Stone Cold Fox (17)

“I could totally see that,” Calliope said. “She looks like she doesn’t take any shit.”

“Calliope, not at brunch,” Haven said, teeth gritted. “We’re so sorry to hear about your parents, Bea. That must be awful to be without family when you’re still so young. Tragic.”

She was painting me as some kind of hillbilly orphan girl, just grateful for the opportunity to be in their presence. Gale was noticeably silent, likely because the Case women were doing all the work for her. She must have been getting a real kick out of it, too, not that she would let on. A front-row seat to my dressing-down could be squandered with her involvement. Could be seen as out of turn. She was in the circle, yes, but she wasn’t in this family. So Gale remained perfectly still for the time being. Watching and waiting.

I’d have to go on the offensive, treading lightly, to keep up.

“I’ve managed, but I do miss home sometimes. Speaking of home, how’s it been going here for you, Calliope?” Per Collin, I knew that Calliope had had a recent messy breakup with a live-in boyfriend. She was nursing her wounds back at her parents’ home. What was supposed to be a few weeks had turned into a few months and she wasn’t on the scene as much as she had been previously. What would she have to say for herself about that?

Turns out, not much, since Haven took over from there.

“Oh, Hayes and I absolutely love when our children are home, so her stay has been a welcome distraction from the regular grind. Calliope and I have even been taking American Sign Language together. She recently joined a junior board for the cause, so we thought it would be prudent to better acquaint ourselves. Our tutor comes to the house twice a week.”

“Can we see a demonstration?” I asked earnestly. I had a few signs of my own I wanted to share with them, but I thought putting them on the spot like that would be a better use of my time.

“Maybe after brunch,” Calliope said, clearly mortified and hoping I would forget.

“Do you speak any other languages, Bea?” Gale asked me, finally chiming in.

“Just a little high school French, I’m afraid,” I said, and before she could say anything further, added, “And please don’t test me. I would need a refresher, as I’m sure you’re fluent, aren’t you?”

“We actually did Mandarin immersion as children,” she said, looking at Collin adoringly.

“Better for business,” Hayes declared, and Haven nodded along.

Gale said something to Collin in Mandarin and he replied, instantly annoying me. Chloe started to add to the conversation, but then Calliope cleared her throat.

“This is really fucking rude.”

“Calliope!” Haven exclaimed.

“Well, it is. I didn’t go to Mandarin immersion.”

“You didn’t have the attention span for Mandarin,” Hayes mused aloud. “She knows French,” Hayes said to me, as if I gave an actual shit.

“Barely,” Chloe added.

“Casse-toi. French enough for you?” Calliope hissed at her sister.

“Oh, real nice.” Chloe rolled her eyes.

“That’s enough,” Haven barked.

As obnoxious as they were, it was amusing to see a real family’s dysfunctional dynamics emerge right in front of my eyes. It was like watching a play. I could find myself a role in this theater of the absurd, I was sure of it. Just as I’d always suspected, all families are a few snide comments away from a full-blown feud, in front of guests no less. Long-standing rifts always bubbling to the surface, all members dying to tell the others how they really feel. I wanted to get involved, egg them on, take sides, play favorites, keep secrets for years on end, let one blow at an opportune moment years down the line and—

“Did you go to France in high school, Bea? To study?” Gale asked me, yanking me right out of my reverie as the new rabble-rouser of the kingdom.

“No, but English has worked out for me, I suppose. I’ve managed to find my way in the world just fine,” I said to her, looking around the home that I wanted to make my own someday, putting a hand on Collin’s shoulder. “I’m having such a wonderful time, Mrs. Case. You’re an incredible hostess.”

Gale took a frustrated bite of brioche.

“Thank you, Bea. It’s quite an operation, but I take a lot of pride in keeping this home afloat.” God, she meant it, too! What a laughable estimation of her so-called responsibilities. How could she even say those things aloud when we could see all the people working for her, not to mention those that were behind the scenes?

“Mom does a great job with all of our homes,” said Collin. “I was actually thinking about taking Bea to the Southampton house for Memorial Day weekend.”

Haven looked at Collin, puzzled. Hayes cleared his throat.

“I heard Chloe was using the Southampton house for Memorial Day weekend,” Gale said knowingly.

“That’s true,” Chloe said, slightly annoyed that Gale made a revelation that wasn’t her own. “I’m hosting a mixer to kick off the summer.”

“A mixer? Were you going to invite us?” Collin asked her, slightly annoyed.

“It’s a singles mixer,” Chloe replied. “So . . .”

“This is the first I’ve heard of any mixer. Who’s doing your list?” Haven asked, clearly offended she wasn’t involved in the party planning.