Best Enemies by Jane Heller

Author:Jane Heller
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781682303603
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2016-04-22T04:00:00+00:00

23

“Why can’t I stick around and say hello?” asked Stuart as I shoved him out the door the morning of the lunch with Amy.

“Because it’s a business meeting,” I said. “My business. Do I sit in on your meetings with the people who sell you Belgian endive?”

“You’re afraid I’ll embarrass you, is that it?”

“You already do embarrass me, Stuart, but let’s not get into that.”

He stroked my cheek. “Someday, after I’ve taken over Lasher’s and made more money than even you can spend, I won’t embarrass you anymore.”

I batted his hand away. “You could make more money than Bill Gates and you’d still embarrass me. You and your girlfriends. Or are you between women these days?”

“You’re the only woman for me, hon, and you always will be.” He laughed. “There. Wasn’t that a good-enough performance for Amy? I think it sounded pretty damn heartfelt.”

“You’d have to have an actual heart for it to sound heartfelt, Stuart. Now go.”

He gave me a little wave and left, thank God. The minute he was out the door, I ran around the house like a crazy person, getting everything ready. Yes, I wanted to impress Amy, to show her that, unlike prom queens who plateau once they move into adulthood, I had flourished over the years and was improving with age. But mostly, I wanted to excite her about the book, to display all my ideas in such an appealing way that she would get right on the phone to her media contacts and rave about them. I needed her—her professional expertise, that is—and I was determined to win her over. No more hanging back. No more playing cat and mouse. I was going to wage a full-out assault on her, dazzle the hell out of her, make sure she promoted the book, regardless of our tangled history.

When I heard her car pull into the driveway, I rushed outside and launched my charm offensive.

“Amy,” I said, drawing her into a hug. The poor thing didn’t know what hit her. Yes, that was the ticket—strike before she could put up her defenses. “Thanks so much for coming, especially considering your busy, busy schedule.”

“No problem, Tara. L and T is really high on your book, so we want to do whatever it takes to get it on the best-seller list.”

“That’s terrific.” I flashed her a big smile even as I was thinking how badly she still dressed. Granted, the black suit was more than appropriate—very neat and businesslike—but the shoes! My God, did she buy them from the Salvation Army? I wondered. They were these clunky black pumps that were so scuffed, they looked as if she’d worn them mountain climbing. And the handbag? Well, suffice it to say that it was brown.

I escorted her inside the house and felt a twinge of pleasure as her eyes took it all in. And yet there was a moment—when she glanced wistfully at my wedding photo—when I wanted to slit my wrists from the guilt of it all.

“Let’s sit in the sunroom,” I said after I’d finished giving her the tour.

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