“Don't be spreading rumors about me unless I can hear them,” a slender redhead said, stepping past James to offer Jen her hand. “Hi. I'm Maralys. Fab suit.”
“Same to you,” Jen said, knowing that she was in the company of a fellow vintage enthusiast. “Is that Balenciega?”
“No, it's a repro. Meg makes them out of vintage fabric, using vintage patterns.” Maralys spun and modeled the green shantung suit. It looked like something out of a fifties fashion magazine.
“It's gorgeous,” Jen said, admiring the fabric and cut. “I'd never have guessed.”
Maralys gave her a mischievous look. “Oh, we have so much to talk about.”
“I think we all have reason to chat with Jen,” said a beautiful older woman. She was dressed to perfection in modern couture, but her warm smile meant that Jen didn't feel as intimidated as she might have done.
Zach took Jen's elbow. “Jen, this is my mother, Beverly Coxwell. Mom, Jen Maitland.” Beverly's fingers were a little bit cold but her handshake was firm, and her gaze direct. Jen felt an immediate accord with her because she sensed that the older woman was tougher than a casual observer might guess. Beverly's smile widened ever so slightly, as if she too found more than met the eye in Jen, and Jen knew that they would get along just fine.
If, in fact, they ever saw each other again. James urged them into the foyer, which was as lavish as Jen had expected. No one else seemed to take much notice of their surroundings though and she tried not to gape.
People poured into the foyer of the house, calling greetings, exchanging hugs and kissing Zach on the cheek. It was noisy and familiar in a way. A whirlwind of introductions followed, including those to Roxie and the two large poodles that evidently belonged to Beverly. (Jen thought it apt that they were named for luxury products: the white one was called Champagne and the black one was named Caviar.) There were three teenagers, two toddlers and a baby, Beverly had a date, Maralys' father held court in the living room by rapping his cane repeatedly on the floor. There weren't nearly enough aprons to go around once Leslie began muster the troops for dinner.
To Jen's surprise, they weren't that different from her own family. The setting was more posh and they were more fancily dressed, but the bickering between siblings and the jokes at each other's expense and the memories they dredged up and tossed across the kitchen were pretty much the same.
They sat in the dining room, under the glittering chandelier, upon antique chairs. The gleaming cherry table could be glimpsed through the cutwork linen cloth, and the silver flatware was heavy enough to be sterling. The fine English china was passed around the table, each dish loaded with familiar favorites. Jen complimented Leslie on how wonderful the meal looked, Matt said grace, then Jen knew the interrogation would begin.
But the Coxwells asked Jen a lot fewer questions than her own family had asked Zach. She did sense an undertone of approval when she said she was going back to school, but no one said as much. They were polite and interested, and a whole lot nicer to her than her own family had been to Zach. Maybe they didn't think he needed protection. Jen might have accused Zach of misleading her about his family, but he looked more surprised by the easy camaraderie than she was.
“May we see your ring?” Beverly asked Jen during the interval between dinner and dessert. It sounded like a loaded question, and that impression was amplified when everyone around the table took an avid interest in Jen's answer.
“I don't have one,” she admitted with a smile.
Zach closed his hand over hers. “We're having a hard time deciding what kind of stone would be best,” he said smoothly. “I mean, Jen will be wearing it for the rest of her life...”
“Which is precisely why it should be an important piece of jewelry,” Beverly said crisply.
“We were thinking of going to Tiffany...” Zach began but Beverly interrupted him.
“To buy a new stone?” Her tone was incredulous.
James started to chuckle. “Maybe that's not the real issue,” he suggested, flicking a glance at Maralys. “Maybe Zach wants a favor, Mom.”
They all chuckled and Zach, to Jen's astonishment, blushed. “No, I, no...” he stammered for the first time since she'd known him.
Maralys, who was sitting near Jen, put her left hand on the table. “Meet the Byzantine Queen ring, a Coxwell family piece.” Jen had noticed the stunning gold ring with its cabochon red stone earlier but took the opportunity to look at it more closely.
“It's beautiful.”
“It's good luck for a bride to wear a family piece,” Beverly said with resolve.
Philippa put her right hand on the table. “Grandma Coxwell's emerald,” she said, letting the square cut stone in the dinner ring catch the light. Her own wedding band was plain gold, which only made the family ring look more spectacular in contrast.
Jen was awed.
“An aquamarine set with amethysts,” Leslie said, touching the gorgeous brooch that she wore at her throat. Her wedding band was also plain, but it was clear that she treasured the brooch.
“From Aunt Beatrice,” Beverly said with satisfaction. “My sister didn't have children of her own and made me promise before she died that I'd give her favorite brooch to the bride of one of my son's.” She smiled at Leslie. “I knew Leslie wouldn't likely wear a large piece daily, so the brooch was a good choice for her.”
“Plus it looks medieval,” Matt said, smiling at his wife.
“I love it,” Leslie admitted.
“It's beautiful,” Jen agreed.
Beverly smiled at her youngest son. “Is it really that you can't decide on a ring? Or is it that you're afraid to ask for what you really want your bride to wear?”
Zach shook his head and smiled, sparing a glance to Jen. “I would never have asked you for any of your jewelry, Mom. You have to know that.”
“But what if I offered?”
Zach squeezed Jen's fingers before he answered his mom. “You have to know the one I think would be perfect.”
Beverly's smile broadened as she surveyed Jen, then she rose to her feet. “Will you all excuse me for a moment?”
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where she was going. They were going to give Jen something from the vaults, but their engagement wasn't real. “What are you doing,
honey
?” Jen whispered under her breath to Zach.
He spared her a confident smile. “Just go with it,
honey
. Trust me.”
Jen tried not to look skeptical. She didn't have to manage for long, because Beverly swept back into the dining room, an old ring box in her hand. “Give your bride a ring that counts,” she told Zach, and pushed the box into his hand.
He seemed to be overwhelmed by her choice, even without opening the box. “I was thinking of the other one...” he began but Beverly interrupted him sharply.
“This is the right one.”
Jen wondered what was in the box, or what memories it conjured for both of them. Beverly was blinking back a tear when she resumed her place and Zach took a moment to finger the silver box before he turned to Jen. He seemed to be composing himself and she saw a glitter of tears in his own eyes when he met her gaze.
“Will you wear my grandmother's ring?” he asked, his words husky.
There was only one right answer. “I'd be honored,” Jen said.
Zach opened the ring box, which had a lining of garnet velvet. Nestled there was an old cameo set in a filigree gold frame. It had to be an inch and a half long, the background golden brown, the profiles a creamy ivory. A man and a woman were depicted in silhouette facing the left, the woman's hair coiled elaborately on her head. The man was behind the woman, and both of them smiled ever so slightly, as if laughing at a private joke.
As if they were happy. When Jen looked closely, she saw the man's left hand upon the woman's left shoulder, the fingers of the woman's left hand entwined with his, and a ring upon her hand that looked about the same size and shape of this one.
Zach took the ring and Jen's left hand and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a bit loose on her ring finger, so he put it on the middle one where it fit perfectly.
“It belonged to my grandmother,” Beverly said, her words thick. “My grandfather had it made for her when they went to Italy and she wore it ever after in place of her wedding band. My mother wore it as a dinner ring.” She smiled and took a sip of her water. “It has many happy memories for me, and I hope that it will be good luck for both of you.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Zach said, still holding fast to Jen's hand.
“Thank you,” Jen said. “I'm honored to wear it.” It was true, all true, and when the family toasted them and Zach gave Jen a kiss, there was a dangerous moment when she hoped with all of her sucker heart that this fake date might be the real thing after all.
The way that Zach kept hold of her hand did nothing to discourage that hope, however foolish it might prove to be.
T
his couldn't be Zach's family.
They looked like his family. They sounded like his family. But they didn't act at all like the family he knew so well.
They were getting along.
They were talking about real things, encouraging each other, chatting about everything and nothing, teasing each other. There was no sense of strain and there were no brooding silences.
For the second time in a pretty short period of time, Zach felt that the people he had thought he knew best had gone and changed without serving him appropriate notice.
But this time, it was a good change. Unlike the lunch with his buddies, Zach found himself wanting to linger with his family, wanting to spend more time with them. They were generous; with their humor, their intelligence and their smiles. His mother had floored him with the surrender of this ring for Jen because he knew that it was a precious one to her. He was awed and honored that she had parted with it, for his bride's hand.
Contrary to expectation, he was enjoying himself. He sat at the dinner table and marveled at the change one person's absence could make.
His mother was drinking sparkling water, instead of the sherry that was her nemesis, laughing and apparently not missing the alcohol. Her companion, Ross, was charming and seemed to easily prompt Beverly's laughter. In fact, he'd never seen his mother sparkle as she did on this day.
Zach's brother, James, was more at ease than he used to be, protective and teasing the way he'd always thought older brothers were supposed to be. Matt seemed more happy than ever, more comfortable in his own skin. Phil practically glowed and it wasn't just postpartum hormones. His siblings were happy, happy in their marriages, happy in their lives, happy now that they weren't letting their lives be shaped by one man's determination.
Zach held Jen's hand and felt a commonality with his siblings that he'd never felt before. He understood now the force for change that one person could be in his life. Jen smiled at him, glancing up through her bangs in that mischievous way that drove him crazy and he knew that impulse had once again steered him straight.
His mother's gift was as sure a sign as there could be that she approved of his choice. Beverly's approval, in fact, made Zach fully understand why Jen had protested the idea of a fake engagement: Beverly would have been livid to have learned that she was being tricked.
It was a good thing, then, that this wasn't a trick. Zach had known for a while that this wouldn't be a fake engagement if he had anything to say about it.
He suspected that Jen would have a good bit to say about it, and he was still getting his proverbial ducks in a row, but having his family be less confrontational and challenging than he'd anticipated was a welcome surprise. At least they wouldn't be nixing the deal for him.
In fact, he had a feeling that everything was falling into place.
Zach had followed his instincts and impulse had once again delivered him precisely where he needed to be. Jen was good for him. Jen was perfect for him. Jen made him happy and prompted him to plan for the future. His mother's family ring looked perfect on her finger and Zach was determined to keep it there.
He just had to convince Jen that he was right.
The Coxwells exchanged presents in the living room after dinner, in front of a roaring fire that Matt had built in the old fireplace. Zach couldn't remember the fireplace being used, and was as impressed as Jen by how inviting the room was with the blaze on the hearth. People pulled chairs into a rough circle, moving the furniture which had never been permitted to move in Zach's childhood. They even perched on the arms of the sofa. The kids sat on the floor, which had been forbidden in Zach's memory.
Annette put some Christmas cd's on the stereo and Leslie lit the tree. It was a large spruce, set before the bay window that faced the street, lit with white fairy lights and adorned with the full array of ornaments collected over the years as well as some additions. Phil poured eggnog for everyone and Johnny, James' younger boy, passed chocolates.
“It's like a movie,” Jen whispered to him, her eyes bright with wonder.
“Maybe we're on the wrong set,” he whispered back. “But maybe we should stick with this one.” She rolled her eyes and laughed at him.
James' elder son, Jimmy, proved to have drawn Zach's name in the lottery. The parcel was flat and heavy, so obviously a book that Zach had to say something. “It must be that pet canary I've been wanting,” he said solemnly and Jimmy threw a wad of used Christmas paper at him.
To Zach's delight, it was a coffee table book from
National Geographic,
highlighting the photography from that magazine for over a century. Zach couldn't resist opening it and flipping through the pages.
“I like this one,” Jimmy said, pointing out an arctic landscape.