator dad in his dress shirt and khakis—the standard uniform at his private elementary school, which started a few days earlier than Emerald Prep. Connor’s normally playful grin was replaced with a scowl.

  “I can’t believe I have to miss soccer. Again.” He slumped down in a seat at the table. “Where’s Dad got to go now?” His eyes lit up for a moment. “Is it Africa? Do you think Mom would let me go, too?” Conner was obsessed with going on a real safari. The safari ride at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, which he had ridden a dozen times, just wasn’t cutting it.

  “Sorry, squirt,” said Hayden as he roughed up Connor’s mop of blond hair. “I don’t think it’s Africa. We have no clue what’s up with Dad.” Hayden looked at his watch in surprise. “Or where he is. Dad is officially late. This is a first.” He winked at Mira. “You and Dad are never even thirty seconds behind schedule.”

  “Nope,” Mira agreed smugly. She was punctual to a fault and hated when others weren’t. She leaned back in her seat and stared at the choppy bay beyond the patio. From the terrace, it was easy to feel like you were on an ocean liner in the Mediterranean. Mira liked being surrounded by water. She just didn’t like being in the water. “If Dad’s late, blame Lucas,” she added. “He’s probably got Dad delivering puppies at an animal shelter.”

  “That’s not a bad idea, Mirabelle.”

  Mira heard Lucas’s even-keeled voice and froze as he appeared at their table. “The animal-compassion angle would work great at campaign time,” he added, revealing a mouth full of perfect veneers. “But as for today, the reason your father is detained,” he enunciated, “is because he had to sign some paperwork with your mother.”

  “What kind of paperwork would that be?” Hayden pried.

  Lucas answered Hayden’s question with one of his own, a habit that drove Mira nuts. “They don’t make you wear ties at school anymore?” He touched Connor’s shirt, and Connor stuck his tongue out at him when Lucas turned around. “Hayden, at least, had one on earlier, I believe.” Hayden fumbled for the crumpled tie in his pocket as Lucas looked Mira up and down with disdain. “No time to dry your hair at the country club? You three better step up your act before this campaign gets in full swing.”

  “It’s a family dinner, Lucas,” Mira said, keeping her tone light. She was polite with adults, but at twenty-nine, Lucas didn’t really feel like her elder.

  Lucas nodded approvingly as Hayden knotted his tie again. “That’s a little better,” he said, and placed his hands in the pockets of his expensive suit. “So, now that we’re presentable, let’s catch up. How was the rest of your summer?”

  Connor rolled his eyes at Mira. None of them liked talking to Lucas. They didn’t get why their dad liked the guy so much. Okay, so maybe he had led two other state senators to victory in their U.S. Senate bids and he’d only been on the job for three years, but Lucas was still a complete snake. Their dad, however, loved the guy’s ambition.

  “Summer was fun once we actually got to do stuff,” Connor muttered. Lucas laughed.

  “Touché. I did keep you guys busy. But it’s all for your dad, right?” Lucas patted Hayden on the back. “We want to get him to Washington, don’t we?”

  The patio doors opened before Mira could really think about her answer to that question. Mira’s parents walked in looking like they were ready for a meeting with the governor. Her mom wore a fitted navy dress with pleats, and her long pale blond hair was pulled back to show off the simple trinity diamond pendant she wore almost every day. Their dad was in a suit (shocker) and his slightly graying brown hair had its usual Kennedy-style pouf. The only thing that looked off about her parents was their strained smiles.

  “Cute dress, Mirabelle,” her mom said, sounding unusually tired. “Sorry I couldn’t give you a ride here. I had to cancel everything on my calendar today, including the EC Greeters meeting and tennis.” Mira’s mom pushed her hair behind her ears. Mira knew her mom did that only when she was getting ready to relay bad news. But then her mom’s green eyes lit up. “But I ran into the school headmaster this morning, and guess what? They are changing your uniforms next year! I told him it’s about time. They really need something more flattering for the girls.” Her mom’s BlackBerry vibrated, and she quickly started typing something as she walked over to greet Connor and Hayden.

  “Hi, sweetheart.” Mira’s dad kissed her on the cheek. “How was the club?” He folded his large arms across his chest. “Did Mr. Connick like my gift?”

  The joke in Emerald Cove was that Bill Monroe was more in demand today than he had been fifteen years ago when he played for the Atlanta Braves. He was known for telling great sports stories, and he had so many trophies, World Series rings, and Hall of Fame photos in the house that every guy Mira knew wanted to meet him. That he had gone from having a successful sports career to running a multimillion-dollar business group that led him to become a North Carolina senator only made his appeal greater.

  “Mr. Connick flipped for the autographed Chipper Jones baseball,” Mira told him. “But he still said he misses seeing you at your weekly tee times.”

  “That makes two of us.” Her dad made a face. “But there’s a lot going on….” He looked at Lucas.

  “Yes, maybe we should get started.” Lucas motioned for everyone to sit as a waiter appeared with menus. “They’ll be at your house around nine o’clock, Bill.”

  “Who will?” Connor asked.

  “Let’s order,” Mira’s mom said. “Should we order first, Bill? I think we should, don’t you?” Mira glanced at Hayden. Since when did their mom get all worked up over a menu? She barely ever ordered more than fish and salad.

  “We’ll have our regular, please,” Mira’s dad said, and handed the waiter back his menu. Once the waiter disappeared, he turned to the group. “Your mom and I have some big news. Huge, actually.” He exhaled slowly. “We’re hoping you’ll
be understanding.”

  The sound of the water hitting the pier under the patio magnified as Mira waited for the bomb to drop. She was sure she was about to hear about how she was getting a private tutor and would have to sleep on an uncomfortable tour bus for the next three months. Lucas had mentioned taking the family around the state that fall once the campaign was announced. Mira and Hayden would have to drop their sports; Connor would have to quit soccer. And what would Taylor say? He would freak if she missed any of his games.

  “You guys are having a baby!” Connor blurted out. Mira’s stomach lurched.

  “No!” Mira’s mom laughed. “That would be… wow. What with my charity work and you three, how would I find the time for diapers? That’s not it, but…” She trailed off.

  “I know you probably thought I called this meeting to say I was going away again, or that we were all going on a campaign tour,” Mira’s dad held her mom’s gaze. “But a family road trip has been put on hold.”

  Thank God, Mira thought, resisting the urge to cheer.

  “There is something more important going on,” he added, looking around the table seriously. “I know this is going to sound unexpected. It was unexpected for us, too.”

  Mira grabbed Hayden’s hand and squeezed. Now she was getting nervous. What was going on?

  “I’m not sure how to explain this, but you see, I didn’t know…” Her dad never rambled. Her parents weren’t getting divorced, were they? They seemed so happy. “We’re going to be…”

  “It’s okay. I know we’re not getting a golden retriever,” Hayden said, trying to break the ice. “I’m over it now. It’s been six years.” Their father barely smiled. “Dad, just spill it.”

  Mira’s dad sighed deeply. This was the first time Mira had ever seen him look anxious, and she’d seen him in some pretty stressful situations, like the time he met Angelina Jolie at a benefit, or when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

  “I’m sorry, it’s just this is big news. Our family is expanding, Connor, but no, it’s not a baby—or a golden retriever,” he added as an afterthought, and Hayden shook his head sadly. “Several months ago, your mom and I got a phone call. It was a distant relative of mine who was raising a girl about your age, Mirabelle. The woman had recently found out she had Alzheimer’s and was worried about whom her granddaughter would live with when her mind started to fail,” he explained. “We looked into the situation extensively, and we really are their only living relatives. Things went downhill pretty quickly for this woman, and, well, tonight, your cousin is coming to live with us. Permanently.”

  Her dad looked relieved, but Mira wasn’t. Her hands went numb. They had a cousin who was coming to live with them? Permanently? Who? The news was too big to comprehend. She stared at her water glass again. She could almost hear the ice cracking.

  “We’ve never met her before?” Hayden asked as if he’d heard Mira’s thoughts.

  “No,” Mira’s mom said softly. “None of us have, actually.” She looked at her husband pensively. “This is a huge commitment. We know that. I wish this was happening differently, but this is the way it is. We knew about your cousin’s situation last winter, but her home life was more stable then, so there seemed to be no need to rush things or upset anyone.” Her mother played with her necklace as she stared out at the water. “We thought there would be time to meet her, introduce all of you, and then discuss her moving in with us. But her social worker feels the home situation is deteriorating quickly, and last week it became apparent that the situation needed to change right away. Thank God Lucas has connections.” Mira’s mom smiled at him.

  This was getting weirder by the second. Something didn’t add up. “I don’t understand,” Mira said, trying to piece the story together. “Doesn’t this girl have any other family? You’d think she’d want to live with people she knew.”

  “We’re not doing a very good job of this, are we?” Mira’s dad said nervously, looking at Lucas, then at her. Her dad cleared his throat. “It’s complicated, but the girl’s mom died when she was ten, there is no dad in the picture, and the grandmother is in her eighties. Her health has steadily worsened since the diagnosis a few years ago. She’ll be moving into a nursing home immediately.”

  “It’s us or foster care,” Mira’s mom said grimly. “There is no one else. Her social worker says she’s a good kid. She’s on the swim team and she lifeguards, but her life hasn’t been easy. She takes care of her grandmother, works, and goes to school. We could really change the course of her life,” she added, getting that glint in her eye she got when she found a new pet project.

  “Why does she have a social worker?” Hayden asked.

  “The situation she’s in, mainly,” Mira’s dad said, and tapped his fingers on the table. “It’s… not good. She was raised in Harborside.”

  “Harborside?” Mira repeated, surprised. The Butterflies sometimes did holiday toy drives for kids in Harborside. They had the largest trailer park in the state, and there were always stories on the news about break-ins and occasional gunfights. The area was less than savory. She knew people who visited the Harborside boardwalk, but Mira’s parents never let her go there. Was her cousin as rough as the town she was from? Oh my God, was she going to have to hide her wallet under her bed at night? Mira’s face reddened. She couldn’t believe she’d just thought that. “How is she related to us again?”

  “She’s a distant cousin.” Lucas surprised her by answering for her dad. “On your dad’s side.”

  “Which cousin?” Mira pressed, wanting to picture people in her head.

  “She’s my third cousin’s daughter,” her dad told her.

  “And who is that?” Hayden was apparently confused, too.

  “It’s Tracy’s girl, right, Bill?” Mira’s mom said.

  “Is that the one with the lazy eye?” Connor asked, and Mira’s mom gave him a stern look.

  “Tracy’s the one with the thirteen cats,” Mira reminded them. “She’s the one who lives in Oklahoma City, and her house smells like mothballs, remember?”

  Hayden laughed. “Oh yeah. We had to stay there for the family reunion because there were no hotels for twenty miles. You kept sneezing because you were allergic to the cats.”

  Mira laughed, then stopped abruptly. “Tracy didn’t have kids.” She looked at her parents. “We were the youngest ones at the reunion.”

  “Sorry, I meant my cousin Chloe,” her dad said, and took a sip of water. “You haven’t met her. We weren’t close growing up, but the point is, she’s my cousin’s daughter, and your mother and I feel the need to step in and help her.”

  Mira stared at the ocean, feeling like at any second the waves would become a whirlpool that got bigger and bigger until it engulfed the restaurant. Her parents didn’t even make a dinner reservation without consulting Zagat’s. Now they were legal guardians to a complete stranger? And a girl from Harborside, no less? Weren’t they worried about how her cousin would mesh with the family? She saw stories on TV like this all the time, and things never ended well. And what were her friends going to say? She didn’t get it. But before she could voice her opinion, Lucas spoke up again.

  “I know this is hard on you three, but can you imagine how this girl feels?” Lucas asked. “She’s losing the only home she’s ever known.” Lucas’s face was solemn. “She’ll need counseling, Bill. We should talk about how you want to position this story in the press.” Mira resented his weighing in.

  “We can discuss that later,” her dad said. He looked at his children again. “The timing is rough, I know that. But your mom and I have discussed this a lot, and in the end we knew we had to do the right thing. We hope you’ll understand someday.” Mira noticed he sounded choked up. Suddenly she felt bad for grilling him.

  Two waiters arrived with trays of food. Lobster for Hayden, her parents, and herself, and filet mignon for Lucas. Connor had his standard mac and cheese with applesauce.

  Mira couldn’t even think of eating
the lobster that was staring up at her mournfully. An hour ago, she had been worried about her hair and getting out of dinner early enough to make it to Taylor’s practice, and now she was getting a semisister? The idea was too much for her to comprehend. She didn’t do well with change. She’d had the same laptop for the past three years because she loved the keyboard. She refused to change her field hockey stick because she thought it brought her luck, and she slept with a Mexican worry doll under her pillow because a waiter had told her it would ease her fears. She might need to invest in a case of worry dolls after this news.

  “Does she know about us?” Hayden used his fork to expertly pull a piece of lobster from a claw.

  “I believe she only found out about us today, too,” their dad said, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully. “The social worker is bringing her tonight at nine.”

  Mira’s jaw dropped, and it took all her energy not to let her fork clang onto the plate.

  “The guest room is made up,” her mom told them. “I had Paula put fresh linens and flowers in there, and we registered her for school. We need her size for uniforms….” Her mom listed the items like she would for one of her to-do lists. But this was much bigger than needing to buy a new comforter at Bed Bath & Beyond.