“I don’t think that’s the point,” Tilda said. “I think-”

“We just stood there and looked at each other,” Eve said. “Like we were looking at each other for the first time.”

“Well, you were.”

Eve shook her head. “All I could think of was, I slept with him and he was a thief. And he kept saying that he couldn’t believe he’d slept with Nadine’s mother. Except he didn’t say ‘slept with.’ I didn’t even tell him that it wasn’t me, it was Louise. He wouldn’t get it. And I didn’t care.”

Tilda sighed. “Look, you hit the sheets about fifteen minutes after you met, and then you lied to each other for almost three weeks so you could keep on doing it. It’s not a huge surprise that it didn’t work out. Can’t you just chalk it up to experience and great sex?”

“Is that what you’re going to do with Davy?” Eve said, her mouth set in hard lines.

“No,” Tilda said. “Davy is forever. But that’s because we know the truth about each other.”

“Davy’s a con man,” Eve said. “Did you know that?”

“Yes,” Tilda said. “He told me.”

Eve looked at her in outrage. “And it doesn’t bother you?”

“He is what he is,” Tilda said. “He’s not breaking the law anymore, and neither am I, and we can make our peace with that.”

Eve shook her head. “I don’t see how you can stay with him knowing the truth.”

“I think it’s like a litmus test,” Tilda said. “If you’re going to make it, you can tell each other anything, and it may not be what you want to hear, but it doesn’t matter. Even if you cry all over him and end up a soggy, pathetic mess.”

“So it’s love,” Eve said, clearly not buying it. “Well, that’s very optimistic of you, but you’re still trusting a con man.”

“And he’s trusting an art forger,” Tilda said, exasperated. “Nobody’s perfect. Everybody who’s ever loved anybody has had some stuff to get past. So you get past it because you really don’t have any other choice. You can’t leave.”

Eve shook her head. “I just can’t be that way.” She sounded almost smug, and Tilda lost what little sympathy she had left.

“You love Andrew,” she said.

“Well, of course, I-”

“And sixteen years ago he used you to convince himself he wasn’t gay,” Tilda said. “He knew he was gay, he’s always known, but he didn’t want it to be true, and he knew you loved him and would do anything he asked, and he slept with you to lie to himself.”

Eve’s face was like stone.

“And he’s felt like hell about it ever since,” Tilda said. “As much as we all adore Nadine, she stopped your life in its tracks at eighteen.”

“Andrew stopped, too,” Eve said.

“No,” Tilda said. “He went on and found the love of his life and the career he always wanted. Andrew doesn’t stop for anybody. And good for him, too, he’s doing it right, but he still screwed up in the past, and you’ve forgiven him.”

“I screwed up, too,” Eve said miserably. “I knew he was gay and I thought I could change him, if I just loved him enough.” She stopped and swallowed. “I lied to him. I told him I was on the pill. I should have let him be him. I used him, too.”

“So neither one of you should love each other,” Tilda said, completely exasperated. “You did lousy things to each other, just like you and Simon, so-”

“It’s not the same,” Eve said.

“I know it’s not the same,” Tilda said. “You don’t love Simon. Which is my point. Let it go. Kiss him good-bye, wish him luck, move on.”

The waitress brought their omelets and Tilda busied herself with salt and pepper, waiting for Eve to say something. When her omelet was half gone and Eve’s was still untouched, Eve finally spoke.

“I thought you’d be there for me,” she said. “I thought you’d be on my side.”

“I am on your side, always,” Tilda said. “But you don’t love him. That means it’s good that it’s over. That means that it worked out right.”

“Then why do I feel like hell?” Eve snapped.

“Because you wanted it to be right,” Tilda said, feeling sorry for her again. “You wanted Simon to be a law-abiding FBI stepfather to Nadine and the perfect husband for you, and it wasn’t ever going to happen. It was Andrew all over again.”

Eve sat silent for a moment, staring at her congealing breakfast, and then she pushed her plate away. “It still hurts.”

“Oh, baby.” Tilda went around the table and slid into the booth beside her. “I know it does,” she said as she put her arms around her sister. Eve put her head down on Tilda’s shoulder. “Poor baby. I’m sorry, I really am.”

“I can’t believe how dumb I am,” Eve said, her voice muffled.

“You’re not dumb,” Tilda said, tightening her arms. “Poor baby. Poor, poor baby.”

“Am I ever going to get this right?” Eve said, holding on to Tilda. “I’m thirty-five, for God’s sake, and I’m still screwing up.”

“Gwennie’s fifty-four and getting ready to shoot herself in the foot,” Tilda said. “I don’t think there’s an age limit. Let’s just hope Nadine has not inherited our lousy track record with men.”

“I thought you and Davy-”

“I have great hope,” Tilda said, “that he will break the Goodnight curse. But if he doesn’t, I’ll survive. And he’ll be leaving me in a much better place. Maybe Simon’s leaving you in a better place, too.”

Eve was silent for so long that Tilda leaned over to look in her eyes.

“Do you ever wonder if you’re Tilda pretending to be Scarlet or Scarlet pretending to be Tilda?” Eve said.

“No,” Tilda said. “But it’s a damn good question.”

“Because I think I’m Louise.”

“Oh, boy,” Tilda said.

“Eve doesn’t love him. Louise might.”

Tilda leaned over her to call to the waitress. “Is it too early to get a drink here? Can we… No?” She opened her purse and put bills on the table for the omelets. “Come on, cookie,” she said, pulling her sister out of the booth. “We’re going home for some pineapple-orange.”


❖ ❖ ❖

THREE BLOCKS AWAY, Clea sat across the breakfast table from Mason, mad as hell. First Thomas didn’t show up to make breakfast, then Ronald stood her up, and now Mason was sitting there drinking coffee, just as if he hadn’t come home late and then turned her down when she offered to help him relax.

He’d slept with Gwen Goodnight.

He looked up at her now and she smiled and thought, You fucking bastard. “More coffee?” she asked him.

“Clea, it’s over,” he said, not unkindly.

“What’s over?” she said brightly, as her entire body went cold.

“Us,” he said. “It was fun, I had a good time, you had a good time-”

Want to bet?

“-but it’s over. I’m in love with somebody else.”

“Gwen Goodnight,” Clea said.

“I’m sorry, Clea,” he said, and he sounded as though he meant it. “I just fell in love.”

“With her gallery,” Clea said before she could stop herself.

His face darkened. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. Gwen’s the real thing.”

“And what am I?” Clea said. “I’m real, damn it. I’m a human being, I’m somebody you’ve talked to, made love to, made plans with, and now I’m just supposed to be understanding!”

“We didn’t make plans,” Mason said firmly. “We never-”

“We were going to build an art collection together,” Clea said, her throat closing at the unfairness of it all. “We talked about it, we went to museums, we bought paintings-”

“I did all of that,” Mason said. “You were just along for the ride.”

Clea put her napkin on the table. “Funny you didn’t mention that in the beginning.”

“I thought you knew,” Mason said, looking surprised.

“Knew what? That you were just using me?” Clea felt the tears start. “This is so unfair of you.”

“Clea,” Mason said, sounding stricken, and Clea let the tears flow. They were real ones. He deserved them.

“I love you,” she said on a sob and ran for the stairs. Crying was hell on a woman’s complexion, and she needed a tissue.

A ball bat to smack Mason with would be good, too.


AT ABOUT the same time Clea was thinking of bashing Mason, Davy came downstairs to find Tilda and found Nadine instead.

“Hey, Lucy,” he said to her. “Nice job last night.”

“I know,” Nadine said. “I think it’s going to be my career.”

“Good choice,” Davy said. “So where’s your aunt? I’ve misplaced her.”

“I think she went somewhere with Mom,” Nadine said.

“Okay,” Davy said, and then remembered he hadn’t seen Michael since the night before, either. “Have you seen my dad?”

“Yeah,” Nadine said. “He and Dorcas went to visit your sister.”

Davy went still. “He doesn’t know where she is.”

“He got Ethan to look her up on the computer. You can find anybody on the Net. She’s in some little town with a weird name.”

“Temptation,” Davy said.

“That was it,” Nadine said. “They took off in Dorcas’s car about half an hour ago.”

“Oh, hell,” Davy said, exasperated, and grabbed the phone.

Dillie picked it up on the first ring.

“Get me your dad,” Davy said.

“I was sort of hoping you’d be Jordan,” she said. “Listen, the stuff you told me-”

“Your dad,” Davy said. “Now.”

He heard Dillie drop the phone, and a minute later, Phin picked up.

“What’s wrong?” he said. “Dillie says it’s an emergency.”

“It is,” Davy said. “Dad figured out where you are. He’s heading your way. Hold the fort until I can get there and remove him. Do not let him alone with Sophie and do not give him money.”

“I’m not stupid,” Phin said.

“Neither is he,” Davy said. “I like to think of him as washed up, but the man can talk anybody into anything.”