Mel finished the cookie and brushed the crumbs from her legs. “I’ve never eaten in one of Cliff’s restaurants. Greg and I were in LA a few years back and we looked at the menu. Too expensive for us. And—” she eyed Joanna “—dare I say pretentious?”

“Totally pretentious.”

“And...overpriced?”

“Hideously overpriced. When they served my food I wanted to invest it, not eat it. And don’t start me on the wine.” Joanna started to laugh again and Mel laughed, too, and the next minute they were both giggling uncontrollably as they had so many times as children.

Mel wiped her eyes. “I’m trying to imagine you with expensive wine.”

“I dropped a bottle once. There were only a few hundred bottles of this vintage left in the world, and I dropped one. The wine in his cellar was worth more than the house.” Joanna rubbed her ribs. “I missed laughing like this.”

“Me, too. I missed you. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too. So much.”

Mel felt her throat thicken. “What happened to the wine? Who owns it now?”

“I do.” That part of her life felt so distant now. “He left it to me, and I have no idea what to do with it because I don’t drink much.”

“Well, you can do one of two things.” Mel gathered up her things. “You can sell it, or you could have a massive party and invite everyone from Silver Point. Whitney could organize it and then you are guaranteed to have all the guests and invitations color-coded. Alternatively, just invite Greg and Nate. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help with your wine problem. What about your job? What happens to that?”

“That’s something I’m still figuring out.” Joanna put her hat back on and knotted her towel around herself. “Without Cliff, the company is going to change, obviously. Maybe even go bust, although I don’t think so. But do I want to be part of whatever is left? I’m not sure. I came here on impulse, but now I’m here I don’t want to go back.”

“Then don’t. Sell the wine! Live off the money.”

Joanna looked at her for a long moment. “Maybe I’ll do that.”

“What about Ashley? What is she going to do? She is his daughter, I assume? The media didn’t make that part up?”

“No, they didn’t make it up.”

Mel listened while Joanna told her everything, from start to finish. She told her about the happy times and about the bad. She told her about the miscarriage, about the affairs, about Cliff denying his daughter and about where she’d been when she’d seen the news that his car had come off the road.

When Joanna finally finished, Mel let out a long breath.

“I’ll give you this, Joanna Whitman, your life certainly hasn’t been boring.”