by Annora Green
“We’ll be there. I’ve been to all of her other ones, it would be a shame to not make it to this one,” Hank smiled, and Sophia laughed.
They all stood up and gathered their things. As they did, Isabella spoke up.
“Percy, there are some hiking trails around here. I was going to go on one after lunch. Do you want to come with me?”
Percy looked over at Sophia. “May I?” he asked.
Sophia hesitated for a second, but then nodded. “Just be back by five. We have a rehearsal dinner to attend tonight.”
¨°¨
“It’s raining on my wedding day,” a tearful Sabrina announced the next morning, as soon as Sophia walked into her old childhood bedroom. She was pouting next to the window, where long, grey stripes of water cascaded down the glass.
Sophia hesitated, observing the pitiful of sight of her redheaded sister next to the window watching the dreary day outside.
Sabrina was in a long, white silk robe, the extravagant wedding dress she was about to put on hanging next to a mirror to the side of the room. Her hair and makeup had been done... and, Sophia had to admit, her sister looked more gorgeous than ever.
Sophia hung up her royal blue Maid of Honor dress and began laying out her makeup bag.
“Everything is indoors. We’ll manage,” Sophia said, trying to keep her tone even and patient.
“It’s never rained on my wedding day before,” Sabrina said, still pouting.
“Well, maybe it’s a sign of good luck,” Sophia offered, coaxing her away from the window and calling over the hair stylist and makeup artist that had been hired for the day.
The photographer came over as well, eager to snap a shot of every moment of the pre-wedding bridal pampering.
The wedding was to take place that evening. Like the resort where Sophia was staying, the Black family Napa Valley home was perched high on a green hill, surrounded by a lush, rolling landscape covered in endless vineyards. It was a picture-perfect setting. Truly everything about it was enchanted. The property had even been featured in one of the top architectural magazines.
For the wedding, every square inch of the home had been impeccably decorated, staged and lit cheerfully by some of the top interior designers and wedding planners, ready to welcome the 200 or so guests who were to attend. A team of servers was waiting to pour endless glasses of wine and champagne that had been sourced from one of the most exclusive small producers in the region. The Peruvian-Japanese-French fusion cuisine was being prepared by a famous chef, flown in from Lima just for the event.
The guest list included a veritable who’s-who of Silicon Valley. The influential friends of Sabrina’s husband-to-be might have been torn from the pages of a society magazine. William, as it turned out, was more than just a pretty face. He was in fact quite successful in his own right as an an engineer, entrepreneur and investor in a up-and-coming electric car manufacturing company.
Sophia spent the day focused on keeping Sabrina happy, making sure Percy did not wander off for too long so she could direct him to all of the wedding-related events (including the ceremony, photos and reception) on time. She also mitigated the damage caused by her mother, who, as predicted, made it her personal mission to critique every last detail of the day, causing everyone from the photographer to the makeup artist to the wait staff serving champagne and tapas to turn red in shame or fear, scurrying to keep up with her last minute whims and demands, or having mini-breakdowns in the pantry.
Sophia could barely find a moment to catch her breath all day long. She was in perpetual motion getting Sabrina into her dress, through an admittedly beautiful ceremony during which the rain managed to pause for a little while, then during a post-ceremony cocktail and, finally, dinner, during which she was occupied by chatting with the enormous stream of guests. Finally, when the dinner had finally wound down and the music got louder, as guests began to stand up and shake off their massive multi-course dinner of ceviche and sautéed beef and coconut-white-chocolate-guava cake and mingle and dance, Sophia could at last sit down at her assigned table and reach for her first glass of wine of the evening (she had not had a chance to enjoy one earlier, though she had certainly tried). Just as she took her first sip, a familiar silhouette caught her eye.
Sophia had tried to forget that her sister had invited Ari to the wedding.
Tried being the key word.
Things had been all right with Ari in the few weeks since Sabrina had invited her to the wedding. Most of Sophia’s days had started with a fresh cup of coffee at The Little Cafe, and if Ari was not busy, they talked about normal, comfortable things, friendly things. Since she had been busy this weekend, she had tried to suppress any thought of Ari, or what to do about her, if anything, being at the wedding reception.
She looked down at the plate of barely-touched food in front of her.
She glanced back at Ari, who was already heading over to her.
Sophia sat up straighter and stabbed a potato with her fork.
“Hey,” Ari said, sitting down in the empty seat next to hers, which had been assigned to none other than Phil. A diabolical joke on Sabrina’s part, she was certain. Thankfully the tiresome man had wandered off a while ago to discuss some sort of trading card game with a relative of William’s.
“Mind if I join you?” Ari asked. “I’m getting a little tired of being hit on by some guy named Carleton who claims to be an ‘old acquaintance’ of your mother’s, whatever that means.”
“I wouldn’t ask,” Sophia said. “About Carleton, that is. Yes, you are always welcome to join me. I hope you don’t mind I’m still eating, I haven’t had many chances to have food today.”
“No worries. Sabrina had been keeping you on your toes?”
Sophia nodded. “But soon this wedding will be over, and I will be free of Sabrina’s weddings for at least a year, maybe two if I’m lucky.”
“At least you’ve gotten a lot of practice with managing her weddings,” Ari offered. “You certainly looked like a pro today.”
Sophia smiled.
They fell into an easy sort of conversation then, Sophia finishing her food (she had not realized until that very moment how incredibly hungry she was), while Ari chatted with her. A waiter brought them both a dessert wine, which they enjoyed with slices of the cake
“You look very nice, by the way,” Sophia said when she finally finished eating, and leaned back comfortably in her chair as a waiter served them espresso.
Ari looked down at her outfit, a long, dark blue skirt and a matching sleeveless top that was slightly cropped and showed a little peek of skin. “Thanks. Totally Rachel’s cousin’s work, though. We texted him for wedding outfit ideas and he sent this to me two days later.”
“I was complimenting you, Ari. Not the outfit. Although that is lovely as well.”
“Oh,” Ari said, flushing slightly. “Thank you.”
“Although now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a skirt,’ Sophia said.
“You probably haven’t. This might be the first one I’ve worn in years,” Ari said. “By the way, you’re looking pretty great yourself. And that color blue suits you. How’d you talk Sabrina into letting you wear blue instead of green?”
“Years of experience. Sabrina knows I hate green, and she finally gave in and let me choose the color. And the dress.”
“Well, it was a good choice,” Ari said, her eyes raking Sophia’s figure.
Sophia suddenly felt her cheeks grow a little warm. She took a deep breath.
“Would you like to dance, Arianna?” she asked.
Ari started a little at the unexpected use of her first name.
“Sure,” she said softly, eyes wide, and allowed Sophia to guide her onto the dance floor.
As they danced, a few of the usual curious glances were cast their way, but not too many. Sophia felt her heart beating rapidly, blood pounding in her ears. She was nervous. Not just because she was surrounded by family and friends, and th
at made her nervous for any number of reasons, butbecause she was surrounded by family and friendswith Ari.
It had been ages since she had indicated any romantic interest in anyone with family around.
There were a few surprised glances - like from Aunt Constance over there, who could not stop staring and then whispered, scandalized, to her table-mate - but for the most part, her family was used to the fact that she had kept her romances to herself and had never been married, yet had a child. To them, she was aloof or disinterested in relationships, a complete contrast to her sister, who always openly and vigorously threw herself into one relationship after another.
As they swayed to the music, Sophia was aware of the fact that the great scandal of her dancing with Ari was not that she never brought anyone to family events and at last had someone to dance with, nor was it that that person was another woman. No... most likely, the real scandal was that Ari was totally unknown. Certainly, she could not be anyone noteworthy, at least in the circles that her family and family’s friends traveled in. Ari did not have a recognizable face or name. No one knew anything about her. She was a mystery. It had to be scandalous to them... and maybe even a little intriguing.
Of course, Ari’s relative obscurity, materializing at the wedding out of thin air, was something that Sophia rather enjoyed. She liked that Ari was unknown. To her, Ari was a breath of fresh air because of it.
“You’re thinking too much right now,” Ari said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Sophia asked, snapping out of her thoughts. “I am not.”
“You are. You’re all tense,” Ari observed, using her hand, resting at the small of Sophia’s back, to hold her slightly closer. “C’mon, relax.”
“I’m trying,” Sophia whispered.
“I don’t blame you though,” Ari whispered a few minutes later. “I sorta feel like we’re being watched.”
“That’s because we are,” Sophia said. “My family likes to keep tabs on things. One of the many reasons I avoid them as much as possible.”
“What is on my tab, do you think?” Ari asked, her eyes scanning the crowd, curious.
Sophia smiled gently. “Hmm. Pretty. Good height, nice blonde hair, decent clothes, good bone structure, decent posture. You probably pass the test.”
“You make me sound like a commodity. Or a... what do they call it? When socialites parade around their daughters who are eligible for marriage.”
Sophia laughed. “Debutante. More of an East Coast thing. Although who knows, perhaps some of them are wondering if you had been one.”
“Sorry, but no. Hate to disappoint.”
“You don’t disappoint me,” Sophia said, and almost out of defiance, moved closer to Ari, resting her chin on her shoulder.
They stayed that way for a few more minutes, until Sophia noticed a familiar silhouette on the dance floor. She craned her neck to get a better look, and Ari felt her tense up.
“What is it?” Ari asked, following Sophia’s gaze.
There, on the dance floor, was Percy. Dancing with Isabella.
“Oh, wow, so Percy’s got a girlfriend?” Ari asked, amused.
“He most certainly does not have a girlfriend,” Sophia countered.
“They look pretty friendly,” Ari observed.
“They’d better not be,” Sophia growled.
“Oh, come on, Sophia. He’s a teenager. This kind of stuff happens.”
Sophia frowned, considering that. “I don’t know. I could’ve waited a few more years before dealing with this.”
Ari gave her a look that asked,Are you serious? but Ari refrained from saying anything out loud.
“I think we should take a break,” Sophia said, gently backing away from her. She and Ari walked back to the table.
¨°¨
“Photo time, Sophia,” Callista said later, coming up to their table, casting a slightly judgmental look toward Ari, who was nursing a bottle of beer.
“Thank you, mother,” Sophia said primly, uncrossing her legs and standing up.
“Are you ok here for a bit?” Sophia asked Ari.
Ari nodded. “Go. I’m fine.”
A few minutes later, Ari decided she’d had enough of the loud music and dancing, so she wandered outside onto a deck overlooking the lawn where a photographer had arranged Sophia’s family under a stunning, bright canopy of fairy lights and candlelit lanterns.
“That’s great,” the photographer was saying, an assistant running around and adjusting Sabrina’s dress, positioning everyone for the photos.
A few other guests were outside near Ari, milling about and watching the scene, sitting on the benches in the cool night air, drinking, chatting quietly, laughing. Ari relaxed, leaning up against the balcony railing as she observed Sophia’s family. Callista, despite her reputation of being bitter and petty according to Sophia, was quite elegant. She was petite, auburn-haired, with pursed lips that did look a little sour, and sharp brown eyes that watched over everyone, at all times.
Sabrina looked nice, if not over the top, in her jewel-encrusted, long white gown, wearing a stunning emerald necklace. William was handsome if not somewhat lanky, wearing a tux, and there were a few other men standing around him.
“Come on, dad!” Sabrina motioned to a man who had just been shuffled over to them. He was a small man, short, white-haired, but had an air of dignity to him that hinted of a lifetime of power and privilege. Ari watched as he was arranged next to Callista in the pose.
“Looking good!” the photographer called, snapping photos.
Ari’s eyes remained on Sophia and Sabrina’s father. He looked oddly familiar. She could not quite place him immediately, though. She was pretty sure he had never been at any of the town hall meetings. So where was he from?
She took another sip of her beer. She was certain she had seen him before. If only she could remember where... she almost felt like she had seen him in back in her Vegas years? Or maybe on television?
She watched as the photographer started taking pictures, continuing to call out instructions to the subjects on where to look, how to stand or pose, while the photographer’s assistant shuffled around them and adjusted skirts or hands or hair, assuring them they were doing great.
Ari took another sip of beer. It was late, and she was starting to feel sleepy. She should have gotten another coffee instead.
Coffee.
Coffee.
That was where she remembered the man from. Her first job, when she was in high school. Ten years ago he had been the stern, unfriendly man who had come to the coffee kiosk in the atrium at the company her parents worked for, Oscuro. She could even remember that he had snapped at her once for not making his order just right.
And a year or two later, he laid off her parents.
He was the man who owned Oscuro, the company her parents had worked for. He was the reason they had been screwed out of jobs after two decades of devoted service to his business.
Ari’s heart sank. How had this never come up in conversation with Sophia before?
Sophia had not really talked about her family a lot. She avoided the topic, actually, and Ari never really brought it up otherwise. She knew Sabrina, and Sabrina’s friends, and had gotten the general idea that their mother was not Sophia’s favorite person to spend time with. After seeing Sophia’s stern mother at the town hall meetings, she was not overly keen on meeting her parents face to face. Aside from knowing that Sophia’s family had enough money for multiple houses, business investments and sharing a private plane, she had not had a chance to ask for much more detail.
Ari tried to make sense of it. Sophia’s wealthy family... of course, her father was a successful business owner. And she clearly inherited his obsession with work. Ari remembered hearing how the man who owned the company would make impulsive decisions and not give much thought about who was impacted by them. She also remembered her parents talking about office rumors that his wife, who sat on the board, was really the one running the show b
ehind the scenes.
That must have been Callista. Ari could see that. The town meetings must seem really minor to her nowadays.
Ari glanced at the rest of the family, still posing for photos. Callista continued to purse her lips and watch over her husband and daughters’ movements like a hawk.
Ari looked at Sophia’s father again. This guy, and his company, were the reasons her parents had been laid off and had struggled all of the years since. He was the reason that she had been turned off of the idea of having a “traditional” job in the first place.
Oscuro... she’d always thought it was a strange name for a company, but remembered someone told her once that it was a Spanish word for dark, or shade.
Dark. Black. SophiaBlack.
The Black family.
It was almost poetic, thought Ari.
But she felt too disappointed in this revelation to appreciate it.
She suddenly did not feel like watching the family take any more pictures. She went back inside.
¨°¨
“I was looking for you,” Sophia said when she found Ari a half hour later, sitting alone in a dimly-lit room filled with shelves of books.
It was a study, a room off of a grand living room, where many of the wedding guests had congregated now that the evening had grown late. “We’re finally done with the last of the pictures.”
Ari did not answer.
“You okay?” Sophia asked.
Ari smiled sadly. “I’m okay. It’s just... Sophia? What company does your father own?”
“I told you, it’s a software company.”
“Oscuro,” Ari said.
Sophia adjusted her dress and sat down. “How did you know that?”
“Why was it a big secret?” Ari asked, hurt in her voice.
“It wasn’t a secret. I suppose it just never came up in any of our conversations,” Sophia said, sitting down in a chair nearby.
“It’s a pretty big company. He’s a public figure,” Ari said.
Sophia looked at her, concern on her face. “That’s true. Although I didn’t realize you were so familiar with tech companies.”
