by Stone, Jean
Inside the foyer all was quiet. Alissa shrugged as she led Danny and Meg into the library. Then she stopped. On the sofa, her back to them, sat a woman. Her hair was thick, and very dark. The woman stood and turned around.
“Zoe!” Alissa and Meg cried out together.
“Zoe,” Alissa repeated. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Zoe stepped forward. She smiled and took Alissa’s hands. “I’ve come to see you,” she said. “I thought you could use another friend.”
Alissa looked at Zoe, then back to Meg, then back to Zoe. “I can’t believe this.”
Danny approached Zoe and extended his hand. “I can’t speak for the girls, but I for one am very glad you’re here. Danny Gordon,” he said as he shook Zoe’s hand.
Zoe studied him. “Danny Gordon,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I believe you’re the man who saved my life.”
“Long story,” he said in response to Alissa’s look of confusion. He turned back to Zoe. “How’s Scott?”
“He’s fine,” she nodded. “He’s home.”
“Great,” Danny answered. “That’s great.”
Zoe smiled and nodded again. “I hope you don’t mind, Alissa. Your housekeeper let me in.”
“Mind? I’m thrilled. Please, everybody sit down. I’ll get us a drink,” she said, and headed for the door.
“Why don’t you ring for Dolores?” Danny asked.
Alissa shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”
In the foyer Alissa slouched against the wall and took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe Zoe was there. She couldn’t believe everything that was happening. Zoe had come to Atlanta. She was a few weeks early, and Alissa’s present situation wasn’t exactly the gala she was hoping for, but Zoe was there. God, Alissa thought, talk about twists and turns. Danny was there. Meg was there. And now Zoe. Maybe Alissa Page had some friends, after all. She briefly wondered if Aunt Helma would think they were good enough. Then she laughed sharply and walked down the hall toward the kitchen, eager to be a good hostess and to get her guests something to drink.
“Are you going to tell her about Jay?” Meg asked.
Zoe rubbed the arm of the sofa. “I don’t know. I think Alissa’s going through enough right now.”
“She can handle it,” Danny said. “Alissa is stronger than you think. Stronger than she thinks.”
But Zoe wasn’t convinced. It had seemed like the right thing to do, when she had thought about it that morning after Jay had left for work. For beneath her growing feelings for him lay an edge of guilt, deepened by the lessons she’d learned about avoiding truth. But now, seeing Alissa, the pain on her face, the marks of sleeplessness under her eyes, Zoe didn’t want to cause any more hurt. Still, Alissa had to know. And if Zoe didn’t tell her now, Alissa might hop onto the next flight to L.A. after this mess was over and find out in an even more hurtful way.
“Lemonade, anyone?” Alissa called as she walked into the library, toting a wide silver tray laden with glasses and a pitcher. “It’s very southern and even tastier with a dash of vodka.” She set drinks in front of Meg and Danny and handed one to Zoe. “I’m sure Meg and Danny have filled you in on what’s going on,” she said.
Zoe nodded. “How are you doing?”
Alissa took her glass and walked behind the desk. She sat down, straightened a pile of letters, then folded her hands. “I’m doing lousy,” she said. “But thanks for asking.”
Zoe’s heart sank.
Danny sat up straight in the chair behind the desk. “Alissa will be fine once she gets back to work,” he said.
“Work?” Zoe asked.
“She’s got a charity ball coming up. She needs to get cranking.”
Alissa rolled her eyes. “I’m quite sure the homeless will survive without Alissa Page.”
Zoe sipped her lemonade. Even with the vodka it was tart, tangy, and, like Alissa, very southern. “You’re holding a charity ball for the homeless? I think that’s wonderful.”
Alissa tapped her fingernails on the desk. “It was supposed to be.” She laughed, then got up and walked to the window. “It was supposed to be my ‘coming out’ party, if you’ll excuse the pun under the circumstances. At one point I actually dreamed I’d be going with Jay.”
“Jay?” Zoe asked weakly.
Alissa nodded and pushed back the long, heavy drapes. “I wanted to have you here, too, Zoe. You were going to be my trump card. My way of making Atlanta sit up and take notice. My way of showing the world that Alissa Page still has it. But now”—she shrugged and walked back to the desk—“none of it matters.”
Danny cleared his throat. “Meg, what do you say we go in the other room and look over Natalie’s statement?”
Meg stood up. “Good idea.”
“I guess they’re tired of hearing me bitch,” Alissa said after they had left.
Zoe shook her head. “I think they wanted to give us some time alone.” She took another drink, hoping the vodka would warm her, calm her. “Alissa,” she said slowly, “tell me about Jay. Aren’t you planning to see him again?”
“I don’t think he’ll miss me. The truth is, Zoe, I pushed myself on him. I may be an idiot sometimes, but I’m not a total fool. Jay was glad to see me, for old times’ sake. Beyond that, I really don’t think he was interested.”
Zoe rubbed the arm of the sofa again. “But how did you feel? How do you feel? About him?”
Alissa laughed. “I haven’t even thought of him these past couple of days. So much for true love.” She reached over and plucked a magazine from the rack, then began thumbing through it, looking at the pictures. “But that’s right. You met him. He’s going bald, Zoe. And I’m sure you noticed that he and I have nothing in common except the past.”
“The past can be a lot to have in common.”
“It’s not enough. The man hates black tie, for godsake. I guess I never opened my eyes long enough to realize he always did.”
“There must be more on your mind than black tie, Alissa.”
She closed the magazine. “There is. He would detest my life. And I, quite frankly, would be more than mildly annoyed at his.”
Zoe smiled. Alissa seemed to be over Jay, really over him. “No regrets?” she asked.
Alissa shook her head. “No time,” she said. “The rest of my life is so fucked up, I have no time for regrets over Jay Stockwell.”
Zoe set down her glass and twisted her hands together. “I thought he was very nice,” she said.
“Nice? Yeah, Jay’s one of the good guys. Which is why he deserves more than me.”
Zoe closed her eyes, then opened them again. “I, ah …” She spoke slowly, carefully. “I’ve seen him since the other night,” she said.
Alissa raised her eyebrows. “You’ve seen him?”
“Yes.”
“On a date?”
Zoe nodded.
“Jesus Christ,” Alissa said, and pushed the magazine off the desk. Her face flared crimson. “You’re dating Jay?”
“I didn’t mean to, Zoe. He didn’t mean to. It’s just that we … we have so much in common.”
Alissa stared at Zoe for a few seconds, then began to cackle. “This is unbelievable. You. Dating my Jay. Unfucking-believable.”
“I hoped you’d understand,” Zoe said weakly.
Alissa kept laughing. “Understand? Sure, why not?” She raised her glass to take another drink. Zoe noticed her hand was trembling. “Here’s to love. Here’s to true love.”
“Come on, Alissa, it’s a little soon for that. We’ve really only just met.”
“It only takes a minute to fall in love,” Alissa said. “At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Alissa,” Zoe interrupted, “you mentioned the charity ball. That you’d wanted to ask me to come. When is it? I’d like to do that for you.”
“Because you feel sorry for me? Because you feel guilty for stealing the man I once loved, who I’ve now discovered I don’t love anymore anyway?”<
br />
“No. Because I’d like to do it for you. Because you’re my friend.”
Alissa got up and walked to the bookcase. She ran her fingers across the leather spines. “I don’t even know if I can go through with this gala. Danny is trying to convince me to, but I don’t think it’s possible.”
“Even if I were here?”
Alissa pulled a book from the shelf, moved three others to the left, then tucked it back into place. “If you were here, it would certainly take the spotlight off me. Off Robert. Off this whole ordeal.” She shrugged. “Not that Robert will go. I don’t think I could allow that.”
Zoe stood up and went to Alissa. She put a hand on her shoulder. “Then it’s a deal. I’m coming. Just tell me when and where. I’ll be here, Alissa. I promise.”
Alissa turned and faced her. “You are, of course, welcome to bring an escort.” Then she broke into a smile. “If you think you can stuff him into black tie for the night.”
In the living room Danny and Meg sat on the stiff settee. Meg had her head on Danny’s shoulder. “This has been exhausting,” she said.
Danny laughed and stroked her hair. “Alissa has a way of doing that to people.”
“She’s a good person, though, isn’t she, Danny?”
“Yup.”
“She is,” Meg confirmed to herself. “Deep down, Alissa Page is a good person. You recognized that.”
“I told you before. I think she’s been a victim of her life, her wealth.”
“Like your mother.”
“Maybe.”
Meg sat up straight. “Maybe in some way we’re all victims of our lives. Maybe we make ourselves victims.”
“It sounds like your next comment is going to be ‘Life is too short for that,’ ” Danny said.
Meg nodded. “It is. And it’s too short to spend being miserable simply because we think we don’t deserve happiness.”
“You’re not talking about Alissa anymore, are you?”
“No.”
She picked up the pages of Natalie’s statement from the floor and put them in her briefcase. “This should be wrapped up in a few days,” she said. “Then I’m leaving.”
“Back to New York?”
Meg shook her head. “No. Washington.”
Later, as Meg left for her hotel room, Zoe offered to drive her. She said she wanted to get back to L.A., to get back to her son. Alissa suspected she wanted to see Jay, to tell him that she had told Alissa everything, and that Alissa was all right. The odd thing was, she was.
Alissa stood in the doorway and waved as Zoe and Meg drove away. Danny moved beside her.
“So Zoe will be coming to the gala,” he said.
Alissa nodded. “With Jay.”
He put his arm around her. “Will you be okay with that?”
“Sure,” Alissa answered wryly. “A double coup. It’ll be a triumph.”
“Well, you won’t have to do it alone, you know.”
She turned to him.
He tightened his arm around her. “I’m going to be here, too,” he said. “For you.”
She leaned against his chest. Tears fell from her eyes. “I’m too old for you, Danny. You need someone young. I’m not young anymore.”
She felt the gentle strength of his arm around her, then felt his lips softly brush her hair.
“What the hell would I do with anyone young? At my age? Besides,” he laughed, “they’d only want me for my money.”
She shook her head. “You’ll probably regret getting involved with me,” she said quietly.
“I don’t think so,” Danny answered. “I don’t think so at all.”
20
The flowers were late. The caterer was short of praline mousse. The A of “WFFA” on the ten-foot ice sculpture had broken in half during transit. And the guests would begin to arrive in forty-five minutes. But all things considered, Alissa thought as she surveyed the ballroom, it was no ordinary gala. “Another Day in Paradise” was beyond even Alissa’s wildest dreams.
When Zoe had agreed to come, Alissa had immediately called the printer and had him boost the ticket prices to a thousand dollars a couple. Sales soared. Renowned corporate heads scrambled for tickets. Senators, congressmen, ambassadors. There would even be eleven people whose photos had appeared on the cover of Time or Newsweek in the previous six months. Alissa had initially anticipated twelve hundred people: at the last minute she had begged the hotel to squeeze in tables for an additional four hundred. They could have used more.
There had hardly been time to handle the delicate task of arranging the seating. But something told Alissa that, for once, it wouldn’t matter if corporate competitors or conflicting politicians or even ex-spouses wound up sitting together, for they would know they were privileged just to be there at the most magnificent gala—the most politically correct social event—of their generation. It was incredible how a small splash of Hollywood suddenly brought out the cause-consciousness in so many.
And it was going to be worth it. After expenses they would net well over a million dollars for the homeless. Her friends in the Underground would be ecstatic.
She wove through the tables, randomly checking linens, silver. There was no Baccarat stemware; there would be no Cristal champagne. And no goody bags. Only a small white tent card at each place setting with a gold inscription that read: “In lieu of favors, Hobart Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is pleased to donate a supply of antibiotics to the ‘Health Care for the Homeless’ programs throughout Greater Atlanta.”
Alissa wondered if the media would credit her as the trend-setting woman who changed society’s fluff into substance.
She stopped at a ficus tree and adjusted the tiny white lights strung through the leaves. Chances are, she thought, the press won’t see anything beyond Zoe. Zoe and Jay. And Meg. God, Meg will hate that.
“Hey, lady,” she heard Danny call. She looked across the room and watched him approach her. He was smiling. “You come here often?” he asked. He bent and kissed her cheek. “God, you look gorgeous.”
Alissa smiled. She knew the white, crystal-covered sheath that she wore was as striking and as beautiful as she felt. She was glad Danny noticed. “And you,” she said, “look at you, all dressed up in black tie.”
Danny leaned against a chair and struck a model’s pose. “Quite dashing, don’t you think?”
Alissa laughed, then looked down. On his feet Danny wore boots. They were black, they were shined, but they were boots. Of course. And on him they were perfect. “Very dashing,” she said, “my Prince Charming. Have you heard from Meg?”
Danny nodded. “She got into town this afternoon. Zoe’s here, too. Upstairs, in her suite.”
Alissa nodded.
“And by the way,” Danny went on, “there are about a million people lined up in front of the hotel, not to mention cameras and lights and tons of reporters with steno pads flipped open. Christ, it’s like Oscar night in Atlanta.”
Alissa felt warmth surge through her, warmth over the familiarity of it all, another success, another grand event, this time the grandest of them all. “The people want to see who’s here,” she said. “They want to see the faces and the gowns and who’s-with-whom.”
“In other words,” Danny said, “they want to gawk. Well, I suppose everyone who will be here will expect that. In fact, being seen is probably the reason most of them are coming at all. Tomorrow they’ll run for the papers and turn on their TVs, hoping to catch a glimpse of themselves.”
Alissa looked at Danny. Of course, she thought. Of course that’s what they’ll do. It’s what I would have done before … before I wasn’t the only one who mattered. She thought about Zoe again, about Jay, and about Meg. Zoe, who, though two weeks ago had sent TV ratings soaring with her performance in Close Ties, was really more comfortable out of the limelight, curled up on her “off-camera time” on her living-room sofa. Jay, who never liked “social bullshit.” Meg, who, visible as she was, detested the press and their power to destroy
. And then there was the business of Meg and Senator Riley.…
“Danny, will you excuse me a minute?” Alissa asked.
“Need any help?”
She started to say no, then changed her mind. It was time to stop thinking she was the only person in the world, the majordomo, the queen bee. “Yes, I’d like that. I’d like you to witness what I’m about to do. Then later you can tell me I was out of my mind.”
They went into the grand foyer, a huge, crystalchandeliered and mirror-walled hall, which had already been cordoned off by security with brass stanchions and red velvet ropes.
“Where are we going?” Robert asked.
“Outside.”
“Are you nuts? I told you there are about a million people out there.”
Alissa smiled at him and kept walking, headed for the tall, sculpted wood doors. “Tell me that later. Not now.”
The two guards posted at the doors stepped aside for Alissa and Danny. She thought for a moment that one of them bowed. A doorman appeared. “May I help you, Mrs. Page?”
“Yes. Open the doors, please. I have an announcement to make to the crowd.”
The doorman hesitated only a moment, then unlocked the doors. As he swung them open, Alissa gasped. A cacophony of shouts and cheers rose in the air from the sea of faces that covered the stairs, the street, the parking lot. A sea of faces. She had read that somewhere. She was seeing it now. The press releases had been sent out, and for once it appeared as though everyone had shown up. Everyone, and more.
Danny leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I told you so.”
She smiled and raised her hands to quiet the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said as loudly as she could. But her voice was drowned out by the sounds.
The doorman reappeared and handed her a cordless microphone. Alissa turned it on and began again. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she repeated. This time the crowd began to quiet. “May I have your attention, please?” The noise dropped some more. She waited until it was still.
“Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Alissa Page. I’d like to say what a pleasure it is to see so many people interested in our gala.”