Chapter 4

The last thing I expected to do today was to meet up with my mum. For starters, we never do spontaneous meetups unless there’s an agenda behind it, like when she and Dad blindsided me with the news of my upcoming wedding.

Secondly, it was the weekend and if you knew my mum well enough you’d know that weekends were sacred to her. Her personal haven that she took very seriously. Whether it was a spa day or a random trip out of town, weekends were her time and hers alone. Even Dad respected that boundary.

So naturally, I was curious. Why did she want to see me? And why did she sound so eager about it on the phone?

“Elena! Finally, come, come, have a seat.” I took in a deep breath and joined her at the table in the dimly lit restaurant. I hadn’t been here before, so I couldn’t tell if the lack of customers at this time was a normal occurrence or not. Either way, I was grateful for the quiet space to chat.

I eyed my mum warily, my breath catching in my throat out of nervousness. Something about all this felt off. Really off. And I couldn’t read her expression properly thanks to the oversized sunglasses she was wearing, which only added to my unease.

“Elena, why do you seem so anxious?”

“Um,” I cleared my throat, blinking a few times to try and clear my thoughts. “Why did you want to see me?”

She scoffed like I’d asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “Why wouldn’t I want to see you? You just had your wedding yesterday. I want to know how you’re feeling. I mean, it was such a huge step and it all happened so fast.”

Yes, thanks to you and Dad for forcing me into it.

“I’m fine. Nathaniel’s place is nice and I had a great night there.” My eyes widened at how insinuative my words sounded and Mum let out an amused chuckle. “I mean, I slept well. I was pretty tired last night so I went straight to bed. Nothing else happened!"

“And the Sinclair boy? How do you find him?”

Well, considering we’d barely exchanged more than a few sentences, I couldn’t really say much. And I didn’t care to. “He’s great, Mum.”

She raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. But before she could press further, a shrill voice called out from behind us. “Caitlyn! Oh dear, I’m so sorry I’m late.”

“Nonsense,” Mum smiled, gesturing to the seat beside her. “You’re not late at all. And guess who just arrived herself.” I turned to see a familiar face, her red lips stretched into a wide smile as she hurried towards our table. Before I could react, I was pulled into a tight, unexpected hug by my mother-in-law, a surprised gasp escaping me. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Sinclair.” I managed to choke out.

“Oh shush, call me Daria. No need for formalities honey, we’re family!” she squealed as she finally released me and plopped into her seat. “I hope Nathaniel’s made you comfortable at his place. Do you like it so far?”

“Yes, he’s been great. And his place is lovely.”

“That’s good to hear.” She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a crumpled newspaper. “Have you seen this? There’s a section covering the wedding yesterday. It’s gotten quite a buzz around the city. Some are calling it the wedding of the year.”

My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected any media coverage. But of course, when two upperclass families suddenly decide to marry off their children, gossip is inevitable. I stared at the wrinkled page and zoomed in on a bored groom and beside him, a sad-looking bride in a ridiculously heavy white gown. Both wearing forced smiles on their faces.

Wedding of the year, huh?

“Where are the servers in this restaurant?” Mrs. Sinclair huffed, glancing around. “Would you like to order anything, Caitlyn?”

“I’m quite alright, actually. I have a yoga class after this, so I’ll just grab a late lunch when I’m done.”

“Well, I’m famished. I could go for a huge stake right now.” She turned to me with a bright smile. “What about you, dear?”

I shook my head slightly. “I’m not hungry at the moment. I can still feel breakfast sitting in my stomach,” I joked.

“Nonsense. You have to eat something before you leave. Maybe a nice salad?”

I turned to Mum, silently pleading for help with my eyes. Her sunglasses were now perched on her forehead as she skimmed through the newspaper Mrs. Sinclair had brought, probably reading the wedding segment. I noticed she’d gone quiet since our company arrived, which answered my earlier question, that this meetup wasn’t her idea. And if my suspicions were correct, it was all Mrs. Sinclair’s doing. 

Judging by Mum’s lack of enthusiasm, it seemed like she’d rather be at her yoga class right now than stuck in this restaurant with seemingly bad customer service.

“I don’t think I can stomach food right now.” I said, giving my mother in law a sheepish look. “I might just skip lunch and go straight to dinner when I get back.”

She didn’t look thrilled with my answer and seemed ready to protest until Mum cut in. “Speaking of dinner, your father and I want you and Nathaniel to come over tomorrow evening.”

I turned to her so fast I felt my neck crack. “What?”

“You’ll be having dinner with us, it’ll start at 7:30. Don’t be late.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful, Caitlyn!” Mrs Sinclair nodded eagerly. “Now that I’m  thinking about it, you and Nathaniel should pop by our place as well  on Friday. We’re hosting a small dinner party and it’ll be lovely to introduce you as newlyweds to our friends. Caitlyn,” she turned to my mum. “You and Darren should come too. It’ll be so fun! I host the best dinner parties.”

“I’ll have to check in with Darren first, but I’m sure Elena will be thrilled to be there.” I hadn’t even realized both women were staring at me expectantly, possibly waiting for my response. But my mind was still spinning from the dinner invite tomorrow.

And now another one on Friday?This was going to be a really long week.