Page 122 of Drawing Home
Speaking the words, she was aware that these were not new thoughts; it was a version of what she had been saying to Penny the other day by the pool. She had not fully accepted the scope of that truth herself. Not until this moment.
Henry Wyatt hadnotbeen capricious with his bequest of the house. In fact, he had not given Penny merely the house and the art.
He had also given her Bea.
“Henry Wyatt was a brilliant man, as we can see clearly as we sit here surrounded by his art. But I think in the end his greatest gift was drawing us together.” She looked at Penny and then at Bea. She leaned just a bit closer to the microphone, her words finally sure and steady. She felt them fill the room. “For that, I’m forever grateful.”
Bea nodded, just the slightest dip of her regal head. They locked eyes as the audience applauded.
Cheryl jumped up from her seat and made her way to the podium.
“And most important,” Cheryl said, stepping in front of the microphone and elbowing Emma to the side, “we’d like to thank these very special sponsors…”
Bea slipped outside, champagne in hand, and made her way to the tent. For all of her love of art, she had little patience for auctions.
With most of the guests still in the house, Bea had the hors d’oeuvres stations and minibars all to herself. Well, almost to herself.
Angus, dressed in a light blue sports jacket and a striped tie, hovered near the crab legs. She hesitated to approach him. Their last conversation had not gone well, and she didn’t know how quickly she would bounce back from another rebuke. But he did look so very handsome, and it was a beautiful evening, and, well, when had she ever been timid before?
“Great minds think alike,” she said, moving next to him. “Best to get a jump on these things. There’s nothing I hate more than waiting in line for food. Or, heaven forbid, for a drink.”
“Hello there, Bea. I’m actually just taking a look.”
Across the lawn, a string quartet began setting up.
“I begged Emma to consider a seated dinner, but the committee vetoed the idea,” Bea said.
“This arrangement seems more than adequate,” Angus said. “You did a fine job.”
Bea smiled. “Well, thank you, Angus. I’ll accept the compliment. It’s highly preferable to the tenor of our last conversation.”
“Do you ever stop pushing?” he asked, the hint of a smile on his lips. Just a hint—but she caught it.
“Of course not. That’s how I get things done.”
He didn’t seem to hear her, distracted by something. She turned around and saw Emma making her way toward them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hi before everything got started,” Emma said to him, out of breath. “Did you see Penny?”
“I did indeed,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek in greeting. “She looks very grown up and she was engrossed in conversation with one of the guests.”
“What are you doing out here so soon? Is the auction finished?” Bea said.
“No. I needed some air—and to get away from Cheryl. I sort of went off topic in my speech and she is not happy about it.”
Bea did not think Emma had gone off topic in the least. How much could one say about a movie theater? “Your speech was perfection,” Bea said. “I did not expect you to mention Henry, but I appreciate that you did. And I’m sure he would have as well.”
“To be honest, it wasn’t planned,” Emma said. “But standing up there, looking out at the audience and seeing Penny sitting next to you, it all sort of hit me, you know?”
Bea suspected she did know. But she couldn’t be sure. She kept herself from saying anything, from trying to urge the moment forward. After a few seconds, Emma spoke haltingly.
“I’ve been going over and over it in my mind,” she said. “The one thing I’ve been saying for as long as I can remember—and Angus, you know this is true—is that I just want Penny to be happy. I want what’s best for her. I realized tonight that I can’t give her that. But Bea, you can.” Her eyes filled.
Bea nodded, stepping closer and giving her a hug. It was the strangest sensation. How long had it been since she’d embraced someone?
“What am I missing here?” Angus said.
Bea pulled back and opened her purse to find a handkerchief for Emma. She passed it to her and turned to Angus. “That woman you saw Penny speaking to? She’s an old friend. The dean of admissions at Manhattan’s best fine-arts high school. She offered Penny a spot in their freshman class. I told Emma I’d be happy to take her to the city for the school year so she can attend.”
