Oscar is Staying
982 Words
"Thats fine by me," Nathan said.
"Marcus has agreed to host the ceremony at the estate. Five hundred guests. Full press coverage. The merger announcement will go out the morning after."
"Fine."
Eleanor studied him for a moment. Then she turned back to Marcus and continued the conversation.
Samantha was sitting beside Nathan. She had been quiet through most of the dinner. She listened more than she spoke. When she did speak, it was brief and direct. She asked the caterer a question about the wine. She corrected her father on a quarterly earnings figure. She nodded at one of the politicians with the familiarity of someone who had been in these rooms before.
Nathan noticed all of this without meaning to.
Marcus leaned back in his chair and looked at Samantha. "Tell Nathan about the Rio expansion."
Samantha wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it down. "We acquired a logistics company in Brazil last quarter. Forty million. It gives us control of the southern shipping corridor. I negotiated the deal myself. It took six months."
"You run the group?" Nathan asked.
Marcus smiled. "She doesn't just run it. She rebuilt it. When I stepped back three years ago, revenue was flat. Now it's up thirty percent. She fired half the board and hired people who actually work."
"Dad." Samantha said it flatly. Not embarrassed. Just corrective.
"What? He should know who he's marrying."
Nathan looked at Samantha. She met his eyes and held them with calm acknowledgment.
"I don't need my father to speak for me," she said.
"Clearly," Nathan said.
They went back to eating.
The rest of the dinner moved through its paces. Dessert was served. Coffee was poured. The guests began breaking into smaller conversations. Marcus held court at one end of the table with the politicians. Eleanor huddled with the lawyers near the fireplace, going over documents.
Nathan stood near the window, looking out at the dark grounds. The oak trees were barely visible. A light fog had rolled in.
"You okay?"
He turned. Samantha was standing beside him with a glass of water. She had set down her wine at some point during the evening. He had not noticed when.
"I'm fine."
"You've been somewhere else all night."
"Just tired."
She nodded. She didn't push. She stood beside him and looked out the same window for a moment.
"My father thinks this contract is the most important thing either of our families will do this decade," she said. "He's probably right."
"Probably."
"I know this isn't what you wanted."
Nathan looked at her. "What makes you think that?"
"Because you're here and your mind is clearly on someone else. And because no man sits through a five-course dinner about his own wedding with that expression unless he'd rather be anywhere else."
Nathan said nothing.
Samantha sipped her water. "I'll be honest with you, Nathan. I agreed to this because it makes business sense. I'm not here looking for love. I gave up on that a long time ago. I need a partner who understands what it means to sit at this table. That's all I'm asking for."
"That's very practical."
"It's the only way this works. Romance is for people who can afford to fail. I can't."
Nathan studied her face. In the low light of the dining room, away from the formality of the table, she looked different. Softer. The tight bun had loosened slightly. A few strands of dark hair had fallen near her ear. Her jaw was sharp but her eyes were warm. Brown. Almost the same shade as Leila's.
He pushed that thought away.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Someone colder."
Samantha almost smiled. "My father thinks I'm cold. My board thinks I'm ruthless. The press thinks I'm a machine. They're all wrong. I just don't waste energy on things that don't matter."
The guests started leaving. Handshakes. Goodbyes. Promises to review contracts by Friday. His grandmother shook Marcus Nelson's hand like two generals after a signed treaty.
Nathan moved toward the door. His car was already waiting. The vaal had brought it around.
Samantha walked him out.
The porch light was on. The air was cool. Nathan could smell rain coming.
"This was a good dinner," Samantha said.
"It was efficient."
"That's what I said." She stopped at the top of the porch steps. Nathan stopped too. "I'll have my assistant send over the final wedding timeline by Thursday. Venue. Catering. Guest list. You'll review it with your grandma."
"Alright."
"Nathan."
He turned.
She was standing very still. Her face was calm but there was something in her eyes he hadn't seen before.
"Are you having doubts about this?" she asked.
The question hung in the air between them. Simple. Direct. No hidden meaning. Just a question.
Nathan opened his mouth to answer.
Samantha stepped forward. One step. Close enough that he could see the faint freckles along the bridge of her nose that the dining room light had hidden. Close enough that he could smell her perfume.
She kissed him.
It was brief. Her lips touched his and stayed there for two to three seconds.
Then she stepped back.
"Goodnight, Nathan," she said.
She turned and walked back through the front doors. They closed behind her.
Nathan stood on the porch.
Rain started to fall. Light at first. Then heavier. He didn't move. A drop hit his cheek. Then another.
He touched his lips with his fingers.
Then he walked down the steps, got in his car, and drove home in the rain.
His phone was on the passenger seat. It lit up once during the drive.
Leila: "You've not been picking your calls. Oscar is staying at my place for a few days. Is that cool?"
Nathan read it and put the phone face down on the seat.
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