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“Don’t worry, I have every intention of squeezing that in this week as well.”
“Tell me what Hadley’s up to.”
“She’s into everything, and saying a few new words every day.”
There’s a real ease to Bekah’s tone, which Emma loves to hear. It appears that the depression she struggled with after her two miscarriages has dissipated.
“Send more pictures, will you? Trust me, I can’t get enough.”
“Ha, be careful what you wish for.... Listen, I know this is a really personal question, but a while ago you said you were on the fence about trying for kids with Tom. Have you thought about it lately?”
Emmahasthought about it, though certainly not during these last crazy days.
“I’m still not sure, actually,” she says. “Since it’s a second marriage for both of us, I want us to focus right now onfinding our way as a couple, and then we’ll figure out the rest later. I know I don’t have all the time in the world, but my gut tells me first things first.”
“That sounds smart. Are you still feeling good about things with Tom?”
“Definitely. I can’t believe how happy I am.”
“No hiccups?
That’s a funny question.
“Nope.... Though as much as I like Westport, I really miss you—and the city. Now that we’re done with the house, Tom and I want to start coming in more, so I hope we can lure you and J.D. out for dinner one night.”
“Of course! And I’m sure your other friends in the city would love to see you, too. Did you hear Kelly got promoted?”
“Yeah, she texted me. And what a cool new role for her.”
“I was sorry, by the way, to read about that friend of Derrick’s—the one who passed away so unexpectedly.”
The skin on the back of Emma’s neck prickles. She has no clue what Bekah’s referring to.
“Who?”
“Chris Shelbourne. I saw he died in a scuba diving accident a week or so ago. In the Caribbean, I think.”
“Oh my god, I had no idea.” The news is shocking and sad, but not shattering for her. Chris and Derrick had met through squash, and Derrick, dazzled by Chris’s success and wealth, had arranged a couple of double dates with him and his wife, Lilly, the year before Derrick died—and yet the couples had never been close.
“So you hadn’t heard?”
“No. They wrote me a note after Derrick died, but I losttouch with them after that. How did you remember I knew him?”
“I didn’t, but J.D. did,” she says. “We talked to Chris and his wife at the party you gave, and J.D. was kind of in awe of what a Renaissance man the guy was. You know—megamillionaire, mountain climber, art collector, the whole nine yards.”
“What terrible news, but thanks for letting me know—I’ll drop his wife a note.” She’d really liked Lilly, a food photographer, the few times they’d met.
They chat a little while longer, promising to make a date soon, and after they’ve signed off, Emma vows to do a better job of staying in touch with Bekah.
Before returning to the studio, she searches on her phone until she finds the obit for Chris Shelbourne. Dated six days ago, it offers little about the circumstances of his death, other than the fact it occurred, as Bekah had indicated, while he was scuba diving off the coast of the Caribbean island Bonaire. Emma can only imagine how horrifying the experience must have been for Lilly.
Because Emma had been tasked with sending out the paperless invitations to their cocktail party, she has Lilly’s email in her address book, though not her home address, and she takes a minute now to compose a message to her, saying how truly saddened she is to hear the news.
For a few seconds, Emma finds herself back at that party, mingling with guests in the Madison house while doing her best to keep a smile plastered on her face and not give away that her life now resembled the ninth circle of hell. Though she barely recalls seeing Lilly that night, she does remembertalking to Chris, who peppered her with questions about current trends or some such. It had been a welcome opportunity to take refuge in a corner of the living room and let the awful party throb on without her.
How strange, she thinks, that just two years later, he and Derrick have both died young—one at the hands of a murderer and the other in a tragic accident.
The afternoon speeds by even more quickly than the morning did. Though Emma always looks forward to her Friday night dinners out with Tom, this one matters even more to her. She wants to assess Tom’s state of mind after seeing him unusually sleepless last night.
