#chiantishires

Nyra stood in the middle of the living room and eyed the guests. Most of them were circulating around the room, shaking hands, and patting each other on the back. However, if one looked closely, one could see where the lines were drawn. Dad was sitting in the middle of it all holding court with Logan Roy beside him. They were the reason why Nyra had spent the last several weeks planning this shindig down to every last bottle of wine and every canapé.

She moved away  and began to circulate. She shook hands with Carl and Gerri and exchanged the kind of pleasantries that were common at these things. “My kids are fine, thank you for asking,” she found herself saying more times than she could count. “Yes, Jake and Luke are at Dalton. Wonderful school.”

All of those words were like so many ashes in her mouth.  After she had circulated twice, Nyra walked towards the balcony that overlooked Central Park. 

She stepped through the double doors and felt the wind ruffle the lavender dress she wore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but found her city of the view obstructed by a familiar figure. “I thought you might be here,” Nyra said as she approached Kendall and leaned against the balcony. “Long day at the office?”