Catch a Falling Star

by Jessica Starre

  “So, no burning the place down?” she said. “Then let’s go back to your plan, which is to start entertaining more. Which is an excellent idea.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “The flowers were beautiful,” Natalie said. Matthias had come to the door to pick her up. He was a total gentleman. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  “How’d you know tiger lilies are my favorite?”

  “I have an inside track,” he said, helping her with her coat.

  “Ah. Brianna.”

  Brianna wasn’t here right now; she had a meeting with a Once in a Lifetime client, but she’d hugged Natalie and told her to have a good time before she’d gone off. She looked like she might have been crying, but she said it was allergies. But Brianna didn’t have allergies, so that was dumb. It was probably something about work. Brianna was always stressed about work.

  “Where are we off to?” Natalie asked. “Am I dressed okay?” She had on a skirt and sweater because Matthias wasn’t someone you wore jeans and a T-shirt with, unless you were Brianna.

  “You look lovely. I was thinking that little bistro, Genovese? If you like Italian.”

  “Love it.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re partial to Tokyo horror flicks?”

  That made her laugh. “Not in the slightest. If you have your heart set on it, I’ll indulge you but, no, not much of a fan of Godzilla.”

  “Then we’ll have to settle for whatever’s playing at the multiplex.”

  Not a man with a lot of imagination, Matthias, but dinner and a movie sounded fine to her, so she smiled up at him and he said, “You make it hard for me to breathe when you do that,” and something shifted in the air between them and he leaned down and touched her lips with his. Just a gentle kiss, short, sweet, and then he was opening the door, saying, “After you.”

  She got in the Lexus and said, “I love this car. Brianna finally got a new car — new to her anyway — and it’s nice but this is incredible.”

  “Brianna got a new car? She finally replaced that old Ford?” Matthias asked, buckling up and turning the ignition key.

  “Her dad gave it to her.”

  “Her dad?”

  “Yeah. He … well, this is Brianna’s story, I should let her tell it.”

  “She told me her parents were gone.”

  He sounded a little mad, like he thought Brianna had lied to him, so Natalie had to clear that up. “It’s complicated. You know her mom and my dad were married? My mother died when I was a little kid. So, that’s how Brianna and I became sisters. Then her mom and my dad were killed in a car accident. Her dad, though, he was — is — an alcoholic. He abandoned Brianna and her mom when Brianna was thirteen. Thirteen years ago, in fact.”

  “And how is it he’s back in her life?”

  “He got sober, I guess. So he wanted to say he was sorry.”

  “After thirteen years he’s sorry?”

  “That’s kinda Brianna’s reaction, too.”

  “So how’d she end up with a new car?”

  “I guess he said he wanted to help out, you know, things are tight with me in school full time, and she never went to college and Mrs. Curtin doesn’t pay her squat. Anyway, she said he could help out by leaving her alone, so he said he’d leave her alone if she took the car.”

  Matthias shook his head. “That sounds weirdly like the exact kind of bargain Brianna would make.”

  “I know,” Natalie said. “The rest of us would turn down the car and end up with the dad.”

  He was quiet for a moment and then he said, “I guess that explains a lot,” he said. “That big Keep Out sign she’s got.”

  Natalie tucked her hair behind her ear. “I guess if you’ve been abandoned by a parent, it’s hard to trust that other people won’t do it, too, so you try not to get in the position where they can hurt you if they leave you.”

  “The dogs,” he said suddenly. “You.”

  “Right. We’ll never leave her, not like that, you know. Walking out. But she’s pretty wary of everyone else.” She glanced up at him. “This is pretty private and it really should be Brianna — ”

  “I understand,” he said. “She and I have talked about a lot of things but not this.”

  Natalie tensed. What did “a lot” mean? Did it mean —

  “I know about the leukemia, Natalie,” he said gently, as if he could read her mind. “It’s come up in conversation a time or two.”

  She was kind of glad he said it out loud, but in a way she wished he hadn’t. She wished it just wasn’t there. That people could just know her for who she was, not as a survivor —

  “I have to say I think you’ve been incredibly brave and … amazing,” he said.

  Or that. Like she had had any choice. She had just done what she had to do. What else could she have done? It was Brianna who had had the choice, and chose Natalie.

  “You didn’t have anyone — ”

  “I had Brianna. All you need is one person, you know? Just that one person who won’t ever let you down.”

  “Brianna’s a good sort,” he said.

  “I’ve been cancer-free for five years. I was declared in remission two years after my last relapse. They consider you cured if you go ten.”

  “Getting there,” he said.

  “Getting there,” she agreed.

  • • •

  “Mr. G — ” That was Brianna. He smiled.

  “Maybe you should call me Matthias,” he said. “Since I’m dating your sister.”

  “Mr. G.” Or not. “I’m wondering if you’ve given any thought to your guest list? We need to have a general idea of whether we’ll be serving fifty people or five thousand.”

  “I guess … I don’t know.”

  “You know, you’re one of my more aggravating clients,” Brianna said. He suspected she didn’t talk to her other clients like that. “I can’t get started until we get some basic details straightened out. You know, like a date. And the number of guests. I’m starting to think you’re not serious about this.”

  She was right. He had been playing with the idea. Now he needed to commit to it. If it was a disaster, it would hardly ruin his life. He dwelled briefly on the idea of having Natalie by his side as he greeted guests. That made him feel much better. Everyone would love her.

  “Okay, March fifteenth, two hundred guests. Dressy but not formal. Cocktail party.”

  There was a pause. “I didn’t realize you were capable of that. I’ll have some ideas together by the end of the week.”

  “Thanks, Brianna.”

  “Don’t mention it, Mr. G.”

  • • •

  “Hey.”

  That was Joe. Hey would always be Joe. Who did not think Natalie was brave and amazing because she had survived leukemia. He thought she was amazing just for being her. Which was a pretty nice boost to the ego. Probably dangerous in large quantities.

  “Ma was wondering if you’d like to come to dinner sometime. I mean, she knows we’re friends, that’s all, but she likes to meet my friends.”

  “You live with your family?”

  He looked a little embarrassed. “Yeah, it’s the only way I can afford college. I know it’s sort of stupid — ”

  “It’s not stupid,” she said. “I’d love to meet your family.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Natalie opened the door and beamed at Matthias. A beautiful, kind woman who was always happy to see him. Amazing how quickly he had learned to look forward to the time he spent with her.

  “Ballet tonight?” she said.

  “Tickets right here,” he said, patting his pocket.

  Dakota came over to say hello, and he knew how to fend her off by now. Jasmine ignored him from the sofa.

  “You two kids have a good time,” Brianna said, who came out of the kitchen with a book in her hand. “I would be jealous that you’re doing something fun on a Saturday but I loathe the ballet.”

  Matthias s
upposed he rather loathed the ballet, too, but it was a thing people like him did, and Natalie was thrilled, so ballet it was. There were worse ways to spend a Saturday night than indulging Natalie.

  His phone buzzed and he glanced at the number. “I’m sorry, that’s Donald, I need to talk to him.”

  The conversation took only a moment and he turned back to Natalie. “Do you mind if we stop by my house before we head out to the ballet? Donald needs some documents from me for a brief he’s working on tonight.”

  “Of course not. We have plenty of time.”

  Tonight he’d brought the Aston Martin, because he knew it would thrill Natalie, and it did. Brianna would have rolled her eyes. Do you know the kind of good you could do with a quarter of a million dollars? Which he did because he gave away a lot of money. Or rather, his financial advisors did in his name because he told them to. But he still liked the Aston Martin.

  “Oh my god, what is this? Is this an Aston Martin? I’ve never seen one in my life!” Natalie exclaimed, circling the car. And that was suitably gratifying, so he kissed her cheek when he opened the passenger side door for her. “I thought the Lexus was amazing,” she said.

  “The Lexus is great for daily driving,” he said.

  Natalie shook her head, laughing. “Brianna told me you guys drive new BMWs as your beater cars and I didn’t believe her. But it’s true.”

  “The Lexus is not a BMW,” he pointed out. “Although I grant it’s in the same category. What did she mean by ‘you guys’?”

  She waved a hand at him as she buckled up and he put the car into first. “You know, you rich guys.”

  “Nothing wrong with money,” he said mildly.

  “Oh, I like money fine,” Natalie said. “Brianna’s not like me, though. She’s like — ”

  “‘Share the wealth’?” he guessed.

  “No, no, it’s more like, ‘Can you imagine how exhausting it must be to live up to the burden?’ And she really means it. It’s like she can’t imagine life without the carrot. She’s all ‘What would you do if you had everything? There’d be nothing to do. You’d make yourself insane.’ She believes that.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “It probably is true for Brianna. You know? She’s very Type A.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “You can’t discern that for yourself?”

  He considered. “I think you work hard and I think you get disappointed if you don’t succeed the way you want to. But I think that’s more to do with not wanting to let down other people than some intrinsic desire to climb mountains.”

  She was quiet for a minute. Then she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s probably true. God, I would hate to let Brianna down. She’s counting on me.”

  “For?”

  “She doesn’t say it,” Natalie said quickly. “It’s not like, ‘Natalie, you have to do well and succeed at school because I need your help paying the bills.’”

  “It’d probably be easier to tell her to go to hell if she did say it.”

  Natalie laughed. “Exactly. But we’re in this together, you know. Always have been. She’s sacrificed everything for me, even now, so I can go to college, and I feel that, you know? It’s there.”

  “So you want to repay her.”

  “Exactly.”

  He was silent for a moment. “I don’t think you could let Brianna down no matter what you did. I think she just wants you to be happy.”

  “I know! That’s the worst thing about it. She wouldn’t ask me to do it. She doesn’t even want it, not if you asked her like that. But what am I going to do? Say, ‘Thanks for giving up your life so I could have mine, see ya?’ She’s my sister, not my mother. She never asked to take this on. She was the only one grown up enough to do it, though. It’s just … it’s not fair to her. It’s never been fair to her.”

  “Life — ”

  “If you say, ‘Life isn’t fair,’ I am going to get mad at you,” she said fiercely.

  “Thanks for the warning,” he said. “I was going to say, ‘Life is complicated.’ There are no easy answers. Not for anyone.”

  She nodded. “Thank you. That’s good, you understand that.”

  “I do.”

  A moment later, he was turning into his drive and their conversation was apparently forgotten as she caught sight of his house. Her jaw dropped.

  “This is where you live?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Brianna said it was huge, but she didn’t say it was palatial. Oh my god, can I see the inside?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  She scrambled out of the car before he could come around to open her side. He took her hand and walked with her to the front door. He keyed in his entry code and the door clicked open.

  “Wicked,” she said. “Keys are so passé.”

  “Keys are easier to remember,” he said. “The security company makes me change the passcode every week.”

  He pushed open the door and led her inside.

  “Oh my god,” she said again. “This is incredible. It’s just so beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “My office is through here.”

  She followed him slowly, stopping to look around. He paused, turning to watch her, her slim elegant figure moving through the space with assurance. Even gawking, she looked … right. She trailed a finger down a sideboard and he imagined her standing there, pouring a glass of wine before joining him on the sofa. She fit. She fit perfectly.

  He made himself quit staring at her. He went into his office and found the file he needed. She joined him a moment later.

  “The Maltese Falcon?” she said, looking at the figure on the pedestal.

  “Yes.”

  “You know, that so does not belong here.”

  “That’s exactly what Beverly says.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Extra egg rolls,” Brianna announced. She had brought dinner in from the China Pearl, as she had done for every Thanksgiving since she and Natalie had been on their own.

  Natalie dug into the paper bag, extracting cartons and putting them on the table. She had plates and utensils ready — Brianna had never been able to convince her that you could eat directly from the boxes and had finally stopped trying. Natalie could be as stubborn as Brianna was when she put her mind to it.

  “How’s Mrs. Chen?” Natalie asked. Mrs. Chen had once held a fundraiser at the restaurant and Brianna would never patronize another Chinese restaurant as long as the China Pearl was in operation.

  “Wonderful. She sent you something with mussels which she seemed convinced you’d love.”

  “What are mussels?”

  “Probably best to eat first, then find out,” Brianna advised. She glanced at the clock. “Oh, it’s time already!”

  They brought their plates out to the living room so they could eat their dinner while watching It’s a Wonderful Life, also their annual Thanksgiving tradition. Keeping the dogs out of the dinner, ditto.

  When they were finished, Natalie handed over a fortune cookie. “Okay, you go first. And you can’t say, ‘I’m grateful you’re in my life, Natalie’ again this year because that’s just lazy.”

  “I am grateful. But I’ll come up with something new.” She thought about saying I’m grateful you’ve found Mr. G, but she wasn’t quite evolved enough to manage that, and if her voice cracked, Natalie would guess, and her stupid school-girl crush wasn’t worth making Natalie feel terrible for something as perfectly normal as falling for him.

  She thought about Richard, and the house payments, and how she hadn’t been stressed about paying the bills since that windfall. “I’m weirdly grateful to Richard,” she said. “I mean, I don’t want him in my life but he sure showed up at the right time to help us out.”

  She broke the cookie and read the fortune, “‘A long journey awaits you.’ Hmm. Maybe Mrs. Curtin will send me to Dallas to that museum administrators’ conference. Now you, Natalie.” She fed half the
fortune cookie to Dakota and offered the other half to Jasmine, who gave her a look like she’d lost her mind. Brianna shrugged and ate it herself.

  Natalie took her cookie and said, “I’m grateful you made sure I got to go to the ball. Because not only was it everything I dreamed, I met Matthias.”

  Brianna swallowed against her dry throat. “You know, it’s not too late to call him up and ask him if he wants to come over and have some of your pumpkin pie.”

  • • •

  Matthias had never been invited to someone’s house for pumpkin pie before. He’d spent the afternoon at Donald’s house, where he often ended up on holidays, but he was on his way home when Natalie called. So he simply reconfigured his route and drove to her house, pulling in behind Brianna’s new Toyota in the driveway.

  When he knocked, he could hear Brianna scolding the dogs for racing toward the door (he could hear them galloping down the hall), and when Natalie opened the door, there were only well-behaved dogs sitting patiently in the living room.

  He kissed her cheek and she took his hand and said, “Miracle on 34th Street is next.”

  “I’m a sucker for old-fashioned Christmas movies,” he said.

  “You missed It’s a Wonderful Life,” Natalie said. “Which is too bad because I’m not sitting through it again even though Brianna has it on DVD.”

  “Hello, Mr. G,” Brianna said brightly, coming into the hall. “Come in to the kitchen, where you won’t have to fight off dogs to eat your dessert. Did you have a good Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes,” he said. He and Natalie followed her into the kitchen. “Better now,” he added fondly, looking down at Natalie.

  Brianna poured coffee for herself, lifted the pot in his direction, waited for his nod, and poured a second cup. She brought the mugs over to the table, then indicated that Matthias should sit down. She went to the cupboard and brought out the sugar bowl for him.

  “Thanksgiving is the start of Natalie officially going nuts,” Brianna said, going back to the cupboard and getting down plates. “She makes the pumpkin pie in the morning, and then by afternoon she starts up the Christmas cookie factory.”