mother at nine, why on earth didn’t he mention that fact to me after I told him about my mother? I mean, not last night, when I was screaming at him like a freaking maniac. But this morning, during our amazing, intimate conversation in the gym, when we were both so open and apologetic and kind?
I’m thoroughly confused.
Did Reed’s biological mother die when he was nine, and then his Dad somehow remarried before being shipped off to prison, and the woman in Scarsdale is actually his stepmother—a woman Reed always thinks of as his mother? That could be it. But, damn, if that’s the case, Reed’s father got married after the death of his wife awfully fast. As quickly as my own father did. Which, again, I would have expected Reed to mention when I was telling him about my father and Paula.
My head teeming with thoughts, I chop some carrots for a long moment, and finally cast out my fishing rod. “I’m so proud of Reed for all he’s accomplished in his life,” I say, “especially after everything he went through as a child.”
“Oh, yes. I’m enormously proud of him for that, too. It breaks my heart, just thinking about everything he went through. But he’s come out the other side and made all his dreams come true, while still retaining his kind heart. That’s the best thing of all, if you ask me—that he’s as kind and generous and sweet as ever, despite all his success.”
Okay, who the fuck is Amalia talking about? I mean, yes, Reed has been enormously generous and sweet with me, but Amalia is making him out to be a saint.
“He really is so generous and sweet,” I agree. “I mean, he didn’t simply let Henn throw his wedding here. He paid for everything.”
“Oh, I know. But that’s Reed. If he cares about you, he’ll move heaven and earth to make you happy.”
“So I’m discovering. You know what I think? Reed is terribly misunderstood by people who don’t know him well.”
She stops what she’s doing on a dime. “Oh my gosh, yes, he is! I’m so glad you understand that about him, Georgina, so you can show the world the real Reed in your article. So many people don’t see his heart. They think he’s only a shrewd businessman. But he’s so much more than that.”
“That’s what I like about Reed most. That he’s got so many layers.”
Amalia nods enthusiastically.
And we both fall silent for a moment.
Finally, Amalia says, “To be honest, it shattered me to watch poor Reed’s world come crashing down the way it did.”
I continue chopping methodically, even though my mind is reeling. Is that a reference to Reed’s father’s arrest and conviction? Or a reference to whatever happened to Reed’s mother when he was nine? “Yeah, from what Reed told me,” I say, “it seems like everything was extremely difficult for him.” What “everything” am I talking about? Honestly, I have no idea.
“I just felt so powerless to do anything to help him,” Amalia laments. “And then his father was arrested, only a few short years later, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. How much can that poor boy take?’”
“You did everything you could,” I say vaguely, even though I still don’t have a clue what we’re talking about. “Reed knows that.”
Amalia exhales deeply and stops what she’s doing at the stove, so I stop chopping and give her my undivided attention.
“I tried to take him in when his father went to prison,” she says. “But the judge said I wasn’t a relative, so I couldn’t have him. It broke my heart to watch him get sent to live with some distant relative he barely knew, rather than with me. I wanted to be the one to take him because I loved him like my own. I truly did.” She wipes her eyes with her apron. “I still do.”
Well, this is new information. When Reed’s father was arrested, Reed was sent to live with a distant relative? Why? Where was Reed’s mother... or his stepmother, if that’s who the happy woman in Scarsdale is? Oh, God, I’m so confused. I move around to Amalia on the other side of the island, and put my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “I’m sure Reed knows you did your best, Amalia.”
Amalia shakes her head. “I cried when I couldn’t get custody of him. I cried for myself and for Reed, and for his poor mother, too. Of course, I would have preferred his