that has been lobbying to break the ‘dry’ statute ever since so they can sell wine and beer.”
Sophie smiled. “Like that’ll ever happen!”
“I know, right? I’ve heard they’re giving up and have sold to someone else now.”
“I guess Cissy is lucky, in love, marrying a successful guy?”
“Hah! Lucky? If she listened to me, she’d break it off.”
“Why?” Sophie asked, smelling a good story.
“I shouldn’t say,” Dana murmured.
Sophie leaned forward. “I won’t tell a soul, Girl Scout’s honor,” she said, crossing her heart and her eyes.
Dana grinned. “You’re a lot more fun now than you were back in the day.”
“Was I that bad?”
“Man, you were a prig. I envied you
and
disliked you at the same time.”
“Envied me?”
And
disliked?
“Oh, come
on
! You attended private school in Connecticut. You lived in New York and had a house in the Hamptons. You shopped at friggin’ Bergdorf Goodman! I was stuck at Gracious Grove High with Phil Peterson and Wally Bowman as potential boyfriend material. Ugh.”
Sophie shifted, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. Her privileged background, bought by her mother’s marriage to a man with money, was only one part of who she was and not the most important, she hoped. “And all that time I would have given
anything
to be going to GiGi High with all of you. I tried to talk my mom into it, but she wouldn’t budge. Nothing but the best for her little girl.”
Dana looked at her in disbelief for a long minute then laughed, tossing her dark hair back and combing it with her fingers. “I think I believe you. Who would have thought it?”
“So, about Francis Whittaker . . . what’s wrong with the guy?”
Rolling her eyes, Dana said, “Not much, I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I just haven’t given him enough of a chance. He was such a tool in high school. But this development is apparently a big deal, as much as I make fun of it. And I know he really wants to marry Cissy; I don’t think it’s just her ‘little girl lost’ routine, though a lot of guys dig that.”
“He’s successful and he’s not a bad guy and he really wants to marry Cissy, but still, you don’t think she should marry him,” Sophie said, summarizing, trying to make sense of it.
“I know. Sounds lame.”
“No, Dana, there has to be some reason.”
She sighed. “Not necessarily.”
“Okay. What I really came here for today was to get Gretchen Harcourt’s phone number or e-mail address or something. We have to get together to plan the bridal shower.”
“Gretchen. Another on my top ten ‘yuck’ list.” Dana grimaced, but shuffled some papers aside on the cash desk. “I’ve got her number here,” she said, pulling out an address book and thumbing through it. “Just be careful; that witch with a
b
will tell you anything, and it won’t necessarily be what Cissy wants.”
“She already tried that on me,” Sophie said, and related the tale of Gretchen’s visit to cancel the shower and what Sophie had done about it.
“Good going!” Dana laughed out loud and high-fived Sophie, while Beauty leaped from the cash desk down to Dana’s chair.
As she typed Gretchen’s contact information into her cell-phone contacts list, Sophie, curious about the liquor confrontation at Belle Époque, asked, “So how is Phillip doing now?”
“He’s still the same old Phil the Pill.”
“I thought you dated him once?”
“For a millisecond. Selfish to the bone, that’s Phil.”
“What does he do? I mean, for a job.”
Dana smirked. “What do you think? Not a damn thing.”
• • •
S ophie tried to call Gretchen but just got her voice mail. She was hoping the matron of honor would know what color scheme the shower would be so she could order the flowers for the tables ahead of time, but that was a no-go. Too bad she hadn’t thought to ask Cissy the day before. Sophie headed to the store that used to be Whittaker
Sophie smiled. “Like that’ll ever happen!”
“I know, right? I’ve heard they’re giving up and have sold to someone else now.”
“I guess Cissy is lucky, in love, marrying a successful guy?”
“Hah! Lucky? If she listened to me, she’d break it off.”
“Why?” Sophie asked, smelling a good story.
“I shouldn’t say,” Dana murmured.
Sophie leaned forward. “I won’t tell a soul, Girl Scout’s honor,” she said, crossing her heart and her eyes.
Dana grinned. “You’re a lot more fun now than you were back in the day.”
“Was I that bad?”
“Man, you were a prig. I envied you
and
disliked you at the same time.”
“Envied me?”
And
disliked?
“Oh, come
on
! You attended private school in Connecticut. You lived in New York and had a house in the Hamptons. You shopped at friggin’ Bergdorf Goodman! I was stuck at Gracious Grove High with Phil Peterson and Wally Bowman as potential boyfriend material. Ugh.”
Sophie shifted, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. Her privileged background, bought by her mother’s marriage to a man with money, was only one part of who she was and not the most important, she hoped. “And all that time I would have given
anything
to be going to GiGi High with all of you. I tried to talk my mom into it, but she wouldn’t budge. Nothing but the best for her little girl.”
Dana looked at her in disbelief for a long minute then laughed, tossing her dark hair back and combing it with her fingers. “I think I believe you. Who would have thought it?”
“So, about Francis Whittaker . . . what’s wrong with the guy?”
Rolling her eyes, Dana said, “Not much, I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I just haven’t given him enough of a chance. He was such a tool in high school. But this development is apparently a big deal, as much as I make fun of it. And I know he really wants to marry Cissy; I don’t think it’s just her ‘little girl lost’ routine, though a lot of guys dig that.”
“He’s successful and he’s not a bad guy and he really wants to marry Cissy, but still, you don’t think she should marry him,” Sophie said, summarizing, trying to make sense of it.
“I know. Sounds lame.”
“No, Dana, there has to be some reason.”
She sighed. “Not necessarily.”
“Okay. What I really came here for today was to get Gretchen Harcourt’s phone number or e-mail address or something. We have to get together to plan the bridal shower.”
“Gretchen. Another on my top ten ‘yuck’ list.” Dana grimaced, but shuffled some papers aside on the cash desk. “I’ve got her number here,” she said, pulling out an address book and thumbing through it. “Just be careful; that witch with a
b
will tell you anything, and it won’t necessarily be what Cissy wants.”
“She already tried that on me,” Sophie said, and related the tale of Gretchen’s visit to cancel the shower and what Sophie had done about it.
“Good going!” Dana laughed out loud and high-fived Sophie, while Beauty leaped from the cash desk down to Dana’s chair.
As she typed Gretchen’s contact information into her cell-phone contacts list, Sophie, curious about the liquor confrontation at Belle Époque, asked, “So how is Phillip doing now?”
“He’s still the same old Phil the Pill.”
“I thought you dated him once?”
“For a millisecond. Selfish to the bone, that’s Phil.”
“What does he do? I mean, for a job.”
Dana smirked. “What do you think? Not a damn thing.”
• • •
S ophie tried to call Gretchen but just got her voice mail. She was hoping the matron of honor would know what color scheme the shower would be so she could order the flowers for the tables ahead of time, but that was a no-go. Too bad she hadn’t thought to ask Cissy the day before. Sophie headed to the store that used to be Whittaker
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