Chapter 12

When Bernard returned to New York, he stayed for ten days this time. He took a room at the Four Seasons, as he had before, but he stayed with Kate. It was fun doing things with him in New York, and they were both busy. He went to meetings with firms he was interested in investing in. And she was swamped with online sales, and she had to add items to their website almost every day. Their brand-new Internet business was already a huge success, and she could hardly keep up with their sales.

They ran into Liam one day when they went to a farmers market in the West Village, and he looked surprised to see them together. He called Kate about it the next day.

“Is something going on with you and Bernard?” he asked her, seeming confused and surprised, and she decided to be honest with him. She never lied to Liam, she just hadn’t been ready to tell him yet. But their romance was as successful as her online business. And she and Bernard both felt as though they’d been together for years.

“Yes,” she confessed. “We had dinner here a couple of times. And it started in Paris. I was going to tell you. It’s still kind of new.” Although it didn’t feel it. And Liam cut to the chase.

“Is he married?” He had assumed that he was, wedding band or not.

“What makes you ask that?” She was startled by how astute he was, and wondered why he had asked the question.

“Frenchmen his age usually are. Unless they’re widowed. They never get divorced. Or very, very few.” Bernard had said as much himself.

“So he says. And yes, he’s married, but he and his wife have an ‘arrangement.’ They’re legally married, but lead separate lives, and have for years.”

“That’s what they all say,” Liam said skeptically. “And then you find out that they’re more married than you thought. Kate, be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.” It sounded like a bad idea to him.

“Neither do I. But it seems to be true in his case. We went out every night in Paris, and he stayed with me. He didn’t go home to her.”

“Maybe she was away.”

“Or maybe he’s telling the truth. That’s a possibility too.” She was mildly annoyed at Liam for being such a cynic and raining on her parade. “Can’t you be happy for me? I haven’t had a man in my life in years.”

“I just want it to be the right one. Not some smooth operator who breaks your heart. Would you want this for one of your daughters?”

“Of course not. But I’m not a kid. And I think he’s an honest man,” she said defensively.

“In business, I’d agree with you. I don’t know about the rest.”

“We’ll see.” But she was having a great time with him. And she introduced him to Julie when she came to the store to help Kate upload merchandise photos to her website.

“I like him, Mom,” she said when he went uptown for a meeting, and promised to be back in time to take her to dinner that night. “He’s nice.”

“I think so too,” Kate said, smiling at her.

“Is it serious?” She wanted her mother to be happy too. She was seeing a lot of Peter White. He was the kindest man she’d ever met, and the most polite. He had kissed her, but she hadn’t slept with him yet. He was very respectful of her and didn’t want to rush.

“It’s not serious yet,” Kate answered. “He lives there. I live here. But for now it seems to work.” But there was no question in Kate’s mind. She was falling in love with him rapidly, more so every day.

“Would you ever move to Paris?” Julie looked worried when she asked her, and Kate shook her head.

“I couldn’t live that far from all of you, and the store.” Julie looked instantly relieved. She stayed for a while to help her mother but left before Bernard came back. He complimented her on her daughter that night.

“She liked you too,” Kate said, smiling at him. And unlike Liam, Julie hadn’t asked if he was married. It hadn’t even occurred to her. And Kate wouldn’t have admitted it to her, if she had. It was no one’s business but theirs, especially here where no one knew him. As he put it, his legal status was an “administrative detail.” She had told Liam and was sorry that she had. He had been so skeptical about Bernard after that.

By the time Bernard left, things were heating up before Izzie’s wedding. Kate was organizing the final details. The invitations had gone out, and twenty-six people were going to be there. It was exactly what Izzie had wanted, and the perfect number for the house they’d rented. The first serious problem arose when Izzie asked Justin to give her away, and he refused.

“Are you kidding? You’re my brother,” she said, sounding deeply hurt. “Why not?”

“Because I think you’re making a mistake and I don’t want to help you do it.” She was livid the moment she heard what he had to say.

“You’re gay, not married, and having a baby with a surrogate, which is an even bigger mistake, and you’re judging me?”

“I’m not judging you. I don’t want to hand you over to a guy who has never had a job, and will probably never have one, and is completely out of place in your world. How can you think that’s going to work?” He was being honest with her about what he thought.

“What business is it of yours who I decide to marry?” She didn’t even care about his walking her down the aisle anymore, but she was furious about everything he’d said. Justin was a purist and always had been. He was true to himself, and wouldn’t do something he believed was wrong, just to please her.

“If it works, I’ll be happy for you, and I hope it does. But I don’t know any other way to tell you that I’m worried about you except to refuse to give you away.”

“Who made you Lord of the World, and so righteous? You’re such an asshole. I think Mom is worried, and she’s paying for the wedding and gave me the dress.”

“I’m not your mother. And she doesn’t want to lose you. I think anyone with a brain and eyes in their head would be worried about you and Zach.” She wanted to tell him not to come to her wedding, but the truth was she wanted him there, and she knew that if she caused a rift in the family, it would break their mother’s heart and she didn’t want to do that to her. “I’m sorry, Izzie,” he added, with regret.

“Don’t give me that mealymouthed bullshit. And I think you’re crazy to have a baby with a woman who may never give it up. You can’t afford to spend ten years fighting her in court. And what if you and Richard break up?”

“That could happen to anyone. We’ll deal with that if it happens. But we’ve been together for almost five years. You’ve been with Zach for six months. That’s foolish right there. I don’t care how hot and sexy he is, you don’t marry someone you hardly know.”

“I know enough.” She had her own concerns about Zach, and she knew his history better than her brother did. But there had been no sign of drugs or bad behavior since his arrest in June, nine months before. And her family knew nothing about it. If they had, that would have been the last straw. It was hard enough selling them on the fact that he didn’t work. When she talked to Zach about it, he kept promising to do something, but he hadn’t yet.

After her rejection from Justin, she hung up and called Willie. He sounded surprised that she had asked him, but his answer was immediate.

“Sure, I’ll give you away, if that’s what you want. But why me? Why not Justin?” He didn’t want to piss off his brother.

“We have a difference of opinion, about his baby and my future husband. You know what a prig he can be at times.”

“Well, if you change your mind at the last minute, and you want him to do it, that’s fine.” Willie had no investment in who walked her down the aisle. He hated confrontation, but if Justin didn’t mind, he was perfectly happy to give his sister away. He thought she was making a mistake too, but he would never have said it, and he figured it was her life. She was eight years older than he was, and she was a grown woman with the right to marry whom she chose. He hoped no one would ask him to choose sides between his brother and sister if the battle continued.

The next surprise happened a week before the wedding, when Julie called Izzie and asked if she could bring Peter as her date. They had been dating for six weeks by then, and were seeing a lot of each other. She was having a great time with him, and she was out with him almost every night.

“Is it important to you?” Izzie asked her. “Zach and I have never met him.” Which felt a little odd to her, to have a stranger at their wedding in such a small group, but it was obvious Julie wanted him there.

“I’d like to have him with me if you don’t mind too much.” Her sister was so nice about it that Izzie agreed quickly.

“We’d love to meet him, and I guess my wedding is as good a place as any,” she said warmly. Julie was such a gentle soul and asked for so little, she didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Is there anything I can do to help you? I’ve been crazy busy at work, and spending time with Peter. I’m sorry I haven’t asked before this.” Julie had poor organizational skills and time got away from her, except at work. In her personal life, she was very fey.

“Don’t worry about it. Mom and I have taken care of everything. Just come and have a good time, with your friend.” Julie knew about Justin’s refusal from him, but she hadn’t said a word about it to Izzie. She didn’t want to get caught in the middle, especially over something as sensitive as this.

Kate spent the day before the wedding at the house on Washington Square Park with Jessica, making sure that every detail had been attended to. A calligrapher had done the place cards and menus. Izzie and Zach had gone there a month before for a tasting of the meal and cake. Zach had brought remarkable wines from his grandmother’s cellar, which he said were a gift from her. Zach’s father had confirmed that he wasn’t coming. He and his wife were in South Africa, going on safari and visiting friends. And Zach’s mother had never responded to his calls or emails. Kate felt sorry for Zach. His family truly wasn’t there for him, even for his wedding. It made her feel more sympathetic to him.

Izzie’s dress was carefully put away in her mother’s closet. And they were having the rehearsal dinner at her apartment that night. Everything was organized. And they were spending their honeymoon in Aspen. Zach’s father had agreed to let them use his house, and Izzie had paid for the plane tickets, which her mother didn’t know. And she had paid for a new tux for Zach.

The wedding wasn’t extravagant, but it was going to be very pretty. She was going to carry a bouquet of lilies of the valley. And Kate had bought a brand-new navy satin Oscar de la Renta tea-length dress, and a very nice-looking beige silk suit for Grandma Lou. Julie was planning to wear a dress she had made herself. The ceremony was going to be at seven o’clock, the dinner at eight-thirty, and there was going to be dancing after dinner, in the second parlor, and Zach had hired a DJ he knew.

Kate would have loved to have Bernard with her, but Izzie had never met him, it was too soon in their relationship for him to meet her family, but she was planning to introduce him to them in the near future.

Kate got home at six o’clock, in time to bathe and dress for the rehearsal dinner. Kate was wearing a colorful Mexican top with jeans, with big turquoise earrings and gold sandals. They were expecting twenty people, and everyone had been told they could wear jeans. It was going to be an easy, relaxed evening, which was what the bridal couple wanted, and Zach was going to stay with a friend that night, so he wouldn’t see the bride the next day before the wedding. Izzie was going to dress at her mother’s, not at the rented house. A hairdresser and makeup artist had been arranged for Kate and both girls, and there were two cars to take them to the wedding. All the details were in place.

At eight-thirty that night, they were all helping themselves to the Mexican buffet and drinking margaritas. Izzie looked lovely in a simple pale peach dress. Everyone had fun and Julie had invited Peter for that night too. He was incredibly polite, and had kept a watchful eye on Julie all night, anxious to meet her every need. It seemed unusual to Kate. She had liked him better at the Met and he had seemed more sincere. He was trying too hard. He made a point of meeting everyone in the family, and spent an hour talking to Grandma Lou. He was a big hit, but as Kate watched him, she had an odd feeling when she saw him talking to her mother. He seemed determined to do the right thing and make a good impression, maybe too much so. She said something about it to Izzie when they met at the buffet.

“What do you think of Julie’s friend?” she asked her in a whisper.

“He’s perfect,” Izzie said with unreserved approval.

“Too perfect?” Kate asked with a look of concern, and Izzie rolled her eyes.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Mom. No one is ever going to be good enough for any of us, according to you.” She wasn’t joking. If she could find fault with someone as exemplary as Peter White, it was hopeless. She thought that their mother was obsessed with their well-being to an absurd degree.

“That’s not true.” Kate’s antennae were up and she didn’t know why she had a strange feeling. “I’ve been watching him talk to my mother for the last hour. That’s a long time for a guy his age.” And he had come in a suit, although he’d been told he could wear jeans. What was he trying to prove?

“We all love talking to Grandma Lou. She’s telling him about her trip to China this summer. Maybe he just can’t get away.” Kate nodded, hoping that was true. She glanced at her future son-in-law then, who was the opposite extreme. He had come in torn jeans and a sleeveless undershirt with his biker boots, and he had refused to get a haircut for the wedding. But even looking like he’d been shipwrecked, he was a handsome man, and Izzie was wrapped around him like a snake all night.

The only tension all evening was between Izzie and Justin. She still hadn’t forgiven him for not giving her away, and maybe never would. Everyone had a lot to drink, and they stayed till after midnight, and then Kate sent them all away. She didn’t want them to be too hungover for the wedding. And Zach had had more margaritas than anyone at the party. Willie left with him in a cab, and dropped him off at the friend’s house where he was staying, and Izzie went home alone for her last night as a single woman. She thanked her mother for the lovely evening before she left.

Kate tidied up after they had all gone home and the caterers had left, and she sat quietly in her living room, thinking about Izzie marrying Zach. She still didn’t feel comfortable about it, and she hoped that Izzie was right and knew what she was doing. All of Kate’s alarm bells sounded every time she saw him, and she thought her daughter was heading for disaster. The only thing Kate wanted as she headed to bed that night was not to be right about him. She prayed that she was wrong and Izzie would be happy.