The Fiancee - Kate White Page 0,1

phone against the wall—I love recording them. That’s because it feels like acting, and I don’t want Shawna to think twice about hiring me again.

But I just nod. Gabe’s been worried lately that I give my inner critic way too much headspace, and I shouldn’t look like I’m stressing as we kick off our vacation.

“How about you?” I ask. “Are you going to be able to chill this week?”

“Yeah, mostly. Marcus and I need to sit down with Dad about some business stuff, but we’ll get that out of the way this weekend.”

Gabe and his brother have a flourishing eight-year-old wine-importing firm, and my father-in-law’s been an adviser to them, as well as an early investor.

“Will we have time to swim before dinner tonight?” Henry pipes up from the back.

“Probably, buddy,” Gabe responds. “I talked to Gee earlier and she said we won’t eat till seven.”

We’d gotten a later start from Manhattan than we hoped for, in part because Gabe’s ex, Amanda, was late dropping Henry off (“You could not believe the traffic.”), but the GPS has us arriving by five.

“Do you think I’m gonna be able to swim every day?” Henry asks. “My mom said it’s supposed to rain this week.”

Gabe rolls his eyes for my benefit only. It’s so much like Amanda to put a Debbie Downer spin on a fun vacation, but all things being equal, Gabe’s coparenting experience could be worse. She’s the one who initiated their split (“We were such different people in college, don’t you think?”), and though she can be a pain in the butt, her guilt about ending the marriage seems to have kept her from turning toxic.

“There might be a few thunderstorms here and there,” Gabe says. “But nothing to worry about. And you downloaded some books, right?”

“Yeah, a bunch.”

“What are you reading now, Hen?” I ask.

“Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking.”

Jeez. Well, hopefully he won’t ask me to elaborate on anything. My BFA theater degree meant that I made it through college without any math or science, but feel free to quiz me on what I soaked up in courses like “Freeing the Expressive Human Instrument” and “Unarmed Combat: Learning Slaps, Punches, and Found Objects.”

“You know what could be fun to do if it does rain, honey?” I say, twisting around in my seat to look at him. “We could ask Gee to give us a cooking class.”

“Wow, that would be awesome.”

“Gee,” aka my mother-in-law, Claire, has help from her longtime housekeeper, Bonnie, at the Bucks County house, but she also prepares many of the meals herself. A landscape designer by profession, she’s a natural and talented chef.

I turn back to Gabe. “So you talked to your mom? Has anyone arrived yet?”

“Marcus and Keira drove out early, so did Blake and Wendy,” he says, referring to two of his brothers and their wives. “Not sure when Nick arrives. But—major news flash: he’s bringing a new girl with him.”

“Oh my god!” I punch him lightly on the arm. “Why are you only telling me this now?”

“Because I heard it myself only a couple of hours ago.”

I’m happy for Nick. His last girlfriend moved back to Belgium over a year ago, and though I’m sure my charming, dashing brother-in-law hasn’t been lacking for female company, I’ve sensed lately he’s eager for something serious. I just hope a stranger won’t disturb the ecosystem of our family vacation this week.

“He really sprung it on them last minute, huh?”

“Yeah, but my mom seemed cool about it. As you know, Nick can do no wrong with her.”

“Where’s Uncle Nick going to stay?” Henry calls out from the back.

“Probably in the carriage house. Gee’s had it totally renovated with a couple of new guest rooms.”

“What about his date?” my stepson asks.

“Um, probably with him there,” Gabe says.

“Does that mean they’re shacking up?”

I stifle a laugh as I see Gabe’s right brow shoot up.

“Yeah, but let’s not refer to it that way in front of everyone else. Okay, buddy? And speaking of sleeping arrangements, are you sure you want to stay in the main house? You could always bunk down with me and Summer in the cottage.”

“Thanks, but I wanna be in the big house with Gee and Grandpa. Gee said the dogs can sleep with me.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, it’s not a problem.”

Twenty minutes later we exit the main highway, and in another fifteen, we cross the Delaware River from New Jersey into Bucks County and end up on Durham Road.