Laura did tea in style, I had to admit. Scones, biscuits, croissants, cookies, and every pastry imaginable were spread across the table, along with various jams and jellies. There was tea, obviously, in an adorable kettle with water lilies painted on the side. It came with matching teacups, which were so cute that I would've asked where they'd come from had they not been in the possession of Laura. Then I realized they'd probably cost a fortune and were unattainable anyways.
"Hello, Jackie," she said, standing out of politeness. She wore deep blue, and for the first time I realized that we were having tea outside, in the dead of winter. My sheer sleeves and bare legs were now rather impractical. But of course, it made sense; Laura would thrive in the coldest of Canadian winters.
"Please, darling, have a seat," she said with a smile, already pouring me a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you," I said politely, wincing at how the metal of my chair burned the backs of my legs.
"Sugar? Milk?" she asked.
"No, thank you," I said. I would drink it raw. Raw and scalding hot, just as it was intended to be. Just as she was drinking it.
Oh, she put two lumps of sugar into her own cup. Well, I would still bear the raw tea.
"How was your time in Toronto?" she inquired.
"Lovely," I said truthfully. "Grayson's conference went well, and we had a ton of time to hang out. He showed me the city, we went out to dinner a lot, it was nice."
Laura smiled, a smile so big and genuine that I was mildly concerned. "That's very good to hear, Jackie. I'm glad you two got to spend a bit more time together. I know things have been hectic around here, to say the least, so some time alone together was probably good for you."
Something about her words felt off. But I smiled and took a sip of tea, which was an Instant Regret. It was, to be frank, disgusting. I didn't even know what flavor it was. Perhaps the finest dirt in the world?
Mistaking my repulsion for delight, Laura proudly said, "It's directly imported from Thailand. Ginger, with a hint of peppermint."
"Well it's just divine," I lied, faking another sip. I now need to exact revenge on the entire nation of Thailand for producing this cup of dirt.
Laura daintily set down her teacup and that's when I knew I was in trouble. Her lips were pursed as she sighed and said, "Jackie, dear, I'm afraid I must be direct with you, something I would normally never do as it is unladylike."
Because that's the only thing she's done that's unladylike. So I gave her a ladylike smile and sweetly said, "You can ask me anything."
Clearly struggling to ask the question, Laura folded her hands and said in a low voice, "Sweetie, how long have you been pregnant for?"
I almost shattered my teacup. The blood drained from my face and felt like it had leaked out of me entirely. I froze, not sure how to answer or what answer she was looking for. Surely, she couldn't have found out. We'd done everything to keep Everlie as much of a secret as possible. Yet here was Laura, staring me down with those unnerving blue eyes. Now I saw past her invitation to tea, her diversion with the Thai cup of mud. It was all just to figure it out: how soon would her grand fortune, her legacy, have a proper heir?
Shaking, I whispered, "I don't quite understand." There was still hope. If I could just find out what she wanted me to say, I could say it.
"Well certainly, you must be pregnant after all this time," she said, a worried crease appearing between her brow. I almost fainted in relief right there, able to breathe again. She didn't know. Everlie was still hidden, locked safe away in the memories of Grayson and myself.
Swallowing hard, I said, "Oh?"
"Well, yes, goodness." Laura was shocked at my shock. "You've already been married for four months, I think the news would've come by now. Have you and Grayson been having trouble–"
"NO!" I yelped, so loudly that I probably came off as deranged (which, obviously, was because I was just so pregnant). Recomposing myself, I tucked my hair behind my ears and cleared my throat. "Grayson and I are just fine, thank you very much." I didn't even know how her sentence was going to end, and I didn't particularly want to know.
She was genuinely worried. "Are you certain? Because I know a very good couples therapist who has been known to work wonders."
My face was burning as I took a deep breath and said, "I suppose it's just taking a while. Perhaps we'll have better luck after the wedding. It is rather stressful, you know, having to plan an extravagant wedding, and that certainly can't be helping our case."
"You're right. Y'know, how about tonight Clay, Kylie, Charles, and I go out for dinner," Laura suggested brightly. "That way you and Grayson can have the place to yourself."
"Oh, I couldn't," I said quickly–meaning I wouldn't.
"Nonsense! Besides, I've been hoping to get to know Clay's new girlfriend," she said, her smile curling into a mild sneer.
There were two opportunities. The first being that it opened up room for a very much needed topic change. The second being that I was sworn to defend Kylie to the end. My blood boiled as I coolly said, "Actually, I think Kylie has grounded Clay. They are very much in love and after all, I think it would be wonderful if Clay finally stuck to one partner, wouldn't you agree?"
It was the closest I had come to mentioning the fact that Clay had told me Laura's dirty secret, and now I was wondering if both he and I were in big trouble. My heart was pounding out of control as I waited for her answer.
"Hm. Still. Why her?" Laura mused. I silently breathed a sigh of relief; my undertones had gone unnoticed. But Kylie was still being dragged through the mud, which I absolutely would not stand for.
"She is an incredibly hardworking woman, who has shown time and time again that she cares deeply about her friends and would do anything for them," I said angrily, standing up and making the metal chair screech. "She has heart, she has compassion, and she hates when men try to play with her feelings. So if she can take Clay as he is, even knowing that his mother will do everything she can to separate them, I think she's more than deserving of the title of his girlfriend."
Firmly, I set down my teacup, adjusted my skirt, and walked back into the house. My body was shaking, both in anger and because I'd come out of the cold. The heels of my boots clicked loudly as I stormed off the veranda, through the entryway, and up the stairs. It took a lot of control not to punch right through the wood as I knocked on the door to Clay's room.
"Come in!" he yelled.
Hardly giving him a second, I banged open the door. He and Kylie were watching a movie on his laptop, cuddled up under the blankets. They both looked up expectantly, then looks of mild concern flickered on their faces. I must've looked angry, and the bitter way my words flew from my mouth didn't help either.
"Kylie, I want you to stay with Clay as long as you possibly can," I spat. "Shoot, marry him. I don't know. All I know is that Laura Answell wants to see the world burn and you and I have the opportunity to fight fire with fire. We will burn her back! We will be successful women with careers and we won't have children and we will make her so sick with disgust that she will fall dead at the feet of her sons being happy."
"Jackie," Clay said timidly.
"I'm not done!" I snapped. "Clay, you will not confront her about her disloyalty unless I am there to see it. Understood?"
He and Kylie exchanged glances before he squeaked, "I think you should go find Grayson."
My anger melted. "Why, what's wrong?" I asked anxiously.
"Nothing, you're just a little...worked up," he said gently.
Meanwhile, Kylie looked terrified. "Jackie, what did she say about me?" she asked softly.
I was slightly calmer now. "Nothing. She's just worried that you'll be a no-good, dirty loser," I grumbled.
"What did you tell her?" Clay asked sharply, a fire of his own ignited in his eyes.
Now I squirmed, my power trip finally over. "I um, I may have told her the many wonderful qualities of Kylie," I mumbled.
"So she knows you guys know each other," he grimaced.
"Yeah," I said guiltily.
He sighed. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Figure out some fancy, sketchy story to explain how you know each other. Why don't you find Grayson now, okay?"
"Okay," I mumbled. "Sorry, I'll let you guys get back to your movie."
"It's okay. Sorry tea went so badly," Kylie said sympathetically.
I nodded in appreciation before turning and leaving the room, my mood crashing. I don't do well with being angry; it usually leads to sadness and too many tears. Which was where I was now: trying to escape and cry.
I pushed open the door to Grayson's room and dropped face-first on the bed, crying into my pillow. I was so sick of being treated this way, and now I was forced to watch Kylie experience the same thing. I wasn't even "Grayson's wife," I was just "the mother of Grayson's future child." Not a person, with feelings and dreams. Not someone who deserved to be treated with basic human decency. Just Mrs. Answell.
I felt the mattress squish somewhere off to my left. With a tear-stained face, I looked up to see Grayson, who was sitting next to me with a box of tissues. Sniffling and hiding my face again, I said, "Go away."
"Okay, take these at least," he said, setting them near my head.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel the bed squish again. "I thought I said go away," I said tearfully.
"It didn't really sound like you meant it. But I can go away," he said, finally standing up. He was almost to the door when I said, "Don't you hate her? Just the littlest bit?"
His footsteps froze. His tone took on an entirely new bitterness as he asked, "What did she say to you?"
With that, a fresh wave of tears came and I sobbed into my pillow as he rubbed my back. I could tell he was still furious, that he wanted to go out there and say some angry words, but he stayed, murmuring his condolences. Soon Grayson had pulled my head into his lap and was stroking my hair, trying so hard to make me feel better.
"I'm guessing tea didn't go so well?" he prodded gently.
I shook my head, crying, "She just wants me to have a baby and it's horrid, she doesn't see me as having any other value. Now she's trying to do the same thing to Kylie and there's nothing I can do because she's still latched onto me."
His hold on me tightened ever so slightly and his jaw clenched. "I'm going to talk to her."
"No, you can't," I pleaded. "She's already going to be mad at me, I can't imagine how she'll blow up if you say something too. Worse, I said too much and now she knows Kylie and I know each other already."
Grayson's eyes went wide, so I was quick to add, "Clay said he'd take care of it. Somehow. But..."
"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, cradling my head to his chest. "I'm so, so sorry. You don't deserve any of this. Trust me, you're amazing and kind and an excellent worker, and you have so many great qualities that make you such a sweet person. It's not you, Jacks, you're great. She just can't see anyone outside of their practical value."
"I know I'm great," I sniffled sadly.
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "That's good. But look, you don't have to take it. We can cut it off right now and you can walk away and go back to being awesome."
I looked up indignantly. "Are you saying I'm not awesome when I'm married to you?"
He seemed to realize his mistake. He blushed and said, "No, of course not, I just meant um, you know, you're like a nurse who knows everything and is fun back in Arlington–"
"I'm just teasing," I said with a small smile. "Besides, it's just two more months. I can hold out."
"You don't have to, Jacks."
"Yes, I do," I said firmly. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I dropped out this late."
Grayson looked down at me with such heartbroken eyes that I almost cried again. I offered him a smile, a real smile, and whispered, "I promise. I'm okay. I'll make it. We both will."
"You're too good for this world," he said softly.
"I'm really not," I said sheepishly. "For example: I was not fun in Arlington."
"I find that really hard to believe," he said with a grin.
"Oh yes," I laughed. "Seriously, Nina and Kylie have to practically drag me out of the house to even get lunch. It's terrible."
"It can't be that bad!"
"It is," I said, now in a much better mood. "But I think in the past few months, you've made me more fun."
Grayson looked slightly wary. "Is that bad? Because I like Jackie as Jackie, even if she claims that she's not fun."
"No, it's good," I sighed, settling into his arms. "Being fun is nice. I enjoy things a lot more. I'm more willing to try new things, even if I'm skeptical of what's going to happen."
"That's good, I guess. Maybe that's why you met me," he said, and it was only now that I realized he was stroking my cheek with his thumb, the sensation oddly yet wonderfully soothing.
"I don't know why I met you, but I'm glad I did. Even if it comes with Laura," I said truthfully.
His smile was so bright, so beautiful. I soaked it up, wanting to remember it. Grayson said softly, "You've taught me some stuff too."
"Yeah? Like what?" I was curious.
"How to cherish someone. How to love someone you've never met. How to make it through the wild ups and downs of life," he murmured, still gazing down at me.
"Because our lives have been wild," I said, both saddened and strengthened by this statement.
The worst was right around the corner for us, with the wedding coming up. But we'd make it through. Just like we always did.
Or at least, I hope we will.