You Knew Me When (25 page)

“S
o?” Laney trailed Katherine through Luella's house, from room to room, watching her absorb the full extent of the work that had been done.

“This is amazing.” Katherine's head pivoted from left to right and right to left like a spectator at a tennis match. “I can't believe you got so much accomplished.”

“Well, I can't take all the credit. The cleaning crew you hired was really thorough, and Rick's guys did the painting and fixing.” Laney couldn't hide her satisfaction. Katherine was visibly impressed by her efforts, even if she hadn't done most of the physical labor. “I did finish packing up the stuff from Luella's closet that we want to sell, and I set aside a bunch of the dresses you'd expressed interest in. I was thinking maybe we'd each pick one piece of jewelry as a keepsake.”

“That's a nice idea.” Katherine smiled placidly. “I hope you'll take the pearl choker. I can't imagine it looking better on anyone else.”

“Thanks,” Laney said, and smiled back. She'd had the week without Katherine to think about things. She'd even talked to Grant and Rick about it, which—despite her initial resistance—had helped her see things in a new light. Not that she was suddenly over it, but the wrath that had once resided in the pit of her stomach, ready to erupt at the sheer mention of Katherine's name, was gone. And, she supposed, on the heels of a lot of encouragement from Rick, the right thing to do was to talk to Katherine. She knew they could never go back to the way things had once been, but as Rick had gingerly explained to her, when you're that close to someone for such a long period of time, so much so that the person becomes more like a family member than a friend, there are bound to be disappointments, disagreements, and sometimes major fallouts. It wasn't that Laney didn't understand that. Of course she did. But it was harder to digest when it was you. Wasn't it always easy to look at things impartially when it was someone else's life, someone else's hurt feelings, someone else's bitterness? How many times had she seen a show on television where two best friends, sisters even, had wanted to kill each other over something or other, and thought it was so silly that they'd get that worked up over whatever it was? She'd always rationalized that with herself and Kitty it was different. And, until now, she'd been certain that no one understood where she was coming from. That everyone—Rick, Grant, her mom, and Gemma—were all out to get her, taking Kitty's side over hers, just because.

It wasn't black and white, though. She had enough sense to realize that. There were still moments when the mere thought of Kitty leaving all those years ago tied her up in a million tight knots. “Talk to her,” Rick would say. “The only way to move on, friends or not, is to talk to her.” She could practically hear his words reverberating in her head.

“So, what's left?” Katherine followed Laney up the stairs to Luella's bedroom.

“You're lookin' at it.” Laney pointed to a small dresser in the back of Luella's closet. “I was going to try to go through it last night, but then Gemma wanted to go see the late viewing of
He Hearts Me
, and after that my brain was dead.”

“I heard it was terrible.”

“You heard right. All those celebrities, and still a waste of fifteen bucks.”

“For both of you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Amazing. It's double in New York.”

“And that surprises
you
?”

“I guess not. I always forget how cheap the cost of living is up here.”

“It's all relative. The salaries are lower too, believe me.”

“Oh, I'm sure. I didn't mean . . .”

“Don't worry about it. You didn't offend me.” Laney walked toward the dresser. “Shall we?”

“Go for it.” Katherine stood behind Laney while she opened each empty drawer.

“I think our work might be done here.” Laney pulled at the last drawer. “This one is stuck. Let's just leave it. Rick can carry it down for us tonight. By the way, you should have seen the estate-sale lady's eyes light up when she saw all the loot.”

“I'll bet.” Katherine maneuvered around Laney. “Let me try that drawer. I haven't spent the last decade working out for nothing.” She yanked on the handles and then yanked harder, until the drawer released a little, the momentum catapulting Katherine onto her rear end.

“Damn, you are strong.” Laney knelt down next to her and peered through the crack. “It looks like there's a piece of paper taped to the back and a little plastic bag floating around.” Laney tried to open the drawer farther, but ultimately settled on sticking her arm through the opening. “I can't get in there. You try. Your arms are skinnier.”

Katherine wedged her arm, elbow deep, into the drawer. “Got them!” She handed the plastic bag to Laney and unfolded the piece of paper. “It's just a series of numbers. Looks like a combination to something.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“What?”

“It appears our sweet Luella liked the doob.”

“What's the doob?”

“Weed, marijuana—whatever you want to call it.” Laney held up a single, neatly rolled joint.

“That is hysterical. Although it doesn't seem like Luella.”

“It's always the ones you least expect.”

“Or maybe she was using it medicinally.” Katherine frowned.

“Maybe.” Laney searched through her purse. “Voilà!” She revealed a lighter, which looked to be about twenty years old. “I knew I'd find a use for this eventually.”

“You're not going to smoke that. Are you?”

“Not by myself.” Laney grinned mischievously.

“Well, I don't do drugs.” Katherine shook her head disapprovingly. “Plus you don't even know what that is.”

“It's a joint. What else would it be?”

“I don't know. Some weird herb.”

Laney sniffed it. “Nope, weed. And it smells good.” She lit it without hesitation, took a long, smooth toke, and passed it to Katherine. “Come on, don't be such a Goody Two-shoes.”

“Fine.” Katherine pinched the end carefully. “I'll have you know this is peer pressure at its finest.”

“I'm okay with that,” Laney deadpanned. “You could use a little loosening up.”

“
Me
?” Katherine inhaled and then blew out a puff of smoke, coughing fitfully.

“You don't think you're uptight?”

“Maybe a little.”

“A little. Right. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Shut up!” Katherine passed the joint back to Laney, and they took alternating drags until it was gone.

“So, listen. I need to talk to you.” Laney's eyes were glassy, and she had an insatiable urge to inhale a Big Mac and supersize fries, but her munchies would have to wait. Luella's stash was just the haze-induced courage she needed to break the ice with Katherine.

“Now?” Katherine could barely focus.

“Why? Do you have somewhere to be?” Laney giggled even though it wasn't funny.

“I don't think so.” Katherine twisted up her face.

“Good. Because I'm only going to say this once.” Laney took a deep breath. “I was wrong.”

“About what?”

“About trying to get in the way of you moving to New York after college. For saying what I did about you and your mom. And then, you know, ignoring your calls. I'm sorry.”

“No, I was wrong. I should have been there for you.” Katherine looked like she was trying to make sense of her thoughts. “You were always the strong one. I know that's not an excuse. I just assumed you'd be okay. Actually, I knew you would. I wasn't so sure about myself.”

“Oh, please. You were a genius. You would have been fine even if we'd never met.”

“You're wrong, Laney. I don't think you realize this, but you saved my life. I could have come to Manchester and been a loser like I was in Bennington. But you saw something in me—God knows what—and you burst into my world like a bat out of hell at the very time when I needed you most. I wouldn't have survived without you.” Katherine's eyes welled with tears.

“I depended on you too.”

“It never seemed that way.”

“Probably because I didn't want you to see it. I've been known to be stubborn.”

“You?” Katherine feigned shock.

“Very funny.” Laney rolled her eyes. “I should have told you that. And I should have let you go to New York without wrecking everything. I was jealous.”

“Of me?” Katherine pointed at herself. “You were perfect.”

“I was pregnant and stuck here. You were off to New York to steal
my
dream. Or at least that's how I saw it back then. And then I couldn't even talk to you about what I was going through. I was so angry, and it's taken me this long to realize why.”

“But you have everything I don't in Rick and Gemma.”

“I know. I didn't see that, though. I couldn't. I was too focused on being furious that you'd left.”

“You know what's funny?”

“What?”

“I always thought you'd be the one to leave. From the minute we met, I was saddled with the fear that one day you'd realize you made a mistake. That you'd realize I wasn't best-friend material and that you could do better. But you never faltered. You were so fiercely loyal, time and time again. Still, I couldn't escape my own insecurity that you'd disappoint me eventually. The irony is that I disappointed you in the end. I disappointed everyone.”

“Kitty, you have a huge career. I'd hardly say that's disappointing.”

“Are you more impressed with my bank account or your daughter?”

“Come on . . .”

“No, really. I mean, does anyone that actually matters care that I have an important title and a hefty savings account? Does any of that amount to anything if I only have myself? I'm thirty-four years old. I live alone. And all I do is work.”

“Believe me, I wish I had the successful career you do.”

“You have a great job.”

“Yeah, but I have Tina. And I fucking despise that woman.”

“She really is annoying.” Katherine laughed, fracturing the sober mood. “I was desperate to put her in her place on your behalf, but I figured it would piss you off.”

“It would have.”

“Have you ever thought about doing something on your own? Oasis seems like the only gig in town, and—from what I can gather—you run the show anyway.”

“I'd love to, but in case you haven't noticed, we're not that rich.”

“There must be a way. You'll have the money from the house soon, and interest rates on loans are fantastic right now.”

“I've thought about it, especially when Tina goes on one of her crazy rampages. But we couldn't cut it financially, even with the inheritance. Gemma needs to go to college.”

“I understand.”

“Plus, it's a shitload of work to open a spa from the ground up. Tina bought Oasis when it was already a well-oiled machine.” Laney shrugged. Her high was already wearing off. “I wonder if we could carry the dresser down ourselves. It doesn't seem that heavy.” Laney stood up and pushed it away from the wall. “Look what we have here.”

“What?” Katherine jumped up.

“A safe.” Laney motioned to the piece of paper in Katherine's hands. “Let me see that.”

“Maybe it's full of marijuana. What if Luella was a drug lord?” Katherine's eyes widened.

“You watch too much TV.” Laney turned the dial in one direction, then back in the other, and again three more times until they heard a soft click and the door released to reveal two small black velvet boxes—one with Laney's name and the other with Kitty's, and a letter-sized white envelope, with “My Girls” on the front.

“Open the letter first.” Katherine peered over Laney's shoulder.

“Thanks, Angela Lansbury.” She tore at the envelope and pulled out a one-page note written in Luella's elaborate cursive.

My Dear Girls,

If you're reading this together, without attempting to strangle each other, then my work is done. I'm sure you're wondering why I went to such great lengths to reunite you. Now I can tell you.

Once upon a time, I had a friend who died too young. She'd asked me to come see her in her final days; she wanted to tell me about her illness—an inoperable brain tumor—in person. But I kept delaying the trip over and over, saying I was too busy with one thing or another. Who can even remember now? Whatever it was, it couldn't have been as important as being there for her. Even though I didn't know why she wanted to see me, not supporting her when she needed me most is one of the greatest regrets of my life. That and not going out with Gregory Peck when he asked.

Beyond that, I'm afraid it was my fault, at least in part, that the two of you fell out, as it was me who pushed Kitty to go to NYU and then again to go to New York and take the job with Jane. As Kitty knows, I always saw a great deal of myself in her, and perhaps, since I'd never had the opportunity to pursue such a dream, I didn't want her to pass it up. I should have explained that better at the time. I should have done a lot of things differently, but that's what regret and forgiveness are for. I hope you girls are able to forgive, because in all my years—and there were many of them—I've never known two people so well suited to look out for and support each other.

All right, then. Enough sappy talk for the moment. If you've found this letter, then you've also found two boxes. The one with Laney's name holds my wedding band. Wear it if you'd like or give it to Gemma one day. It represents the most wonderful time in my life. The one with Kitty's name is my engagement ring, which I hope one day—though it may not be traditional—you'll be able to use for yourself. Hint. Hint.

Oh, and one last thing. Sorry about the mess. I fired my housekeeper because I couldn't bear to let anyone watch me fade.