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“I thought you didn’t want the job anymore,” Mindy protested

“I didn’t, and that’s why I forgave you I thought, If she wants the job that much, why not let her have it?”

Mindy looked away “What if the approval was a mistake?” she asked tentatively

Enid sighed “There’s nothing we can do The only e can force theiven the circuhly unlikely”

“I’ with this man,” Mindy said

“Then perhaps you’ll have to move,” Enid said She held open her door “So sorry I can’t help you, dear Have a good day”

Lola put down the novel Atone the door to the terrace, stepped out onto the icy surface in her high-heeled Chloé boots She peered over the edge and, still seeing no sign of Philip, went back inside She closed the book and glared at the cover It was a gift frogestion” was iven her the book after they’d had a disastrous dinner with one of his old friends “This is a great book,” he’d said “I thought you ht enjoy it”

“Thank you,” she’d said gratefully, although she knew exactly what he was up to He was trying to educate her, and while she thought it eet of him, she couldn’t understand why he found it necessary As far as she was concerned, it was Philip who needed educating Every time she mentioned a hot new actor or so about, or even when she played music for him off her iPod, he clai, but she always refrained fro his and make him feel old

In adopting this attitude, she’d found she could pretty et Philip to do whatever she wanted Today, for instance, they were going to visit the set of Schiffer Dia about the show, and knowing Philip was, as he put it, “old friends” with Schiffer, Lola had wondered why he hadn’t gone to see her Philip see, went down to her apart, Schiffer called, and Philip went into his office and talked to her on the phone for an hour with his door closed while Lola waited i to see Schiffer on the set, but Lola shouldn’t bother co with him, as it would be dull and she would be bored This after it was her idea to go in the first place! Then she’d given hi his feet, pointed out that a set visit would be good for her education As his researcher and girlfriend, naturally, she wanted to understand everything about his work “You knohat I do,” he’d protested, but only mildly “I sit at a computer all day”

“That’s not true,” she said “You’re going to Los Angeles for teeks in January And I’ll probably coo to the set with you then—you can’t expect me to sit in a hotel room all day”

“I thought we discussed LA,” he said, tensing his foot “It’s going to be a nightmare The first teeks of production always are I’ll be working sixteen-hour days It won’t be fun for you at all”

“You mean I won’t see you for teeks?” she’d exclaiuilty, because alreed to take her with him to the set of Lady Superior after all She was so pleased, she didn’t even iving; she told herself it was too soon in their relationship to be spending holidays with each other’s fa with Enid, which hat Philip had done, taking his aunt to a boring lunch at the Century Club Philip had dragged Lola there once, and she’d vowed never to return Everyone was over eighty So Lola happily went back to Windsor Pines and irlfriends and stayed up until two AM on Friday night and showed off pictures of her and Philip and Philip’s apart; the others were trying to get their boyfriends to raphs of Philip and his aparthed in envy

That was three weeks ago, and noas nearly Christmas, and Philip had finally coetting ready She’d had a hted with strands of gold, and she’d bought a dress at Marc Jacobs After the purchase, herif she had indeed just spent twenty-three hundred dollars Lola accused herher credit card to spy on her They had had a rare fight, and Lola hung up, felt terrible, then called her mother back Beetelle was nearly in tears “Mo?” Lola demanded When her mother didn’t respond, Lola asked in a panic, “Are you and Daddy getting a divorce?” “Your father and I are fine” “So what’s the proble “We’ll talk about it when you come home for Christmas In the meantime, try to be careful with money”

This was very strange, and Lola hung up, perplexed But then she decided it wasn’t iain, but she always got over it and, feeling guilty, usually bought Lola a trinket like Chanel sunglasses

Philip,his hair cut He’d frequented this particular salon, located on Ninth Street off Fifth, for thirty years Histo the salon in the seventies, when the clients and stylists would play music on a boom box and snort cocaine Naturally, the proprietor was a dear friend of his mother’s Everyone was a dear friend of hisneediness that made people want to take care of her She’d been a trust fund girl and considered a great beauty, but there was an air of tragedy about her that only increased her fascination No one was surprised when she killed herself in 1983