Page 29 of The Family Guest

“Natalie, can I help you tidy up?” asked our exchange student.

Marjorie answered before I could, her voice icy. “Tanya, I’d like to spend some more time with Natalie…alone. So, why don’t you please join the children upstairs?”

Tanya looked miffed, then flashed a smile. “I understand. Have a nice time in La Jolla, and I can’t wait to see you again.”

My mother-in-law watched as she slid out of the room. Her face impassive.

No kisses.

No hugs.

The last of the dishes were loaded in the dishwasher.

“Do you want a nightcap before you head back to the hotel?” I asked my mother-in-law.

“Just some coffee. Decaf if you have it.”

I made the coffee quickly with our Keurig. Bringing the two steaming mugs to the kitchen island, I set them down, and we each added a splash of half-and-half from a small bone china pitcher. The way we both liked our coffee was one of the few things we had in common. We took sips of our piping hot brews and then Marjorie spoke first.

“I’m concerned.”

My brows lifted. “About what?”

“About Paige. She seems unhappy.”

I took another sip. “Senior year is difficult. With college apps and the unknown ahead. It’s very stressful. So much pressure.”

“Yes, I agree, but it’s more than that.”

Sitting opposite her, I met her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I sense there’s a great deal of friction between Paige and that exchange student of yours.”

“I can’t blame her for being disappointed that Matt’s taking Tanya to the Lakers game instead of her.”

“She looked totally crestfallen. I’m adding that to the list of things I plan to talk to him about.”

“Good luck. You know Matt. Once he makes his mind up, it’s impossible to change it.”

“He’s stubborn. Just like his father.” She took another sip of her coffee. “Do they get along?”

“Who? Matt and Paige?”

She gave me a sharp look. “No. Paige and your exchange student.”

I hesitated for a moment. “Yes, more or less. It’s not a perfect relationship. You know how girls are. You know what it was like with Anabel.”

“I hate to say this, but let’s be honest: We both know Anabel was somewhat of a spoiled child.”

Her words stung. But they were true. Yes, I’d spoiled Anabel but out of need. Guilt. I bit down on my bottom lip to refrain from saying something I would regret. With all her faults, I’d loved Anabel with all my heart. And still did.

Marjorie saw the hurt on my face. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I didn’t mean that. Martin and I loved Anabel as much as we love Paige and Will. It’s just that we never seemed to be able to please her.”

I thought back to an early Christmas when they’d bought her a beautiful tricycle and she’d had a temper tantrum because it was red, not pink. And her thirteenth birthday when they’d given her a new laptop, which she’d handed back to them because it was a MacBook Air and not a MacBook Pro. I suppose it was my fault she was so difficult because from the minute she was born, I had vowed to give her everything I never had. Everything she wanted. And Matt was an enabler.

Looking back at the past, I felt a bubble of remorse rise inside me. “Anabel was a demanding child. I think she was born that way.” I wasn’t going to admit I’d made her that way while my mother-in-law scrutinized me.

“I don’t believe children are born any which way. They are what you make them. Products of their environments.”