Do not think so much of yourself that you are not concerned with others.
JEANNE GUYON
SHE TYPES IN the e-mail address: andee@andeebell.com. Her nails click on the keys.
Andee,
It is imperative that we meet in the next two days. Please call or e-mail with a time that works for you. We'll meet alone at my home office.
Brigitte
President—Domaine de la Bouvier
She thinks back to the dinner party she had planned. But that was before. She reaches for her calendar, counts forward three months, an appropriate time of bereavement, and chooses a date to reschedule the party. She senses Andee's desire, need even, to rub shoulders with the elite of the city.
She will see that it happens.
She will have Andee in her back pocket, as they say. But she will have to be patient.
She pushes the calendar aside, picks up her phone, and leaves a message for Andee. The same message contained within the e-mail.
Patience isn't one of her virtues. C'est la vie.
Now that Jenna's gone for a few days, there are things she must discuss with Andee. First and foremost, the deal with Azul. Andee need not know all the specifics of her plan. Just those specifics that relate to Andee's participation in her plan. Again she smiles—thin lips stretched tight.
Her plan is in everyone's best interest, of course. Even Jenna's, if she knows what is good for her.
Jenna.
Her hand tightens on the receiver of the phone she still holds.
She thinks back to her conversation with Gerard the night he . . . It's clear the whole fiasco was Jenna's fault. If she hadn't encouraged Gerard to "acknowledge his strengths and use them," as he'd said, or given him the idea that he might step out on his own and start his own business.
"Who have you been speaking to, Gerard?"
He'd stood tall, her handsome son. "Jenna and I have talked about it and, Mother, if you're not ready to relinquish the leadership of the company, then I think it's time I pursued other ventures."
Other ventures? Ridiculous! He is . . . was . . . her son. She knew what was best for him. But no, Jenna had to stick her nose into things that didn't concern her. If she hadn't encouraged him, he wouldn't have dared argue with her, and he'd still be . . . alive.
And now? Jenna is all she has left. Fine. So be it.
She checks her e-mail to see if Andee has responded. Nothing yet. She glances at her watch and dials Andee again. She must make her understand the urgency of their meeting.