Lunch Date (Estella Restaurant)

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Emily was glad she had this lunch with Natalie scheduled before the situation with Rachel had begun otherwise it might not have been scheduled at all.  In truth she had considered rescheduling.  It wasn't that she didn't want to see Natalie; she absolutely wanted to see her friend, but Rachel's condition had put Emily into a place where she thought she had more responsibilities.  She did, but she also had a family to help.  One mention to Jared of her thoughts of rescheduling and he had encouraged her not to.  He insisted that she needed to get out of the house and breathe a little bit.  Rachel's struggles aside, it had been a busy time - in both good and bad ways.

So Emily had kept her reservation for two at the Estrella Restaurant.  Emily had joined the Pestovo Country Club shortly after her move to Moscow.  She did enjoy golf herself.  The restaurant had been chosen because it was nicer, but it wasn't as opulent as Radiance would have been. Besides, Radiance was used more to impress clients.  Eating there felt like business to Emily.  Here, it felt more like a place she could be with a friend, which was, of course, the point. 

Emily as always had arrived a little early, but had sent Natalie a text letting her know to give her name to the host then she would be brought to Emily's table.  The two had a lot to talk about. Emily knew that Natalie had shown up at the reception, but had not been able to come in.  Emily bore no grudge about that.  Jay had needed help and Natalie had done what Emily would have done as well.  But she wondered about Jay and hoped he was okay.  She knew Jared did too.  Then there was Rachel.  Natalie didn't know her sister, but she knew Emily's love of family.  But beyond that - there were the good things.  Emily was more interested in talking about the good things.  That is what she now needed.  She ordered a water and waited for her friend to arrive.

[Natalie Grey]

It wasn’t often Natalie made room for anything purely social. Pestovo wasn’t somewhere she was familiar with, mostly because of the elitist price tag (and the generally insufferable company of others wealthy enough to afford it), though she fit in amongst the opulence as well as anywhere else. Northbrook was a name people took note of, within the Custody at least, even if they were unsure which one she was. Wrapped in the wool of her coat, she spent some time wandering the grounds before her lunch with Emily. It was an oasis carved out of the busy metropolis heart of the city, though most of the greenery this time of year lay in quiet hibernation. The dissonance caught somewhere in her gut -- between the luxury so easily within her reach, and the life she had known in Africa. The world here was too serene for the sorts of scars she carried unseen. 

Emily was an enigma in that regard. Not snobbish, but the warmest, most kind-hearted person Natalie knew despite her wealth and business acumen. How she remained so in the cutthroat arena of Moscow Natalie had no idea. Emily deserved a better friend in truth, but in Natalie the bonds of loyalty ran deeply, even if it didn’t always make her a good person.

Her cheeks were still faintly flushed from the cold when she entered the restaurant, gave her name, and handed over her coat. A glass wall boasted rolling views over the club, and heavy chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling; her gaze flickered over it all as she was shown to the table. Natalie was never big on the sort of affections some women shared, so she slid straight into the chair that was pulled out for her. Amusement glimmered in her eye, faint at the edges of her lips, as she shared a look with Emily. “Fancy,” she said in tease.

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Emily smiled and laughed at Natalie’s quip. She was genuinely happy to see the other woman. Seeing her was enough to let Emily know that Jared had been right. Emily needed to get out of the house and not worry about Rachel for a bit. She was fine. Or would be fine. Maybe. Emily banished the thought for now, she needed to focus on Natalie.

”Natalie! It’s so wonderful to see you. It’s been too long,” she said brightly. She looked around at the restaurant. ”I know. But I didn’t have enough time to practice my golf game before the snow came and I got to use my benefits!” she said with a playful smirk.

The waiter came by and asked for drink orders. Emily ordered a water, and hadn’t looked at the menu yet. Lunch was on her, and she let Natalie order her own drink. ”So, how’s Natalie?” Emily asked. She knew Natalie had a lot of scars. She hoped her friend was okay, but Emily was there for her if she needed it. She always would be.

[Natalie Grey]

Her lips twitched a small smile for the warmth of the greeting. Emily always proved to be effortless company, a rarity Natalie valued because it was so remarkably genuine. Real trust was always either hard won or something instinctual. With Emily it had always been the latter – a sense that relaxing her guard would never be weaponised against her, that kindness was for its own sake, not a transactional process. It wasn’t the only reason Emily knew so much, of course. Circumstance played its part too, memories Natalie didn’t choose to dwell on. But those disclosures were some of the few she had never regretted sharing with another.

“I’m fine,” she said easily, some self-aware amusement in the pale glance of her eyes. It wasn’t a lie; any compartmentalised distress was buried deep, where it wouldn’t bother such moments. That had nothing to do with maintaining a guard, which certainly softened away in present company, and instead had everything to do with mechanisms of self-survival. She had little intention of bringing any shadows to this reprieve in her day. Truth was she was glad for an excuse to step outside the burden of her own thoughts for a time. “London wasn’t quite so bad as I imagined, though it was shockingly bad timing.”

When the waiter approached she amended the drinks order to water for the table. Something harder wouldn’t have been amiss, but was probably a poor idea all things considered, and it was easier to take the excuse to abstain. The teasing edge of her smile returned as she plucked up a menu, though it was Emily she was considering then, with no attempt to be taciturn about it. Clearly Natalie knew, or at least suspected, but she didn’t want to steal the joy of such news from being shared in its own time and way – nor presume it was even news that would be shared. She and Jared had barely been married five minutes, it’d still be early days. “Sooo, how was the honeymoon?” she asked instead. “You know you’re still practically glowing. It suits you.”

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

Natalie was fine - at least she was displaying as such. Emily hadn’t been concerned about Natalie, but it was nice to know she was okay all the same. At the very least, her reply seemed completely genuine and Emily knew that her friend lowered her guard around Emily. They had a lot of trust in each other. It was something that came easy to the two friends. She knew that was a rarity for Natalie and Emily was glad to oblige.

”Im glad to hear that. I know a trip to London…well…you know.,” Emily said, her gaze warm, bright, and disarming.

The timing had been inconvenient. It was the main reason Natalie hadn’t been able to be at their wedding. Of course Natalie had shown up at the reception, but had been unable to stay. Emily bore no grudge at that. She knew why Natalie hadn’t entered the hall, and it was far more important than an appearance. Emily decided not to press the issue, feeling as if Jay was a hit button issue right now. At least for now, she’d play it by ear.

Natalie was okay with water, and Emily noticed the smile that accompanied her face as she took a look at the menu - a knowing smile that showed Natalie had guessed Emily’s little secret, an idea that was reinforced when Natalie said she was glowing.  Natalie’s smile was met with a similar smile from Emily - one that showed that Natalie had guessed right.

”Thank you,” she said, a slight blush coming to her face. The honeymoon was great! Italy is beautiful - even in November. A month away from work was also good. It was certainly hard to come back. Glad I have good staff. They contacted me once and were told firmly to not do it again unless the building was burning to the ground. It was the first and last time they called me.” Emily and Jared had done some touristy stuff, but they had spent far more time inside than out.  ”Rome and the Vatican were near, but I liked Florence and the Tuscany countryside more.”

The waitress came back then to take their food orders. ”Ill have the baked chicken please with roasted vegetables. And could I also get a bowl with some pickles in it?” the woman smiled at her, gave her an affirmative before taking Natalie’s order. She had hated pickles a week ago. Now she always wanted them.

Emily turned to Natalie after the waitress had left. ”So…cat out of the bag…” she sighed contentedly, too excited to keep the “secret” any longer - at least with Natalie. ”Im pregnant. Due August.” Emily was positively beaming. She knew it was early and she probably shouldn’t be telling people, and she hadn’t told many. Family and Natalie. And Emily couldn’t keep it from Natalie. Bedsides - a gut feeling told her this pregnancy would go through without a hitch.

[Natalie Grey]

She half smiled and tipped her shoulder to brush aside the trip to London. The complexities of family were never pleasant topics of conversation for Natalie, and while she would talk if pushed, she was unlikely to volunteer more than Emily already knew. She’d gone there expecting admonishment, particularly given her grandfather had sent his most trusted aide all the way to escort her from Moscow, whether she was willing or not. Honestly, the ire might actually have been easier to bear. Instead Edward used the occasion to remind her exactly where, and from whom, the Northbrook’s power came from – not that she’d ever had cause to forget. Only, in drawing her attention to those lines in the sand he had not galvanised her desire to protect the tentative life she made in Moscow, as intended, but made her realise just how easily she might find herself on the wrong side of them. Hardly a treason she could confide – in anyone.

Emily didn’t mention the reception, and she was glad to sidestep it. She knew Emily would bear no ill feeling, though she was probably concerned to know how Jay was doing. Or possibly curious why Natalie had been the one to sit with him outside the venue. But there were no easy answers for any of that, and it pressed on something tender Natalie wasn’t particularly keen to examine. She trusted Emily would be delicate if she did ask simply because it was the way she was, not that Natalie would be remotely offended by a direct approach. What she didn’t trust was her own response. The more painful the truth, the more apt she was to wield it like a self-inflicted weapon.

She distracted herself gladly with the menu and Emily’s description of the honeymoon. The sweetness of the blush actually made her laugh a little, not unkindly, but because she found it endearing. For all her staid, aristocratic manners, Natalie never professed to being a lady, and honeymoons weren’t for sightseeing. “I’m sure Italy is beautiful. And I’m also sure you’ll see far more of it next time.” She smiled, a brow raised in tease, but honestly she was glad to see the uncomplicated happiness. If anyone deserved good things, it was Emily.

The waitress spared any further blushes Natalie might tease when she returned for the order. She handed the menu back without having perused it with any seriousness; she was here for the company more than the food. “That’ll do for me too,” she said, then added with a smirk. “Minus the pickles.”

Natalie truly at ease was a rare thing. She could act the social part, and frequently did, but it was always at a removed distance; a facsimile of what was expected of her, with little ever allowed to pierce her sardonic armament. Though she’d already guessed the news, her smile when it was shared was genuine pleasure. The warmth of Emily was infectious in a way she couldn’t really describe. They’d never had reason to discuss motherhood and she hadn’t even known it was something Emily wanted, but looking at her now it seemed the most natural fit.

“Congratulations to you both,” she said. Then, without a pause for thought, but with truthful sincerity, she added, “I can’t think of better parents.” Given the tragedy shadowing Emily’s past, she knew how much that might mean; that sometimes happiness could be tinged with a little sadness. But often that was where strength came from too. She’d seen Jared with Ekene in Sierra Leone; witnessed first hand what the nurture had done for a child that lost everything in life’s maelstrom. She really couldn’t think of two people better suited to the task. “Your sisters must be excited too.”