Chapter Two

Part One

Waking the next morning, Kate once again told herself to go easier on the alcohol around Dee. Though sober most of the time, Danielle was capable of casually drinking most sailors under the table. Worse, she would inevitably wake up bright and smiling after just a few hours of rest, and without the common decency to be even slightly hung-over. Kate could not remember Dee ever having had a cold or being more than slightly under-the-weather for more than a day. Kate felt tight, grabbing feelings in her forehead and sinuses, uncomfortable reminders that letting Dee’s unstoppable constitution set the pace…   >> MORE <<

Part Two

Almost too soon, Dominique and Edison joined them to discuss the upcoming event. Chatting easily, they made their way into a beautiful pool house, complete with its own bar and an extensive dance floor. Dominique said, ‘We’ll start in here with canapés for about ninety minutes, then into the courtyard for sunset cocktails and to enjoy a wonderful jazz quintet, then back in here for dinner and dancing in the evening. Two of our people will be at your disposal for all lifting and grunt work. We have clear roll down screens on the patio edges to…   >> MORE <<

Part Three

Kate jerked awake to Dee’s knocking on her bedroom door and mumbled a response. Dee knocked once more and called out, ‘Katie? Everything’s fine, but you need to wake up.’

The fortieth birthday party they’d catered the night before had gone long past midnight and today was a designated sleep-in day. Kate sighed, swung her feet to the floor and called out groggily, ‘I’m up.’ She rubbed her eyes, found her robe and stumbled out to find out why she needed to wake up.

Dee never slept in. In her whole life…   >> MORE <<