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CHAPTER 6
CASSIE
“I’m glad you called me.” Lucy took a bite of spinach salad.
Several years ago, Cassie met Lucy Hamilton during her scholar-in-residence tenure at the Preston Museum in Los Angeles. Lucy was an art history graduate student at the time, and now she did independent research and was married to a famous British rock star. The couple owned several homes, including a villa in Santorini.
“Me too.” Cassie sipped her chilled white wine and glanced out to the sea. The sun shone brightly across the water, and the breeze had picked up. She grabbed her paper napkin before it blew away.
“This reminds me of old times when we had lunch together at the Preston.” Lucy smiled, pulling her long, dark hair into a ponytail. “I toiled away as a lowly intern while you immersed yourself in scholarly research. I had to twist your arm to go out for a burger.”
Cassie took the last bite of a grilled scallop. “I loved every minute of my time there.”
The waiter arrived at their table. “Would either of you like another glass of wine?”
“No more for me,” Cassie answered. “How about you?” she asked her friend.
“No, thanks.” Lucy waved off the waiter. “Justin is recording today, so I want to do a little shopping before I go back home. It’s been a great day for Sarah and Grace, and I’m going to take advantage of it.” Lucy leaned over to check in on her twin toddlers slumbering in their stroller. “We’re flying back to London tonight.” Lucy adjusted the stroller’s sun visor. “What are your plans?”
“I’ll be here one more day visiting family. Then I go back to London to see Beatrice.”
“Beatrice?” Lucy laughed. “I remember when she insisted you only address her as Professor Somerville. You two fought like cats and dogs.”
Cassie smiled, remembering those early days. “She referred to me only as Dr. Papadakis, and under no circumstances was I ever to address her by her first name. She terrified me. We didn’t agree on anything, especially since her expertise is Byzantine history and mine is ancient Greece. Eventually, I proved that my research skills were helpful to her.”
“You two are kindred spirits,” Lucy said. “I’m glad I introduced you to each other.”
“Me too.” Cassie swirled the remaining wine in her glass. “I’m a little unsure about what to do next. I can’t work for her forever.” She hesitated about offering too much information, but Lucy was a good friend of Beatrice’s, and she would want to know about her concerns. “I’m worried about her health.”
Lucy’s eyes went round. “Oh, no. What’s going on?”
“She had a fall at her home on Crete. She wasn’t seriously hurt, but the doctor diagnosed a heart condition during the examination. She was hospitalized for a few days, and now she’s back home in London. After seeing her, I’ll go to New York to visit my parents.”
“And then what?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. If Beatrice decides to retire permanently, I’ve got to figure out my next career move. Since the Hayford Fellowship fell through, I don’t have any next step plans.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get it.”
“Me, too. According to my friends at Princeton, Owen is strutting around like a proud peacock, planning his acceptance speech.”
“He really does sound like a jerk. What about your friend, Daphne? What does she say about Owen?”
Daphne was the daughter of Cassie’s graduate advisor, and they had become best friends at Princeton.
“I haven’t heard from her lately, and that’s weird. We usually text or email each other every day.”
“I’m sure everything is okay. So, let’s get back to you. Do you want to teach, do private research, or something else?”
“I admire professors, but teaching isn’t for me. I think it might be in the something else category.” She wanted to do research on her own terms, but that seemed like an impossible goal right now.
The waiter returned with the bill, and Lucy snatched it away. “This is my treat.”
“Thanks, Lucy.”
A group of beefy security guards guided some people to a corner table.
“What’s all the fuss?” she asked.
