Page 79 of The Castaways
“That’s a great thing you did,” Flanders said.
Phoebe said, “Thank you.”
This didn’t feel right. She should have donated the money for the path anonymously, but that hadn’t been possible because of the Tess and Greg connection. So now she was saddled with her good deed; it was making her uncomfortable in a way she hadn’t predicted.
She saw her people, her dear friends and her husband, huddled together with their backs turned aggressively to everyone else, including the server, who was trying to offer the Chief a stuffed quail egg. They were talking among themselves in a serious, deliberate way that Phoebe had seen before. They had talked that way when Tess and Greg died; they had talked that way when Tess lost her baby; they had probably talked that way on September 11 when they realized Reed had died. They had closed ranks and were speaking in undertones.
Phoebe suddenly understood why they had the rule of no gifts. It was too complicated emotionally to give and receive things when there were so many tight, overlapping connections between the eight of them. They were too close, and gifts required fairness and reciprocity.Here you go, this is for you. Oh, thank you, I love it.A simple idea, but not simple with them. Gifts would inevitably cause a mess. Phoebe had caused a mess. They found her gift offensive. They were offended that Phoebe had thought of this tribute and then executed it without their input. Andrea—of course!—would never allow Tess’s and Greg’s names to be attached to something without her approval. Addison would be pissed because Phoebe had spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars without asking him. (But she was prepared for this; some of that money was money that she’d earned herself, and then invested wisely with Reed.) Still, Tess had been Addison’s lover, he was the executor of the will; Tess and Greg belonged to him. And they belonged to Andrea. But that, in a way, was why Phoebe had done this secretly. Tess and Greg had been Phoebe’s friends, too, and she wanted to honor themherway, without input from the people whose connections to them were believed to be more important.
Phoebe broke into the circle, ready for her flogging. Sure enough, Andrea was crying.
“I’m sorry,” Phoebe said.
Andrea swiped at her nose. “It was beautiful,” she said. “A beautiful gesture.”
Jeffrey said, “Delilah is going to kick herself for missing it.”
Addison pulled Phoebe in close and kissed her temple. “You’re a genius,” he said.
ANDREA
By nine o’clock she felt she had done her duty. She had drunk two glasses of chardonnay, she had eaten six hors d’oeuvres, she had listened to Phoebe’s speech, which honored Tess and Greg in a way that Andrea herself should have thought of had she not been so pathetically inward-looking, and she had wept a few tears without breaking down. She had even danced with Eddie to their favorite Sinatra tune. In Andrea’s mind, she deserved a bronze star for outstanding courage.
But now she was ready to go.
“Already?” Ed said. “It’s only five minutes to nine. The band is playing until midnight.”
The thought of having to hold herself together for three more hours nearly brought Andrea to her knees. “I want to go home,” she said.
“Another hour,” Ed said.
“Now,” Andrea said. “Poor Kacy—”
“Delilah’s not even here yet, so poor Kacy nothing. And when the twins do get home, she’ll put them to bed and make fifteen dollars an hour for watching TV.”
“Ed,” Andrea said, “I can’t stay.”
Addison approached them, holding a drink. He was glassy-eyed.
“Are you drunk?” Andrea said.
“Exhausted,” he said. “I haven’t been sleeping.”
“Something on your mind?” the Chief asked.
Addison said, “If I thought I could sneak out of here without Phoebe’s beheading me, I would.”
“My savior,” Andrea said. “Will you take me home?”
The Chief’s eyes lit up. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” Addison said.
“You’re okay to drive?” the Chief asked.
“I’m okay.”
“I’ll drive,” Andrea said.
