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I thank him one last time and head in there.
The black-and-white stone floors continue in here. The kitchen is huge, classic in design and all white. Everything is marble except for the cabinets and appliances. Even the tabletop in the sun-drenched breakfast nook is marble.
Gigi and I dyed eggs every Easter at that table when I was younger. I wasn’t raised to be religious. I got a little dose of everything when I lived here, and Gigi wanted me to enjoy multiple holidays and traditions.
My time here was fun. Gigi was more of a mother to me than my mom during those years. Mom would never apologize for her absence, though.
“The life of an actor requires sacrifice,” she’d say before leaving me for weeks at a time, desperate to follow in Gigi’s famous footsteps.
Unfortunately for Mom, her acting career never took off. She blames it on being adopted and not inheriting Gigi’s talents. Had she not been adopted, though, she never would have become a famous model. She owes her signature beauty to her mixed ethnicity—half Black and half White. Even though Mom is adopted and has dark-olive skin and chocolate-brown hair, she and Gigi have similarities. They’re both tall and thin, and they both have emerald-green eyes. That likeness made Gigi believe she and Mom were destined for each other. Personality-wise, the two are polar opposites.
Inez ambles into the kitchen and gives me a double take. “Nova?” She glances at her watch. “You weren’t scheduled to arrive until noon?”
“My flight landed early.” Ten minutes early, but who’s counting? Inez, that’s who. I point to the room that has my luggage. “Let me grab my stuff.”
“Ah-ah-ah.” She waves her finger at me. “Aaron will get that. He’ll be here in five minutes. Had I known you were coming early, I would have had him here already. Why didn’t you text me?”
“I didn’t think of it. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
Understanding shows in her brown eyes. “I suppose you have. Gigi is by the pool. You can go say hi while I get your luggage and room situated.”
Situated.I remember what that means—all luggage delivered, unpacked, and arranged so the guest or family member feels at home the moment they arrive.
“Which room am I in?”
I’ve only ever stayed in two: The Marie Antionette room, decorated to match the royal suite in the Palace of Versailles. The decor was inspired by Gigi’s third husband, a famous movie producer in France. And the Taj Mahal room, filled with white and jewel-toned accents. The wallpaper looks as if it were embedded with brilliant stones. I used to call it the Princess Jasmine room.
“Gigi thought the Zen room would be appropriate for your stay.” Inez’s phone chimes. She takes it from her sweater pocket. “Aaron should be here in three minutes.”
I shuffle closer to her, and set my Gucci bag on the counter. “I was hoping for the Caribbean suite. Do you think Gigi would mind if I switched?”
Inez doesn’t like change of any kind once plans are set, but Gigi is persuadable.
“Any other time she might not mind, but I’m afraid the Caribbean suite is already occupied.” She puts my purse on a hook by the door. “I’ll have this brought up with your things.”
“Occupied? Does Gigi have guests?”
I’m looking for solitude, not company. The Caribbean suite is in the pool house near the back of the property. I imagined myself staying in there, away from the servants, for optimal privacy. My heart needs mending, and Gigi likes to push people to move past their problems. She means well and can be extremely helpful in many ways, but her style of moving on is different than mine—than most. I need time for my heart to heal from this insult and injury. Breaking up after a year of on-and-off dating doesn’t erase feelings in one night like it clearly did for Justice when he decided to get married. I still can’t believe it, almost as much as I can’t believe the marriage hasn’t been annulled.
“We only have one guest. Riley,” Inez says. “He’s as polite as he was as a child, but he keeps to himself and doesn’t interact much.”
Images of a blond-haired boy flash in my mind. I played with a kid named Riley one summer when I lived here. He was visiting with his father, who at the time was dating Gigi. They married shortly after but in typical Gigi fashion, it didn’t last.
“Riley, as in the governor’s son?” His dad wasn’t a politician back then, but who else could she mean?
Inez nods. “That’s the one.”
“I didn’t know he and Gigi stayed in touch.” She and his dad were only married for four months before Gigi left to film a movie in France, where she met husband number three.
“You know Gigi. She never cuts off anyone, especially family members.”
Ex-family member.
Inez grabs a towel and cleaner and wipes down the counter. “Your grandmother loves to help and would never refuse a person in need.”
“What is he in need of?”
“A place to stay? A place to hide? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is Gigi wants him cared for. I cook his meals and make sure the pool house is clean. He’s not messy, and he doesn’t ask for much, but I only see him when he walks from the pool house to the gym above the garage.” She gestures in that direction and continues cleaning the counters. “Gigi talks to him in passing. Small talk, but mostly he just smiles and keeps to himself. I’m not one to pry, but he showed up a month ago without warning. Usually Gigi gives me two weeks’ notice before guests arrive so I can prepare, but not this time. She gave me two days’ notice. Then he appears in the middle of the night. I didn’t even know he arrived. He took his own luggage to his room. It’s not how I like things done. From what I’ve seen, he didn’t bring much with him, and he doesn’t seem to have any friends. It’s very strange, but you know me, I don’t like to pry.”