21. Whole Thing About Fate

21

WHOLE THING ABOUT FATE

" I t's so nice to meet you, Van," Karen Raymond said, coming over to shake his hand the minute they walked into Duke's house.

"You too," he said.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd met a woman's mother that he was dating.

Kyle was the first father he'd met in years too. He didn't count that all that much though in his mind. That first time it had more to do with meeting his business partner than anything else.

"Seems like Hadley and I are the outliers here," Karen said. "It's not normally the case with me."

"Don't lay it on too thick, Mom," Kelsey said. "It hasn't worked out and it hasn't been that long. Dad knows Van more for a different reason."

"I know," Karen said. "I'm trying not to be offended."

Just great. Not a guilt he needed.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Don't be," Karen said. "You're right, Kelsey. He is like Duke though I wouldn't go so far as to say he's Jell-O."

Guess Kelsey didn't keep a lot of secrets from her mother by the sounds of it.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that either.

"I'm happy if anyone wants to take over the Jell-O part," Duke shouted from the kitchen. He could see into the massive open space and wasn't shocked at the size of the kitchen or the setup.

"I'm Hadley. It's so nice to meet you. I've heard a little about you."

He shook hands with Duke's wife. "Nice to meet you too."

"Want a beer?" Kyle asked him.

"Sure," he said.

Kyle got up and walked into Duke's kitchen, got the beer and came back and handed it over.

"What?" Kelsey asked. "Nothing for your only daughter?"

"Scotch or wine?" Duke asked.

"I'll have wine with Hadley. Whatever she opens is good."

Duke cleared his throat and looked at his wife.

"Actually," Hadley said. "I'm not drinking right now."

"Are you pregnant?" Karen asked, rushing to her daughter-in-law.

"I am," Hadley said. "Almost out of the first trimester. I'm due April second."

Kelsey squealed so loud it almost broke his eardrums. "I'm going to be an aunt! Single or twins? You've got to know by now. It'd be cool to get twins like Carson and Hudson just had."

"Single," Hadley said. "Thank God."

Hadley was getting hugs from the parents and he turned to Kelsey. "Who are Hudson and Carson?"

"Our cousins. Different branch, but that doesn't mean much to a lot of us. Hudson and Carson are twins and both doctors. They both had a set of twins. Hudson and his wife, Delaney, had Alec and Allison in early May and Carson and his fiancée, Laine, had their twins last week, Wyatt and Lila."

"They both had a boy and a girl?" he asked.

"Crazy, huh? But I've learned that is the island for you. You know, that whole thing about fate?"

Van tried not to roll his eyes over Kelsey's comment. He'd been hearing about this since he moved to the island.

No one other than those in this room was aware of his inheritance though. The ones he worked with just thought he moved to the island to change up his life after his stabbing.

He didn't bother to correct them.

In his mind it was no one's business what he had in the bank.

"Kelsey," Kyle said. "No need to make Van feel uncomfortable."

"I'm pretty sure it takes a lot for him to feel that way," she said. "What's for dinner? Some of us had to work today and are hungry."

"Sauce," Duke said. "You know that. You can see it."

"But you never make just sauce and meatballs. What else is there?"

"Bread. There are stuffed shells in the oven and a vegetarian lasagna."

"Yum," she said. "Meatballs, right? I need my meat."

Van was watching the two siblings talking. "The lasagna is for you," Duke said.

"But I still need meatballs." Kelsey moved to the stove and lifted the lid off the pot. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"Like I've got much of a choice," Duke said.

"You two never stop," Karen said. "They've always been like this. Duke gives Kelsey what she wants all the time."

"Does she do the same for you?" he asked Duke.

"What?" Duke asked. "Did you hear that, Kelsey? Your boyfriend wants to know if you give people things other than grief and jokes."

"I gave him his wife," Kelsey said proudly. "I've got a lot coming to me." Kelsey took a bow. "Come on, applause for me. Let's all admit it."

Van looked around the room at this and saw the laughter. He thought it was a joke.

"I thank you every day," Duke said. "Or my wife reminds me that I should thank you every day."

"I can tell you're confused," Kyle said. "Hadley's parents owned Duke's other restaurant years ago. Kelsey managed their finances for them. When they wanted to sell and were struggling, they went to her for advice. Kelsey brought up Duke and that she'd see if he was interested."

"Hadley's parents had an offer too sweet for me to pass and Kelsey knew that. But she is the one who got the ball rolling and pushed me."

"I didn't know my parents were doing this," Hadley said. "I came back to the island to start over kind of like you. Or start fresh. I was stunned to find out what was going on."

"Because you wanted to take it over?" he asked.

"Oh God no. I just wanted a job while I found another one. Duke gave me one and the rest is history."

"Thanks to me," Kelsey said.

"You're not going to let him live it down, are you?" he asked.

"It'd go a long way if you could try to talk her into doing that," Duke said.

"Like you think I've got any control over her?" he asked.

"You've got more than you think," she said to him and walked over to kiss his cheek. "But we can let it drop for now. How much longer, Duke?"

"It's probably done and can sit and rest." He opened his oven and pulled the two dishes out. Then went to the fridge and came back with a few platters. Looked like an antipasto and some kind of dip with crackers.

"Artichoke dip and fresh crackers," Kelsey said, doing a fist pump. "Yes."

"Is everything here your favorite?" Van asked.

"It normally is," Duke said. "We've learned to give Kelsey what she wants."

"Hey," she said. "You're making me out to be this spoiled princess and we know I'm not."

When he saw her going or coming straight from work, she looked high maintenance to him. He liked her clothing choices and the heels she wore. The fitted pants and skirts.

She was classy.

He never thought he'd end up with a classy woman in his life.

Though looking at the pictures of his mother before he was born, she looked classy to him and he wondered once again what the hell had happened.

But the minute Kelsey got home, she was in her room and changing into clothes that suited more his style.

She was in jean shorts, as it was still pretty warm outside, and a T-shirt with flip flops on her feet and her hair in a ponytail.

She might look different from night and day, but her tongue hadn't changed.

"You'll always be spoiled," Kyle said. "Even a brat. And we know you're the queen because we've called you that before. Not sure why you're denying it now."

She crossed her arms. "I don't want Van to think I'm too much to handle."

Everyone broke out laughing. "I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting with you," he said. "I would have been long gone by now if I couldn't handle it."

"I'm not sure I like that smirk. Part of me doesn't want to be handled, but the other part is happy you can do it. And because I'm confused, I think we need to change the subject. Hadley, how are you feeling?"

"I feel great," Hadley said. "Not even like I'm pregnant."

"That's wonderful," Karen said. "I was the same way with these two. Are you going to find out the baby's gender?"

"Of course she is," Kelsey said. "Duke would want to be prepared."

"Yes," Hadley said. "Duke was the first one to bring it up. I don't mind either way. It's a surprise whenever you find out."

"I'm going to start buying things the minute I know," Kelsey said.

"So am I," Karen said.

"Women," Kyle said to him. "My girls, they love to shop."

"I buy what I need," Van said. "I'm pretty basic."

"Says the guy with a massive house and a wine cellar that will take me years to get through."

"I doubt years," he said. "You've put away three bottles already."

"Kelsey!" Kyle said. "Barry has been filling that cellar for years."

"Hey," she said. "It's not my fault. Van brings up a bottle whenever I'm there. I don't drink it all in one night. Don't get me in trouble, Van."

He was ignoring Kelsey's comment. "Did my grandfather drink wine? I got the feeling he was into whiskey and scotch."

Van hadn't planned on bringing this up in front of everyone, but since it was brought up innocently enough, he didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"Barry liked his whiskey and scotch. He had the wine for company. He didn't entertain often in the past few years, but prior to that he'd have some dinner parties. He liked to have a lot of options on hand. But the last year or so he was just filling the slots up more than anything."

He wanted to ask why but didn't think it was the place or if Kyle even knew.

Then Duke said it was time to sit down and eat dinner. He hadn't touched the salad that was put out like Kelsey and her mother had done. He would pass on that.

Everyone sat at the dining room table, then ate while the conversation flowed.

He didn't have to contribute and was fine with that. It wasn't his thing to talk much but rather observe.

"Did you get anything from Christian?" Kyle asked him.

"Kyle," Karen said. "I thought we agreed to not talk about work."

"Sorry," Kyle said. "Ignore me. My wife laid the law down and I broke it."

He smirked. "No worries. But the answer is no. He said tomorrow."

Kyle looked at his wife and then smiled. "We'll talk about it on Friday then."

The dynamic between the two married couples was something he wasn't used to seeing.

Not a long-lasting marriage of smiles and warm looks mixed in with the silent conversations they were having that no one seemed to understand but Kyle and Karen.

Yeah, his mother should have had that in her life and he hated that she didn't.

But she would have never gotten it staying with his father and he wondered more than once why his mother never left if she had this to come back to.