Black Opal Read Free

you.”
    “Fine,” the voice said, “I’ll be out in a moment. Show them into the foyer and close the door before the house fills with bugs.”
    Throughout this exchange, my mortification intensified. I knew whatever was about to happen would end with me looking like the biggest idiot in the world.
    Nadine looked me up and down. For the first time since I chose my traveling clothes, I became aware of the faded t-shirt with the crusty rock band emblem still clinging to it and the cut-off blue jean shorts I wore. She muttered under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear, “Unbelievable. Come on in.”
    The tap-tap of high heels rang on the pinkish marble floor. From the sound of it, more than one person was on the way to greet me.
    A woman who could have been on the cover of a magazine entered first. She wore her shining dark hair long and in a style that must have taken hours and required complex tools to create. Her makeup was one of those complicated jobs designed to make her look younger, with very light colors surrounding her eyes. She took one look at me, wrinkled her nose and quickly covered it with a ‘possum grin.
    An older woman sauntered into the foyer behind her, and I suddenly understood what amused Nadine the maid so much. It only took one glance to know this was Dean’s mother or a very close relative. What next, universe? The oval face, the straight bridge of her nose, the full lips, and dimpled chin resembled Dean so strongly, it was eerie. This woman walked at a pace saying she didn’t have to hurry for anybody. Diamonds and rubies twinkled at both ears and at her throat. She glanced at Nadine, who still giggled with her hand over her mouth, and cocked her head to one side. Even her demeanor was Dean at his haughtiest.
    Oh lordy, Peri. Just what have you gotten yourself into this time?
    “This must be Dean’s girlfriend we’ve all been waiting on. She thought I was you. ” Nadine chuckled again but, when she saw Mrs. Turgeau did not share her amusement, she cut it off.
    Dean’s girlfriend? Were they expecting me? The lady of the manor continued to stare at Nadine, her face still and impassive, until Nadine scurried out of the room. Then she walked toward me, a smile curving her lips and crinkling her eyes. Also like Dean, she seemed to switch emotions on a dime. She held out her hand. My heart thudded so hard, I worried it might jump out of my mouth if I spoke. I kept my lips firmly sealed just in case.
    “You must be Peri. Your grandmother called Dean and told him to expect you. I’m Julienne Turgeau, Dean’s mother.” We shook. I could do no more than gulp and nod.
    A college-aged woman wearing a sweat-ringed tank top and running shorts sped into the room, her eyes comically wide. Her workout shoes squeaked as she came to a sudden stop on the marble floor. She studied me from my canvas lace-up shoes to my short pixie cut. Her lips, a feminine version of Dean’s, curved into a smile, and she stuck out her hand.
    “I’m Maddy—Madeleine, that is—Dean’s baby sister.”
    “Peri. Dean’s girlfriend.” I couldn’t help but return her smile as I gripped her sweaty hand in a brief handshake.
    The other woman, who I guessed was another of Dean’s sisters by her age, stepped forward and held out her hand. “I am Lisette David-Turgeau-Carter. I was Dean’s wife for about fifteen years.”
    Every cigarette I smoked on the trip picked that moment to make me gag and cough. The receipt from Five Sixty in Dallas flashed in my memory, and things clicked into place. Taking a bath in buffalo doo doo would have had more appeal than living through the next few minutes.

2

    Ten minutes later, we entered what Dean’s mother called the parlor. The air smelled like polished wood and antiques and money. The little details, like the faux columns set into the walls adorned with elaborate carvings, highlighted the differences between this world and mine back in Gaslight City, Texas.
    I couldn’t