The Heiress Club

Chapter 16: Storytime

"Marco!"

"Anathi!"

Sparky and Anathi greet each other with slaps on the back and hearty handshakes. They're like old school pals—except they've never gone to school together and only even met a couple months ago. Sparky really has a way with people. I'm about half as good as him and that's saying a lot. He really did teach me the very best.

"It's good to meet you," I greet Thandiwe Mnisi, shaking her hand warmly. She's a tall woman with chocolate skin and a beautiful head of curls. She wears a black cocktail dress that is the epitome of class and luxury. I'm a little annoyed that she's wearing pearls too but I can't be too mad (as she looks far better in them than I do).

Mrs. Mnisi's demeanour is just like Mr. Mnisi. She's warm and polite and so not like Noelise. How the two of them managed to raise a daughter like that, I don't even know.

Speaking of Noelise, she looks ... interesting tonight.

Her parents must've coerced her into this. Instead of her usual heavy-metal-rave-esque attire, she wears a presentable navy-blue dress. It's sleek and bluntly cut with a square neckline, straight waist, straight hem, and angular sleeves that drop to her elbows. She's refused to take out any of her ear piercings or forego her eyeliner. Classic.

"You look nice," I whisper to Noelise as we sit down at the restaurant table.

"I look awful," she hisses back.

Hm. Alright. Testing the waters went well. She seems friendly enough to exchange jibes underneath her parents' noses. So maybe yesterday's little conversation was a plus for our relationship instead of a minus.

We're at an ocean club that the Mnisis are part of. Reportedly, they offer services for members' yachts and events in areas ranging from St. Barths to Monaco. Their restaurant is beautiful and modern in a rustic, seafaring way. Half of the ceiling resembles the wooden beams of a ship hull while the other half is covered with glass panes, opening up in a covered balcony sort of affair that looks out upon the dark ocean. The chairs are wicker but covered in a luxuriously soft fabric.

"You must try the lamb," Anathi recommends. Clearly his family visits this club often. "I know seafood is a specialty on St. Barths, but eating fish day in and day out gets a bit boring."

My mouth waters a little. Lamb is my favourite, but I try not to show that anything is my favourite. I order the mahi mahi.

"Your wife isn't here?" Thandiwe asks politely as we wait for starters to arrive.

Sparky shakes his head. "No, no. I thought she'd come but there were some family issues that she needed to take care of. Something about my in-law's will ... they haven't passed yet, my wife's siblings are just being iresome about its writing. Sibling squabbles."

His words bring to mind, unbidden, what I told Jasper that day in Iceland.

Anathi laughs wholeheartedly. "I see! We're all single children in this household, so we couldn't relate."

Our starters come. Onion five ways, grilled octopus, quail, red snapper tartar, tomato tortellini. I ordered the tortellini. Normally it'd be too much but this is a rich-people restaurant so the portions are tiny.

"How's Arbourne?" Anathi asks, directing the question at me. "My daughter cause any trouble?"

I beam politely. "Arbourne is wonderful. It's such a shame I didn't come earlier—the education there is world-class. And the people you meet too. Noelise included, of course."

That earns a laugh from both parents. "Our Noelise is very prickly," Thandiwe says, looking pointedly at her daughter.

Noelise slouches deeper into her chair and shoots me a glare, as if to say this is my fault.