Like Mother, Like Daughter

Chapter 7

Lydia

Where the hell are my keys?

And where did I leave my coat?

There. Ready to go. Wait... where's my phone?

I walk stressfully around the house looking for my things. It's Sunday, and I have to go have tea with Serena's parents. My anxiety threatens to ruin my day, so after I have all my things, I grab a pill from my purse and place it under my tongue.

I rush outside and lock the front door. Before opening my car door, I take one last look at the simple, burgundy v-neck dress I'm wearing. It flows from my waist and stops in my knees. Its long sleeves and the black coat I paired it with make little to shield me from the cold, winter air, and I tremble violently in a mix of cold and anxiety.

I hope I don't have to be outside for long.

I get in my car while setting up the GPS on my phone. A couple of minutes later I'm driving down the street towards the Millers' house.

As I approach the opulent mansion, I slow down, look at the GPS, then back at the mansion, then back at the GPS, mouth hanging open in shock. This is definitely the place...Suddenly, the pill seems to not be enough to stop my anxiety, which I feel creeping back in. I take a deep breath and drive to the gigantic gate that protects their house.

Along with an ACTUAL guard.

The guard smiles at me and goes inside the guardhouse. I see him grab a phone and call someone. After a short talk, he looks back at me and gives me a thumbs up. The gate opens and I smile and nod at the guard before driving through the entrance. I follow the road and see a huge garage opening in front of me. Taking it as a sign to go in, I do just that and park next to 4 other cars.

I practice hiding my shock the whole way.

Getting out of my car carefully, my attention turns to a door opening on top of a spiral staircase. An elegant woman in a navy blue tight dress and blazer combo, with light brown hair in a ponytail and who looks around my age comes down with a warm smile on her face. A pair of simple black heels finishes her look; she looks professional and beautiful, there's nearly no wrinkles on her lightly freckled face and her green eyes sparkle.

"Hi!" She greets me excitedly "You must be Ms. Lane. Welcome to our house! I'm Serena's mom, Blair Miller."

We exchange two kisses on alternate cheeks without our lips actually touching the other person's skin, as it's a common form of greeting whether a woman is involved where we live, such as men shaking hands.

"Hi, thank you so much for looking after Annastasia" I thank her "Oh, and call me Lydia"

"Well, call me Blair" she giggles "Come on in"

I follow her into the opulent hall, then the living room, where I find my daughter with a beautiful girl who looks around her age and a boy who looks a bit older, happily playing a multiplayer game together on a huge iPad.

They all look up at me at the same time and my anxiety nearly shoots through the roof, but it's quickly calmed down when Annastasia gets up and greets me with a hug.

"Hi mom!" Annastasia chirps "This is Serena, and this is her brother Jack"

I smile at them. Annastasia looks so happy that it makes me tell myself not to ruin everything over and over inside my head.

Blair grabs a tray with a tea set for two, a full teapot and some cookies. She then asks me to follow her. I do so, and we end up in a little room on the third floor. The room is as fancy as the rest of the house, with a European look to it, antique furniture and a small fireplace. A big window gives us an amazing view of the valley behind the house. A room definitely made to be cozy.