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“Give her a kiss for me?” Juliette asks.
“You can go see her anytime, you know,” Toni counters.
Juliette doesn’t reply but we all see her yearning. It makes me so uncomfortable, that sad pain of hers. Sometimes, it’s so heavy that I can feel it pouring from her, smothering me.
“I’ve been thinking.” We all fall silent at Toni’s tone. “We should cancel the party.”
“Why?” I ask first.
“Yeah. She’s a kid,” Lyla seconds. “She should have a big bash with a jumpy house and all her preschool friends.”
“I agree with Toni.” Juliette shakes her head. “You guys don’t know what parents are like. They’ll take one look at us and run in the other direction, taking their kids along with them. It won’t be good for Cassidy.”
“I don’t want what we do becoming a known part of her life,” Toni admits, and, while I can acknowledge that it’s a completely different scenario, her previous statement about me having things to work through seems a little hypocritical now.
Lyla slumps in her chair. “We can dress down. Nobody would know.”
“Lyla, people can tell that we’re -”
“Hookers?” Lyla snaps, growing petulant.
“Different.” Toni sighs. “All it’d take is one nasty rumor.”
“What’s the point of all this,” Lyla waves her hands, encompassing the house, “if we can’t even throw a party for our kid?”
“I agree.” When Toni looks at me now, there is only fatigue. “So, we don’t invite other people, Toni. We throw her a big party here, just for her and Nonna. Andus.”
Surprisingly, Juliette joins our crusade. “She’s five, Toni. We should make a big deal for her birthdayevenif we don’t invite other parents.”
“And I’ve perfected my cupcakes,” I whine.
Lyla groans. “Cupcakes sound so good right now.”
“Okay.” The single word has us all turning to look at Antoinette. Leaning back in her chair, she laughs, “Fine. We’ll do it. A party for just the girls.”
We all start squealing with excitement at the same time.
“Oh my God, this is going to be so fun!” I gush.
“I’m totally going to buy a dinosaur costume,” Lyla seconds.
“I wonder if I can make a dinosaur cake too?” I make a mental note to look for a video online.
“I’ll run it by my grandma and block off our calendars,” Toni says. “But for the next few weeks, we need to focus on work. With Lizzie gone...”
“Ah, tell them shedied.”
“I would love to, Lyla. And I will for the most part. But some of her clients are worth retaining, especially in this economy.” She starts for the stairs. “Catherine, you’re meeting Bernard Leard at the bar in the Savant Hotel at six-thirty. Dress for class, not sex.” And then she’s gone.
With just the three of us at the table, we fall back into party planning, content to believe we’re just three friends, laughing, chatting, and planning a child’s fifth birthday party.
Chapter 12
Catherine
The Savant Hotelis ritzier that the Ritz, just smaller in scale. When I walk into the main lobby, my four-inch stiletto heels click on the white marble floor, creating small echoes that chase after me.
Off to the left, the check-in counter rises, a huge block of black granite that looks like some sort of pagan altar. The gold elevators glisten to the right. Were the lighting not a soft yellow, the room would look garish. But there’s something about the warm glow that gives the lobby a safe feel despite the hard edges.
