Beware That Girl (13 page)

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The Tent was entirely draped in saffron silks. The glow cast from the candles and the draping made the diners look way more attractive than they had any right to. Course after course of Indian fusion was specially prepared for Miss Serena’s table. “It’s scrumptious! Absolutely the best, Serena!” she assured her host. But it wasn’t as good as the feast at that dive Kate had unearthed in Chinatown. The girls exchanged secret glances.

Since Serena had obvious pull in her father’s restaurant, the Wonders were drinking a fair bit, with Serena leading the charge. Even Kate was on her second Kingfisher. Olivia nursed a Chablis while Serena, Morgan and Claire dove into pitchers of sangria laced with cardamom. They careened into truth-telling at record speed. It started when Kate complimented Serena on her father’s vision.

“Yes, his oh-so-brilliant vision.” Serena motioned for another pitcher. “My father’s
vision
currently includes a twenty-three-year-old London assistant. And apparently this one is serious.”

“Oh, that’s hideous!” Morgan, the most effusive of the Wonders, threw her arm around Serena. “Divorce?”

Serena nodded. “Yeah, and since most of this”—she waved at the room—“is my mother’s family, it’s going to get real loud and real ugly, real quick.” She took a gulp of sangria. “At least most of the tabloid stuff will be London-based.”

“I wish my parents would get divorced,” Morgan groaned. “They’ve split so many times it’s a revolving door at my house.”

“I don’t know,” said Claire. “My parents separated when I was two, and I see my dad
maybe
twice a year. The rest of them—my family—well, if you’ve read
Crazy Rich Asians,
those are my people. How about you, Kate?”

Olivia held her breath.

“Dead, remember?”

“Damn, sorry. I’m such a—”

“No, no, uh, it’s…don’t sweat it. It’s kinda nice that you all keep forgetting.”

Olivia felt obliged to leap into the lurch. “My mom died when I was eight. Old enough to remember, but not old enough to really remember, you know?”

They all nodded, even though they clearly did not.

“Then Dad married twice and divorced twice, both at the speed of light.” Olivia waited until the server had refilled her glass.
Careful.
She had to watch the alcohol. “I almost liked them both, you know?”

Again they nodded, not knowing. All except for Kate.

“Dad says that’s it. No more wives.” She took a sip, shrugged. “Me? I wish he’d find someone who would make him happy.” Truth was, it would take a load off her. She’d be less burdened if he had someone to—

Then she spotted them.

“OhmyGod!”

The Wonders inhaled as one. “What!”

“Don’t anyone move. Serena, at your three o’clock—Claire, your four. Kate, right behind you.
Don’t
anyone turn around. Draper has just walked in with…Mark Redkin!” Could they hear her heart pounding?

“Draper and Redkin? No way!” said Claire, gripping the edge of the table.

“Shh! They’re at the bar,” Serena reported. “Looks like they’re just going to get a drink and some nibbles. He’s asked for the bar menu.”

Olivia’s insides burned. It surprised her.

“Well, well, well.” Claire picked up the pitcher. “Didn’t you meet with him on Friday, Kate?”

Kate reddened. No one noticed except Olivia.

“Yeah, along with Ms. Goodlace. It was just for a minute.” She drained her beer. “The logistics of the photo shoot, a bit about heading tables at the Winterfest Gala. I’m thinking that Goodlace isn’t drinking the Redkin Kool-Aid, though. It’s nothing obvious but…”

“No surprise there.” Serena rolled her eyes. “She’s the head, and she’s immune because she’s ninety.”

“Yeah, that’s probably…are you sure I can’t turn around?”

“No!” Olivia and Serena said at once.

“Whoa!” Serena’s eyes widened. Olivia was silent.

“What, what, what?” demanded Morgan and Claire.

Mark’s hand was on Draper’s knee and inching up her thigh. Then a squeeze.

No one peeked or peeped. They were as still as statues, even though most of the table didn’t know what was going on. Olivia’s own thigh warmed. He was touching someone else and she felt it. She
felt
Mark Redkin as his hand groped Angelica Draper. Serena looked like she wasn’t breathing. Mark leaned over and whispered something to Draper. The couple downed their shots and popped a couple of their nibbles into their mouths. Then the director of advancement threw some bills on the counter and yanked up Draper with stunning force. Serena and Olivia both gasped.

“What, what?” demanded Morgan.

“They’re leaving,” said Serena, eyes still as wide as saucers. She turned to Olivia with a “did you just see what I saw?” look. “Methinks our director of advancement is a very, very bad boy.”

As Serena duly recounted every gesture, elaborating on an exchange she couldn’t possibly have a clue about, Olivia participated, but from a distance. While she giggled with her friends, Olivia clung to the burning sensation of the hand on
her
thigh. She reveled in that sensation. But even in the reveling, she still had enough possession of herself to note her surroundings, to note the conversation and to note that Kate had not taken her eyes off her.

The air was thick with bullshit in Redkin’s office. He was slinging it fast and furious, and I slung it right back. We were each the president and founding member of the other’s mutual admiration society. This was my second one-on-one meeting with him in my role as chair of the Student Advancement Committee. So far it was even more “admirable” than the first. When we met last week, it was with Goodlace and in the morning. Redkin couldn’t meet until five today. The place was a tomb at five; only Kruger usually stayed late. I prayed she was still in her office. Why? Why was I so squirrelly around him?

“Did I tell you, Kate, that the board was charmed by you all, but especially by you and your story? I hope you don’t mind us milking it, per se.”

He waited.

I delivered.

“Not at all, Mr. Redkin. I appreciate this opportunity. I realize that you put me front and center on this, and I can assure you that I take my responsibility seriously.”

“It’s where you should be always. And it’s Mark.”

“Sir?”

“And it’s certainly not
sir,
remember?” He smiled. Redkin had full lips that curled when he smiled, but his cultivated facial stubble was enough to make the smile read heart-hurting, masculine. “It’s Mark. I’m not your teacher or your dean. I’m just the money guy and my name is Mark. Say it.”

“Mark.”

“Good.”

My Spidey-senses were firing blanks.
Not
good. Living the high life—being cared for—was making me stupid. I can usually read things, people, fast and clear, and I wasn’t able to get a fix on this guy. What
did
he want? Agenda, agenda, agenda?

Mark got up, walked around his desk and leaned against the edge. His suit jacket and tie hung off the back of the chair he’d just vacated. His shirt was open at the collar. How could Draper resist this? I liked to think of myself as fully immunized against whatever he was putting out and even I “got” it.

“Apparently, I hit a home run with the board.” He shook his head as if it were a surprise.

Nice move.

“Next item is that I want to feature you and Olivia in the big Christmas newsletter. The wild contrast in your stories and the fact that you became best friends is”—he paused—“enticing. We’ll play up the whole ‘only at a place like Waverly’ angle. We’ll also use it in the alumni package. It will make the old girls swoon.”

“Well, sure, I see that.” Made sense, sounded professional. “There’s not an old girl in the city who doesn’t recognize or revere Olivia’s bona fides. I understand the Granfield clan helped build this place and kept it going over the generations. And their name is etched on half the buildings in the city.”

He looked up at the ceiling. “You’re such a smart girl, Kate. Smart in so, so many ways.”

“Sir? I mean, Mark?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I think you understand me.”

What?

He got up and walked around me and rested his hands against the back of my chair, but he did not touch. There was white noise in my head. Just as I stopped breathing the door flew open.

“Mark, I’m…Oh, Kate. Hello.”

Mark straightened. “Dr. Kruger, come in. Kate and I were reviewing the Christmas mail-outs. We’re going to highlight her story and contrast it with Olivia Sumner’s. She’s agreed. We’ll arrange for a photo shoot next week with her and the Sumner girl. Come to think of it, we might as well shoot the entire Wonder team while we’re at it and have those photos ready for the spring campaign.”

“Well, that’s splendid, and from my point of view, the timing works perfectly. We can supplement Kate’s and Olivia’s application packages with the mail-outs. That way, the schools get a look at them before selection and it’s entirely credible, given their position within advancement.”

She was genuinely happy for me. But it didn’t matter. Not anymore. My heart seized. It was the way she’d walked in the door. The look on her face, her body language when she saw him. Before she saw me.

He had her.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to the details.” She stopped while turning. “I just came in to warn you that I’m leaving, and as last man out, you’ll have to lock up.”

“Duly noted, Dr. Kruger.” Mark headed back to his side of the desk and made a show of shutting down his MacBook. No massive school clunker for this boy. “We’ll be leaving in a minute.”

“Well, good evening, all!” Kruger left the door wide open.

My throat closed.

“It will delight Olivia.” He said it matter-of-factly.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “You should probably lead with her. I’m better in a group. I juice up everyone else’s game, you know? I’m a blender.”

Redkin shook his head. “You’re too modest. I’m good at this, at what I do. And what I see is a girl who has
never
blended. You’re not
that
girl, Kate—the one who’s lost in the middle of a crowd until you squint your eyes and say, ‘Oh, yeah, there she is.’ ”

He got up and I got up.

Redkin reached for his tie and swung it around his neck. Then he slipped on his suit jacket. Dinner date? I made for the door.

“If that’s all for—” I grasped the handle.

“I know what you are, and what you are not, Kate.”

All the heat flew out of me. No. He couldn’t know…
Calm, calm, calm.
I didn’t turn around.
“Sir?”

“Some of us are hunted,” he whispered. “And some of us are hunters. It’s better to be the latter, isn’t it?”

What the…?
I pretended I didn’t hear. “Thanks. Until next week, sir.”

I shut the door and flew out of the school, and I didn’t stop until I got to the penthouse. Bruce attacked me as soon as I cracked open the door. I sat on the floor so he could bathe me in puppy licks.

“That you?” Olivia came out of her room. “You are ruining that dog, you know. How’d it go with Mark?”

“Okay.” I had to parcel out the words between Bruce’s slobberings. “Photo shoot next week, all of us. But the Christmas mailing will feature just you and me.”

“Oooooh, lovely!” Olivia clapped her hands. It was the most animated I had ever seen her.

It will delight Olivia.

“Isn’t he incredible? The man has
it.
He’s like that superhero in the Avengers movie, the blond one, right?”

Bruce was standing on my lap facing Olivia and wagging his tail furiously in my face.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean.” But I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what Redkin’s game was or what was going on. The only thing I was sure of was that being a superhero had nothing to do with it.

Kate posed herself on the stone coffee table. “Okay, ready?” she asked.

Olivia settled into the cushiest part of the built-in sofa. Both girls were swathed in the comfy fleece of their extra-large school sweatshirts and sweatpants. The Waverly sweats had become their “home” uniform.

“Ready, all ready!” She opened her book of
Immortal Poems
to the appropriate page.