by Lise Gold
“Then you should have thought of that before you blurted.”
“I was jealous,” Cat cried. “I was jealous that you had another woman in your life who was special to you. I felt like I was being replaced.” Although Sophie was ready to leave the table, there was something about Cat’s words that caught her attention.
“What do you mean, Cat?” She lowered her gaze to meet Cat’s eyes.
“I know I meant something to you once, Sophie. When we were younger. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The way you used to look at me… I saw that look in your eyes when you told me about Mel. And all of a sudden, I understood. It wasn’t me anymore. It was her.” Cat removed the cutlery from her napkin and blew her nose in it. “I felt the same way about you back then, but I never told you. Just like you never told me, and I guess I always liked the fact that you were available. That you were mine somehow, even though nothing would ever happen between us. Oh God, I’ve been so selfish.” Sophie was too stunned by the confession to think of anything to say, but her anger made place for pity when Cat started sobbing again. She turned to Mel, begging for help. Mel shook her head and nodded towards Cat, who was now in floods of tears.
“Talk to her,” she whispered. Sophie moved her chair and put a hand on Cat’s shoulder.
“Please stop crying, Cat. I didn’t know you felt like this. I had no idea.” She sighed. “The fact that I’m with Mel doesn’t change our friendship. It has nothing to do with us. I might be angry, but I still love you. You’re my oldest and dearest friend. You’re just a bit… stupid sometimes.” Cat looked up, a glance of hope sparkling in her eyes.
“Really? You don’t hate me?”
“Of course I don’t hate you, Cat. I’m angry. But I guess what’s done is done and if you regret it as much as you say you do, there's no point in holding grudges. I'll get over it eventually so let's try to move forward from here.” Sophie smiled at her, and she meant it. Cat was a mess, and she hated seeing her this way. “So just to be clear, Cat. You’re not gay, are you?” Cat shook her head, and finally, she laughed.
“No, I’m not. It was just a phase, a silly crush.” She paused. “But you’re still the most special person to me in this world. I admire your courage and your strength to make your own decisions, to live your own life the way you want to. You know, I used to be jealous of Maggie too. The way the two of you were so careless and free, going out, traveling together, both doing whatever the hell you wanted. When she came into the picture, I felt like I was your boring friend. Nothing ever happens in my life. I’m settled, quite miserable and I always complain about my situation, but I never do anything about it. I was kind of happy when you told me she was moving away and I’m sorry for that. I should have been more supportive.” She shrugged. “I thought I might as well dish up and tell you everything now.” Sophie fought back the tears. She stood up, walked around Cat’s chair and gave her a hug from the back. Cat embraced her forearms and sighed in relief.
“Thank you.” She chuckled. “I hope you both don’t think I’m a psycho after what I told you.”
“Absolutely not,” Mel said. “I like you, and I appreciate that you came to me." She laughed. "And I haven’t even seen you on a good day.” Sophie looked from Mel to Cat and back.
“So when did you two meet behind my back?” Cat bit her lip.
“You didn’t pick up your phone, and you didn’t reply to my messages. I tried your parents, but they told me they hadn’t seen you in weeks either. So I tracked Mel down, and I showed up at her door last week. I was hoping she could help me. Mel wasn’t home, but her mother was, and she let me in. She was so kind to me, and before I knew it, I had poured my heart out to her. I feel embarrassed about that, Mel. I really do.” Mel laughed.
“Don’t be. My mother has a way of drawing information out of people. She would have done a great job in the secret service. So anyway, I came home, and there was Cat, crying in my mother’s arms. I can’t even begin to tell you how surprised I was when she introduced herself.” Cat blushed.
“Mel was just as lovely as her mother, and I immediately understood what you saw in her. She promised me she would try to get us together so we could talk. You’re lucky with her, Sophie.” Sophie smiled and looked at Mel, who leaned back and seemed completely relaxed in the chaos of the moment.
“I know. She’s one of a kind.” She put a hand on Mel’s thigh. “And look at those dimples! How sexy is that?” Now it was Mel’s time to blush.
“I'm glad you're not angry with me,” she said. “I wasn't sure if you would kill me when I invited Cat without telling you.”
“I’m not angry.” Sophie held up a hand for the waiter, who had been discreetly waiting in the back of the garden, to take their drinks order. “I’m glad you did.”
They ordered a bottle of Chablis and Sophie waited until they were alone again. “I’m going to talk to my parents on Sunday, tell them everything. Stew is coming with me so let’s hope for the best.” She took Mel’s hand and then Cat’s. “Even if it’s a disaster, I’ll still have the best two people in the world on my side.”
43
“Oh, come in my darlings,” Eleanor said as she opened the door to Sophie and Stewart. She gave them both a hug. “It seems like a million years since both our children were here at the same time, doesn't it David?” Their father looked genuinely happy to see them both, and he greeted them with a broad smile-- a rare phenomenon for him. Stewart nudged Sophie as they hung up their coats in the hallway.
“She seems suspiciously chirpy today, don’t you think?” Sophie shrugged.
“Maybe it’s her way of saying she’s sorry,” she whispered. “Or maybe she’s actually happy that I’m here after ignoring her for three weeks. Who knows?”
“Or,” Stewart jumped in, “Maybe her friends have started questioning why we haven’t been over lately, and now she’s relieved that she doesn’t have to make up excuses anymore.” Sophie giggled and gestured for him to stop talking. Stewart seemed nervous. He was fidgeting with his keys as he walked into the living room where the dining table had been set for eight people.
“It's just us today, isn't it Mum?” Sophie asked, staring at the display. "That's what we agreed on."
“Well...” Her mother pulled a painful face. “I know you wanted a quiet one, but I'm afraid it's not just us. I bumped into Lauren a couple of days ago at Partridges. You know, Allan's new wife. She said she would love to meet you. She works in fashion as well. I’m not exactly sure what she does, but I think she has some kind of swimwear label and she's looking for designers because her business is booming at the moment. So that should be interesting, right?” She didn't wait for Sophie's reply. “And then,” she continued nervously, “of course I had to invite Deborah and Mark as well. It would just be rude not to, considering Deborah and Lauren know each other from yoga class and I don’t want her to think I’m stealing her friend from her or that they’re not welcome. You know how word gets around, don’t you dear?” She attempted to raise her eyebrows in a cheerful manner, but one of them didn’t move. Stewart sighed.
“Ok Mum, but we need to discuss something important, whether it’s now or after they’ve left. It’s up to you.” Their father looked up in curiosity.
“What do we need to discuss?” Before anyone could answer, Eleanor had thrown herself in between them.
“David, I’m sure it can wait for a bit. I need Sophie to help me in the kitchen right now, or we won’t be ready before our guests arrive. Stewart, could you get the condiments, please? They’re on the kitchen table.” It was more a command than a question. Sophie and Stewart exchanged annoyed glances before getting to work with the preparations for Sunday lunch.
“She’s going to regret this,” Stewart whispered. "It's so typically her. Anything to avoid discussing the pink elephant in the room." Sophie felt a nervous pang in her stomach. Although Stewart was usually quite calm and composed, Sophie had witnessed his outbursts several times over the years. S
he felt the same anger in him today, and it worried her.
“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing,” she whispered, trying to calm him down. “At least they’ll have had a couple of drinks before we tell them.” She went to work in the kitchen, searching for the right serving trays. Sophie was still furious with her mother, but she tried to stay calm. Don’t shout at her. Not now. It’s not going to make things better.
“Darling, not that one,” her mother pulled her out of her thoughts. “The asparagus go on the white tray so I can heat them up later.” She studied Sophie as if she was trying to read her current state of mind. She had obviously not anticipated both her children wanting to have ‘the talk’ so badly, and it was the one thing she truly dreaded. She desperately tried to change the mood in the kitchen.
“Would you like to see my new boudoir later? We used your father’s old office. There’s lots of really nice skincare products and makeup in there if you’d like to borrow some?” Sophie stared back at her blankly.
“You want me to put on makeup? Do I look that bad?” She squinted. “Have you invited Aldo around again? Because if you have, you’ll wish you never did in about twenty minutes from now.” Her mother raised her hands in defense.
“No, of course I haven’t, dear. I just thought you might like to see it. We had an interior designer around yesterday. I’m trying to get the house up to standards for when London Living Magazine come over to do a spread on Victorian Modern. There are a couple of things we need to change but no major refurbishments. The master bedroom will need a makeover, and the kitchen needs some TLC.” She pointed at the fridge as if it was a virus. “We’ll have to replace that one too; the designer says it doesn’t go with the style of a traditional kitchen.” Sophie looked at the fridge.
“What’s wrong with it? You only bought it last year and you’d been eyeing it up for God knows how long. It was two thousand pounds. Is dad okay paying for all of this? I bet he doesn’t know, does he?” Eleanor wasn’t prepared for that question and looked relieved when the bell rang. She sprinted towards the hallway, straightening her cashmere dress on the way. Sophie heard excited screams and false compliments flying around like there was no tomorrow. Someone telling her mother she looked better than ever was like telling a homeless person he’d just won the lottery. Some of Sophie’s old friends had started to act in the same way lately, doing the squeaky thing like their mothers. It kind of annoyed her, but she never said anything about it. Deborah and Lauren came to greet her in the kitchen. Lauren was a lot younger than she had expected and she looked immaculate. She was tall and slender and had long, blonde, sleek hair and full red lips that looked like they might have had a bit of work done. Her simple black dress was by an exclusive designer label and fitted perfectly around her amazing figure. Suddenly, Sophie felt very under-groomed, and she wished she’d gone through a bit more effort before she left.
“Lovely to meet you,” Lauren said, smiling. It was an honest smile, and Sophie liked her immediately. What the hell is she doing with Allan? Surely she could do better than him? Is she with him for the money?
“I’m sorry to get right to the point, but I heard you’re an excellent designer,” Lauren said in a confident tone. “And I happen to need one urgently, so maybe we could talk over lunch? I’m not trying to pressure you into anything but I think you should at least hear me out, it might be interesting to you.” Sophie nodded and smiled.
“Of course we can,” she said. “No harm in talking. I just need to help my mother prepare lunch, and I’ll be out there in ten minutes. Wine?” She held up a glass and a cool bottle of Pinot Grigio from the fridge. Lauren gratefully accepted it and left Sophie to prepare the hors d'oeuvres of salmon and quails eggs. She certainly didn’t beat around the bush, this lady. Sophie watched her shake hands with Stewart, who looked like he was about to explode and start pooping rainbows any minute now but he managed to pull his face into a polite smile and complimented her on her dress. Sophie would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t at least a bit curious about the job. It was difficult, being around Mel in the office and pretend like they were just mere colleagues. But she hadn’t actively looked for jobs and hadn’t called any head-hunters yet. She’d been too consumed thinking about Mel, not to mention stressing about how she would tell her parents. If it were up to Stewart, the whole table would know within the hour. By the time they sat down, he was chewing his food slowly, passing shifty looks to both their parents while trying to participate in the conversation about buying second-hand cars versus new ones. Mark was thinking about buying a vintage car now that the children had moved out and Deborah was passionately against the Jaguar Oldtimer he’d been drooling over on e-bay.
“Eleanor, please tell him he’s being ridiculous,” she pleaded. “We’ll look like a bunch of idiots, driving through Wimbledon.” She turned to Mark. “How do you even know you can trust the seller when you buy it online? We’ve always bought our cars from the BMW dealer around the corner. How on earth are we going to explain this to him? And what if it breaks down? You can’t even change a lightbulb, let alone fix a car!” She dramatically shook her head and massaged her temples. “Never mind. I’ll just drive my own car. I don’t even want to be seen in that thing. It’s blue for goodness’ sake.” Mark ignored her and passed his phone around with a boyish grin, showing the picture of the bright blue monster he was planning to bid on whether his wife agreed or not.
When the conversation was flowing, and the food was being passed around the table, Lauren turned to Sophie.
“So let me tell you a little bit about myself and my swimwear brand if you don’t mind.” She kept her voice down, trying to have a more private conversation around the crowded table.
“Sure,” Sophie said. “I’m all ears. You have a swimwear label, right?” Lauren nodded.
“That’s right. I started it about five years ago, after quitting my job in fashion P.R. It wasn’t my passion, just something I was good at. Besides that, it paid well, and you know how important that is in London.” She laughed. “I actually graduated in design and always dreamed about my own brand, but I never had the courage to give up my job. Besides that, I didn’t have the capital.” She rolled her eyes and laughed nervously. Sophie nodded, waiting for her to continue. “Anyway, one day I was so incredibly frustrated with my job that I quit. I panicked at first, but during the third day at home I needed something to do so I started sketching and designed a small swimwear range.” She winked at Sophie and whispered: “I used to be a swimwear model to finance my student bills. Best years of my life.” Sophie smiled.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “You have a great body for it.” Lauren smiled at the compliment.
“Thank you. I’m way too old for that now, unfortunately. So as I was saying, I designed the range, and I had no clue what I was doing. I found a small manufacturer in Turkey, and they gave me a reasonable deal for my initial samples. I had some savings and managed to make it work.”
“That’s so brave,” Sophie smiled. “I don’t think I’d have the courage to do that.” Lauren shrugged.
“Well, I can’t say I wasn’t scared. I put everything I had into it, and that wasn’t enough by a long chalk. But I got lucky and found an investor.” She pointed to Allan who blew her a kiss over the table. Sophie’s eyes widened.
“So that’s how you two met?” Lauren shook her head.
“It’s not what you think. And believe me, I know what people think of me. He’s older, so everyone assumes that I’m a gold digger and that I’m just after his money. It wasn’t like that at all. Allan helped me get my business off the ground because he believed in me.” She laughed.
“Okay, maybe not at first. He was looking for startups to invest in to protect his capital in case his wife spent all their money before the divorce went through. But he saw that I was a hard worker and passionate about the brand so he was happy to help me under the strict rule that he would keep a close watch on the financial side of it. We were
just acquaintances and business partners at first, and we had a great working relationship for four years. Allan was going through a difficult time with his divorce, and I was focusing on growing the business. It wasn’t until about a year ago that we discovered we had feelings for each other.” She smiled at the memory.
“We were celebrating the five million mark of Laurelai and got quite drunk together. I think that’s when I started to find him attractive. He was flirting with me shamelessly, and we discovered we had a lot in common. I’d never witnessed him drunk, but then our relationship had always been strictly business. Not long after that, we were sharing a bed too.” She grinned at Sophie’s shocked expression.
“That’s a sweet story,” she said. “But I’m also really impressed by the fact that your brand is Laurelai. I love that brand. I have one of your bikinis in my wardrobe. The black one with tassels, from two years ago. Why didn’t you tell me straight away?” Sophie felt excited now. How did she get so lucky? The founder of one of her favorite brands was sitting next to her, practically offering her an interview on a plate. Lauren raised her glass and clinked with Sophie’s.
“You didn’t ask. And I can’t assume that everyone knows my brand, we’re not that big yet. We sell in small boutiques and in a lot of high-end department stores, but that’s about it. It’s booming though. We have some capital to invest now, and I’ve just hired someone to expand our brand into online channels and create our own online flagship store. I’ve noticed I enjoy the business side of it just as much as the designing so I’m planning on hiring a designer to take over that part from me. It’s getting too hectic trying to juggle everything by myself, and I want to spend more time with Allan, traveling and enjoying life together.” She glanced over at him lovingly and then turned her attention back to Sophie. “I need someone I can trust,” she said. When your mother told me about you and what you do, I wanted to meet you and perhaps get together so you can show me some work or some ideas? You might be happy where you are now, but I can assure you that you won’t get any grief from anyone if you work for me. If I like your work, I’ll leave it all to you, and you’ll have full autonomy over the range.” She raised a questioning eyebrow and cocked her head. “So, what do you think? Shall we meet up to go through your portfolio?” Sophie laughed nervously.