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Chapters (66)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Acknowledgments

Luckily, Henry was happy to accommodate the couple. The woman squealed with gratitude and hugged me hard. She did the same with Griffin. “We will take good care of her.” It was odd to me that she saw the house as a “her.” With Daddy, Henry, and Griffin, I had always seen it as masculine.

“If I may make one tiny suggestion, I think your daughter should have my room. It has the best view of the backyard, and it will allow her imagination to roam until she finds herself.” She hugged me again, and then we shook hands. After all, this was a deal. After they left, the realization hit me. This would, in fact, be the very last night I spent at home. Forever.

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Around four-thirty, Griffin and I arrived at VERT. The place looked decidedly tired. It made me sad. Julian and I had agreed on so many things, but with this restaurant, my restaurant, we had a colossal conflict over competing visions. But he was established, and he won.

Griffin had disappeared to put on his work shirt, and I walked around viewing everything. I landed at the bar and sat down. I heard the familiar voice in my ear, “What will it be, ma’am, the usual?” I smiled at him as he placed a cocktail napkin before me.

My particular feelings for him had always been contained in one of those secret compartments in my heart. I always knew where they were. But with everything going on with Daddy and the house, it felt like they were seeping out everywhere.

“Try to make it like you don’t own the joint and buy the liquor,” I said and laughed.

The dinner crowd trickled in. People were peppered at the tables and comfortable booths. It was a subdued atmosphere. A very tame crowd. Griffin motioned for me to take a table, but I was fine at the bar. It allowed me to oversee everything going on. I loved this vantage point. What VERT lacked in buzz or crowds, it certainly made up for in food. The quality had not diminished one bit.

Around nine o’clock, Griffin came up to me and suggested we go home. He did not say “for the last time.” But I noticed he grabbed a bottle of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, one of their finest and my favorite champagne. I knew it was to toast our house.