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“Will Mr. O’Brian be joining you?” the server asks. “I brought another cup, just in case.”
It takes me by surprise, but I laugh it off. “Oh, no. I wish, but no. Not tonight.”
Shrugging, the server disappears, and I pour the tea into the clear glass mug. I thought I would be disappointed with how bitter it is, or wish for sugar, but the fragrant tea is perfect for my melancholic mood.
I think about what Dad said, and consider texting Dan, turning my phone over in my hand again and again. I know it won’t change his mind, though, and I don’t want him to know how much he’s hurt me.
Instead, I pull up the contact of the person who I do want to mend fences with, my brother.
Elise:I’m sorry for what I did. I blocked Karl’s number and told him to take care of his own dinner. I won’t bother you or your fiancée anymore. Enjoy Capri. X.
28
Amsterdam, June 27, 2022
Dan
Andries readsthe text from Elise out loud to Roxanne and me, then stares down at the phone in his hand for a long moment, clearly conflicted.
The three of us are in Roxanne’s living room, having digestifs after a large dinner. Mine is a sweet limoncello, but after hearing what Andries has just read, it tastes bitter on my tongue. I may have really, really fucked up not inviting Elise.
“What do I do now?” Andries asks, looking forlorn. “She sounds so… sad.”
“Maybe she genuinely regrets what she did?” I offer, not really sure whether I believe it or not. If someone would have asked me yesterday if Elise could feel remorse, I would have laughed, but now, I think something may have snapped inside of her, and she’s crumbling under the weight of her choices.
“I don’t know, man,” Andries groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. “She’s been acting so weird lately. Sweet and caring one minute, and then shady and underhanded the next.”
“Well, consider this: she works for your dad, so she has no choice but to be cutthroat in the office so she can prove herself to him. I bet it’s hard for her to snap out of it. It’s not easy.”
Andries turns to his fiancée, still not sure what to do about his wayward sister. “What do you think, Roxie?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “You two have never been an eighteen-year-old girl, so there are a lot of things you don’t understand. She’s right between who she was as a teenager, and who she is going to become as a woman. Elise is so young. It’s obvious she wants to prove herself to Sebastian, but at the same time, she loves you, Andries. She’s been stuck between the two, but that text shows that she’s chosen you once and for all.”
“You aren’t even mad that she tried to drag you into this mess with Karl?” I ask, incredulous.
“I didn’t say that.” Roxie laughs. “I’m pissed. Elise can be a little bit of a bitch sometimes, but like I said, she’s so, so young. And I think there is a good heart in there. I won’t hold a grudge against her.”
Andries leans back on the chaise, swirling the snifter of Grand Marnier as he ponders his choices. I have a suspicion about what he’s going to say, and I’m dreading it. At the same time, my heart is aching for Elise, wondering what she’s doing out there all alone tonight, having to sort through all this mess she’s found herself in. I know she has to learn these things and grow from them, but I still wish I could save her the heartache.
“What if…” Andries starts but pauses as he ponders a bit further. “We invite her to Capri with us? If she comes instead of joining Dad’s trip to Lake Como, it will show him that she would rather be with us than him, right?” He grins now, thinking about the revenge of it all. “It’d be like switching teams and Dad would be so pissed.”
Roxanne rolls her eyes, but I’m much more animated in my dissent. Spending ten days with Elise in a bikini––loungingby the villa pool and swimming in the sea––will be the most difficult temptation I’ve ever faced in my life.
“I don’t know, man. Even you said she’s been acting erratic lately. Do you really want that at your bachelor party?”
With a hum, Roxanne interjects. “Actually, I think Andries is right. She’s your sister, after all,” she points out, looking over at him. “A lot of how she’s acting is this cold facade she’s trying to master. She loves you, and I think she’d want to be with all of us. Like I said, I think she has a heart, just hidden maybe.”
“If she has one, it’s made of stone. Unless she can get something from us, it isn’t going to happen.”
“Dan!” Roxie gasps. “Why are you being so rude?! I thought the two of you were friends.”
“At the end of the day, Dan planned the trip, so he can decide who can or cannot go,” Andries interposes, before looking at me. “If you don’t want to invite her, that’s fine by me.”
Sitting forward, Roxanne narrows her eyes at me. “Dan, Ireallythink Andries would appreciate having his sister there. And as he said, it’d show Sebastian that his daughter is willing to switch sides.”
“Laying the pressure on a little hard, aren’t you, Roxie?”
“No pressure!” she responds, holding her hands up. “Just my honest, humble opinion.”
