For once, she didn’t argue.
On Saturday, May third, the engagement party occupied the rooftop of the Calder Hotel, a glass-and-steel building in the center of Lake City with a view designed to make ordinary people feel financially inadequate. Strings of warm lights crisscrossed above white-clothed tables. Tall heaters glowed in the cool spring evening. A jazz trio played near the bar, and servers moved through the crowd with trays of drinks too small to justify their price.
Everything was tasteful. Evelyn had always been good at tasteful. Tessa stepped out of the elevator beside me and surveyed the room.
“Last chance,” she murmured. “I could cause a minor ankle situation.”
“No.”
“Your commitment to bad decisions is inspiring.”
A server offered us champagne. I took one glass. Tessa took two.
“For medical reasons,” she explained.
The first person to recognize me was Evelyn’s former coworker, Marissa, who congratulated me on being “mature” enough to attend. Tessa nearly inhaled her champagne.
The next ten minutes became a receiving line of concern. Someone admired my strength. Someone asked whether I was dating. Everyone looked relieved when I said no. My prepared answers performed adequately. Work was good. I had not moved. Tessa and I still shared the apartment. I was happy for Evelyn. That final answer became easier with repetition—not more truthful, only less meaningful.
I was reaching for a chocolate tart when the crowd shifted near the elevator. Evelyn stepped onto the rooftop. She wore anivory jumpsuit with a deep neckline and wide legs that moved elegantly around her. Her light brown hair was pinned into a soft twist. A diamond flashed on her left hand as she lifted it to greet someone.
Vanessa stood beside her in a dark green dress. Six months of avoiding the photographs ended in one second. Vanessa Cole was the woman from Evelyn’s office holiday party—the one who laughed too brightly, appeared in more and more stories, and inspired the private smile on Evelyn’s phone during the final months of our relationship.Justafriend, Evelyn had said.
Tessa moved closer to me. “That’s her.”
“I know.”
“You knew?”
“Not for certain.”
“Amy.”
“I suspected.”
“You told me Vanessa was someone new.”
“That was the information available in the official announcement.”
Tessa gripped the stem of her glass between two fingers. “I’m going to need a third champagne.”
“You’re holding two.”
“I’m going to need them both.”
Evelyn noticed me. For one brief second, her polished expression broke. Surprise moved across her face, followed by something I could not name. Then she smiled.
“Amy.”
She came toward us, bringing Vanessa with her. I had imagined this moment several times. In most versions, I was cool and gracious. In one particularly satisfying version, I had arrived with a successful architect named Claire who spoke three languages and adored me. No architect materialized.
“Amy, I’m so glad you came,” Evelyn said.
She leaned forward as if to hug me. I adjusted my handbag, leaving no clear path to my body, and she settled for touching my arm.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course.” She looked at Tessa. “Hi, Tessa.”
