Chapter 3:

Extra Strong Coffee in the Sunroom

After yesterday's long day of travel, Nadine had fallen asleep shortly after unpacking her bags. The rest had been refreshing but the early bedtime caused her to wake before the sun had risen over the ocean. Instead of reaching for her phone as she would at home, she stared at the ceiling as she tossed and turned in bed.

The mattress was soft, the sheets were crisp, and the down pillows felt like they were made of a higher fill power. After one evening, she was already being spoiled with smoked salmon, good sleep, and wine aged in French Oak.

Accepting that she wouldn't be falling back asleep, Nadine grabbed her toiletry bag from the dresser and headed for the bathroom.

Though she'd brought her own products from home, Edie had left a wicker basket filled with shampoos, soaps, and lotions on the bench at the end of her bed. "Edie Moran can be cold, but she's a damn good hostess," Blake had said. A stack of fresh cotton towels had sat beside the basket.

After brushing her teeth, Nadine wandered down the back staircase in search of hot tea, but, after noticing the light shining from a lamp, instead of heading to the kitchen, she walked toward the sunroom. With each step, even after having rolled her bottoms once at the waist, the ends of her pajama pants dragged against the hardwood.

Nadine touched the doorframe as she stared into the room. Blake's sister was curled up on the sofa, clutching a mug in one hand and what looked like a day planner in the other.

"Are you always an early riser," she asked from the doorway.

Setting her mug next to an old rotary phone on the coffee table, Meredith took pen to paper after freeing up her right hand. "I don't sleep much," she admitted. She hadn't even bothered to look up as she spoke.

"I used to be that way too."

Up until Roman had turned ten, she would wake before six each morning without setting an alarm. Nadine had spent the time alone reading a novel, doing the crossword puzzle in the morning paper, or biting her nails as she worried about the well-being of her son.

"It seems you still are," Meredith said, alluding to the fact that she was already up and out of bed at five in the morning. "I put on a pot of coffee," she told her. "Extra strong."

"I don't do caffeine."

Meredith finally looked up from her lap. "You won't fit in with this family," she said, giving her a face.

Nadine hadn't expected to.

While she purchased clothing pieces that would hold up for years, Blake's family could spend thousands up and down Fifth Avenue in one afternoon without so much as a glance at the bill. Nadine owned one condo in D.C. that was in an affordable part of town while the Moran family had multiple homes, each located in the upper echelon of zip codes. And while she had saved for Roman's college education, making sacrifices, she imagined that each Moran grandchild had been handed over a trust fund at the age of eighteen.

But who was she to assume?

"My mother gets up around six." Meredith scribbled something else in her planner before she turned to the next page. "She'll put out yogurt with granola and fresh fruit. We'll have toast, scrambled eggs, and lemon pound cake too."

Nadine pulled her book close to her chest.

"Blake told me that your mother couldn't cook."

"She can't," she scoffed. Meredith pushed a strand of bronze hair away from her face. "And she doesn't."

Nadine certainly hadn't grown up with a chef around the house.

"Blake said that I would like you once I get to know you, but just so you know, I don't plan to do so," Meredith said. "I don't know why he brought you here, but I can assure you that we're not in the market for new friends."

Blake had warned her in the car about his mother, but he'd failed to mention the mean streak in his sister.

Nadine cleared her throat. "I'll leave you be then," she muttered before she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Earlier, she'd wandered down the back staircase in search of hot tea, but maybe she would have that cup of extra strong coffee after all. The pot was full, the smell was divine, and, according to Blake, the blend was a must-try from a local shop in Boston. After pulling down a mug, Nadine poured herself a cup. She had a hunch that she would need the caffeine if she wanted to keep up with this family.