Author's Note: I've learnt a new trick. Revisit the RichKidsofInstagram tumblr page and I'm reinspired.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to review! I love you!
To all my anons reviewers: Yep! Ella hasn't even met Claire yet. It is way too soon to judge. She thinks Claire a gold-digging harpy who seduced and corrupted her son, LOL. I think hiring a private investigator to dig up all her secrets is a bit overboard, but that's Ella for ya! Everything about Claire's history and background will be revealed soon. I'm so glad you all liked Sammi, she's a good ally. She's not afraid to tell it like it is, unlike Josh, who is also her ally, but went about it in circles. As for who did the message for Claire, it was one of the girls in the sauna with her, since they were the only ones who Claire made that soulmate reference to. You might find out who in the later chapters. Also, thanks for the request! You'll have a flashback next chapter. I'm thinking... Ella POV. She's not a good person, but it's hilarious to write.
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen: Tea and Ball Gowns
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Claire slammed the car door behind her before her driver could step out and round over to her. She stood there for a moment, on the smooth driveway under the porte-cochère, just savoring the blessedly fresh and quiet air of Derrick's private property. As much as she had enjoyed her once in a lifetime trip to an island, she hadn't had a chance to really breathe. The plane ride back had been suffocating without Sammi, and then it was nonstop traffic until they hit the wide open roads of Westchester County.
"Will you be needing any help with your bags, Miss?" her driver asked.
"No. Thank you," Claire finally said after another calming breath. "I think I've got it."
She accepted her rolling suitcase from the driver and forced herself to walk up the limestone steps towards the massive front doors. Biting her lip, Claire mentally prepared herself. I can do this. I've made it this far. She smoothed out her sundress before finally reaching over and pressing the doorbell. She watched as the driver pull way before turning back towards the doors, just as it was pulled open.
"Claire!"
Just her name and she felt all her worries melting away, her body relaxing, finally at peace. Cam's arms wrapped around her and Claire nuzzled her face in his soft shirt. He smelled like Drakkar Noir and home and Claire couldn't stop the tears from coming to her eyes. Everything had been so hectic lately. It seemed like so much had happened in the span of a just few days, but Cam tilting her face up and pressing his lips hurriedly to hers was as familiar as ever.
As right as ever.
Urgently, Cam's lips roved over her face, her cheeks, her neck, until she slid her hands into his hair, pressing herself back against his lips again. His hands wrapped tighter around her, tugging her body flushed against his. Her hands tangled in his hair and his slid up from her waist to the back of her neck.
She already knew they were perfect. She already knew exactly how they would fit together; she knew it with more certainty than pulling on her favorite skinny jeans. Memorable, familiar, and safe. She recognized instantly the exact pressure of his lips, slanting over hers, before she opened her mouth with a hum for soft and sweet to turn firm and frenzied. Everything melted away, leaving only an intensity where her body ruled and her blood roared. Their kiss was artless, desperate, real.
"Claire," Cam laughed, pulling away slightly to look down at her with bright eyes. "I missed you too."
Forcing her heart rate to slow, Claire reminded herself they were at the Harrington estate and oh my god, what was she thinking? What if Anna had seen them? Feeling her cheeks warm up now that reality was returning to her, Claire tried to pull away, but Cam tugged her back. She relented and neither of them moved for a moment. His forehead rested against hers as they just… breathed.
Slowly, the tension melted away, but along with it came her worries again. Her insecurities and frustrations were building again, churning like chunky mashed potatoes, settling heavy in her stomach and uncomfortable in her heart.
They needed to talk.
"Ahem," a voice interrupted. Cam pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling away, turning towards the voice. Apparently, it would have to be later. A tiny older woman in a dark skirt and formal blouse stood at the other end of the grand parlor. Her boyfriend made a beeline over to her and pulled her into a warm hug, whispering a few words to her. He led her over to Claire.
"Claire, this is Mini," Cam explained. "She's the head of the household. And the woman who basically raised Derrick and me."
Mini took her hands gently with a secret smile at Cam. "You sure know how to pick them. She's beautiful. When's the wedding date?"
Cam laughed, though there was a blush staining his cheeks, and Claire couldn't help but giggle too.
"Mrs. Harrington is expecting both of you for tea. She's in the garden grove."
"Thanks, Mini, we'll head over there now," Cam said with a nod.
Mini turned back towards the foyer and called out. "June?"
A demure looking girl headed over and curtsied slightly in front of Claire. "Claire, this is June. She'll be attending to any and all of your needs for the duration of your stay. Anything she can't provide, she'll know to find me."
Stammering, Claire protested, "That's—not necessary."
"Nonsense," Mini cut her off, as Cam rubbed a soothing hand down her back. It was a gesture telling her that she wasn't winning this fight. Claire relented softly with a sigh. Mini smiled at her reluctant nod, and then turned to June with a command. "June, get the door."
Claire realized with a blush they had left the door wide open and were still standing in the way. After giving Mini another hug, Cam led Claire out through the side door to the patio and down the terrace. Cam gave her some commentary this time, as they strolled.
He gestured back out over the winding driveway. "Derrick and I used to race our bikes down that hill, to see who could go the fastest without touching the handlebars. That's how I broke my arm." Claire widened her eyes at him, but he only pointed at a tree further ahead in the back. "And see that tree behind the hedges? Derrick and I tried to build a tree house there, but Mrs. H found out and made us take it down. We were going to disrupt all her hummingbird feeders, she said. They're the only natural pollinators for some of her flowers in the garden. Derrick was so pissed off he ended up destroying them all anyway."
"You two were troublemakers." She couldn't help but laugh. "Where was the adult supervision?"
"What adult supervision?"
Cam grinned at her, but with an estate this size, Claire could believe it. They passed under an allée bursting with foliage and the same bright orange flowers from her hotel room. Following along the alfresco stone lime cobblestones, Claire felt the same feeling of wandering into a whole new world again. This looked nothing like the gardens Cam had shown her the night of the dinner party. It was more beautiful in the daytime.
Up ahead, Anna had decorated the secluded groove with sheer curtains from the overhead branches, creating an intimate awning for teatime. Flower petals littered the ground as a few servers set up tiered trays of pastries on the lace covered table. Delicate matching china and tableware was already laid out and waiting. It was like something from a fairytale.
Or medieval England.
"Cameron," Anna greeted with open arms as she stood gracefully from the table. Claire stood nervously aside as Cam greeted Anna. She turned to her next. "Claire, it's good to see you again."
"Yeah," she squeaked. "Thanks for having me."
As they made themselves comfortable on the cushioned winged chairs, a trio of servers delicately poured fresh tea from shiny gold pots for them into pale white and gold rimmed cups. Claire wouldn't even be surprised if they were real gold at this point. She already knew the people here were obscenely rich, so why was she always shocked? She should know by now that her expectations would be outdone. Every single time.
She tried to follow Anna's etiquette exactly. She had never experienced this sort of high tea before.
"Please." Anna gestured at the display of deserts. "Go right ahead. My son is always late. Even for his own mother's tea in the backyard. We can start without him."
Knowing she must be overwhelmed, Cam gestured at the middle tray of still steaming buttery scones. "Try them with the lemon spread."
Anna pulled her cloth napkin over her lap with a smile. "It's even better with the clotted cream. This new batch just came in this morning. Cameron, when do your parents get home for the wedding?"
Claire accepted a scone from an attentive server and after watching how Cam did it, smeared a bit of both offerings on. She took a bite and tried not to moan out loud. Decadent.
"Mom should be coming back today," Cam explained, taking a bite of his own with lemon.
Anna stirred her tea gently. "That's good. She hasn't had the opportunity to meet Claire yet, has she?"
Cam reached over and squeezed Claire's hand reassuringly. "No, but as soon as possible. We're having dinner as soon as dad returns. It depends though. He's still in Australia. Apparently, he's been in meetings all week over the new factory."
"Yes," Anna hummed. "I had heard there were some problems with the regulations."
"Well, we gained approval months ago, but with rising prices and foreign industries, the public started to protest. Now the board is bouncing back, but there's not much they can really do. They're making the new requirements so ridiculous it'll be impossible to get off the ground, but increasing regulations is all they can do really. It's fightable," Cam told her with assurance.
Claire blinked in surprise at her boyfriend's words. Foreign what? Board what?
What?
As if sensing Claire's confusion, Anna turned to her with a small smile. "Enough about work. Tell me, Claire. Is it true that you're studying art?"
"Yes," she said after a moment. "I work as a freelance photographer. My roommate Amy and I co-own an art studio back in Chicago."
"Oh? Is that lucrative work? What do you photograph exactly?"
Claire wasn't offended; her mother had asked her the same questions. "Well, I photograph whatever I'm commissioned for, so it does pay the bills, but it is also a hobby. I usually just photograph whatever strikes my inspiration, mostly. My personal favorite is cityscape. My final project was on the evolution of architecture and it's relation to identity and culture."
"Cityscape, hmm?" Anna took sip of her tea. Claire noticed that she didn't indulge in any of the scones or desserts laid out. "Then surely you must be enjoying your vacation in one of the most famous cities in America. This is your first time, am I to believe?"
"Yes."
"Then, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you."
Even Cam could sense the undertones in that comment, but Claire spoke up before he could, "Yes, this is, but Cam and I are still staying for almost a month. I think that's more than enough time to explore and see everything I've always heard about."
Cam turned to her, squeezing her hand in reassurance again. "And if not, we can always come back again."
Claire felt her heart warm at Cam's subtle support. She smiled brightly at him and squeezed his hand back. Anna sat silent, watching and considering the both of them before her. She wondered if either of them realized what Cam had implied. Anna would have to break it to Ella someday… gently. Finally, she smiled tightly and said, "That's wonderful to hear. Your mother would be ecstatic to see more of you, Cameron. And of course, Derrick and I would too. You're family, and so any friend of yours is welcome here at any time."
Cam beamed at those words from Mrs. Harrington, feeling a weight he hadn't even known was there lift off his chest. It was as close to acceptance of Claire from her as he was ever going to get. Before they could respond though, Derrick approached the secluded grove. Crunching on flower petals, he apologized for being late and pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek before joining them. Claire accepted another warm scone from the server.
##
"A dead rat?" Layne asked incredulously, stopping in her tracks on the busy sidewalk. Since they were linked, Claire was forced to stop with her. A disgruntled New Yorker behind them cursed loudly before rounding around them and hurriedly continuing on his way.
"Some type of rodent, yeah." She shrugged, fighting off the shudders at the memory.
"I can't believe all that's happened to you this past week," Layne told her, slowly starting to walk again. Claire followed along too, still admiring the surrounding skyscrapers. "An island? Those girls? Dead animals? Derrick's mom?" Her friend glanced over at her with a loud fake sigh. "Okay… I guess I forgive you for not calling…"
"Gee, thanks, Layne. How nice of you."
Layne patted her arm as they stopped at an intersection. "Leave it to you to walk right into the middle of all this."
Claire rolled her eyes, stopping again to fish out her camera to take a shot of people crossing the road towards them. The light changed and Layne and Claire clung together again to walk with the crowd. "God, Layne. I just wish you were there. I wish you could have seen Derrick's place. It's completely unreal. Cam's room that we're staying in was the size of our suite at the St. Sherry's. It's decorated with all this art deco that apparently dates back generations. I swear to god, I saw a sculpture that we studied in Art History. But not only that, all of Anna's silverware and china match the intricate framework of whatever freaking room we're in."
"That's impossible," Layne interjected instantly.
Claire widened her eyes. "I'm serious. It was like that at the gallery living room at the party and then in the room where we actually had dinner and then at today's tea party too… outside. There's no way that's all a coincidence."
Layne didn't know what to say to that. Claire stopped again to take a few pictures of a food vendor. She continued, "The house is massive, I didn't even have time for a full tour, but there's a maid around every corner. I even have one dedicated just to me. I think she's pissed because I haven't let her do any of her duties."
"Like what?" Layne asked with a raised brow.
"Like, I needed a shower after that plane ride, and she offered to help me undress, which creepy. So I told her 'no thanks,' and then she offered to draw my bath for me, but I only had an hour to get to the city to meet you, so I said I would just jump in the shower. I go to grab some clothes, which she already unpacked for me, and head to the bathroom and she's already in there. Setting the water temperature to perfection for me and offering me scalp shampoo massages. And I'm like, can I please just shower?"
"You said that?"
"No, but I was thinking it. Then, she lit like, twenty candles around the room to help create a relaxing ambiance and turned on the heater for my towels and—All that… Just for a shower."
"God," her friend cackled. "All this pampering is just wasted on you, Claire. That sounds amazing. Let her give you the works next time!"
Claire rolled her eyes. "It's uncomfortable. I'm just not used to it. It's just hard to believe that someone's entire job is to wait on me hand and foot."
"I think you should just enjoy it while you can," Layne told her with a smirk. "How long are you staying there for?"
Stopping to take another picture, Claire turned back to Layne with a shrug. "I think just until after Derrick's wedding. I'm not sure where we'll be staying after that."
"His parent's, maybe?" Layne asked with a suggestive nudge when they continued along the way.
"I haven't even met them yet. Cam's parents have been… out of town."
Layne narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean? Where are they?"
"Apparently, his mom was in Massachusetts. She's flying back tonight. And his dad's been at work? In Australia, he mentioned."
Layne tilted her head in confusion. "Cam's dad lives in Australia?"
Claire was forced to shrug. "I… actually have no idea. I think he was just there for work. Probably. Cam's parents are definitely still together, though. I know that."
Her friend stopped again and eyed her. "Well, what does his dad do?"
Claire avoided her eyes. She raised her camera again to snap at a random point up ahead, just to block her face. "I'm not sure," she mumbled.
"Claire," Layne reprimanded. She tugged on her arm to force her to turn back and face her head on. Her dark haired friend crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brows again. "Have you and Cam talked yet?"
Her face crumbled. "No, we haven't. There hasn't been time. Everything's been so busy. There's some event every day. Someone's dinner party or a country club brunch or something. Then there was the bachelorette party all weekend and I haven't seen you enough at all and—"
Layne sighed, and nodded slowly, letting Claire off the hook. "I get it. Just promise me you will soon. You'll never be satisfied until you do." Claire nodded vigorously in agreement. They linked arms again. "And make sure you ask him why he never mentioned any of this. You've been together forever. You have a right to know why. So, don't let him off the hook."
Claire nodded with a giggle. She leaned her head against her friend's shoulder. "Yeah. I know. I will."
"Okay then. So, the wedding's this Saturday?"
"As if. Apparently, there's the welcome party this Friday afternoon at the Block's place for all the guests arriving out of town. The wedding will be on Saturday morning at the church, and then a reception after that somewhere, and then the dinner banquet on a mega-yacht that night. Oh, and of course, the closing tea ceremony Sunday morning. I think that's it."
Her friend let out a low whistle. "So have you figured out everything you're going to wear?"
She nodded. "I have a couple daydresses."
Layne rolled her eyes. "Claire, don't joke around. You can't wear your favorite white sundress." Claire opened her mouth to say 'obviously', but Layne continued right over her, "Plus, these people are loaded. It's the wedding of the year, Claire. And even if The New York Times hadn't showed me that, the fact that there are twelve different events for one wedding is enough. You're probably going to need something fancy for each one. At least. Celebrities will be there. People are going to be decked out in jewels and ball gowns and whatever rich people wear to weddings. Rich people stuff."
Claire rolled her eyes too. "Well then, why should I bother? I can't compete with that."
"It's not a competition, Claire," Layne told her. "It's dressing up and having fun. When are you ever going to go to a wedding like this again? I just want you to enjoy yourself. I want you to experience this with Cam. I'm not saying you have to fit in, I'm just saying… why not? Show everyone that you can do this just as well as them. No… better yet, do it for yourself."
She let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay, alright. You're right, as always, Layne. Let's find me a ball gown."
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Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Sorry it was a bit short. More coming soon!
Review if you like?