Page 4 of Matrimonial Merger (Lakeshore Empire #2)

Daphne

I smiled at the ultrasound on the top of my dresser in the bedroom.

Every morning that I felt sick and miserable, I reminded myself good things were coming.

Today would be hard—a very difficult day—but I’d use it to distract myself from the void left by loss.

Dad wasn’t here on this Christmas Eve, but he was always in our hearts.

And today we threw ourselves into service as a family.

“Are you okay? You really shouldn’t push it,” Cal said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck.

“I’m fine. I’m not made of glass, baby. This is important.”

“I’m just fussing. Sorry. I worry about you.”

I faced him. “I love you for that. But it’s okay. This matters to me.”

Cal kissed me, making me feel more at ease with this difficult day. His touch reminded me that we were both grieving. I could tell him how hard it was. I could love him.

“Can we just… walk over there?” I asked. “It’s early and quiet, but I could use the cold air.”

Cal kissed my forehead. “Of course, baby.”

And that was that. Regardless of what the security people thought, we took a walk over to the service entrance of the store, ducking into the maze of hallways and back sets of stairs that led to my sister’s kitchen.

Today, we were assembling huge number of meals for hungry families rather than sitting around at home.

We’d closed the restaurant in an act of community service.

Volunteers—most of which were somehow related to the family—assembled around a table holding coffee.

Dahlia was the executive chef of the Dolphin Room, our newly-revitalized flagship restaurant.

She was building out the foodhall downstairs, but for now the restaurant was her primary focus.

Dahlia trained in Europe, worked in Paris, and like me, returned to Chicago to keep Dad’s memory alive in her own way. This was her gift.

As we arrived, I realized the entire family was there—and then some.

I spotted Cal’s stepfather, Tim, and his sister, Chloe, and quickly greeted them.

“What are you all doing here?” I asked.

“Well, Cal said we could come,” Chloe said, giving me a tight hug that made my breasts scream for dear life.

I fought a grimace. “That’s sweet of you.”

“Even Mom came out,” Chloe said, sounding genuinely surprised.

I grew concerned but beat that down. It was a nice thing to do. “Thanks for this. It would mean so much to Dad.”

Mum rushed past me, holding a platter of biscuits and pastries.

She said nothing, totally focused on her job.

We’d never been close when I was younger.

Mum hadn’t been perfect—no parent was—but after Dad’s death, we bonded unexpectedly.

I began to realize that Mum was more like me than she wasn’t.

By digging in with both hands today, she was trying to cope with Dad’s memory.

Last year, we’d started mourning the life we thought we would have.

This year, we came to terms with our new reality—Dad’s booming laugh was nowhere to be heard.

His warm smile wasn’t seen. His great big hugs were no more.

Instead, as I looked around the room, I listened to my little brother Derrick’s laugh—so much like Dad’s.

I saw my baby sister Dora helping mom lay out the snacks for volunteers.

She was so generous. She had Dad’s heart.

Delanie, came up to laugh with Chloe, who was her best friend.

The two hugged, knowing the day was as hard as it was special.

Davey helped Dahlia with setup. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders now.

Cal wrapped his hand around my waist as I fought tears.

“Are you doing okay?” He asked.

“I’m about to be a crying mess,” I said. “I don’t even know why.”

“I could think of reasons,” Cal said sweetly.

“It’s okay. We’re doing the best we can. We’re fine. Fine will be enough for the day, right?”

Cal kissed the top of my head. “Fine is more than enough for this season.”

Cal

By noon, I could tell Daphne flagging. Everything I’d read about pregnancy suggested that it was hard on a woman’s body.

I wondered when her go-go-go attitude would return.

She was so dedicated that her reticence to carry on signaled she really did need a break.

I walked up to the table where she was putting rolls into carryout containers, a job she chose because it was the least smelly option and required no heavy lifting.

“Why don’t you take a break,” I suggested.

No fight left, Daphne said, “I’m so tired.”

“Get some water and sit,” I said.

She nodded weakly. I stepped in, taking a break from helping load the vans. I watched her take a seat by the catering table, digging into the plate of digestive biscuits. Satisfied that she was sitting down and not about to fall asleep like a horse in a stall, I turned back to what I was doing.

That was until my mother came towards me. “Why is Daphne sitting there?”

“She needed a break,” I answered. “I decided to step in.”

My mother let out a long sigh, then walked off.

No matter what Daphne did or didn’t do—no matter how perfectly—it would never be enough for Mom.

It set me off. I stewed for a minute before turning to see Mom talking with Daphne.

Or, rather, talking at Daphne. Seeing red, I strode over, hearing only a bit of their conversation.

Daphne’s give-a-damn was busted and her jaw was set. It was not looking good.

“Well, just drink some coffee. It will be alright,” Mom said.

She would if she could, Mom!

“I’m fine,” Daphne said. “I just need a moment.”

“Mom, why don’t you leave Daphne alone to rest?” I asked.

“We are all working. She’s younger and healthier than you?—”

“Mom,” I said, tone sharp. “Leave her be. She’s just taking a minute.”

“Is there an issue?”

I turned to see Danna Delphine to my right and knew things had gone off the rails completely. There was about to be a battle among the city’s proudest matriarchs. New clashed with old out of the gate.

“Daphne is taking a minute,” I said.

“I am worried about her,” Mom insisted. “She looks so pale. I told her to drink some coffee and she will feel better but she’s refusing that.”

“I’m good. Really,” Daphne protested.

“And I told you, Mom, she’s fine,” I said. “Just a little overwhelmed.”

Danna crossed her arms. “See, she’s fine.”

Mom, annoyed, rolled her eyes and left. Daphne looked up at me, small as could be. All I wanted to do was hold her, but that was completely off the table.

“Elise, what is your issue? Did you come here to help or judge my daughter?” Danna called after her. “Because to my knowledge, Cal invited you out of the goodness of his heart but all you’ve done is chide us and make it about you.”

Mum spun around. “Oh, like the hospital benefit you made all about you after my grandmother died? Where you put me on the worst committee?”

“Because you claimed to be too upset?—”

“I was not too upset. You told me that I was too tacky to plan anything!”

“I never said such a thing!” Danna scoffed.

“No, you told Janine that, though!”

Danna set her jaw the same way Daphne had moments before. I knew it was about to come pouring out. Davey caught my eye, moving into view. I met his gaze, worried we might have to step in if hands were thrown.

“Regardless of what I did or did not do?—”

“You did do it, though, Danna ! You did.”

Danna repeated, “Regardless of what I did or did not do, my daughter has been nothing but gracious to you. She loves Cal. She is good to him. Is that not enough?”

“The way he treats her like some wounded bird annoys the hell out of me!” Mom declared, throwing her arms around. By now, Tim emerged from the background.

“This is not the time, Elise,” Tim said.

“It probably isn’t, but I don’t give a damn, Timothy! Danna has poked the bear! Every time there is even something the least bit wrong, Cal swoops in to save Daphne and it’s a whole thing. Cal has been swooping in to save you all for years—at his own disservice many times.”

“Mom, I am a grown man. And Daphne is no damsel.”

“Well, she shouldn’t be. She’s an educated heiress who is insisting on a lock tight prenup, correct? She knows the game.”

“Game?” Danna asked. “What game?”

“She bats her eyelashes and he comes running. It was the same thing with you and David. God forbid David need something, Cal would be?—”

“David was my best friend!” I said, unable to hold back. “He was my mentor and one of the best men I ever met. I owe him a great deal of credit. And Daphne? Of course I rush in to take care of her. She’s about to be my wife. If I didn’t run to her, what sort of man would I be, mother?”

“Well, for a woman with all of her capabilities, I’d expect her to want to save herself!”

“Asking people for help is not a crime, mother,” I said. “She said she needed to take a seat. In fact, I asked her if she was okay.”

“And now you bloody well storm over here to interrogate her!”

“If she would just drink a cup of coffee?—”

“But she can’t!” Danna said protectively. I knew what came next and I braced for impact. “She is pregnant and cannot have coffee. And if you were not being an absolute cunt, you would leave it be!”

It was worse than expected, to the point that Danna immediately recoiled and covered her mouth.

She knew she shouldn’t have said the first bit and the second bit, though absolutely true, wasn’t helpful.

But, given that the woman was a widow and wildly protective of her brood of six children, I gave her a pass. This was a hard day for everyone.

Daphne stood, tears in her eyes. “Can we all just shut the fuck up and let me cry in peace?” She stormed past me and I tried to follow her but she pushed me away and said, “No! I do not need you involving yourself, Cal!”

It hurt. I knew she wasn’t mad at me, just very overwhelmed. And, anyhow, I had issues to deal with on her behalf. The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop—and enough to hear Daphne sobbing in the back of the kitchen.

“She’s pregnant?” Mom demanded. “And I’m finding out?—”

“Elise, drop it!” Tim said, voice strong. Tim rarely raised his voice, but when he did, Mom listened.

“God damn it! What is going on! Why is Daphne sobbing next to the cooler?” Dahlia’s voice rang out as she strode over. “What the actual fuck?”

“Ask Elise,” Danna said.

“Excuse me, but you just called me a cunt!”

“What now?” Dahlia did a double-take, glaring at Danna .

“My words were regrettable,” Elise said.

“And, mother?” Davey said.

“I apologize for using that word.”

“And are you going to apologize to Cal and Daphne or just Elise?” Delanie asked. “Because you just told everyone Daphne’s very private news pretty openly!”

Tears welled and Danna collapsed into a chair, sobbing openly. I’d never seen the woman cry—not even at David’s funeral—so this shook me.

Delanie threw her hands in the air.

“It’s okay. Tensions are running high,” I said. “I’m not angry.”

Dahlia stood on a chair and clapped her hands. “Okay! Everyone! The goal here is not to kill one another! Everyone is sad. Dad isn’t here. And lord knows if he were here, he’d have just lost his mind upon hearing that he was about to?—”

Dahlia fought tears as well. “About to… get his first grandchild and… oh fuck!”

She got down, now completely sobbing. The entire room was about to cry. I could feel it.

Davey shouted, “This is about Dad. It’s about his spirit and wanting to take care of everyone. As lovely as this news is, can we please stop fighting and focus on why we are here and the good we are doing?”

“We’re here to take care of our neighbors,” I agreed. “So, let us focus on that. And then those of you who can drink and need a drink later will get their chance. Right now, though, we still have work to do. Let’s do that much for David’s memory, alright?”

“Okay, everyone,” Dahlia said. “We have two more hours here to pull this together. Can we please get back to work—everyone but Cal and Daphne. They get a pass.”

I shot her a smile and went to find Daphne.