Invisible(25)

They went back to the house and moments later the front door flew open. There was a clatter of equipment being thrown down, shoes with cleats flew in all directions, and both boys had arrived home at the same time. Seth was tall with his mother’s red hair, and Jamie still looked like a little boy and headed straight for the cookies he could smell in the kitchen, with a quick hello to Antonia.

    “Hi, Jake,” he said as he flew by, and Seth seemed happy to see him, and smiled shyly at Antonia. They both looked like nice boys, and she could see the resemblance to Jake. Antonia followed them into the kitchen, and sat at the round table with them, and Lea came in to remind them to get their things out of the front hall before someone fell over them.

They went to their rooms after several cookies, and as soon as Seth got to Jamie’s room where he’d be sleeping, he turned the stereo on and the music was blaring. Jake had his stereo on too, and their mother reminded them to turn it down to something more civilized. Then she went to her own room to check messages and return calls. She was taking time off from her practice until after the new year, so she could enjoy her family and spend time with them. Just seeing them, Antonia envied Jake the family atmosphere he had grown up in. She wondered if he realized how lucky he was.

Ian came to see him as soon as he came downstairs when he finished writing, gave him a bear hug, and welcomed Antonia warmly. That night they all had dinner in the big country kitchen. They ordered Chinese food, and conversation was constant around the table, interspersed with laughter as they told Antonia funny stories. She loved both of Jake’s brothers, and Ian was a warm teddy bear of a man. His hair was disheveled and he had a beard. He corrected the two younger boys gently but firmly, and after dinner they all went to their rooms to settle down, call friends, watch TV, or do whatever they wanted. Jake came to check on her, tucked into Seth’s room.

    “Are you doing okay?”

“I couldn’t be happier, and they’re not crazy at all, they’re terrific!” It was a house full of love. It filled every space and reverberated from the rafters.

“They’re on their best behavior for you. Wait till the boys get into a fight and start throwing things at each other, and my dad’s two little monsters arrive on Christmas Eve and Day. My mother says they’re both hyperactive, and Genevieve thinks they’re fine.”

Antonia loved Eloise, when she and John arrived the morning of Christmas Eve. They all had lunch together and went for a walk on Ocean Beach. The fog was hovering just beyond the coastline, and you could hear foghorns in the distance. It was such a picturesque little city. Antonia loved it, and she and Eloise had a long talk about their favorite movies. Lea had let the young people go out alone. She let Jake drive their Suburban and there was room for all six of them, Lea’s four children, and Antonia and John. They came back in good spirits with bright pink cheeks from the wind at the beach. It felt like a city and the country and beach combined.

At the end of the afternoon, they all went to their rooms to dress for dinner. Caterers were setting up for the meal, and they were going to use the formal dining room for Christmas Eve. It was a traditional menu of turkey and stuffing and all the fixings. It smelled delicious while they were cooking. Antonia took a short black velvet dress out of the closet and high heels. She took a bath and did her hair, and when she knocked on Jake’s door, she was wearing the velvet dress, with her hair French-braided and long down her back, and little pearl earrings, and he was wearing a good-looking dark gray suit, and a shirt and tie.

    “Wow! You look gorgeous,” she said as she admired him, and he did the same.

“So do you. You clean up pretty good.” He still couldn’t understand why she didn’t have a boyfriend, except that she didn’t seem to want one. She was a stunning girl, but their relationship had gone in a completely different direction by then, and they both liked being friends.

They were standing talking just outside his room, when they heard the front door slam, followed by screaming and laughing, and it sounded as though an army had arrived.

“My dad’s here,” he said with a grin. “The two little monsters,” he said as they headed for the stairs. Bob and Genevieve were at the foot of the stairs talking to Lea, as the twins ran around them, nearly knocking over furniture and objects until Lea called them to order and told them to slow down. Antonia laughed when she saw them. They were exactly as Jake had described in matching blue corduroy suits with little red bow ties, and standing next to them was a woman who looked like a Barbie doll. She was wearing a white satin suit with silver trim, and high-heeled silver shoes. Her features were perfect and seemed artificial somehow, and when she smiled at Antonia, nothing on her face moved except her mouth, which had huge, puffed-up lips in a permanent pout. She had a perfect figure, and surprisingly large breasts for a woman as slim as she was. Antonia remembered Jake’s description of her. But when Antonia spoke to her, she could understand some of Genevieve’s appeal. She was incredibly nice, and warm and friendly to Antonia, as they chatted and the twins ran wild.

    Jake’s father was completely enamored by her, and he and Lea chatted easily, and she gave him a warm hug when he arrived. They seemed to be the best of friends, and there was no animosity between the ex-spouses or the new ones. They were one big happy family as they moved into the dining room a short time later. Lea had set out place cards with the adults at one end of the table, and the children at the other. Bob and Lea’s older children, Eloise’s boyfriend, and Antonia sat between the two couples and the younger children.