Chapter 27 James

The day of the charity tournament had arrived, and it was an understatement to say that James was nervous. Not only was this his final event as an employee of the Alonso-Miller Foundation, but it was also the first time he would see his parents since the confrontation at dinner last weekend. And, James thought, after today, he wasn't sure when he wanted to see his parents again.

While James' relationship with his father in particular had been fraught for some time, he'd never imagined that he would be in a position where his mental health might be better off if he simply stopped speaking to them for a while.

Liana had helped him a lot simply by staying with him for a while he worked through his complicated feelings about his parents. He'd never felt so comfortable next to another person. He always felt like he needed to be "on," to put on a facade that was, if not happy, at least content and self-possessed. But with Liana, he felt like he could just exist as he was, to feel whatever he was feeling. He'd fallen asleep holding her every night this week, and every morning he'd awoken feeling a little better about his life choices. They couldn't be so bad if they had led him to wake up with Liana in his arms.

James had woken up at 4:30 am and after a few failed attempts to go back to sleep, he decided just to go to the PHCC and set up. He'd driven into the parking lot as the sun was rising. Liana had slept at her own home, knowing James would have to get up early, but she would be at the PHCC in a couple of hours and James couldn't wait to see her.

The florist had been the only last-minute cancellation among the event vendors, and James was grateful, having dealt with much more significant cancellations and obstacles at his previous events. In getting up early, he'd had enough time to drive to Hialeah to secure a same-day flower order from another vendor. Now he was back at the PHCC setting up, and the decorations were shaping up nicely. The weather was beautiful, sunny and if anything a little bit cool for Miami in the spring.

He felt a surge of pride looking out at the event he'd planned. It was elegant without being stuffy, and he thought the older guests would appreciate the venue's stately traditional charm, while the younger attendees would appreciate his thoughtful touches, like an iced coffee cart and locations specifically set up to be ideal social media photo ops.

Eventually, the guests started trickling in, and James greeted them with his best attempt at the detached charm the ultra-wealthy usually emanated. He returned his dad's friends' hearty slaps on the back, made jaunty promises to play golf, and didn't shy away from the wet cheek kisses of the eighty-year-old women decked in pearls. He couldn't have been more relieved when Liana arrived. He kissed her quickly and pulled her into her side, asking her if she was up for greeting people with him. She agreed and James felt a surge of love for her. He knew this wasn't typically Liana's scene, but she exuded confidence. Liana was something of an introvert, he'd learned, but you wouldn't know it from the way she greeted guests with genuine warmth, smiling at their jokes and coming up with a few witty one-liners in response.

A few minutes before the pickleball tournament play was to start, James' parents walked in. James ground his teeth as they approached, but Liana rubbed a soothing circle on his back, calming him down. Before James had a chance to speak, Liana stepped forward and offered each of James' parents a wide smile. "Mrs. Alonso, it's so nice to see you again," she said, kissing his mother on the cheek and offering no hint that their first encounter had been fraught with tension.

"Mr. Alonso, it's nice to see you as well," she continued, kissing his father on the cheek as if he hadn't all but ignored her during their first meeting. "Thank you both for having me today." Liana certainly knew that the invitation had come from James and not his parents, but she was saying all the right things to his parents.

"The country club is absolutely beautiful," Liana continued, directing her gaze to James' father. "You must be so proud to have led the architecture team. The marble floor was a great choice. I understand it's the only material remaining from the original club that burned down in the 1930s. I know some people wanted this building to be made only of brand-new materials, but I think the marble floor is the perfect way to honor the original structure. It blends in seamlessly with the color of the coral rock that makes up the outside walls."

James was incredulous. Liana had clearly read up on the PHCC renovation. How had he gotten so lucky as to find this woman? He could feel Liana's charm working its magic on his mom. Even his dad looked slightly less icy as he recounted the series of decisions that had led to the placement of that particular slab of marble.

James gave Liana's hand a squeeze that he hoped conveyed the depth of his appreciation for her. Liana and James' father spoke for another minute about the PHCC renovation, and then Liana asked James' mom thoughtful questions about the foundation. James was floored at Liana's ability to make polite conversation with people who had treated her despicably at their last meeting.

"Well, we will be heading over to the courts now, son," said James' dad. "Liana, it was nice to talk to you. I hope we have some time to get to know each other soon." Liana looked shocked, and James thought his chest would burst from pride. Somehow, Liana had won over the infamous Peter Alonso. Maybe James wouldn't be cutting his parents out of his life. Maybe there was a path where he could keep Liana and his parents in his life, and preserve his mental health, too. But only if he could have a serious talk with his parents about boundaries.

James' mom kissed James and Liana on the cheek and then offered James a discreet smile and thumbs-up as she walked away. James scooped Liana into a hug. "You're incredible, baby," he gushed, kissing her. "You're a saint for being nice to my parents after that stunt they pulled."

She waved him off. "They're your parents. I want to be a part of your life, which means they'll be a part of my life, too. Holding a grudge won't help anyone."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you. You're amazing. I can't believe you just cracked the code on my dad. He loved you! Both of my parents did."

James had been so dreading this event, but right now, he was the happiest he had been in a long time. He felt invincible with his girlfriend beside him. He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face as he lifted Liana and twirled her in a circle.

"Ahem," someone mock-cleared their throat loudly, and James quickly set Liana back down. Looking up, he saw Mary Grace. His good mood instantly evaporated. Not only did Mary Grace have the nerve to show up here after last weekend, but she had apparently found herself a doubles partner. One she had chosen, no doubt, for the express purpose of infuriating James.

The man standing with Mary Grace was all too familiar to James. This man had done everything he could to get under James' skin once upon a time. In a memorable Instagram post, this man had presented a deck of homemade tarot cards, one card with a caricature drawing of James with the words "The Choke Artist" written in medieval script. The man had, another time, made a meme of James' face grimacing seconds after losing the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, captioned "When you're so constipated you try to lose the Australian Open."

Brock Templeton. The bad boy of tennis was now, apparently, Mary Grace's pickleball partner.