A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 22 - Nick

Every morning, I ask Daddy Dearest for more information about Em's adoption. Every morning, he shuts me down. Every morning, he reminds me of my duties as his son, as his heir. But this morning is different. Mom's birthday is today.

"Are we going to see her this weekend?" I ask before popping a piece of toast in my mouth.

"I'm busy this weekend," he replies, not looking away from The Wall Street Journal. "Did you hear about what's going on in the euro area right now? Some analysts fear a contagion of the crisis to other markets. Between that and the talks of stricter financial regulations everywhere, our investments could take a hit. That and we might need to change the way we conduct our business."

"It sounds fascinating." I don't even think he realizes I'm being ironic. He takes one more sip of his coffee and stands up.

"Don't forget you have to work tomorrow," he says.

"I know. I won't forget," I reply and then add, "Why don't you show us the paperwork from Em's adoption? She does have a birth certificate, so you must have the rest of the paperwork."

"I told you. This is none of your business and I'm bound by client privileges, as you will be too once you realize your career as a dancer is not what you want for your life."

"You mean what you want for my life." I take another bite, so used to this conversation it doesn't even faze me anymore. "Have a good day. I'll see you later."

He pauses for a second, looking at me, and I hate that we have the same eyes. I hate that I get my height from him. I hate that I still want him to accept me for who I am, to help me, to help Mom. "See you soon, son."

And like that he's out of the house and out of my life. As always.

***

Em arrives almost as soon as I call her. She's wearing one of those sundresses that is meant to be taken off slowly. But we're going to see Mom, so not really the direction my thoughts should take.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Of course! It's your mom's birthday, she's going to be so happy to see you!" She gives me a hug; it's spontaneous and it's not a friendly-hug, it's a full-body hug, and I think she's as surprised as me by it. But when she pulls away, I tug her back to me and melt into her embrace.

"Let's get going." I kiss her gently on the lips. Like we've been doing this for years instead of weeks.

On the road, we play stupid games, like finding random license plates from California and Alaska, or we look for signs where the city starts with B. We listen to music, sing out loud and then we play Twenty Questions.

During the trip, my hand casually falls on her thigh and my fingers trace circles underneath her dress. She tenses at first but then she pulls her dress a bit higher up. I have to restrain myself to simply take the next exit, and park somewhere.

But then, she takes my hand in hers, and intertwines our fingers. Her skin's so soft and she smells like peaches, and flowers and summer.

The GPS lets me know I need to turn right. "I didn't tell her we were coming."

"Why?" Em asks.

"Because I didn't want her to tell me I couldn't come. Because I didn't want her to lie to my face about what I overheard."

"It's her birthday, she hasn't seen you in a while. Don't ruin it for her," Em says and I squeeze her hand. "Your father seems to be the one who knows more about my adoption than she does. It's killing me to say that, but don't mention anything to your mom. Not today. Definitely not today." She pauses. "For me. Don't ask anything."

"I..." I clear my throat. "I know." That's not what I wanted to say. 

At all.

***

The spa where Mom is staying is even bigger than what I remember. More grandiose. We park by the entrance and a valet picks up my keys. "Nice car," he says of my classic Mustang.

"Thank you," I reply. It's a 1968 black Mustang coupé—it used to be my grandfather's. He bought it for next to nothing back in the day and he's the one who repaired it. My father gave it to me when I turned sixteen.

I open the door for Em and hold her hand as we walk up the stairs, to the receptionist who is sitting behind an imposing counter and a bunch of white flowers. "Hi, I'd like to see Mrs. Grawski."

Her lips turn up in a smile. "You must be her son. She talks about you all the time."

"I am."

"And this is your girlfriend, I presume?"

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to reply. I don't know what's wrong with me. One summer, man. One summer is all you get.

"Do you know where we can find Mrs. Grawski?" Em asks, saving me from answering the question.

"She's currently in painting class. You can walk through this hallway to the right," the receptionist says. "But let me call first."

I let go of Em's hand and she frowns, but then smiles again. "I can see why your mom loves to come here. It's so peaceful: the soft music, the high ceilings, the mountains all around."

"It is definitely more peaceful than the war zone at home."

The receptionist hangs up the phone and gestures to the beige couches. "Mrs. Grawski will step out of her painting class to welcome you."

Before we can even sit, I hear mom's voice. "Nicholas!" She hurries our way. Em tenses next to me but I whisper, "Thanks for being here. Thanks for coming."

I stand up and hug Mom. It's quick and formal but it's still a hug. "Happy Birthday, Mom!"

"Where is your father?" she asks and my shoulders slump. Why does it have to be the first thing she asks? Not a "how are you?" or anything. But then she gives me another hug. "He's probably working. I'm so happy you drove all the way. That's the best birthday gift." And she sounds happy. Really happy to see me. I relax.

"Em came with me," I say, and Em stands up.

"You're even lovelier than what I remember, Emilia." Mom air-kisses Em's cheeks and then glances at me "Are you two finally an item?"

I frown, but before I can answer Em blabbers, "We've been hanging out."

Oh. So that's the explanation we're giving people. Good to know. Fuck, why did I want to proudly announce, Yes, we're finally dating and it's awesome.

Mom puts her hand on my forearm. "Let's go drink some tea, outside. There is such a nice breeze up here."

She links her other arm with Em, and, together, we go drink tea. We go and pretend that there's nothing wrong with this picture and that everything is great.

We're good at pretending.

Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying getting to know Em & Nick! I'll be publishing two new chapters every Friday and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. The full novella is already published/available on all e-retailers for only $0.99 in case you don't want to wait for the next chapter :) More information on www.elodienowodazkij.com :)