Always the Last to Know(116)

“Good,” Juliet said. “I respect you, too, Arwen, striking out on your own so young. You’re a very impressive person.”

“Let’s order a bottle of champagne,” Arwen said. “To celebrate ourselves and each other.”

“Maybe we should wait for when Kathy can join us.”

“We can order it then, too,” Arwen said. She waved the waiter over. “Bring us a bottle of your best champagne,” she said.

“Mind the budget,” Juliet murmured.

“Bring us a bottle of your cheapest champagne,” Arwen amended, and they laughed. And cheap champagne . . . hey. It’s not awful.

A few days later, Kathy showed up at Juliet’s house around dinnertime. “I need to talk to you,” she said tightly.

“Sure. Come on in and say hi to Oliver and the girls.” She led Kathy up to the kitchen.

“Hi, Kathy,” Sloane said, the friendlier child. So much like Sadie.

“Hi, Kathy,” Brianna echoed, barely looking up from her math homework. Just like I used to be, she thought, smiling.

“Kathy!” Oliver said. “How lovely to see you! Shall I fix you a drink, then?”

Dear Oliver. So oblivious sometimes. Kathy’s face was already blotchy with anger, and she ignored him. Instead, she jammed her hands on her hips and glared at Juliet. Here we go, Juliet thought. Women tearing other women down. She tilted her head, waiting.

“How dare you move in on my company?” Kathy said, ignoring the fact that the girls were at the table and now gawping at her. “This was mine! I was supposed to be Arwen’s partner! What did you tell her? How did you weasel your way in?”

“She asked me,” Juliet said, her voice calm.

“To work for us. Not to be one of us! Senior partner? That’s ridiculous! I didn’t agree to that!”

Juliet raised her eyebrow (she could again, thank God, since the Botox had worn off). “That will be a problem, then, since Arwen and I can outvote you.”

“You bitch. You’ve always had to be the star,” Kathy said. “You think your shit doesn’t stink, and you—”

“Shut up!” Brianna barked. “How dare you talk to my mother like that! She’s one of the best architects in the country, for one, and for two, this is our house. You should leave now.”

“Yeah,” Sloane added. “Get out. You’re mean. And quite rude.”

Oh, that feeling. That feeling! Pride and warmth and love and surprise. Her girls, defending her from a bully. “Thank you, my darlings.”

“My daughters have a completely valid point, Kathy,” Oliver said. “I’ll walk you out.”

“I’ll do it, honey,” she said, but Kathy was already striding out on her own, hissing like an old radiator. Juliet caught up to her on the driveway as Kathy yanked open the door of her little MINI Cooper.

“Kathy, wait. Why are you upset? We’ve worked so well together all these years.”

Kathy stopped and turned, jamming her fists on her hips. “Jesus, Juliet. I wanted to get away from you. You think you’ve struggled with Arwen being the golden girl for the past two years? Oh, you’re too superior to admit it, but I knew. Well, try that fifteen years.”

Juliet blinked. “We do entirely different things, Kathy.”

“Really? I had no idea. Please, lecture me.”

“I honestly don’t understand the problem.”

“Well, it’s not my job to educate you. Just think about this. I’ve worked with Arwen since she got here. I coached her and whispered in her ear about how good she was and got her half of those interviews so that she’d do exactly what she did. Leave and take me with her. But instead, you just step in at the last second and somehow get your name on the door. It was supposed to be Alexander Walker.”

“Not according to Arwen.” She looked at Kathy, who suddenly seemed a little pathetic with her cherry-red hair and painful high heels. “I think you underestimated her. Maybe she worked you a little bit, too.”

“You both went behind my back.”

“No, Kathy. If you can’t hold your own, don’t blame someone else. I gave Arwen my terms, and she accepted them. Clearly, she was in the position to make those decisions. Now. If your tantrum is over, I’d like you to stay with us. If it’s not, we’ll have to part ways.” And get a new partner, probably. Brett, maybe. Or Elena.

“I’ve already talked to Dave about coming back.”

“Then I wish you the best.” All those lunches together, all those conversations, watching each other’s kids grow up . . . it had meant something to Juliet. Quite a lot. But not to Kathy, apparently, because she just snorted and got into her car. Juliet watched as she sped down the street.

“I never really liked her,” Oliver said as she came back into the kitchen. He sensed her lingering sadness and put his arm around her.

“I never liked her, neither,” said Sloane.

“Me neither,” echoed Brianna. “She was always jealous of you, Mom.”

Out of the mouths of tweens came wisdom . . . sometimes, at least. Juliet smiled at her oldest, and, a little miraculously, Brianna smiled back.

“I think we should go out for ice cream tonight,” Juliet said, earning a cheer from both her girls.