House of Mirrors: Chapter 3

Laylee walked out the last guests with a smile and then peeked into the living room. She found her father sitting comfortably with an open sefer in his hands. He’ll wait patiently until he can speak to us. Obviously.

Cassandra ushered the girls upstairs for baths while Laylee’s mother busied herself with the caterers and cleanup crew in the kitchen. The event had been almost perfect and reverberating off every wall thundered the slew of compliments she eagerly anticipated reviewing under a cashmere throw and big cup of chamomile tea… But the reminiscing would have to wait.

Her father Norman Krugman was a man with carefully acquired patience. He had honed his skills years before chiseled and chipped away at the rough edges of impulsivity until he practically held spontaneity in the palm of his hand. He had learned at a young age to manipulate both the how and when of business and his skilled approach had made him wildly successful. Laylee understood his brilliance lay in his timing. She saw Gavi heading inside with a stack of chairs from the succah and felt a sense of dread. He’s going to call us over now make us sit through one of his talks…extolling the virtues of careful preparation—

“Gavi Laylee come here for a minute.” Norman closed the sefer and beckoned from where he was sitting. Laylee tried to read Gavi’s face as they sat down on the couch opposite her father but it was a mask of cool composure.