Chapter 6: The Harbor Gala

The Harbor Children's Hospital gala had three hundred guests, one string quartet and a table for the people who were lying to each other.

Ours was table one.

Bianca had planned the seating herself.

Trevor sat on my left with his arm along the back of my chair.

Martha sat on my right, in navy silk, cutting her chicken into very small pieces.

Across from me, Nolan sat beside his wife.

Bianca wore white.

She always wore white to her own events.

"Jo, that green is stunning," she said, and smiled across the flowers. "Did you borrow it?"

"I bought it."

"Good for you."

Martha leaned toward me and murmured, "That was a kindness. Don't thank her."

I put a roll in my mouth to keep from laughing.

Trevor squeezed my shoulder.

"Isn't this nice?" he said to the table. "Two couples. No hard feelings."

Nobody answered.

For nine days he had been careful with me.

He had made coffee every morning and rubbed my feet on the couch and said how sorry he was.

I had let him.

"I saw you on Thames Street last week," Trevor said, and he said it lightly, to Nolan, with a smile for the table. "With my wife."

"I remember," Nolan said.

"You two looked friendly."

"We were."

Nolan put down his fork.

"She had a hard week," he said. "I'd like to make it softer."

Trevor's smile held.

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