Page 6 of A Mother’s Love

Halley had an unexpected treat the day after the wedding.

She was going through her research for her next book, putting it in order so she could see what was still missing.

She had a man who did research for her on a variety of subjects.

He was a young writer, trying to get his career off the ground, and for the past four years, he’d been grateful for the work from Halley.

He said it allowed him to keep eating, which was a worthy cause, and he did good solid work and always gave her the material promptly.

He was reliable and thorough, and didn’t waste her time or clutter things up, giving her things she didn’t ask for and didn’t need for the book, just because he got fascinated by the subject and didn’t know when to stop.

Terence was British and Halley liked working with him.

There were a few more pieces of information she still needed, and she sent him an email with precise questions.

She had just hit the send button, when Olivia called her.

“Hi, darling,” Halley said breezily, happy to hear from her.

She’d woken up a little sad that the wedding was over.

There was nothing left to plan, nothing to look forward to until the girls came home for Thanksgiving, which was almost seven weeks away.

Halley was planning to dive into her new book, which should keep her occupied with the first draft until Seth, Valerie, and Olivia arrived from California for the holiday.

“Everything fine in L.A.?” Olivia had been planning to fly back to California the night before, after the wedding.

“I’m in New York,” Olivia said, and she sounded a little subdued too.

The day after a big festive event like the wedding, with so much anticipation for months before, always seemed dreary and was a letdown, especially for those left behind.

Seth and Valerie would be continuing to celebrate in Italy on their honeymoon, in Venice, Rome, and Portofino, while everyone else went back to real life.

“I thought you were flying back to L.A. last night,” Halley said, surprised.

“I was.” Olivia laughed. “It turned out to be overly ambitious. I was too tired and a little too drunk by the time I got back to the city. I’d left a mountain of stuff in Val’s suite, and I couldn’t get it together in time to run for the plane.

I stayed in Isabelle Winter’s room at the hotel after I got back, and got my stuff out of Val’s, and I decided I don’t need to go to California till tomorrow.

I’ve got a meeting at my new gallery on Wednesday, about the show they want to give me in March.

Can I stay with you tonight?” she asked her mother.

Olivia was always very thoughtful about asking to stay.

Valerie just arrived and assumed it was fine.

And it always was, either way. Halley still felt that her home was theirs too, since they had grown up there.

“Of course. You don’t need to ask me, you know. This is your home too.” The twins had keys to the apartment, and Halley had an open-door policy with them. They were always welcome, and she was delighted that Olivia was still in town and wanted to spend the night. “Do you want to go out for dinner?”

Olivia paused for a moment, mulling it over.

“I have an awful hangover,” she confessed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had so many martinis or so much champagne.

And I think I had a margarita before I left.

” The wedding of her twin was a big deal to her.

She would have to share Valerie now, with Seth.

She had for the past three years, but Seth and Valerie weren’t always in the same city, and when they weren’t, Valerie and Olivia lived together.

Olivia liked Seth a lot, and he was perfect for her sister, and spoiled her rotten, but now it was official, which was an adjustment for Olivia.

She was still getting used to the idea, although Seth had been really welcoming to her, and had understood early on how much the two women meant to each other, and what a special relationship being a twin was.

He hadn’t tried to fight it at all, and had chosen the much wiser course of including Olivia in everything they could.

But not on the honeymoon, of course. They were planning to be in Italy for three weeks, and Olivia already missed Valerie.

They had never been apart for that long.

“We’ll eat at home then,” Halley said. “I’ll pick something up this afternoon.

” Cooking wasn’t part of Halley’s skill set.

She knew how, she just didn’t enjoy it, and it wasn’t what she did best. The girls ordered in whenever they were home.

Halley had cooked for them when they were little, but she’d had no other choice then, before her books were a big success.

Now she had other options, and all the best restaurants in town did takeout, especially since the pandemic.

Ordering takeout had become a way of life in the twins’ age group. Most millennials didn’t cook.

“I’ll pick something up and surprise you,” Olivia volunteered. She loved the idea of spending a night with her mother. They could gossip about the wedding, and who was there. There were several TV and movie stars who were friends of Seth’s.

“Come whenever you want,” Halley said happily.

“This is an unexpected treat. I was feeling sorry for myself, and sorting through my research. I’m starting a book tomorrow.

” She sounded happy at the prospect, as she always did when she started a book, with a little quiver of nervous excitement.

The suffering would come later, and the fatigue, as it ground along, day after day, for weeks and sometimes months on a first draft, like the one she was starting.

“I won’t interrupt you, Mom. I’ll just dump my stuff in my room.

I’m going to leave my maid of honor dress with you in my closet, I won’t wear it in L.A.

or probably ever again.” It was a beautiful Oscar de la Renta gown of beige lace.

Valerie’s dress was made of antique ivory lace.

The bridesmaids had worn a champagne color, and Halley had worn taupe taffeta, which she thought was suitably discreet for the mother of the bride.

Halley didn’t want to steal any thunder from her daughter’s show. This was Valerie’s big moment.

Halley had never married. Locke, the twins’ father, was already married when they met.

And by the time he got divorced, they were happier as friends.

And she and Robert had talked about marriage in their twelve years together and never got around to it.

They were afraid to upset the balance of the relationship that worked so well.

He had never wanted children, as it turned out, and the twins were enough for them.

The relationship they had was perfect as it was.

Halley had made a point of sidestepping the bouquet at Valerie’s wedding when it flew past her, in the direction of a flock of women who wanted it desperately.

Valerie had aimed it at her twin sister, who reached up and caught it, and looked delighted.

There had been so many details to coordinate at the wedding, right down to the garter Valerie tossed at the men.

Halley felt a little startled that it was all over.

Months of planning had gone into making sure that every detail would be perfect and the way Valerie wanted it.

Seeing it all happen on Saturday, just the way she’d dreamed and Halley had envisioned for her, was like watching a movie.

Olivia felt a little dazed on Sunday too.

She and her twin had never been away from each other for three weeks before, and Olivia was uneasy about it.

Valerie had promised to call her every day.

Whenever they were apart, the first one to wake up called the other.

Olivia wasn’t sure how Seth would feel about it on their honeymoon, but Valerie didn’t care.

She needed to talk to her sister. The connection between them was very strong.

It wasn’t something they planned or had ever agreed to, it was just the way they were since their birth.

They had cried when Halley tried to put them in separate cribs, and they had chosen to share a room all their lives growing up.

“She looked beautiful, didn’t she?” Halley said wistfully. “And so did you. You looked spectacular. And her dress came out perfectly, just as she said she wanted it.”

“Maybe we should have switched and given everyone a surprise at the altar,” Olivia said with a mischievous laugh.

“Thank God, you didn’t. Poor Seth. I was afraid you might, I didn’t even dare mention it, so as not to inspire you.” The twins had switched often, as little girls and teenagers, just for the fun ofit.

“Actually, Val suggested it once, but I said I thought you’d be pissed if we did,” Olivia said.

“Nothing surprises me with you two.” But in the end the twins had agreed that switching places on Valerie’s wedding day would have broken the spell and seriousness of the moment, so they hadn’t. And Valerie hadn’t wanted to upset Seth.

“If I ever get married, maybe we will,” Olivia said, thinking about it.

“I’m more like you. I’m not so sure all that traditional stuff and legality is necessary.

It seems a little oppressive to me. I think Val did it because Seth wanted to.

I saw the prenup they signed, it was forty pages long.

I got a headache just looking at it, but Valerie is a lawyer so it seemed fine to her.

You never got married, so I don’t see why I would need to,” Olivia said thoughtfully, but there was no one she wanted to marry anyway.

She had never been deeply in love, as Valerie was with Seth.