Nodding, she watched her daughter walk out of her apartment on the arm of her father. Closing the door, she leaned against it and slid down to the floor. I guess I’m going to Malaga for Christmas, she thought. Then, banging her head against the door, she said, “Fuck!”
37
Lex, Pete, and Nina planned a day of sightseeing for Lu and Willa’s arrival. They’d hit all of the major tourist attractions when they picked them up, ending the day at the Picasso Museum. By the time they had dinner and made their way back to the house, Nina had fallen asleep. Lu put her to bed, showered, and then joined the rest of the crew. She found Willa, Pete, and Lex sprawled on the couches in the living room, enjoying glasses of wine. When she sat down, Lex leaned over from the opposite couch and handed her a glass.
“Isn’t this yours?” Lu asked.
“I don’t drink during the season,” he informed her, although he was fairly certain she knew.
“Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting.”
“We were just discussing our plans for tomorrow,” Willa offered.
“Are we going to take our parents all over the city so that they pass out by nine o’clock?” Lu quipped.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Pete chimed in.
“Have you spent every day like this?” Lu asked, not quite recovered from trekking through the city all day.
“Yup,” Lex and Pete answered at the same time.
“No wonder Nina hasn’t given you a hard time. You wear her out and put her to bed.”
“Not a bad plan,” Pete said. “She seems to be enjoying it.”
Lu smiled, “I’m fairly certain that she is overjoyed that she’s finally found someone who can keep up with her.” Lu met Lex’s gaze and smiled at him. “She’s really enjoying herself.”
“When it comes to energy levels, she is absolutely her father’s daughter,” Willa added. It was a comment that she’d had to refrain from making in the past, but now it just seemed natural to refer to Nina as Lex’s daughter and she wondered when that had happened. Looking around, Willa attempted to keep her eyes off of Pete, but he looked so damn good, she just couldn’t do it. She needed him alone, now. “I think I’m going to head to bed,” she said, getting to her feet.
Lu looked at her skeptically. “You are so full of shit. If you want to be alone with Pete, just say so.”
Willa, being Willa, turned to her sister, raising her eyebrows as if to say, are you serious? Then, just because Lu had thrown it out there, she said, “Lu, Lex, I am taking Pete. I’m going to fuck his brains out. Good night.”
Pete choked on his wine, Lex threw back his head and laughed, and Lu shook her head, knowing that she alone had created that monster.
Pete jumped up, grabbed Willa’s hand, and waved good-bye.
“Well done!” Lex managed to catcall through his laughter.
“Do you really need to encourage her?” Lu scolded.
“God, I’ve missed her,” Lex said matter-of-factly, still chuckling.
Lu felt a hot streak of jealousy rip through her. Drinking her wine, she said nothing, bristling at Lex and Willa’s renewed friendship.
Lex laid out on the couch, propping his feet on the opposite arm, completely relaxed. Turning his head to the side so that he could see Lu, he watched her for a couple of minutes, saying nothing. She seemed lost in her own thoughts. Finally, he said, “Nina is amazing, Lu. You’ve done a great job raising her. Thank you.”
Lu raised her eyes and met his. “You know that whole nature-versus-nurture argument?” At his nod, she continued. “As a parent, I have to say that nature wins out hands down. It’s like I’ve had no influence on her. She popped out at birth and was this being who existed as she saw fit to exist. While I appreciate the compliment, I’m not sure what I’ve had to do with her.”
“Do you think our parents thought that of us?”
“Certainly exonerates them, doesn’t it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I guess. And you are far more of an expert than me, but I can see you in her at almost every moment. She may have my pace, but she definitely has your brains and your ability to take everything in, evaluate it, and come to a decision about it. Half the time she’s been with me I thought I was with you as a little girl. It was rather comforting. I thought, I can really suck at being a father and she is going to be OK.”
“You’re not going to suck at being a father, Lex. Just like everything you’ve ever done, it comes naturally to you.”
He shrugged. “I hope.” A comfortable silence descended between them. “Are you OK with being here?”