The Art of Friendship

by Lisa Ireland

  ‘It is a big deal to me. I know you’re scared of commitment and I’ve tried to take things slowly, but we’ve been together for almost four months and until last weekend I’d never met one of your friends. You’re still yet to meet any of mine. This ball was important to me, and I get that it’s tricky for you, but I feel like you’ve just dismissed it out of hand without giving my feelings a thought. In case you missed it here’s a fucking newsflash. I’m in love with you. I want to spend my life with you, and I’m too old for all this teenage bullshit. If you don’t feel the same way, that’s fine. I’ll get out of your way.’

  Kit’s heart hammered inside her chest. He loved her? She hadn’t seen this coming at all. ‘Don’t go. Let’s talk about this.’

  ‘You know what? I’m done talking for today. It’s pretty simple. Either you want to make a go of this or you don’t.’

  ‘This has come completely out of left field for me. I had no idea you felt this way. I need time . . . I can’t just . . .’

  ‘Well, I think we have our answer right there,’ he said quietly. ‘If you loved me you’d know.’

  ‘John, stop. It’s not that simple.’

  ‘Actually it is. I love you, Kit. You’re an amazing woman. But I need to be with someone who feels the same way about me.’ He picked up his remaining clothes and shoved them into his suitcase. ‘I’m sorry it worked out this way.’

  It was only when she heard the click of the front door closing behind him that Kit allowed the tears she’d been holding in to fall.

  Chapter 28

  Libby checked her make-up one final time in the car’s side-vision mirror before getting out.

  Cam squeezed her hand. ‘You look beautiful, Libby. I’m going to be the envy of every bloke in that room tonight.’

  She highly doubted that. Arcadia Lakes had no shortage of beautiful women and there were also a few B-list celebrities coming to the ball who would no doubt outshine her, but she appreciated the sentiment. ‘Thanks, Cam.’

  He got out and came around to her side of the car to open the door for her, a courtesy he always paid her when they were going somewhere special. She smiled at him as she gathered up the tiers of navy chiffon that formed the skirt of her dress and stepped out into the crisp winter evening. She pulled her cashmere wrap tight and then took Cam’s offered arm as they made their way through the car park towards the entry to the club’s grand function room.

  The cold war between Cam and her after the birthday party incident had finally thawed. She was bemused by his irritation at her treatment of Kit. He and Kit had never been close and he’d made no secret of the fact that he resented all the time Kit took up in their lives. But since they’d moved to Melbourne something had changed between the two of them and while they would never be best buddies, they seemed to have reached an amicable truce. Ironic, really, that after all these years he’d finally reconciled himself to her friendship with Kit, just as she was contemplating ending it. After the party he’d chastised her again for being so unreasonable towards Kit. She’d told him her relationship with Kit was none of his business and after that they’d barely spoken for a week. But Cam never could keep up the silent treatment. By Monday he’d started to waver and now she doubted he even remembered why they were fighting, or if he did he’d decided it wasn’t worth being angry over. Cam never could hold a grudge. It was one of his better qualities.

  They walked into the almost empty foyer. Libby had promised Georgina she’d arrive early in case the committee needed help with anything. There were a couple of other early birds milling about, but none of the committee members were to be seen. Libby wandered from the foyer to the ballroom and Cam followed close behind. The grand function room was completely transformed since the last time she’d seen it, which was earlier in the week. After they had met for coffee at the clubhouse café, she and Alli, who was the ball’s seating coordinator, had gone to the function room so they could decide which tables would be best for the VIP sponsors. Then the room had seemed cavernous and cold, filled with generic furniture that would have looked at home in any conference venue. Libby found it hard to imagine the grand event that the other women had described to her. But Georgina had teamed up with a well-known stylist to decorate the place and now it was more than grand – it was magical.

  Swathes of soft white cloth covered the ceiling and draped down the walls, giving the room the feel of a luxurious marquee. The bland oval-backed chairs were covered in white damask covers and finished with bows of silver organza. Spectacular silver and white floral centrepieces adorned each table.

  ‘Oh, Libby, thank goodness you’re here.’ Georgina leaned in and kissed her. ‘Hello, Cameron, so nice to see you. Richard is over by the bar. You don’t mind if I steal your lovely wife for a bit, do you?’

  If Cam minded, he was careful not to let it show on his face. His kissed Georgina’s cheek. ‘Of course not. I’m sure Richard and I can amuse each other for a time. You ladies have fun.’

  Georgina placed her hand on Libby’s elbow and steered her across the room and out into the kitchen area. ‘We need your help.’ There was a hint of panic in Georgina’s voice.

  Felicity was behind them, instructing the wait staff. As soon as she noticed Libby’s presence she made her way over to join them. ‘Oh, thank goodness you’re here.’

  ‘That’s exactly what George said. What’s going on? What’s the crisis?’

  Georgina clicked her tongue. ‘Alli hasn’t turned up. She was supposed to be here over an hour ago.’

  ‘Have you tried calling her?’

  ‘Of course we’ve tried calling her,’ Felicity snapped. ‘And texting, and Facebook messaging, even the landline. She didn’t pick up and her mobile is either flat or turned off – it just goes directly to voicemail.’

  ‘Do you think she’s okay? Perhaps she’s not well.’

  Georgina shook her head. ‘If she’s sick it’s come on awfully fast. She was here at lunchtime setting out the place cards and she was fine then.’

  ‘Maybe one of us needs to go around there. What about Greg? Did you try calling him? I hope they haven’t been in some sort of accident.’

  Felicity and Georgina exchanged a glance. ‘I actually hadn’t thought about calling Greg,’ Georgina said. ‘That’s a good idea. I guess we were a bit frazzled because Alli’s not here to do her job and we need someone to pick up the slack. To be honest, Alli’s been more than a bit unreliable lately. She’s missed a few engagements and been late to committee meetings with flimsy excuses. I’m ashamed to admit that my annoyance at her for not being here has overshadowed any concern for her wellbeing. Thank you, Libby, for bringing me to my senses. I’ll call Greg right now. Perhaps while I’m doing that, Felicity can give you a run-down on Alli’s tasks for the evening. We were hoping perhaps you could step in and take over until she gets here.’

  ‘Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help.’

  Georgina stepped away from them to call Greg, and Felicity wasted no time filling Libby in. ‘Look, Alli’s job tonight really isn’t that hard. She’s in charge of all the corporate sponsors and VIP guests, apart from the celebrity co-host. Georgina always personally attends to the star of the show and their guests. So you don’t need to worry about Sherilyn Palmer and her party. Georgina will take care of them, although of course you are welcome to step in and help if you notice that Sherilyn needs anything – just be careful not to step on Georgina’s toes. She loves to make herself indispensable to the major celebrity.’

  Libby hoped her lack of enthusiasm for the so-called celebrity – a B-grade actress at best – wasn’t visible on her face. ‘So what does Alli’s job entail exactly?’

  ‘Oh, it’s easy really. All you have to do is greet the VIPs, show them to their seats and make sure everything is okay – that they’re happy with the seating arrangements, that sort of thing. You check in with them from time to time, especi
ally after each course is served, just to make sure all is running smoothly and if there are any problems you find me and I’ll get it sorted.’

  ‘Sounds simple enough.’

  ‘Exactly. The main thing is to pile on the charm. Make everyone feel special. Alli’s great at that, which is why she always gets the job, but I’m sure you’ll be equally as wonderful.’ Felicity’s tone was nowhere near as confident as her words, but Libby knew there was no one else to take the job on, so she had no choice but to accept.

  Georgina moved towards them, still talking on the phone. She raised her eyebrows and lifted a finger to Libby, indicating for her to wait a moment. ‘Right, see you then.’ She ended the call and sighed.

  Libby looked at the concerned expression on Georgina’s face and her pulse quickened. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘Fine. Alli’s not sick or hurt or anything like that, but unfortunately her little dog has died.’

  Libby placed her hand over her heart. ‘Muffin? Oh no, what happened?’

  Georgina shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. An accident of some type, I think. Greg didn’t really specify. He just said Alli had been crying all afternoon. Apparently she got herself into quite a state and Greg didn’t feel she would cope with her duties this evening. He suggested she take a nap and if she wakes up feeling better she’ll come later.’

  ‘Oh, poor Alli.’

  Georgina, who was not known for her love of animals, sighed again. ‘Well, if it happened this afternoon it’s a pity neither she nor Greg had the forethought to let one of us know. Honestly, Alli has been so scatterbrained lately, she’s not on her game at all.’

  A flash of anger heated Libby’s chest. Surely Georgina knew how much Alli loved that little dog? Muffin was like a surrogate child. At night she slept on a specially made doggy bed right by Alli’s side and during the day she had the run of the house. The twins often joked that the dog got away with things they never would have. ‘I think we need to cut her some slack, George. I imagine she’s too grief-stricken to be thinking straight. Don’t you agree, Liss?’ She turned to face Felicity.

  Felicity’s face was pale and she seemed not to have heard Libby’s question.

  ‘Liss, what’s wrong? You look unwell.’

  Felicity shook her head slowly. ‘Sorry, it’s just that . . .’ She looked as though she might cry.

  ‘What? What is it?’ Libby gently placed her hand on Felicity’s forearm.

  Georgina rolled her eyes. ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, we’re talking about a dog here, not a person. Get a grip, the two of you. People are starting to arrive. We need to get on with things. Alli will be fine. There’s every chance she’ll turn up in an hour looking like Grace Kelly in her heyday.’

  Felicity nodded, but she gave Libby a look, one Libby couldn’t quite interpret, but there was no time to inquire further because Georgina started hustling her back out into the foyer. ‘Come on, Libby, I need you to stand near the seating plan board, so you can direct people to their tables. There’s a clipboard with a list on that little table just inside the entry. That has all the information you need to know.’

  Libby glanced in Felicity’s direction as she headed out to the foyer, but Felicity was already back in the thick of the action in the kitchen. Libby made a mental note to find out what was bothering her once all the guests were seated. Right now she needed to get her head around this VIP list. She scanned the first page, which consisted mainly of business sponsors, including a large real estate chain, a community bank, and an assortment of retailers from the local shopping centre. Nobody stood out as being particularly daunting. There were a couple of radio announcers and an up and coming comedian on the list but these people were starred, which meant they were to be seated at Sherilyn Palmer’s table, so presumably after they were seated they would be taken care of by Georgina.

  She flipped over to the second page of the seating plan and her gut clenched. The Claybourne school council had a table. Naturally the principal would be here. Yep, there was his name. Mr John Quinlan and guest. Guest? Oh God, really? It was bound to be Kit. They hadn’t spoken since the disastrous birthday party and Libby still hadn’t decided whether she wanted to. She knew one thing, tonight wasn’t the night for drama. Felicity would never forgive her if she stuffed up this evening, and Georgina would have her head if there was even a hint of tension between her and any of the VIP guests.

  She sighed. Perhaps a cordial interaction with Kit could set the tone for their relationship moving forward. It was horrible having this cloud hanging over their friendship. Libby really hated any sort of conflict in her life, and whenever she thought about the ugly scene that had taken place between her and Kit on the night of the party she felt sick.

  Her friendship with Alli, on the other hand, was like a breath of fresh air. They had fun together and Alli was free during the day like she was, so their time together didn’t affect Cam or Harry. Plus, Alli always made her feel good about herself, and that wasn’t the case these days with Kit. Maybe the trick to salvaging their relationship was to take a step back, not to be so involved with each other, and tonight would be the perfect start. She’d be pleasant, she’d be polite and warm, but not too involved, not too personal. Eventually they’d find the sweet spot, a way of being friends without suffocating each other.

  With the foyer filling up and guests now starting to head into the main function room, there was no more time to think about Kit. She was kept busy for the next half-hour or so, answering queries and directing people to their seats. She’d managed to seat most of the VIPs but there was no sign of the principal, or Kit for that matter. Apparently they were running late yet again.

  ‘Hey, gorgeous.’ Cam rested his hand on her shoulder. ‘Please don’t tell me I have to sit on my own?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Cam, I’ll be there when I can. But as you can see, right now I’m kind of busy,’ Libby responded irritably.

  ‘Yeah, what’s with that?’

  ‘Alli was supposed to do this seating job, but she hasn’t turned up. Her little dog died and apparently she’s distraught. Have you seen Greg? Didn’t he mention it?’

  ‘Yeah, he’s here. He did say something about the dog and that Alli was upset, but I didn’t take that much notice. I mean it’s a dog, not a member of her family.’

  ‘Muffin was Alli’s baby, so I’m not surprised she feels too upset to come. There’s a lot of meeting and greeting involved, speaking of which . . .’ She looked over his shoulder at John Quinlan, who had just entered the foyer. No sign of Kit though.

  Cam turned to follow her gaze, and when he recognised John he took a step towards him, thrusting out his hand. ‘G’day, John. Nice to see you, mate.’

  John smiled warmly and nodded in Libby’s direction as he shook Cam’s hand. ‘Nice to see you, Cameron.’ He hesitated for a moment, then looked directly at Libby. ‘Nice to see you, Mrs Reynolds.’

  Libby took a steadying breath and smiled tightly. ‘Please call me Libby,’ she said, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

  He looked surprised, but smiled back at her. ‘Very well, Libby.’

  ‘No date tonight, mate?’ Cam asked.

  Libby bit back a smile. She didn’t know if Cam genuinely wanted to know or whether he was just being affable, but either way she desperately wanted to know the answer to his question.

  The principal shook his head. ‘No, I’m afraid I’m on my own.’

  Libby looked at her checklist. ‘Right, then. Well, if you’re not waiting on a guest I can escort you to your table. The rest of your party is already seated.’

  ‘No need to accompany me, then. I’m sure I’ll find them easily enough.’

  Cam slapped him on the shoulder. ‘I’ll go in with you, John. I’m pretty sure your table’s not far from where we’re sitting. Will you be joining me at some stage, Lib?’

  ‘Yes of course, I won�
��t be long. We’re just waiting on a couple of VIP guests. Hopefully they’re not far away. John, I’m looking after the VIP guests tonight, so please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything your party needs.’

  ‘Thanks, Libby. I guess I’ll see you in there.’

  As John and Cam disappeared behind her, a harried-looking couple walked into the now empty foyer. Georgina’s helpers had been ushering the bulk of the guests into the function room and directing the VIPs to Libby. Between them they’d managed to get almost every guest to their allocated seat within the desired timeframe, so despite Alli’s absence the event was running smoothly enough so far. Libby smiled at the approaching couple. ‘Mr and Mrs Harrison?’

  The man smiled. ‘Yes. How did you know?’

  ‘I recognised you from your advertisements,’ Libby replied. It was half true. The man’s face was familiar – she’d seen it on posters and billboards – but the reason she knew his name was because he and his wife were the last of her expected VIPs.

  Once she’d escorted the Harrisons to their table Libby decided she’d detour to the kitchen before taking her own seat. She could see Georgina deep in conversation with Sherilyn Palmer, so maybe she could get Felicity alone for a moment and find out what that look had been about earlier. She wasn’t sure why, but as she pushed through the kitchen’s swing doors a sick feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

  Chapter 29

  Kit stood looking in the mirror. She barely recognised herself in the floor-length red gown she’d spent a shitload of money on this afternoon. Not only that but she’d bought matching shoes – that were so high they were almost impossible to walk in – a silver clutch bag and a ‘statement’ necklace to complete the look. She’d actually paid to have her hair pulled up into an elaborate ‘do’ and had spent a small fortune on a lipstick that would supposedly last all through the night. She told herself that if she was going to suffer through a terminally dull charity event for the sake of a man, she might as well reward herself with some pretty new things. But deep down she knew the truth: it was armour. Her carefully applied make-up was war-paint. She was preparing to go into battle.