BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY JAMIE BRENNER
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. PART TWO
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. PART THREE
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. Acknowledgments
  81. About the Author
  82. What’s next onyour reading list?

“As a matter of fact, I’m working on something for charity right now.” She made a mental note to talk to Sloan Pierce about partnering with a charity.

Just a day earlier she’d decided to move forward with the auction. She’d get a year’s worth of publicity out of it, she’d unburden herself of caretaking all the pieces, raise some money, and, best of all, that niece of hers would have less reason to keep sniffing around.

Her phone buzzed again, and again she checked. Her lawyer. At least this time the call would extract her from the conversation with Isabel. She excused herself and stepped away from the table.

“Elodie speaking.”

“I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. We need to discuss the auction paperwork you sent me,” said her lawyer.

“Right now? I’m at a luncheon.”

“There’s a problem. The Pavlin Private Collection is part of a trust. You can’t sell any of the items without sign-off from the co-owners of the trust.”

Had he been day-drinking? “There aren’t any co-owners of the trust.”

“I’m afraid there is. Your sister Celeste.”

“Celeste? Celeste hasn’t had anything to do with the company . . . ever!” It was an outrage. A grotesque mistake that she would immediately remedy.

“And your niece, Gemma Maybrook.”

8

Gemma had thirty days to vacate her apartment. She didn’t have any idea where she was going to find something as affordable. Her studio was a unicorn that she’d gotten through the NYSD student center. Now that she’d graduated, she was on her own.

She hadn’t realized, until faced with eviction, how buffered she’d been within the NYSD community. Her professors had been surrogate parents, her friends surrogate siblings. Now, with everyone either back to hometowns or hunkered down looking for jobs or already paired up with roommates, she was faced with a real problem to solve, without a safety net.

“I would offer to let you crash with me but that probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Considering,” Sanjay had said when they discovered the notice.

Sanjay shared a Brooklyn town house with his two older sisters, Daksha, a cellist, and Prishna, a med student. During the months of their relationship they rarely spent time there because the two women were always practicing or studying. And after the New Year’s Eve disaster, his sisters definitely weren’t her biggest fans.