“Me filling her head? That’s rich. If I heard right, she kicked you out right before Lily died. So maybe you’re not the best one to tell me what Kate needs.” There was no way she would let Simon come between them again. Blaire had wondered over the years if perhaps she’d been wrong to caution Kate against marrying him. But now she knew in her bones that she’d always been right about him. And her connection to Kate was as strong as it ever had been. In the short time she’d been back, it had felt almost like they hadn’t lost all those years.

“I’m back,” he said firmly. “And I intend to stay.”

Blaire laughed. “I wouldn’t count on that.”

Simon came closer to her, the small box of cookies the only barrier between them. “Listen. If you think I’m going to let you poison Kate’s mind against me, you better think again. I’m the one she needs right now. When she came back to school after the accident, when I first met her, she was still fragile after her breakdown. I’m the one who helped her through. Not you. And I’ll get her through again. You’re not needed here.”

Blaire felt her back go up at Simon’s choice of words. He was making it sound like Kate was crazy. Her friend hadn’t had a breakdown; she’d just gone through a difficult time.

“Is your ego really that big? Like you were the sainted hero who brought her back to life? She was already on the mend that fall. Anyone would have had a hard time coping with what happened. And now––Lily’s death, the threats––anyone would feel the pressure. Kate’s a strong woman. A surgeon. She’s not going to lose herself. And you can bet your ass that I’m not going anywhere as long as Kate wants me here. I don’t give a damn if you like it or not.” And she didn’t. He wanted Blaire gone because she was getting close to the truth.

After seeing her reaction to Finding Nemo two nights ago, she wasn’t sure how strong Kate actually was now, but she wasn’t going to let Simon know that.

She thought back to that Fourth of July weekend after their junior year in college when it had all come crashing down. A somberness had hung over the beach house as they grieved. Kate had been withdrawn and quiet, like a hurt animal. Blaire would hear her in the middle of the night, wandering around the house. She’d awakened early one morning and seen that once again Kate’s bed hadn’t been slept in. When she went downstairs, she found Kate in one of the rocking chairs on the screened porch, staring straight ahead as the chair moved furiously back and forth.