“I’ll manage,” Rivera said. She stood in the open door like a queen, straight of back, her head held high on her long neck.

“I suppose you will,” Harriet said dryly. “But then again you’ll be gone by next summer and Meg has to live here.”

“She’ll manage, too.” Rivera said, in a particular quiet tone that set alarms ringing in Angie’s head. “You’d be surprised how liberating it is to put lies behind you. But you know that, don’t you? You’re just about to leave your husband.”

“That’s not the same thing,” Harriet said stiffly.

Angie said, “Rivera. Don’t be a mope.”

That earned her a flashing grin and one shoulder lifted in acknowledgment, and just that suddenly the crisis was past.

Harriet turned and took Angie’s hand to squeeze it. “Thank you, sugar. You’re so sweet to help out with the wedding. I guess it can’t be easy, but you don’t let on, and that’s got to cost you something.”

Angie felt herself flushing. “Don’t mention it,” she said, trying not to look at Rivera. “Please.”

SIXTEEN

Ogilvie Bugle

NEWS ABOUT TOWN

Will Sloan, director of WOTV, Ogilvie Public Access Television, asks us to remind our readers that there are some exciting programs coming up at OP-TV. Today and through the weekend The Eye on Ogilvie team will be roaming the campus during the reunions to find out what the alumni have been up to. On Saturday there will be a special broadcast of Patty-Cake Walker’s popular Girl Talk, live from the wedding of the season. Rumor has it that Lucy Ogilvie Black will be coming home to Ogilvie to see her son John Grant married to Caroline Mae Rose, both English Department faculty members at the university. See it all on Channel 12, starting at 10:30.

Thursday morning John called his brother into his office and handed him the letter from Caroline. Rob leaned against the wall to read it, and though John watched him closely, he saw no change in Rob’s relaxed posture or in his expression. Which might mean that John had been thinking about it too hard and long and blown it all out of proportion. A less appealing option occurred to him, but couldn’t be rejected out of hand: Rob was hiding his real reactions behind his lawyer’s face.

“Well, that explains some things.” He folded the letter and put it back in its envelope.

“Really. Then maybe you can fill me in,” John said. “Because I’m confused as all hell.”

“What I mean is, it explains why you didn’t show up for your bachelor party last night.”

That hit John like a fist to the gut. He let his head drop to the desk, and groaned.