Page 13 of The Dancer and the Dark
“Your father hated that maudlin presentation.” Clara’s mouth twisted. “He forbade me from doing anything like that. We talked about it on the flight home after the service.”
No doubt her father would have thought a slideshow of family pictures was too sentimental. Too common.
Besides, what kind of family pictures did they have? Nothing but the formal portrait they’d taken for Christmas every year until Chloe was eighteen and left home. They didn’t do road trips or family vacations. Her parents had vacationed separately for years on account of their busy schedules.
Chloe sighed. “Okay, so no slideshow.”
Her mother was staring out the window. “There will be songs, and I’m sure a few people will want to speak. Many of his patients kept in touch, and I’ve no doubt Scott will be contacting them.”
“Have June and Scott come by?” Scott Bogosian was her father’s partner. “What about Dad’s friends from the club?” She remembered her mother’s partner. She’d always assumed the two women were friends. “Where’s Ronnie?”
“I’m sure once she’s finished covering my patients, she’ll go home, Chloe.” Clara sounded irritated. “Everyone knows.” Clara walked to a drawer near the back door and opened it. “What should we order for lunch? I don’t feel like cooking.”
Because your husband just died.
Chloe couldn’t help but be irritated. If all her parents’ friends knew her father had died, where were they? She’d been surrounded by friends from the moment she’d gotten the call from her mother until Zain and Audra had dropped her off by the front door.
They were still outside, Audra keeping an eye on the back of the house while Zain watched the front.
Chloe had walked into an empty mansion while her mother had been writing thank-you notes for the flowers that had shown up. Not even the housekeeper was here.
“The service will be at First AME, probably the middle of next week. I’m thinking Wednesday should be a respectable amount of time. His family from Georgia will want to come out.”
“What about yours?”
“I already told you Sheila is coming. I’m sure whoever is able will fly out as their schedules allow.” Clara stared at a stack of menus. “Anyway, what do you want to eat?” For the first time in Chloe’s memory, her mother seemed listless. It wasn’t like her to simply ask—usually she’d have her top three selections already chosen and ask Chloe to pick from those.
“What do you want?”
Clara paged through the stack of menus. “Honestly, I don’t care. I’m not hungry, but I know I need to eat.”
“Do you and Dad—?” Chloe stopped herself. “I mean, do you still like Celestino? We could order something. I’m sure Zain would be happy to go pick it up.”
“Who is he?” Clara frowned. “Never mind, it’s fine. Just order some things. I’ll eat later. I think I want to take a nap.” She set the menus in front of Chloe and walked toward the hallway. “Are you going to stay here or at the Vecchios’ while you’re in town?”
Chloe didn’t know what to say. “Why don’t Gavin and I stay at the Vecchios’? That way when Auntie Sheila comes, she can stay with you.”
Clara nodded. “She may bring her girls with her, and one of them just had a baby, so that’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Chloe felt vestigial, like an extra finger or an appendix. She was there, but no one seemed to know why. “I’ll stay here while you’re sleeping in case there are any more deliveries.”
“Thank you, Chloe.” Her mother touched her shoulder as she passed her on the way to the stairs. “Your father was talking about flying to New York for your most recent show. I’m sorry we didn’t do that. He said it was at Lincoln Center?”
“Yeah.” Chloe felt like her mother had slapped her. “Our company was part of the spring dance series.”
And they were thinking about attending? Nothing in the previous ten years had prepared Chloe to hear that, but her mother had dropped that information like it was an interesting bit of trivia at a cocktail party.
“Lincoln Center is quite impressive.” Her mother walked past her, then turned at the foot of the stairs. “Were you a principal?”
She blinked and returned to reality. “No, Mom. I was just in the company.”
“Still… that’s something.”
“Yeah.” She looked down at the stack of menus and tried to muster up an appetite.
This was going to be a very long week.
She was sleepingupright in her mother’s front room when someone touched her shoulder. Chloe opened her eyes and saw the only face in the world she wanted.
