Читать книгу For Better Or Worse - Jill Amy Rosenblatt - Страница 12

“Emily, what else did you tell Nick?” Elizabeth demanded. “And when?”

Pacing the airy second-floor loft boutique, Elizabeth fumed at having to run out of the office and take time to come down to Soho. Emily, perfectly tanned, champagne glass in one hand, pored over a collection of delicate, flowery dresses. Karen, in her usual Village grunge of T-shirt and ripped jeans, gave Elizabeth a sympathetic look. Elizabeth checked her watch. She was late for a meeting but this couldn’t wait.

“Emily, I came into work this morning to find out my significant other knows intimate details of my past, something no significant other of mine needs to know. You just got back from your honeymoon. When did you find the time? What else did you tell Nick?” she repeated.

Emily gave Elizabeth a critical look, shaking her head. “How can he connect with you when you don’t tell him anything? You could be a little more open, you know.”

Without taking a breath, Emily took a sip of champagne and motioned for the hovering assistant to hold up two more dresses.

Elizabeth looked at her, mouth open.

Emily disappeared into a dressing room.

“For God’s sake, Emily,” she said finally. “This…after everything! I didn’t confide in you so you could spill your guts.”

“She meant well,” Karen soothed.

“That’s a great consolation.” For Nick to know about Josh leaving her at the altar was bad enough. But William, what if she had mentioned William? My God, what will Nick think of me if he discovers I had an affair with my mother’s lover? She closed her eyes at how that even sounded. It reminded her of her mother’s favorite expression: life is drama, you can’t have one without the other. But when Karen had spirited her away to New York, her misery wrapped around her like a wet blanket, she vowed to rebuild her life. She left the drama behind in California. Elizabeth shook her head, remembering how Karen introduced her to Emily and Emily had been open and accepting, sympathetic. I talked too much. Now Emily was someone who couldn’t be trusted.

“Hey,” Karen said softly. “It’s going to be okay.”

“No matter how many clients she sent me, my private life is off limits. She should know that. When I want Nick to know something, I’ll tell him myself,” Elizabeth whispered.

Emily emerged from the changing room. The V-neck sheath in creamy beige clung to her curves in all the right places. “I really need some new things. I don’t want Parker to see me in the same old, same old.”

“Did you tell Nick about William?”

Emily’s expression turned to a pout. “Of course not. I would never do that. How could you think I would do that?” She pirouetted. “What about this one? Très chic?”

“Emily, knowledge is power,” Elizabeth said, mentally grinding her teeth. “This is not the way I wanted this relationship to go.”

Karen sat up, accepting a cup of tea from another assistant. “It doesn’t matter that he knows about Josh. Why do you care?”

“Because he knows there was a weakness in my life, and now he has the upper hand,” Elizabeth said, only she wasn’t thinking about Josh. She was thinking of William and his attempts to comfort her after Josh, how he encouraged her to come home and live with her mother. I’ll be there, too. Lillian is so distant now, I could use the company. We can comfort each other. All the time the bastard was playing her, exerting his power over her.

“I don’t think it’s healthy to equate power and relationships,” Karen said. “The basic Taoist principle is to release everything and it all works out. The more you try to control something, the more it controls you.”

“I agree,” Emily chimed in. “Why do you do that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Elizabeth said dryly. “Could it be because I spend all day, every day, with power-hungry alpha males? Emily, what exactly does Nick know?”

“I mentioned Josh. I said that you almost married but he wasn’t worthy of you.”

“Emily,” Elizabeth said when she trusted herself to speak, “I know you mean well, but please, do not discuss my past with anyone…ever.”

Emily came to Elizabeth, wrapping her arms around her. “Don’t be mad. You know I’m just trying to help. I want him to be madly in love with you and I want you to be happy. You deserve it. You’re still coming to the housewarming, aren’t you? It won’t be the same if you’re not there.”

Elizabeth let out a sigh. “Yes, of course we’re coming.”

Emily bounced in excitement. “A new house and a new business. This catering venture is going to be like nothing you’ve seen. Parker’s inviting his clients to help me spread the word. I want you both to come early.”

Elizabeth pulled her purse strap onto her shoulder. “We’ll be there.”

Karen got up, grabbing her jacket.

Emily frowned. “You’re leaving too? What about lunch?”

“I’m sorry, Ems, I can’t. I have a Webcast to catch. It may be two o’clock here but it’s eight o’clock in Brussels. My mother is giving an interview for her new book. I’m sure she’ll manage to work in how my father’s emotional, psychological, and sexual deficiencies nearly destroyed their careers.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “You know they probably shouldn’t be in the same room—ever. What are you going to do about the wedding?”

“Yes, what are you going to do about the wedding?” Elizabeth asked. “Can you take out the part where the minister asks if anyone here knows of any reason why these two should not be joined…?”

“I think that’s the standard speech.”

“Your parents still object at weddings?” Emily asked.

“No, they don’t…no one invites them anymore.”

They exchanged good-bye hugs and kisses.

“Every girl should have her special wedding day,” Emily said. “Don’t worry about your parents. They won’t object at your wedding. It’s different when it’s family.”