Over dinner that night, Sam suggested that they come to New York that summer and spend some time in the Hamptons, but Nigel said he didn’t want to go anywhere until the houses were finished. They would be staying in London for the summer. Coco had told Sam he could use the house in Southampton if he wanted, but he said it would feel too odd, and sad, to be there without her. She was what mattered to him, not the house.
Their four days together flew by, and she got plenty of time alone with Sam. Now that he wasn’t working, Nigel disappeared a lot, and said he was working on the house. She wasn’t always sure it was true, but didn’t question him about it. It was easier not to. He got nasty now when she pressed him about anything, like what he spent.
When she took Sam to the airport, he looked at her with all the love he had always felt for her. “Call me if you need me, Coco.” He didn’t like the atmosphere between her and Nigel. It was tense most of the time now, and occasionally the looks he gave her were ugly. He was angry, not grateful for what she was doing for him. He felt entitled to it all.
“You too.”
“Don’t do anything stupid or buy him any more houses.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. And don’t you do anything stupid either, or let your mother boss you around.” He laughed at that.
“I’ll try to come back in the fall to see how the houses look.” She hugged him tight then, and they almost cried when they left each other, but didn’t this time.
She was sad after Sam left, and went home thinking about him. Nigel could see it, and a few days later, he came home and said he had a surprise for her.
“We still haven’t taken our honeymoon, and I thought it would be more fun with friends. We need a vacation. So I chartered a boat for us, with a fabulous owner’s cabin, and five guest cabins.” He looked triumphant as he said it.
“What kind of boat?” She liked boats, but this one sounded like a big deal to her. Her father had chartered one for them in the South of France once years ago, and they’d loved it. But she knew it had been incredibly expensive.
“It’s a motorboat,” Nigel said, smiling at her. “Two hundred and forty feet with a crew of nineteen. We can go wherever we want in the Mediterranean. Italy, France, Croatia. I think Saint Tropez would be fun. We have it for two weeks at the end of August, and when we come back, the house in town will be finished and we can move right in. We should start thinking about a housewarming party.” Using various parts of the house, they could seat a hundred for dinner and dancing.
“Nigel, that’s an enormous yacht. Chartering it for two weeks must have cost a fortune.”
“It did, but it’s our honeymoon. We deserve it, and we can take five couples with us. I’ve already made a list. It’s mostly the people who entertained us all winter.” He pulled a brochure out of a drawer and showed it to her. It was spectacular. She could imagine what it cost, and he expected her to pay for it. He had done it again, but not with a house this time. He hadn’t bought it, he had only chartered it, thank God.
“Nigel, how much did the charter cost?” Her voice was low and tight.
“Do we have to talk about that now? Are you trying to spoil it? You always do these days,” he said nastily, as though she’d refused him anything, which she certainly hadn’t. He had pressured and intimidated her into everything she’d spent.
“I’d like to know. You’re going to have to tell me eventually.” He told her and she nearly fell out of her chair. “And you didn’t think you needed to ask me first?”
“I thought you’d be excited.” She was, about the price of the charter more than the boat. She didn’t give a damn about taking five couples with them to impress them. Saying it was for their honeymoon was a thin excuse, and she saw right through it. He wanted to show off again. Those five couples would talk about the trip for years, and invite them for weekends again and again.