Abigail tried not to sound deflated, outdone by European sensibilities. Did she still have time to cancel the order for the Caesar salad with grilled shrimp from Nutmeg? She hoped so. “We have so much to learn about Penny’s family, don’t we?”

“I gotta go.” Chase’s standard sign-off.

“Bye. See you—” The phone call ended. “Friday.”

Chapter 6
The Dinner

The Mother of the Groom

Abigail thought she had prepared herself for Alexa Diamandis. For the last two weeks, ever since the engagement, she’d been scouring the internet searching for photos and articles and mentions of Penny’s mother. And there was a treasure trove of information on her future in-law. Alexa was a business owner, after all, and an active citizen of Montecito, land of a thousand charity events. Plus, her job was to take people on vacation, so she ended up tagged in scores of photos of tanned, happy people beachside in Mykonos or at historical sites in Sicily. Abigail knew that she was striking but not beautiful, tall-ish, and had one go-to smile for every picture captured of her. She had practically memorized Alexa’s bio on the Odyssey Vacations site, so she knew, too, all about her idyllic childhood on Patmos, her uni days in London, her Hollywood decade, and her glamorous career in luxury travel.

Alexa was one of those women who had aged in place, meaning that Abigail could still see the eighties undergrad and the focused career gal and the bold single mom in her sixty-something face. Some people disappeared into their later years’ appearance, no trace of their young days left, thanks to injectables and surgery. But not Alexa. She was all she had been.

Abigail was ready to be warm, curious, and generous with her new relative, treating her like you might a visiting minor royalty who didn’t quite understand the language. Abigail, after all, was well educated in all things, but especially tact. Despite her world travels, Alexa was the guest and might feel out of sorts here on the Upper East Side in the small private dining room of the charming neighborhood Italian place. Abigail, on the other hand, felt right at home, even though she hadn’t lived in this zip code since the nineties. It was Chase’s home now. Still, she’d go out of her way to make the mother of the bride feel comfortable.

Just then the curtain blew open and in stepped Alexa Diamandis.