Priceless (49 page)

“So you don’t want a transfer back to New York?” Carrie asked her.

“I’ll kill you if you pull that one on me now,” Jessica assured her. “But how about you? Are you happy here in London?” she asked.

Old Ehrenpreis had asked the exact same question just that afternoon, while he and Carrie had been lunching at Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road. Carrie’s old boss and opposite number in New York was close to retirement. If Carrie wanted it, the position would almost certainly be hers.

Am I happy in London?
Carrie asked herself. She was certainly proud of what she had achieved over the past two years. The London office was performing well above the targets that had been set for her when she’d taken the job. Walking around the building, she was certain that her staff were happy. Her clients were happy. But was she?

Carrie thought about the question again that night when she was alone in her flat, taking off her makeup. Later, standing with her hands on her hips in the living room, she surveyed the place she called “home.” More than two years since she had arrived in London, she was still in the same rental flat. She hadn’t had time to look for somewhere more permanent. But this was ridiculous. In the corner of the living room were five huge boxes of her personal effects; unopened since the day they’d been delivered. Though she was surrounded by art all day long and loved to be able to rest her eyes on a beautiful painting, the walls of Carrie’s home were completely bare. As she looked at the boxes, it struck her that if Ehrenpreis demanded that she move back to Manhattan tomorrow, she wouldn’t even have to pack.

Suddenly Carrie felt very homesick indeed. London
was wonderful, but her family, her friends, even her favorite junk food, was all on the other side of the Atlantic. Along with the best job offer she had ever had.

The following morning, she told Jessica that she would be going back to New York.

“I can’t go with you,” Jessica said in a panic. The exact mirror image reaction of the panic she’d had two years before, when Carrie had announced the move to London.

“You don’t have to,” Carrie promised. “I’ll make sure that you keep your job.”

Old Ehrenpreis was delighted. “My best girl at the helm of my best office,” he said. “When are you coming?”

It all happened very quickly. Just two months later, Carrie handed over the reins to her successor, a man from Boston who had been snapping at her heels from day one.

“Good luck with the Brits,” Carrie told him within earshot of Jessica. “They are weird.”

“No, they’re not.” Her assistant leaped to the defense of her adopted nation.

Arriving back in her old apartment, Carrie felt at last that she was in the right place. This time she didn’t hesitate to unpack. When her furniture was released from storage, she replaced each piece exactly as it had been when she’d gotten the call to London. With a whole blissfully empty week to go before she took over the role of CEO of Ehrenpreis New York, Carrie spent her time going down to see her family, catching up with old friends, and eating in her favorite restaurants. It was as though nothing had changed.

On the Friday evening, she was having dinner on the terrace at Barbuto in the meatpacking district when he walked into the restaurant.

“Who is it?” Noticing Carrie’s stricken expression, her friend Georgie swiveled around.

It was Jed. But he wasn’t alone. On his arm was a blond, about Carrie’s height. She had a heart-shaped face and a body to die for, shown off to perfection by a simple white cotton dress, perfect for the warm summer evening. She had her arm linked through Jed’s and was laughing at something he’d told her.

Something had changed. Carrie didn’t know why she felt so awful. It was inevitable that he’d find someone else. She was the one who had told Jed they couldn’t be together. She had no right to be upset that he had found someone new. Someone so young and beautiful and who was clearly crazy about him. Someone so much younger and more beautiful than Carrie felt right then.

“Isn’t that …?” Georgie asked.

“Yes,” said Carrie in a whisper. “It’s Jed.”

There was nowhere to escape to. Jed was going to walk right by their table. If she stood up on the pretense of going to the ladies’ room, he would spot her at once. The only thing to do was suck it up and say hello. Act pleased to see him. And whoever she was.

She hadn’t wanted him, had she? She’d sent him away because he wasn’t right for her. It didn’t matter, she told herself over and over, steeling herself for the moment when he finally saw her. She took a big swig of her wine.

“Jed,” she said.

He looked pleased to see her. He broke away from the girl and leaned over the fence that surrounded the terrace to plant a kiss on each of Carrie’s cheeks.

“You look amazing,” he said. “What are you doing back here? Flying visit?”

“I’m back for good,” she told him. “I accepted the top job at Ehrenpreis New York.”

“Wow, good for you. I always knew you would end up running that place.”

“Thank you. And you?”

“There’s been a lot of change on the job front for me too. I gave up modeling. I’m working as a commercials director.”

“Just like that?”

“Not just like that. I was taking classes when I last saw you, remember? I did a promo video for a friend and it took off from there.”

“Wow. Congratulations.”

Carrie wished she could look into Jed’s eyes for longer, but she was acutely aware that standing just behind him was the girl. She shifted uneasily from foot to foot as Jed was talking. It was obvious that she wanted to be somewhere else. Even Carrie started to feel that Jed was being a little inconsiderate. Eventually, the girl actually tugged at Jed’s arm.

“Jed,” she said, “don’t you think you should introduce me?”

Carrie arranged her face to look friendly, neutral, as Jed apologized for not having introduced Carrie to …

“My little sister, Tiffany.”

“Your sister.” Carrie couldn’t help sounding relieved.

“Yes. She’s fresh in from the country today. She’s decided, of all the stupid things, to move to New York and try her hand as a model.”

“I’ve got an interview at Elite Model Management tomorrow.”

“Then you better make it an early night,” said Jed. “You do not want to turn up with bloodshot eyes.”

“I can have one cocktail,” she said. “You promised!”

“I promised our mother I would keep you out of trouble. Will you excuse me?” Jed said to Carrie as he
took his sister in a playful headlock. “She’s out of control,” he explained.

“No, I am not!” Tiffany protested when he let her go. “You have totally ruined my hair.”

Carrie was reminded of exactly what she had liked about Jed. He was playful. But she could also see how much he cared about his little sister. Family and friends were very important to him.

“We should leave you ladies to have dinner,” he said then. “But I hope I’ll see you soon,” he added for Carrie’s benefit.

“Tomorrow night?” she blurted.

“I’ll have to check my calendar,” said Jed.

Tiffany pulled a face at him, as if to say “You jerk.”

Jed broke into a grin. “I would love that. Where will I find you?”

“Same apartment, same phone number,” said Carrie.

“I’ll think of something good to do.”

“I wouldn’t leave anything to him if I were you,” said Tiffany. “He’ll come up with something totally lame.”

“See you tomorrow,” said Jed. He kissed her good-bye.

“Carrie Klein,” said Georgie, “You are such a lucky girl!”

Carrie spent the next day in a state of nervous excitement. Jed called at lunchtime to tell her that he’d made a reservation at one of her favorite restaurants. They didn’t ever get there. As soon as Jed planted a kiss on Carrie’s mouth when she opened the door to him, she knew they had more important things to do than share a bowl of pasta.

It wasn’t long before they were taking each other’s clothes off. Carrie ran her hands over Jed’s fine, broad chest, honed by hours in the gym. He lowered his head and kissed each of her nipples in turn, tenderly, as if he were greeting old friends.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, addressing her breasts.

Carrie gave him a mock frown, but she realized as she kissed Jed how much she had missed his body too. Each kiss was like a step along a familiar path to a place that felt like home. She touched her lips to the stubble on his cheek like a traveler kissing the ground after a long, lonely flight.

Naked at last, she pressed her body hard against him and held him tight, wanting to feel connected along their entire lengths. Their lips just touching, they murmured sweet nothings to each other. Apologies and promises. As Jed told her that he loved her, Carrie thought that she might cry.

“I love you too,” she admitted at last. What’s more, she realized that she trusted him. He was a good man.

Meanwhile, she felt his penis grow hard against her, and her own body cried out for a total reunion that would heal the pain of the time apart. Carrie wrapped her legs around her lover so that there was nowhere for him to go but into her.

Carried cried out in joy as Jed made his first thrust with his face buried in her neck, as though to hide the strength of the emotion on his face. Later, when he raised himself above her, their eyes met and a thousand secrets passed between them. As they came in perfect unison, Carrie knew she would not leave him again.

CHAPTER 71

S
erena waited to hear that she would be expected to give evidence at Nat’s trial, but the request didn’t come. As DC Arnold outlined the counseling and support that might be available to her in light of her connection to Julian, Serena realized that Julian must have kept his promise. It seemed that no one but Yasha had worked out her connection to the fakes.

Serena read about the record-breaking sale
of The Virgin
on the Internet just a few hours after the auction finished. She couldn’t believe it. At first she thought that the figures must be wrong. A stray zero had gotten in there somewhere. But news site after site gave the same story. The tiny painting that Serena had created in an attic room in Tuscany not so long ago had achieved the highest price ever for a painting of its type and age. The
Daily Mail
ran an article that compared what the painting’s new owner might have gotten for his money had he spent it elsewhere. A fifty-five-meter yacht. Fifteen years full board in the best hotel in the world. It was staggering.

But not so staggering as the news that Nat Wilde had been arrested and charged with the death of Julian Trebarwen.

“He’s admitted it,” said DC Arnold. “We thought you would want to know.”

Serena went out into the garden of her house, sat down beneath the tree where she and Julian had shared many glasses of wine while Katie was sleeping, and cried. Having felt so angry with Julian, she now felt sorry for
him, dying so suddenly and violently. She wondered who was making arrangements for his funeral. Would his brother care to celebrate his life? Would Serena be able to go along to say good-bye? Serena felt sad and angrily—and guiltily—relieved to know that Yasha had not been involved.

The weekend after the auction and Nat’s arrest for murder, Serena’s ex-husband, Tom, drove down to Cornwall. He had rented a cottage in the village, where he would stay with Katie for the week. It was the arrangement that Katie liked best. She said that she didn’t like going to London because there weren’t many toys in Donna’s house. Serena hoped Donna’s coldness wasn’t the real reason. Katie loved to be at the cottage in the village because she could make her father drive her back home if she needed a different outfit for a Barbie doll.

Tom arrived just two hours late. He looked frazzled.

“Traffic bad?” Serena asked.

“Everything’s bad,” said Tom.

“Ah,” said Serena. “Cup of tea?”

Somehow, Tom ended up staying for supper. Katie was being unusually difficult. She threw such an almighty tantrum when Serena asked her to get Bunny ready for the trip to the cottage that Serena uncharacteristically backed down and said that Katie could go to the cottage in the morning if she preferred. She put the tantrum down to the fact that Tom had been late and that had made Katie anxious.

Tom ate the pasta gratefully.

“Never allowed pasta anymore,” he said. “Donna’s got me on a diet.”

Serena, who had her back to her ex-husband, allowed herself a little smile but stopped short of telling Tom that
Donna was right. He was looking a little soft around the midriff. And gray. As she passed him a wine bottle so that he could open it, she thought she saw liver spots on the backs of his hands.

The wine soon loosened his tongue.

“It’s not working out,” he said. “It was fine before her divorce came through, but as soon as she got the settlement, things started to change. I know what it is, Serena. She doesn’t think I’m a big enough success for her. She dumped the boss for the office junior is how she sees it.”

Serena nodded, thinking,
And now that the sex has started to seem less interesting, other issues are rearing their heads
.