Page 19 of Lavish Loving
She found her parents, Ike Sr. and Jennifer, in their favorite sitting room. Her father slowly swirled a tumbler of brandy. Jennifer drank tea.
“Hey, you two.”
“Hello, dear,” Jennifer replied.
“Evening, Clarisse,” Ike said, eyeing her warily over his tumbler.
London didn’t bother correcting her father. To her parents, she’d always be Clarisse. She walked over to an ornate buffet crafted of ebony wood and poured a glass of sparkling water.
“Are you joining us for dinner, dear?”
“Yes. What’s for dinner?”
“Oh, no, you must want something. Let me lock away my checkbook.”
“Now, Ike. Don’t tease like that. Sweetie, is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine, Mom.” Except for the expensive gift from a stranger. That didn’t feel fine at all. But why share and have three people worried? “Don’t worry, Dad. Thanks to your suggestion years ago to hire a financial planner, my bank accounts and investment portfolios are all very healthy. Your checkbook is safe from me.”
Ike nodded. “Good.”
“I do have a question to ask, though, and a potential favor.”
“I knew it!” Ike shook his head sadly. “You were such a quiet, obedient child. But since hitting the teen years you’ve caused ninety of the one hundred gray hairs I now have on my head.”
“Ike Drake! That is simply not true. If I recall correctly it’s seventy-five.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“We want to renovate the west-wing suite for her to live. And here you are, pushing her away. We’re very proud of you, Clarisse. And we’re so glad you’re home. Would you like something besides water? Wine or tea?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then let’s move to the dining room.”
The three bypassed the larger dining room and the table for twelve and continued to the smaller table off the family room.
“Just us tonight?” London asked.
“Yes,” Ike answered, “and that’s fine with me. I saw enough Drakes this past weekend to last me till summer.”
“Mr. Drake. You’re being a rascal. What has gotten into you tonight?”
“Didn’t say I didn’t love them. Just that I don’t need to see so many again until the next reunion .”
The three sat down to a light dinner prepared by the chef. After small talk about the weekend, Ike shifted the conversation.
“Tell me about this favor.”
“I might need to go to San Francisco this week and wanted to know if the plane was available.”
Ike raised a brow. “The company plane?”
“Unless you’ve purchased one for recreational use, yes, Dad, that’s the one.”
Jennifer chuckled.
“That plane is to be used for company business only.”
“This is business.”
“Drake Realty Plus business?”
“In a way. My last name is Drake.”
Both her parents laughed at that.
“San Francisco is less than two hours away, honey,” Jennifer said.
“You know I don’t drive.”
Ike’s fork stopped midair. “Doesn’t mean you can’t. Or you can hire a driver.”
Jennifer reached for the linen napkin beside her plate, wiped her mouth and turned to her daughter. “What’s happening in San Francisco?”
London told them about seeing Ace in Temecula and about his modeling offer.
Jennifer’s eyes brightened. “I know about that young man.”
“You remember his underwear ads, Mom?”
Ike looked at his wife. “Careful with your answer, hon.”
Jennifer’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Ike. “Honey, the only underwear that has caught my eye for the past thirty years has been worn by you.”
“Oh, Lord.” London groaned, but secretly she enjoyed seeing her parents interact this way. They’d given her the perfect vision of what true love looked like. “How’d you hear about Ace?”
“A couple weeks ago, at a meeting with the fund-raising committee. In fact, I was planning to talk about it with you and ask you to participate. It’s for the community center. We’re planning a charity fashion show event featuring local designers and models, as well. OTB Him is one of the companies we reached out to.”