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  “Uh, right,” Adrienne continued. “It’s just that I haven’t had a chance to spend any time with Brian.”

  “Well, this vacation should change that,” Mrs. Warner said decisively. “While we are away, you have nothing to do but make certain that you get him out of the picture. I managed the Byron problem very deftly at the tea, but as long as he is skulking around Cameron, Mrs. Bleecker and Mrs. Van Tassel will make certain that she is passed over for Deb of the Year.”

  “I see,” Adrienne said.

  “Luckily the tea had the desired effect of keeping myself in their good graces,” Mrs. Warner added. “But with Cameron…”

  “Don’t worry,” Adrienne said. “Now that we’re on break I’m sure I’ll be able to bring us back together.”

  “So, we’re all set, then.” Mrs. Warner stood up and glanced at her pink gold and diamond watch. “Would you be a dear and make certain that everyone is ready?”

  Adrienne nodded and left the dressing room. As she entered the hall, she saw Tania giving instructions to the porters who were gathering up the bags.

  “For Miss Cameron, this is to be on the boards!” she said, racing up to one of the young men and handing him a pink leather Prada bag.

  “What?” he asked.

  “On board the jet,” Adrienne explained.

  “Is what I say. On the boards.” Tania shoved the man toward the door. “Go, go, go!”

  Emma wandered out of her room, reading an oversized book.

  “Light reading for the plane?” Adrienne asked.

  “It’s a book, a work, a tome, a volume…,” Emma began.

  “Thesaurus, right?”

  “Correct, right, accurate, exact, truthful…,” Emma said, leafing through the huge book. “Bye, Adrienne. See you in a week.” Emma left, dragging a Prada backpack stuffed full of huge dictionaries and thesauruses.

  I wish the au pair at the resort good luck taking care of Emma, Adrienne thought.

  Cameron strutted out of her room, wearing a skintight Gucci après-ski outfit. “Oh, hi, Adrienne,” she said. She smiled and cocked her head. “Be a dear and take care of Brian for me while I’m away? He’ll be so lonely.” Her smile turned into a sneer. “And I know I can trust him with someone like you.”

  She scooped up her dog, Bisquit, who whimpered and shook by the door, terrified by all the commotion. “Ciao,” she chirped, and headed for the elevator.

  Oh, I’ll take care of Brian, all right, Adrienne thought, watching the elevator doors close on the sickening sight of Cameron’s smug face. Don’t you worry.

  “What in the devil do you mean that Debi is coming with us?” Mr. Warner bellowed behind Adrienne. She turned and saw Mrs. Warner wringing her hands as Mr. Warner blustered down the hall. Debi LaDeux stood beside Mrs. Warner, imperious as ever.

  “But Cameron has to keep practicing,” Mrs. Warner insisted. “Without Debi, she’ll fall behind. She made it through the debutante tea, but she’ll never survive the ball without constant supervision.”

  “Well, as long as Cameron’s complaining doesn’t ruin this vacation, I suppose it’s all right,” Mr. Warner said.

  “You won’t regret it, suh,” Debi drawled.

  “With what you’re charging, I already do,” Mr. Warner grumbled.

  “Darling!” Mrs. Warner exclaimed.

  Debi behaved as if she didn’t hear him. “Ah’ll just head on downstairs.” She left the apartment.

  “Where is everybody?” Mr. Warner demanded.

  “Why, I think…well…” Mrs. Warner glanced around and spotted Adrienne. “Yes, Adriana, where IS everybody?”

  “Emma and Cameron are already downstairs,” Adrienne said.

  “And I’m right here,” Graydon said, wandering into the hallway. “What’s up?”

  “We’re trying to leave,” Mr. Warner said. “Now can we please get out of here!”

  “Sure, Dad,” Graydon said. “Don’t have a stroke.”

  Mr. Warner strode out of the apartment, Graydon trailing behind him. As Graydon passed Adrienne he moved closer and whispered, “I’ll keep myself warm thinking about you….” He tried to brush her ear with his lips, but Adrienne backed away quickly.

  And I’ll try to keep from throwing up, Adrienne thought.

  Graydon winked and followed his dad into the elevator.

  “So, we’re off,” Mrs. Warner said to Adrienne. “I left a Christmas gift for you in the kitchen. Thank you for taking care of the plants while we’re gone,” she added. “As you know, no one will be here. Bye, Adriana. Happy Christmas—and remember our plans!”

  I wonder what my present is, Adrienne thought after Mrs. Warner left. She walked into the kitchen, where a pretty phalenopsis orchid sat with a large card tied to its velvet bow. Pretty, but useless. An envelope sat propped up against the terra-cotta planter.

  She slipped open the envelope. It was full of cash! There was also a note from Mrs. Warner on her thick gray stationery: You and Byron make such a cute couple! COW

  Adrienne stretched out on the sofa. A Fifth Avenue apartment all to myself, a Warner-free break, an envelope full of hundreds, and Cameron’s permission to keep Brian from feeling lonely while she’s away. It finally feels like Christmas!

  Adrienne grinned. Cameron meant her comment as a put-down. Well, she was going to live to regret tossing out those words at Adrienne so carelessly.

  Before she lost her nerve, Adrienne pulled out her cell and hit Brian’s speed-dial number. As soon as she heard the phone ring on the other end, her stomach clenched. How was Brian going to respond if she asked him out? He’d turned her down twice already. Am I crazy?

  She was about to click her phone shut when a woman’s voice answered. Brian’s mom.

  “Hello?” Mrs. Grady said.

  Adrienne bit her lip. Will Mrs. Grady think I’m a total loser for calling Brian after he dumped me? She cleared her throat and put on a cheery voice. “Hi there, Mrs. Grady, it’s Adrienne Lewis.”

  “Adrienne!” Mrs. Grady said warmly. Adrienne let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “We haven’t seen you for a while. How have you been?”

  “Okay,” Adrienne said. “Well, I guess you know that Brian and I aren’t really seeing each other these days.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Mrs. Grady replied. “I had guessed something like that had happened when he began talking about this Cameron person, and you stopped coming over for dinner. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Adrienne assured her, not wanting to come across as pathetic. “Is Brian around?”

  “No,” Mrs. Grady said. “Cameron got him an internship at Wrecker Records over the holidays. That’s where he is now.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Grady,” Adrienne said. “I’ll give him a call over there.”

  “All right, Adrienne,” she said. She paused, and then added, “You know, Adrienne, I probably shouldn’t say this, because you kids have to make your own decisions, but I hope you can patch things up.”

  “Me too, Mrs. Grady,” said Adrienne. “Me too.”

  “Wrecker,” an operator answered. “How may I help you?”

  “I’m looking for an intern named Brian Grady?” Adrienne said.

  “One moment please.” Hip-hop music blared as the operator put Adrienne on hold.

  “Devlin Media Corp Human Resources,” a busy female voice said.

  “I’m trying to reach Brian Grady,” Adrienne said. “He’s an intern at Wrecker?”

  “It is not company policy to connect people with interns. They aren’t supposed to take personal calls.”

  “Well, it’s really important that I speak with him,” Adrienne said.

  “As I said, it’s not our policy. I can’t help you.”

  Adrienne started to panic. I only have limited time to win Brian back from Cameron—I have to get started NOW!

  She caught a glimpse of herself surrounded by the Warners’ opulent furniture. “Listen,” she said, in her most adult voice
, “I suggest that you connect me with Brian immediately.”

  “And why, may I ask?” the woman asked, obviously irritated.

  “Because my name is Adrienne Lewis, I am calling from Christine Warner’s office, and I am a personal friend of Mr. Parker Devlin,” Adrienne said.

  Silence.

  “Uh, I’ll put you right through, Ms. Lewis,” said the voice, now terrified.

  “Thank you,” Adrienne said with satisfaction.

  A moment later, Brian got on the line.

  “Hey, Bri,” said Adrienne. “It’s me. I didn’t get to talk to you much at the tea. How are you?”

  “Uh, I’m cool, Adrienne. What’s up? How’d you find me here?”

  “Your mom.”

  “Oh,” Brian said.

  Well, this is awkward, Adrienne thought. How do I make this more normal?

  “Listen, do you want to go grab a coffee?” she blurted. “The Warners are off to Aspen, Liz is on her way to Aspen, Tamara and Lily are both busy, even Tania and Kane are gone, and I’m bored out of my mind.”

  Brian laughed. “Actually, you sound pretty caffeinated already.”

  Adrienne laughed too. “Okay, maybe I should have some nice green tea.”

  “Nah, you never were one for the organic stuff.”

  “You either,” Adrienne pointed out, encouraged that he hadn’t found an excuse to get off the phone. “At least I’m not afraid of tofu.”

  “Hey! Food shouldn’t jiggle,” Brian protested. “It’s just wrong.”

  “So what do you say?” she pressed. “We’ll go to a tofu-free zone.”

  Brian paused, and Adrienne crossed her fingers.

  “Sure, why not,” he said. “How about Starbucks at Fifty-Seventh and Lex, around six?”

  “Perfect. See you then.” Adrienne clicked off. “Yes!” she shrieked, jumping into the air. Then she glanced at the clock. She had forty minutes to change into something of Cameron’s and meet Brian.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Adrienne giggled. “The lead singer of Stud can only work if he brings his teddy bear?”

  Brian nodded. “Someone put it in the lost-and-found and he totally freaked.”

  “I don’t know, Bri, you are seriously messing with my worldview,” Adrienne said, grinning over her second mocha eggnog latte.

  “You always said Stud was a bunch of posers anyway,” Brian reminded her. “You could say I’m strengthening your argument.”

  “Hmm. Good point,” Adrienne said. She took a sip of her coffee drink. The peaks of foam tickled her nose.

  Brian grinned at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  He reached forward. “The foam. You look like you have snow on your nose.” He dabbed her nose with a napkin.

  Adrienne shut her eyes, barely able to contain her glee. This is such a boyfriend thing for him to do.

  Her eyes flicked open again. “Thanks,” she said.

  “Yeah…,” he said. His voice trailed off as he studied her face.

  She suddenly grew self-conscious. Is he comparing me with Cameron? I hope he doesn’t recognize this outfit.

  After a brief awkward moment, Brian and Adrienne quickly found themselves chatting away as if there was no tension between them at all. Brian even ignored the beeps of his cell phone. Adrienne carefully avoided any mention of Cameron, and Brian did the same.

  “It seems like you really love being at Wrecker,” she said. “It’s awesome,” Brian said. “And it’s not just meeting all these rockers. It’s cool watching how a song comes together. The way things get manipulated in the studio.”

  “Do you want to learn to engineer?” Adrienne asked.

  Brian shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. He wrapped his hands around his mug and glanced at his watch. “Wow, is that the time?” he said. “We’ve been talking for two hours!”

  “No wonder I’m hungry,” Adrienne said, hoping he’d get the hint.

  He gazed into her eyes again. “I forgot how easy it is to talk to you,” he said. “Cam just isn’t all that interested in stuff like—” He cut himself off and stared down at his coffee mug.

  I’m not going to let Cam screw this up for me. Especially since she isn’t even here, Adrienne thought. “It’s okay,” she said. “You can say her name.”

  Brian nodded and ran his hand through his dark hair. “Right,” he said, a slight flush rising in his cheeks. “But I don’t want to talk about her right now.”

  “Fine by me,” Adrienne said.

  “So, you want to grab some dinner?” he asked.

  It’s working! “Sure,” she said. “I’ll call my parents.” She reached into her bag and felt around. “Oh, no! I left my cell on the kitchen table at the Warners’. I need to go back and get it.”

  “Okay,” Brian said. “I’ll call my mom and let her know. Then we can stop by the Warners’, grab your phone, and figure out where to eat.”

  Or maybe we can just order in…, Adrienne thought.

  Adrienne and Brian were settled on the sofa in the kitchen, the fireplace blazing. They had ordered in Japanese food, which they paired with a bottle of Chardonnay that Adrienne pulled from the extensive wine collection. Now they were deciding what movie to watch on the huge flat-screen TV.

  Adrienne moved her toes toward Brian at the other end of the sofa and wiggled them under his thigh for warmth.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, taking an Hermès lap blanket from the arm of the sofa and throwing it over her legs. As he reached forward to tuck it in under her, Adrienne sat up, and they found themselves face-to-face.

  “It’s weird being with you like this,” he said softly. “It’s like everything’s back the way it was.”

  “I-I know what you mean,” Adrienne said. She held her breath, willing him to kiss her.

  He did.

  Brian’s lips pressed hard against Adrienne’s as he pulled her close. She ran her hands up his back and clung to him, letting herself feel comforted by his kisses, letting them wash away all of the hurt and fear and anger she had been feeling.

  I can’t believe it, Adrienne thought. This is amazing. He’s mine again!

  “Adriana!” a voice said as the overhead lights in the kitchen snapped on. “Are you in here?”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Warner!” Adrienne exclaimed.

  Brian and Adrienne instantly separated as if they were magnets repelling. Somehow Brian was at the window and Adrienne was perched at the table. I think we just broke all the laws of physics, she thought.

  Mr. and Mrs. Warner walked into the kitchen. Mr. Warner immediately went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a scotch.

  “What are you doing home?” Adrienne asked.

  “No snow,” Mr. Warner said. “We got to the airport and our pilot told us it was like July in Saint Moritz. I called the resort and offered to buy them a snow machine, but they wouldn’t do it.” He downed his drink and poured another. He turned and faced them. “But the real question is, what the hell are you two doing here?”

  Mrs. Warner gave Adrienne a small smile, then touched her husband’s arm. “Oh darling, I thought I told you that I had asked Adriana to check on things while we were gone.”

  “Ah.” Mr. Warner began rummaging through the huge refrigerator.

  “Hey!” Cameron said, walking into the kitchen. “Bri! You got my message! Great! I knew you’d be here.”

  Brian looked confused, then went blank. “Uh, yeah, sure,” he mumbled. He stared at his sneakers.

  “Cool! Let’s go out.” She grabbed Brian’s hand.

  As Cameron dragged Brian past Adrienne, he said, “So, uhm, see you around, Adrienne.”

  Adrienne’s mouth dropped open and tears stung her eyes. How can he diss me like this after the time we just spent together? Adrienne shook her head. Cameron has him completely whipped.

  “I am so happy you are here, Adrienne,” Mrs. Warner said, completely ignoring the stricken look on Adrienne’s face. “Mr. Warner and I are just here to drop off
the children. We’re leaving for Palm Beach, just the two of us.”

  “Can’t wait,” Mr. Warner said, dumping a pile of meats, cheeses, and pâté onto the counter.

  “I know, darling, I know,” she said, smiling. “So, Adriana, we really need you to step up to the plate. We’ll make it worth your time.”

  Luckily, Emma came in, giving Adrienne another moment to compose herself.

  “Salutations, greetings, acknowledgments, hello, Adrienne,” Emma said, dropping her bag on the floor.

  “So, as I was saying, would you be a dear and stay here with Emma? Tania will be returning as well to handle the nights. Wonderful. All right, darling, let’s go!”

  Mr. Warner picked up his platter of snacks and tucked the bottle of scotch under his arm. Mrs. Warner followed him, regaling him with all the friends they’ll be THRILLED to see once they got to Palm Beach.

  A moment later, Adrienne and Emma were left alone in the quiet kitchen.

  “Looks like it’s just you and me,” Emma said.

  “It always is,” Adrienne replied.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  out of the closet

  Arriving late at Dr. M-C’s house in Aspen, Liz didn’t really notice much about it except that it was large, dark, and somewhere in the woods just outside of Aspen. Fighting a slight headache from the thin mountain air, Liz helped the sleepy kids (two real, one imaginary) into their bedrooms, called her mother to let her know she had arrived safely, and then followed Dr. M-C down the hall to the room where she was to sleep.

  “This is it,” Dr. M-C announced, opening the door to the tiny bedroom. “It used to be a broom closet,” she added, gesturing toward the brooms hanging on the back of the door. “Your bath is down the hall. See you in the morning.”

  Liz said good night, changed out of her clothes, fell into the bed, and was sound asleep in no time.

  The next morning, the light passing across her face woke her, and Liz sat up and looked around. “This is the fanciest broom closet I’ve ever seen,” she murmured.

  The room was tiny, but the walls were paneled in a rough-hewn cedar wood and smelled wonderful. Slender windows looked out onto a snow-covered garden next to the garage, and the light streamed in through a glass door that opened onto a tiny terrace.