Chapter 48
The rest of us could only trail and be in awe of my mother’s prodigious charms. She is a true southern belle, and every man and woman who is around her can’t help but be sucked into her gravitational pull. Bellhops and desk help all stared at Mother as she strode through the lobby.
The woman is a force of nature and one I love but can grow tired of. Dillon and the others were still new to the whirlwind that is Mother, and it was fun to see them swept up in it. Dinner was an elegant affair, the chef preparing a tasting menu for us, with each item paired with a small glass of wine. The food was light and vibrant, and we didn’t get stuffed. We did, however, get quite drunk on the wine.
The conversation flowed freely, and I found, to my amusement that Momo was the one person at the table unimpressed by the mother’s airs. The tiny Japanese girl was supremely confident in herself if not so brazen about it, and when Mother commented on how adorable the girl was, she replied with a sharp tone that few ever used with Bess. Mother was forced to reappraise her first opinion of the girl, something she rarely did and spent much of the rest of the evening in deep conversation with her.
Mother is nothing if not charming, and Momo is a brilliant and charming girl as well. The two of them went on offense against one another seeking to win the other over, much to the amusement of the rest of the table. Dillon and Heather watched with keen interest, my daughter leaning over and whispering in the young musician’s ear and causing him to laugh or snicker at some joke or other.
The pair kept brushing elbows and hands as we ate, and once when they reached for the same water glass instead of laughing or speaking, they simply stared into one another’s eyes. It was plain for all around the table to see their flirtations progressing, but I was the only one to see the hurt in Jen’s eyes when she didn’t get as much attention as her friend.
After the fourth course and when everyone had a nice buzz going, I excused myself from the table to find the restroom, nodding for Heather to join me. Jen moved to come with us, but I pressed the girl back into her seat.
“Stay and keep Dillon company,” I said to her, “also protect him from my mom’s voracious fingers.”
The girl giggled when she saw my meaning. My mother’s hand wandered under the table and was drunkenly clawing at Dillon’s thigh. Jen shifted seats and soon was fascinating Dillon with her bright smile and bubbly chatter.
“I see what you’re doing, you know,” Heather said when we stepped into the bathroom.
“Oh?” I said, stepping aside as a woman left a stall.
“It’s not that I disapprove,” she said with a frown at a woman washing her hands, “but you know Grandma is going to have her own plans.”
“And so do you,” I said with a sigh, “us ladies are more alike than we like to think.”
“And freakier than we will ever admit,” Heather muttered under her breath.
I grinned to myself and thought about her words as I relieved myself of all the alcohol I’d been drinking. I’d had this debate with myself already, but with the eyes of my mother on me, all those old catechisms and guilts returned. I dismissed them quickly though, once I remembered how glorious Dillon made me feel and how happy my friends had all been. What else could we do when under the spell of a rock god, but worship at his feet?
When we stepped out of the bathroom, I stopped my daughter and looked her in the eye, “Do you love your friend, Jen?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Then make sure she knows it tonight… make sure he does too.”
“What do you mean?”
But I was already turning back into the loud restaurant, heading to our table. There I saw Jen on one side and Mother on the other plying Dillon with compliments and flirting outrageously. The young man bantered back and forth but grinned gratefully when Heather and I took our seats.
It was a drunken group that stumbled back to the hotel under the red evening sky. The sun was still setting when we got into the lobby. Mother was barreling forward, talking about how she was going to make the kids some drinks in her room when I steered her to the side along with Jen, Nancy, and Morgan.
“We’re going to get dessert and water brought up,” I said to Heather, “why don’t you two go up and get the room ready.”
My daughter’s cheeks heated, and she met my eyes for a long moment before nodding and drawing Dillon over to the elevator bank.
“Yea, make sure the beds are nice and bouncy!” Morgan laughed drunkenly, Heather glaring at her quickly and Dillon frowning.
“You kids have fun,” Mom said, steering Nancy and Morgan into the bar, “we’ll be up in an hour or so.”
Jen stared after the pair with longing, and I hooked an arm in hers and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“My room has a door adjoining theirs. Why don’t you and I go up and make sure things don’t go off track.”