Page 85 of The Guests on South Battery
She disappeared into the foyer and I listened to her footsteps cross the floor, then pause, and then came the sound of the doorknob turning and I flinched.
“Nola! It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. Come in. I know Mellie will want to see you, too.”
She was right—I did want to see Nola. I’d missed her, but even in my darkest moments it never occurred to me to contact her, because it would be like making her pick sides. Despite her unfortunate choice of fathers, I loved her too much to do that to her.
Nola walked tentatively into the drawing room, wearing her school uniform and carrying her backpack and her overnight bag. The children squealed and she immediately dropped the bag, then sat on the floor to hug JJ and Sarah.
“I missed you guys,” she said, rumpling their hair.
“They missed you, too,” I said. “So did I.”
“Yeah, it’s been not so great at home. My dad’s a mess.”
Good,I wanted to say, but couldn’t in front of Nola.
“He really misses you, and Sarah and JJ. We all want you to come back home.”
“Is that what he sent you to say?” I asked.
She reached behind her and dragged over the overnight bag. “He doesn’t know I’m here. I asked Mrs. Ravenel to drop me off here instead of home. I figured you needed some of your stuff.” She looked at me closely and frowned. “Like your hairbrush and some clothes and makeup. But not too much—because you need to come home.”
“I want to, but I can’t. Your dad...” I stopped, not sure how much he’d told her.
As if understanding my hesitation, she said, “My dad wouldn’t tell me anything, so I asked Jayne what happened. She told me that she couldn’t say anything until you and my dad had a talk. She’s moved over to the Pinckney house.”
I looked at her in surprise, wondering what sort of self-punishment that must be. Sophie had told me that the doll had been verified as a rare Edison doll and returned to the house. I hoped it was busy reacquainting itself with Jayne.
“Was that her choice?” I asked.
Nola shrugged. “It’s her house, and it was a little awkward with her staying with us without the babies.”
I’d had visions of her moving into my bedroom, so at least that was one thing I could stop torturing myself with.
“The dogs miss you.”
I gave her a half smile. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, since my official stance is that I’m not a dog lover, but I miss them, too. Maybe you can walk them by the house sometime and knock on the door?”
“I guess.” She looked down at her cuticles, and I noticed she’d begun biting her nails, too. “I miss you, too, Melanie. I really want you to come back.”
I heard the tears in her voice, and I felt my heart break into one more piece. It must have resembled pulverized glass at that point, each shard representing every disappointment and loss since the night of the launch party.
I lifted my hand to stroke her hair, thick and dark like her father’s. “I can’t. I don’t think I can live with your father after...”
“After what? Nobody will tell me anything! How are we supposed to move forward if nobody’s talking about what happened?”
“Exactly,” my mother said through tight lips. “It’s refreshing to hear something mature for a change.” She stooped to pick up the babies. “I’m going to settle them down for a nap and come back with a nice after-school snack for Nola. Be back in a few.”
Eager to change the subject, I reached for the bag and unzipped it. “What did you bring me? I hope you brought my slippers—my feet have been freezing.”
“I did. And your favorite sweater with the deep pockets to hide food.”
I looked up at her in surprise, and she grinned. “I’m not blind, Melanie. And the crumbs on your chin are usually a clue.”
For the first time in days, I felt both sides of my mouth lift in a smile. I dug through the contents of the bag, amazed at how thorough and accurate her selections were, down to the thick ski socks I liked to sleep in. I was about to zip up the bag when my fingers hit something hard. Pulling it out, I found the framed photo of Button and her brother, Sumter. I held it up, turning it to face Nola. “Why’d you bring this?”
Nola stilled. “I didn’t. Last time I saw it, it was on my dad’s desk. And I certainly didn’t pack it. Maybe it was in your drawer and I just didn’t notice when I reached in and grabbed something?”
I shook my head slowly, my focus drawn to the hand linked through Sumter’s, the only part visible of the woman cut out of the photo, part of her arm and her hand. It was the hand that drew my attention. It was long and slender, with narrow tapered nails that looked a lot like my own. But what really caught my gaze was the long oval ring on the middle finger that looked like onyx, with a small sparkling diamond in the middle.
