Chapter 9
Come on, You Know It's Over
Catherine comes downstairs in the T-shirt she slept in. Patty has tried giving her pajamas, but she refuses to wear them.
The girl is rubbing her eyes sleepily. Patty sips her tea. "Happy birthday," she says.
Catherine just yawns.
"Do you want me to make breakfast?" Patty tries.
"I'll do it. You don't do it right." Catherine says.
Any other day, this would be the beginning of yet another of their increasingly frequent fights. But Patty is too happy to be stung by Catherine's criticism today.
"Ellen is bringing your present by," she says.
Catherine stops pouring Rice Krispies into her bowl and raises her eyebrows. "So you guys made up?"
"Made up?" Patty says, feigning confusion.
Catherine rolls her eyes. "Fine. Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm happy for you, anyway."
Patty opens her mouth and then shuts it. Why did she have to have such clever children?
"Can Ellen have cake with us tonight?" Catherine asks. She is slicing a banana into her cereal.
The door bell rings.
"That's Ellen," Patty says. "Why don't you invite her?"
Catherine studies Patty, who hasn't moved. "Aren't you going to let her in?" the thirteen-year-old asks.
"I think you should," Patty says. She doesn't try to hide her excitement. Suddenly intrigued, Catherine puts down her bowl and moves toward the door.
Patty watches intently as Catherine hesitates and then opens the door in one quick, dramatic motion.
There on the threshold is Ellen, holding out the puppy. Patty smiles, because both Ellen and the dog are just as beautiful as she remembered.
Catherine gasps. She reaches for the animal, then second guesses herself. "For me?" she whispers.
"Yep," Ellen says. "Happy birthday."
Catherine presses the dog to herself and ruffles its curly brown fur. "Is it a he or a she?" she asks.
"She," Ellen says.
"Oh," Catherine murmurs. Her eyes are huge with tenderness. After a moment, she looks up at Ellen and says, "Thank you."
"Thank your grandmother," Ellen says.
"Thanks, Grandma" Catherine says quickly. She barely looks at Patty, but Patty will take it.
"Do you know what you want to name her?" Ellen asks.
Catherine frowns and says, "I need to think about it." Then Patty sees Catherine's eyes flash. "I'll tell you tonight," the girl says to Ellen.
"Tonight?"
"You're coming over for dessert," Catherine explains, in a tone that says she will brook no opposition.
Ellen shoots a suspicious glance over Catherine's head at Patty, who shrugs innocently.
"Let's make it nine o'clock?" Patty says.
"Okay," says Ellen. "See you tonight," she looks back at the dog in Catherine's arms. "Take good care of her," she tells Catherine.
The girl nods.
"See you, Patty," Ellen throws over her shoulder as she leaves.
"Goodbye, Ellen."
Ellen arrives at work a few minutes early and begins to sort through her mail. She doesn't know how she feels about being invited to the Hewes residence for dinner. She is still annoyed with Patty both for failing to respond to her letter and for ignoring its contents. On the other hand, she is somewhat relieved not to be cut out of Patty's life again so soon. It would have been a painful loss.
Her reflections are cut short. At the bottom of her mail stack is an envelope that can only mean one thing. A source has come through for her. Her pulse quickens.
Ellen gets a phone call at midday.
"Ms. Parsons, my client has indicated that he would like to settle."
"We've been over this. The answer is still no."
She hears a dry cough. "He has authorized me to propose the sum of one and a half billion dollars."
Oh. That makes a difference. It is almost triple the last offer. Ellen carefully keeps the quaver out of her voice.
"Well," she says. "I'll take it to my clients and I'll let you know."
"Oh, come on, Ms. Parsons. You know it's over."
Ellen pauses. Then she says briskly, "It sounds like we'll be able to work something out, yes." She hangs up.
Then she dances in her seat. This is a huge victory, and one she can take sole credit for. Damn, but it feels good.
As she walks slowly down the hall to tell the partners, her smile gets wider and wider.
"Happy birthday, dear Catherine. Happy birthday to you!"
Ellen is realizing she has never heard Patty's singing voice before. It is rich and vigorous and full of flair.
The three of them are sitting at the kitchen counter. Ellen feels warm and contented as she sips her decaf espresso and watches Catherine blow out the candles on a beautiful white cake. In spite of her unresolved issues with Patty, Ellen can't help thinking that this might qualify as one of the best days of her life so far. She happily accepts a wide slice of cake.
Catherine gives Patty an even bigger slice.
"Goodness," Patty says.
"If I give you a small piece, you'll just eat more after I go to bed," Catherine tells her.
Patty looks indignant, and then, as both Catherine and Ellen laugh at her, she chuckles and looks guilty.
The puppy is sitting below Ellen's feet. She jumps up and nips at Ellen's ankles to get attention, and Ellen reaches down and strokes her curly head.
"So did you decide on a name?" Ellen asks Catherine.
Catherine grins. "Strawberry," she says.
"I see a theme," Ellen says.
"Duh," says Catherine.
When Catherine has finished her cake, she stands, scrapes her plate over the sink and then puts it in the dishwasher.
"I'm getting ready for bed," she announces.
"I should go," Ellen says, standing as well.
"Can't you stay a minute?" Patty asks her.
It's a loaded question, and Ellen thinks about saying no. She decides that would be cowardly. Catherine is looking anxiously from Patty to Ellen and back again.
"Sure, Patty," Ellen says at last.
Catherine gives Ellen an approving nod and leaves the room. Ellen hears her trudging up the stairs.
Left alone, the two women eye each other warily over the counter. Ellen feels torn. This should work, she thinks. Because she loves this: spending time with Catherine, who is shrewd and funny, and Patty, who is surprising and exquisite and, well, Patty-like. But Ellen still needs something from Patty. She needs some kind of assurance that Patty regards Ellen as an equal.
Patty gives her a slow smile.
"I hear we have something else to celebrate tonight," she says.
Ellen is startled. The settlement hasn't been announced yet. "Who told you?"
Patty names a lawyer at Ellen's opponent's firm. "Congratulations, Ellen. It's a big win."
"Yeah," Ellen smiles back. "Yeah it is."
"So?" Patty says.
"So what?"
"So, aren't you going to tell me about it? Come on, I want details. How did you do it?"
And everything changes in a second. Because Ellen hears it: the unmistakable note of pride in Patty's voice. Patty is not condescending. Nor is she jealous. Patty is looking at Ellen with pure appreciation, as if she is a statue by a Renaissance sculptor, powerful and astounding and glorious.
And Ellen moves around the kitchen island so quickly and fluidly that she is kissing Patty almost before either of them knows what is happening. Patty tastes like cake.
"Details later," Ellen gasps when their mouths separate.
