The Stranger in the Mirror(16)

The truth was that before Addison came along, Gabriel had seemed happy enough with Darcy. When he decided to end things, Blythe was both surprised and upset. There’d been no warning, nothing to suggest that he wanted out of the relationship. In fact, the following week they were all supposed to head to the Olivers’ Palm Beach house for a long weekend.

Blythe remembered the day her son told her. She’d been in her studio, working on her latest sculpture, when he poked his head in. “Mom, I know you don’t like to be disturbed when you’re working, but can I talk to you for a minute?”

His expression was serious, and she worried that something was wrong. “Of course, come in. What is it? Are you okay?” she asked, her heart in her throat, as he took the seat opposite hers.

“Yes, I’m actually great. I’ve met the woman I’m going to marry.”

Blythe’s mouth had dropped open. “What are you talking about?”

His eyes sparkled in a way she realized she hadn’t seen for a long time. “Mom, she’s amazing. Her name’s Addison. She’s an artist like you. A photographer. I walked into Exposed, and there she was.” He smiled again. “We had coffee and talked nonstop for hours. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“But . . . what about Darcy?”

He grimaced. “Darcy’s great, but I think I’ve always known deep down that I’m not in love with her. I guess I went along with it because I liked her and we had a good time together, and it made our families happy. She’s a great person, but this is different.”

Blythe was quiet, trying to gather her thoughts.

Gabriel leaned forward and, resting his elbows on his knees, looked intently at her. “It’s like what Dad always says about you, that he knew the minute he laid eyes on you that he’d marry you.”

If she’d known her son would foolishly believe that was how love worked, she’d have told Ted never to share that story. Yes, he’d felt that way, but they’d had friends in common, shared a professional interest in art. She wasn’t some stranger he met on the street.

She reached out a hand and put it on his. “Darling, slow down. What do you know about this girl?”

“Only that I want to know more. We’re going out to dinner Saturday night. But in the meantime, I have to let Darcy know that it’s over. I don’t want to hurt her, but I can’t go on a date while I’m still in a relationship.”

She didn’t want him acting rashly. “But you don’t really know this Addison. At least wait until after Saturday night before you make a decision you might regret. You and Darcy have been together a long time, and friends for your whole lives. What if you discover this is just an attraction, nothing more?”

He shook his head. “You’re asking me to hedge my bets. You raised me to have integrity. I can’t in good conscience go out with her without ending things with Darcy.”

Blythe had sighed. “Well, then I guess you’d better go talk to her.”

So he had, and it had gone as well as could be expected. Darcy had taken the news like a lady and wished him the best. And after Gabriel’s date that Saturday night, it was clear to Blythe that he was completely infatuated with Addison.

Blythe dressed, and an hour later got behind the wheel of her silver Infiniti and drove to the club. As she pulled into a parking space at the Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Clubhouse, Darcy’s red BMW pulled up next to her.

They embraced in the parking lot, then walked in together and were seated right away. After the waiter had taken their drink order, Darcy turned to Blythe. “Thank you so much for meeting me on such short notice.”

“Of course, I was happy I was free. So what’s going on?”

“I heard back from the symphony.”

Blythe leaned forward. “And?”

“I didn’t get it.”

“Oh, Darcy, I’m so sorry.”

Darcy shrugged. “It’s okay. It was an honor to get as far as I did. It came down to just the two of us, and the woman they chose is a brilliant violinist. Anyway, the good news is that I do have another opportunity, and I wanted your thoughts on it.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve been offered a teaching position at the Royal Academy of Music.”

Blythe was delighted. “How wonderful! Wow, London.”

“I know. So far away. But I don’t know about leaving my dad, now that Mom’s gone.”

“Sweetheart, that’s very sweet, but your dad’s still a young man. You can’t live your life for him. Have you spoken to him about it?”

“Yes. Of course he’s encouraging me to go.” She sighed and twisted her napkin in her lap, then looked at Blythe. “If I’m being honest, it’s not really my father I don’t want to leave. He’s been spending a lot of time with Charlotte Bekins, and I’ll know he’ll be fine. But, Blythe, do you really think Gabriel is going to go through with it?”

Blythe’s brow creased. “You mean marry Addison?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Blythe reached out and took Darcy’s hand in hers. “Yes, darling. I do. I’m so sorry that my son hurt you. And you know how I feel about you, but it’s time you moved on. As hard as that is.”

“I know, you’re right. But . . . I just worry about him. I want him to be happy. I mean, yes, I was hurt, but he’s always been honest with me, and I can’t fault him for his feelings. But I think he’s fallen for an illusion. She’s like this mystery. How can he build a life with someone who doesn’t even know who she is?”