Part 16 (2/2)
”Oh, you know Sam,” Emma began. ”She-”
”Uh, excuse me,” came a soft voice next to Emma.
Emma practically did a double take. ”Daphne?”
Standing next to Emma was Daphne Whit- tinger, best friend of Lorell Courtland and Diana De Witt. The last time Emma had seen Daphne, in this very club, Daphne had tried to slice her face with a shard of gla.s.s. Only Kurt's timely intervention had prevented it. Daphne had been taken away to the hospital to treat her severe anorexia nervosa and probable addiction to diet pills. That was the last anyone had seen or heard from her.
”Emma, don't walk away,” Daphne said quickly before Emma could respond. ”I ... I have something I've needed to say to you ever since last summer.”
”I'm listening,” Emma said. She noticed that Daphne had definitely gained weight since the previous summer. She looked clear-eyed, lucid, almost normal.
”You were right last summer when you told me I was sick, Emma,” Daphne hurried on. ”I ended up in the hospital for a long time. I found out I have what's called an eating disorder.”
Emma nodded. That was all the encourage- ment Daphne needed to continue.
”I've . . . I've been in this recovery program since then,” she continued earnestly. ”I'm getting better. I mean, I'm learning to forgive myself.
Maybe someday you can forgive me, too,” she finished.
”Listen, Daphne, you weren't responsible,”
Emma began. But before she could get any further Daphne had melted into the crowd and was gone.
”Did that really happen just now?” Emma asked Carrie. ”Quel bizarre!”
But before any of them could utter a word, Carrie heard her name being called from another direction. She turned to find Claudia Templeton opening her arms for an embrace.
”I've been looking all over for you!” exclaimed Claudia. ”Graham and I just popped in for the first set. We're leaving for Bangor, then on to Toronto in the morning, then to Scandinavia for two weeks!”
Carrie felt off balance-so much was happening at once! She stood back and let Claudia carry the conversation.
Graham had been offered a tour of Scandina- via, with enough time between concerts so that he and Claudia could have a kind of second honeymoon. When they'd heard about the benefit at the cafe, they'd wanted to contribute. Not only were they giving a generous donation, but Gra- ham was going to make a guest appearance to close out the Flirts' set.
”So all this means that he'll be cutting the next alb.u.m over the summer, and we'll be here on the island,” Claudia said, wrapping up. ”We've been desperate to find out if you'll be coming back, too.”
Suddenly Carrie knew that that was what she wanted more than anything. The chance to be on Sunset Island again, to slow down and figure out what the h.e.l.l was going on with her life.
”I'd love to!” she told Claudia happily, adding a hug to clinch the deal.
”The kids will be thrilled,” said Claudia, ”and so will Graham. We'll always be grateful for what you did for him last Christmas.”
Carrie's efforts the previous winter had helped Graham face his second bout with a cocaine addiction, a battle he now appeared to be winning- with luck, for good this time.
Emma and Kurt had disappeared, and Carrie and Claudia kept up their visit between songs.
By the time Claudia left to wait by the stage for Graham-they'd have to race to make the last ferry-Carrie had been invited to stay at the Templetons' house while she was on the island.
They had already given the okay for the girls to have their party there. In fact, it had been Claudia and Graham's idea as soon as they heard about Carrie's spring break plans.
”Invite everyone and have all the fun you want.
Just leave the place like you found it. We trust you, Carrie,” Claudia had said.
Now Carrie watched with a warm glow as Graham took the stage. How lucky she was to have the trust and affection of such a loving family-and the family of a famous rock star to boot!
After rapturous applause, the audience settled in, mesmerized by Graham's performance of ”Roll On,” his latest hit. As the song moved into the second verse, Carrie was jostling through the swaying bodies for a better view when Sam came bursting through the crowd.
”Carrie!” Sam cried, a wild look in her eyes.
”Have you seen Danny? I can't find him any- where!”
He probably felt ignored and left, thought Carrie, but to Sam she simply said, ”No, I haven't.”
Sam went careening on in her search, and by the time Carrie reached the front, the song was ending. Graham saw her, though, and threw her a kiss and a wink before he and Claudia bolted out the door. She knew Billy would unwind with the guys for a few minutes before coming to find her. She propped her back against the stage to wait.
”Are you Carrie?” asked a slender, exotic- looking girl, walking up to Carrie with an out- stretched hand. She looked to be in her early twenties-older, hip, very confident.
”Yes,” said Carrie, surprised. She didn't re- member ever seeing this girl before.
”I'm Luann,” said the girl, clasping Carrie's hand for a quick, firm shake. ”I've heard so much about you from Billy.”
”Oh,” said Carrie with what she hoped pa.s.sed for a smile. She couldn't help it-her radar went up. Who's this girl to Billy, anyway? ”I hope he said something good,” Carrie added.
”Maybe too good,” Luann said with a rueful laugh. ”You probably have a better chance than I do.”
Icy fingers of dread wound their way around Carrie's heart.
”Well,” continued Luann, ”I'm not the jealous kind, so I figured I'd come right out and intro- duce myself. I hate gossip.”
Carrie was trying to fathom this when she looked up to see Billy staring wide-eyed at her and Luann from backstage. He ducked away quickly, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed them.
Luann had seen him, too, and now gave Carrie a knowing smile.
”After all, we might as well get to know each other,” she said with a meaningful look in Billy's direction. ”We do have^a lot in common.”
Carrie's mind was whirling as Luann strode purposefully toward the bar. In the past forty- five minutes, she had been bombarded with so much new information, she hardly knew how to sort it out. Her emotions were going in ten different directions.
Not even the hideous truth that she and Daphne Whittinger had something in common seemed to stay in her consciousness. She was too busy letting the truth register: Billy had another girl- friend.
”I figured this was where you had to be,” said Billy, standing on the front steps of the Temple- tons' house. ”Did you have to take off without a word last night?”
It was nine o'clock Sunday morning, and though Carrie was up and dressed, she felt exhausted.
”Come on in,” she said quietly.
She led him into the Templetons' s.p.a.cious living room and through to the sunny kitchen.
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