Part 12 (1/2)
Carmen sighed. ”It's complicated.”
”It's a yes-no question. How hard can it be?”
”There's never been anything between us. She's married . . .
and very straight. You know how that is.”
”In other words, you couldn't have her, so you wanted me.”
She started to get up, but Carmen stopped her.
”It isn't like that. Please don't make this out to be worse than it is.”
”You all must have had a spectacular laugh last night after dinner.”
”No, we didn't.” Carmen grabbed both her hands and squeezed them. ”I promise you, no one laughed at you. Sofia did ask me in the taxi if I might be insane-which under the circ.u.mstances was probably a fair question.”
As uncomfortable as things were, Judith appreciated Carmen's efforts to lighten things up. Carmen wasn't some evil, manipulative person, but no amount of charm would fix this mess. ”This is too weird for me. I'm sorry.”
”Me too . . . sorry, that is. Not weird . . . well, maybe I am a little.” She slumped against the back of the couch and sighed heavily. ”I bet you're too principled to just go have mind-blowing s.e.x anyway.”
Judith couldn't help but chuckle. ”I'm afraid my libido left town about five minutes ago. Besides, I have this thing about wanting to hear my own name called out in the throes of pa.s.sion.”
”That's kind of old-fas.h.i.+oned, don't you think?” Carmen got up and walked over to the mini-bar. ”I usually have a drink or five when I feel like s.h.i.+t. Would you like one?”
”No, thanks.”
Carmen turned back and looked at her with genuine regret.
”I'm sorry, Judith.”
”So am I.”
83.
”Just out of curiosity”-Carmen emptied a mini-bottle of scotch into a gla.s.s-”was there any way I could have handled this better, or were we doomed from the start just because you happen to look like Brooke?”
”Would you have given me your raincoat if I hadn't looked like Brooke?”
”Probably not.”
Judith wanted to ask if they could just back up and start over.
But this wasn't about them getting to know each other and forg-ing a relations.h.i.+p. It was an affair at a convention between two virtual strangers. The only thing left to do now was get out with her dignity intact. ”I had a good time this weekend, thanks to you. Obviously, things didn't turn out the way either of us would have liked, but I'm still glad I met you.”
”I hope you mean that.”
”I do.” Judith closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ”Take care of yourself. I mean that too.”
84.
Chapter 8.
” . . . added two more intercept sites so that's going to make the Asia contingent happy. Richard thinks we could pick up China within eighteen months if the contacts are there,” Lenore said.
Standing behind her desk, Carmen peered through smudged reading gla.s.ses at her notes, the ones she had scribbled on the plane last Monday in an attempt to focus on anything but the debacle on Sunday night. They had put this meeting off for two days so Cathy could return to Chicago by train. ”Whose idea was it to add sites?” There was a belligerence in her voice that she was powerless to stop.
Lenore shuffled her papers. ”I, uh . . .”
”It was yours, Carmen,” Cathy said evenly. ”I have it in my notes from the meeting on the third.”
”I don't remember anything about it.”
85.
”Yes, you do. And you thought it was brilliant at the time. You said you had been looking for a client to pay for picking up Portland and San Jose. Both have flights to Narita, so you suggested adding it to the Asia budget.”
Carmen sighed and dropped the folder on her desk. Yes, it had been her idea. And no, she didn't feel like having this meeting. She didn't feel like being in this office at all.
”So . . . should we go ahead with setting this up?”
Lenore was saying something.
”Carmen?”
”Yes, yes. Go ahead.” She waved her hand as if shooing a fly.
”It's yours. I want you to take over all of Syndicated from this minute on, okay? I'll handle the custom side, but I can't deal with both anymore. That's why you were promoted.” She glanced up to see Cathy tip her head toward the door, urging Lenore to leave.
Lenore closed the door on her way out and Cathy set her folder on the coffee table.
Carmen knew what was coming next and she didn't want to hear it. ”I don't want a lecture.”
”Okay, fine. Can we just talk one friend to another?”