The Art of Friendship

by Lisa Ireland

  God, he really was laying it on thick. Libby couldn’t remember the last time he’d called her ‘sweetheart’. She wondered if he’d known about this impromptu gathering and decided against mentioning it, in case she objected. He knew how much she was looking forward to seeing Kit and that she’d be reluctant to change her plans. But now the visitors were here, she could hardly be rude to them. She made a mental note to question him later, but for now she needed to concentrate on making a good impression, which was hard considering she felt completely out of her depth.

  ‘Libby?’ Cam was smiling at her but his voice had an edge to it.

  ‘Yes, sorry. Of course we are very grateful to you, Georgina, and to Richard too, for all that you’ve done to make our move go so smoothly.’

  Georgina laughed. ‘No need for thanks, Libby. We’re so happy to have you here, and we want you to feel part of the Accola family, don’t we, darling?’

  Richard looked perplexed for a split-second, like he’d been caught out dozing in class, but he smiled and nodded and the sound of the doorbell saved him from having to elaborate.

  ‘I’ll go,’ said Cam. ‘Lib, perhaps you should see where Harry is. I’m sure he’ll want to meet our guests.’

  Libby was equally sure he would not, but she nodded. ‘Excuse me for a moment, won’t you?’ she said to her guests before opening an opaque glass sliding door and slipping into the hallway that led to the bedrooms. She took this opportunity to make a detour via the master suite to grab her phone from where she’d left it charging. She needed to let Kit know their plans had to be cancelled. She’d shoot her a text for now and once the guests had all arrived she’d excuse herself to call Kit and explain properly.

  For a moment she considered simply telling her to come on over despite the fact that the house would be full of unexpected people, but when she thought of how Kit might interact with Cam’s colleagues she decided against it. Libby already knew that Kit would see the whole gated community thing as pretentious and, being the honest soul that she was, she’d probably find it difficult to keep that fact to herself. And it was unlikely she’d be happy sharing this long-awaited reunion with strangers. It would be better for everyone if she put Kit off. Libby hurriedly composed a text apologising and promising an uninterrupted day together tomorrow. She pressed send, telling herself she’d call as soon as she got the chance, and then slid the phone into her pocket and headed off to find Harry.

  He’d managed to set up his computer already and was sitting at his desk playing a video game. ‘Hey, sweetheart, we have guests. I need you to come out and say hello.’

  He didn’t look up from his game. ‘Do I have to?’

  ‘Sorry, but yes, you do. It’s bad manners not to and, besides, I think there are some kids coming too. It’ll be a good chance for you to meet some new friends.’

  Harry swung around in his chair and looked at her. ‘But I’ve only just got my computer started.’

  ‘For heaven’s sake, Harry, the computer can wait. I told Dad we’d be right back, so hurry up.’

  He rolled his eyes, but stood up. ‘Whatever.’

  She walked back down the hall towards the living room, stopping just short of the door at its entrance. ‘Your father’s boss is here and it’s very important we make a good impression. Please use your manners and do your best to fit in with these kids no matter what they’re like. Okay?’

  Harry shrugged. ‘I guess.’

  As she went to open the door her phone buzzed. She pulled it out to see Kit’s name on the screen and momentarily considered answering, but before she could Cam opened the door. ‘Hey, I was just coming to see if you’d got lost,’ he joked, but she could see there was desperation in his eyes. He needed her to help make this first social event with his colleagues a success.

  Libby declined the call, put a smile back on her face and walked into the living room.

  ‘Libby, darling, come over here and I’ll introduce you to everyone,’ Georgina said.

  Libby made her way across to Georgina, feeling very much a guest in her own home.

  ‘Libby, this is Jeremy, he’s our CFO.’

  A sandy-haired man, who looked to be in his early forties, stuck out his hand to shake Libby’s. ‘Pleased to meet you, Libby. Welcome to Arcadia Lakes.’

  She returned his warm smile. ‘Thank you.’ She gestured for Harry to come closer. ‘This is our son, Harry. Harry, say hello to . . .’ She paused for a moment to question Jeremy and Georgina. ‘What would you like Harry to call you?’

  ‘Oh heavens, we don’t stand on ceremony around here, do we, Jeremy? First names are fine.’ Georgina smiled at Harry. ‘I’m Georgina, Harry. Lovely to meet you.’

  Jeremy took Harry’s hand and shook it. ‘Good to meet you, buddy. My kids – Annabelle and Sebastian – are outside checking out your pool. Let’s go find them, shall we?’

  Libby shot Jeremy a grateful smile as Harry followed him out onto the back deck.

  Georgina touched Libby’s elbow, gently propelling her in the direction of the next couple. ‘Felicity, who you can see buzzing around in the kitchen right now, is Jeremy’s wife. You’ll meet her properly in a moment. Here we have the head of our sales division, Greg, and his lovely wife, Allison.’

  Greg and Allison made a striking couple. Both tall, slender and tanned, they held themselves with the confidence reserved for the truly beautiful or the truly wealthy. This couple appeared to be both. Libby wished she could remember where she’d put her wine glass. She was badly in need of some social lubricant. Her face felt like it would break from all this forced smiling. ‘Lovely to meet you.’

  Allison’s face settled into a wide smile and her eyes radiated warmth. The tension in Libby’s shoulders began to ease. ‘Welcome, Libby.’ Allison leaned forward to kiss one cheek and then the other. In her mind’s eye Libby saw Kit rolling her eyes at what she would see as pretentiousness, but coming from Allison it didn’t seem that way. In fact the gesture seemed welcoming and gracious. ‘How are you feeling? Have we managed to totally overwhelm you with our invasion of your home?’

  Before Libby could answer, Georgina gave a brittle laugh. ‘Goodness, Alli, you make it sound awful when you put it that way. We’re not overwhelming you too much, are we, darling?’

  Allison raised one eyebrow and Libby felt the urge to laugh. Perhaps she’d found herself an ally here. She smiled at Georgina. ‘No, of course not. We’re very appreciative of all the trouble you’ve gone to.’

  Allison nodded. ‘The house looks very stylish, George. You really do have a talent for interior design.’

  ‘Thank you, my dear, but I can’t take all the credit. Felicity helped too.’

  ‘Well, you two do make an awesome team, don’t they, Greg?’

  Allison’s husband draped his arm around her waist and smiled. ‘Indeed. In fact you are all magnificent. I’m sure the executive team would not be half as successful without our spectacular partners.’ He kissed Allison’s cheek. ‘On that note I wonder if you ladies would mind excusing me? It seems like the rest of the team are gathering poolside and I really would like to bend Cameron’s ear about one or two things. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Libby.’

  ‘Likewise,’ Libby said. She watched his hand skim lovingly across Allison’s back as he took his leave and a sting of envy pricked her chest. It would be nice to have a husband who was so attentive.

  Felicity made her way to their group and stood beside Georgina. She handed Libby a fresh glass of champagne. ‘I noticed you didn’t have a drink. I’m Felicity Gorman, Jeremy’s wife.’ Felicity smiled with her mouth but her eyes were busy scanning every inch of Libby. Nevertheless Libby returned the smile and lifted her glass in a salute to Felicity. ‘Nice to meet you, Felicity, and thanks for the drink. I put mine down somewhere when I went to get Harry and I was just thinking I needed another. Thank you for catering for this afternoon, to
o. It’s so kind of you.’

  Felicity waved her hand dismissively. ‘Oh, it was nothing. Catering’s what I do so it was really no trouble. How are you settling in?’

  Libby couldn’t answer that question honestly. Right now she felt like she was sailing on the high seas. Yesterday she’d been living a normal suburban life in Sydney and today she’d shifted to a home that wouldn’t look out of place in Beverly Hills, and was hosting a party she hadn’t anticipated, one where some of the guests seemed to have stepped straight out of the pages of The Stepford Wives. She was decidedly unsettled in fact. ‘Everything is just perfect. And I feel blessed to have had such a warm welcome from you all.’

  Allison looked directly at her. ‘This probably all seems a bit full-on to you right now. It takes a little while, but I promise you will get used to everything eventually.’

  Georgina clicked her tongue. ‘Goodness, Alli, you’re making us sound as if we are a trial to be endured. We stick together. Surely that’s not a bad thing?’

  Alli shook her head. ‘Of course it isn’t, George. But you have to admit we are more involved with each other’s lives than most neighbours. That can feel a little intrusive if you’re not used to it.’

  Georgina smiled at Libby in a maternal fashion. ‘Well, I’m sure Libby will fit right in. Now that we have all the girls together, we should take the opportunity to tell Libby a little bit about how we fill in our time here.’

  Libby gestured towards the sofas. ‘Please, everyone, make yourselves at home.’

  Once they were all seated, Felicity looked at her. ‘Has George asked you to join our golf day committee yet?’

  Allison rolled her eyes. ‘Give the woman a break, Felicity, she hasn’t even unpacked her suitcase yet.’

  Georgina shook her head. ‘I haven’t got that far yet, but,’ she shot Allison a withering look, ‘no harm in giving Libby the information. She doesn’t have to make up her mind today.’

  ‘Well,’ Felicity continued, ‘the company has two major social events during the year, a Christmas in July ball and our end-of-year golf tournament. These two events raise lots of money for our favourite charities and we’re all quite involved in organising them. We tend to take on roles related to our expertise. Obviously I oversee all the menus and catering arrangements. Georgina is responsible for theme and styling of the event. Alli is in charge of promotion.’ Felicity paused and took a sip of her drink. ‘What about you, Libby? What’s your background? What can we pick your brains about?’

  Libby felt the heat seeping into her cheeks. She was a university dropout who’d devoted her life to being a wife, homemaker and mother. Her little job teaching crochet and cross-stitch hardly counted as a career. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I’m not really sure I have a field of expertise.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true,’ Alli said. ‘George said something about you being a teacher in Sydney.’

  ‘Oh no, I wouldn’t call myself a teacher. I’m more of a . . . tutor, I guess. I teach a couple of classes at our local community centre. Well, I did. I guess I’m officially unemployed now.’

  ‘How fascinating. What did you teach?’ Georgina asked.

  ‘I taught two classes. Crochet, which was incredibly popular, and,’ Libby laughed self-consciously, ‘my second class was called “Granny Arts”.’

  Alli nodded. ‘I’m not surprised about the crochet class. All those young girls on Instagram seem mad for it these days, but granny arts? I’ve never heard that term before. What exactly does that entail?’

  ‘The focus changed every few weeks, but we covered things like knitting, crochet, sewing and embroidery. At the beginning of the term I’d ask the class what they’d like to learn and we’d choose what to focus on from there.’

  Alli looked impressed. ‘Wow. I wouldn’t even know where to start with most of that stuff. Maybe we should get you to start up a course at the Arcadia Club.’

  Georgina and Felicity both laughed, but Alli shook her head. ‘I’m not joking ladies. I’d love to be able to crochet beanies for the girls to take skiing.’

  Felicity nodded. ‘Yes, that would be nice.’ The expression on her face said she couldn’t think of anything worse. ‘But ladies, we are getting off topic. We were talking about our committee work and the possibility of Libby joining us.’

  Georgina nodded her agreement. ‘Absolutely. We’d love to have your help, Libby, and I’m sure your skills will come in handy. You must be an excellent communicator if you’ve been teaching classes, and that’s always useful for committee members. Why don’t you pop into our next committee meeting for the Christmas in July ball? Of course most of the organisation for that is already done, and the roles are all taken, but we’d love you to come along and get involved in any way you can. That way you can see how we operate and you can have a think about what role you might like to be assigned on the golf day team.’

  Libby’s wine caught in her throat. Crap. It didn’t look like Georgina would take no for an answer. ‘Um, well . . .’

  Georgina smiled. ‘Only if you’re interested. It’s not mandatory. But it might help you to settle in here. You’ll get to know some of the other company wives if you join in.’

  Allison stood up. ‘I might just go and check on the things in the oven.’

  Libby smiled at her, grateful for the diversion, but Felicity shook her head. ‘I can do that, Alli. I said I’d take care of the catering today.’

  ‘I don’t mind, Liss, honestly. You’ve done all the hard work, putting the hot food onto platters is the least I can do.’

  Libby stood. ‘I’ll come with you and grab another bottle of bubbly. Looks like we could use some refills.’

  Once they were in the kitchen Allison drew her to one side and began to whisper. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she said.

  Libby made her eyes wide and shrugged. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘You’re thinking you’ve somehow stumbled onto the set of Desperate Housewives.’

  Libby stifled a giggle. ‘No, not at all.’

  Alli winked conspiratorially. ‘Oh come on, it’s written all over your face. You’re wondering what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into.’

  Libby winced. ‘Oh God, is it that obvious?’

  Alli shrugged. ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure the others haven’t noticed. I remember what it was like when I arrived, that’s all.’

  ‘It’s very kind of you all to welcome us this way. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, it’s just taken me by surprise, that’s all. I barely knew anyone from Cam’s old workplace. We didn’t really socialise with them, and I guess it hadn’t occurred to me that things would be any different here.’

  Alli pulled a tray of bite-sized quiches from the oven and began loading them onto a platter. ‘I get it. It was the same for me when we first moved here. I’d been working full-time and I had to leave my job so Greg could take the position here. To be honest I resented it a bit. But the money on offer was so good, and having the house provided was what sealed the deal.’

  Libby nodded. ‘Yes, that’s it, isn’t it? I didn’t believe Cam at first. I thought it was some sort of scam.’ She laughed. ‘Or a front for something illegal. Please tell me they’re not going to start asking Cam to go on business trips to Thailand with suitcases filled with drugs.’

  Alli grinned. ‘I can assure you everything is totally above board.’

  Libby pulled the champagne from the fridge and smiled at Alli. ‘I’m relieved to hear that.’ Alli seemed like her kind of person. Maybe she could risk asking for a bit more information on the way things worked around here. ‘So, what’s the deal with all the committees? I mean I know Georgina said it wasn’t mandatory to participate, but I kind of got the feeling . . .’

  ‘Oh, it’s compulsory all right.’ Alli giggled a little. ‘Refuse the invitation at your peril.’

  ‘Really
?’

  Alli laughed again. ‘Well, you can refuse, of course, but just be aware that you’ll be committing social suicide. Oh and while we’re on no-nos, don’t even think about redecorating.’

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’ Libby tried to keep her disappointment from showing, but was clearly unsuccessful because Alli looked stricken.

  ‘Oh no. You hate the house, don’t you? I quite like it, but I can see that it might not be to everyone’s taste.’

  Libby chose her words carefully. ‘I don’t hate it, it’s just, well, homemaking is my thing. I love to create a cosy little nest for my family. I was kind of viewing this place as a blank canvas. But I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.’

  Alli sighed. ‘Honestly? I’d tread carefully there. Georgina takes the decorating quite seriously and doesn’t like to be upstaged. She’s done this house over completely three times now. The last couple to live here, Ivy and Tony, were only here for a year but Georgina insisted on completely redecorating before they moved in. She chose a Balinese theme. Ivy absolutely hated it, but she knew she was only here for a short time so she didn’t say anything.’ Alli shook her head. ‘Georgina was completely oblivious to Ivy’s feelings about the place.’

  ‘But surely she won’t mind me personalising it a bit? We plan to be here for at least the next three years.’

  Alli shrugged. ‘Heather lived here before Ivy and she totally revamped everything after declaring Georgina’s French provincial look too tizzy for her liking. She was never invited to be on any committee and her husband’s contract wasn’t renewed when his time was up.’

  ‘Surely you’re not suggesting . . .’

  Alli smiled and shook her head again. ‘I’m not saying anything, other than it’s always good to have the boss’s wife on your side.’

  Libby’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She slid it out and looked at the screen. Kit again. She wasn’t giving up. ‘Alli, I’m so sorry. Do you mind if I quickly answer this? It’ll just take a second.’