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“Brandon!” the girl shouted, waving at one of the photographers and pointing at Lola “She says she’s Philip Oakland’s girlfriend And she’s having his baby We need a photograph” The photographer leaned across the barricade and snapped Lola’s picture Within seconds, the rest of the pack followed suit, ai off shots Lola put her hand on her hip and posed prettily, glad that she’d had the foresight to dress in high heels and a trench coat At last, she thought This was thefor her entire life She sraphs that would undoubtedly be all over the Internet in a matter of hours

Billy’s death was not ruled a suicide but an accidental overdose He hadn’t taken as many pills as suspected; rather, it was the combination of four different kinds of prescription medication that did him in Teeks after his death, a service was held for him at St Ambrose Church, where Billy had hton just nine months earlier

It turned out that Billy had recently s to his niece and requesting that a service be held in the church patronized by his idol, Mrs Louise Houghton Many of the hundreds of people who knew Billy cah the Brewers claimed Billy had sold thereed, no way to prove it, especially when Johnnie Toochin revealed that Mrs Houghton had left Billy a wooden box filled only with costume jewelry However, the box was never discovered, and so the provenance of the cross remained a mystery, and Billy’s reputation stayed intact

During his ies about hoonderful Billy was, and how he represented a certain era in New York, and hoith his passing, that era was finished

“New York isn’t New York anymore without Billy Litchfield,” declared an old-monied banker as the husband of a famous socialite

Perhaps it wasn’t, Mindy thought, but it still went on, the same as always As if in confirh the service, causing a stir in the back of the church She earing a short black low-cut dress and, inexplicably, a small black hat with a veil that just covered her eyes Lola thought the hat , in

keeping with her new role as the slighted young woether, Lola’s picture had appeared in three newspapers, and there were discussions about her on six blogs, in which the general consensus was that she was a babe and could do better than Philip But after that, the interest in her had quickly waned Now, although it wouldPhilip and Schiffer and Enid, she and Thayer had decided she ought to attend Billy’s service, if only to remind people of her existence

Lola had agreed reluctantly She could face Philip and Schiffer if she had to, but she was terrified of Enid The day she’d gone to confront Philip on the set at the Ukrainian Institute, she’d returned to One Fifth after being “assaulted”—her words—by the paparazzi, realizing if she hung around any longer, she would lose her mystique Safely inside Philip’s apart over the situation again and again in hershe could take it all back She reminded herself that she didn’t know for a fact that Philip and Schiffer were really together; heher after all She would have to figure out a way to exonerate herself But at about five, Enid appeared in Philip’s apart up silently behind Lola, as in the kitchen, pouring herself yet another vodka Lola was so startled she nearly dropped the bottle

“Oh, good, dear,” Enid said “You’re here”

“Where else would I be?” Lola asked nervously, taking a gulp of her drink

“The question is, where should you be?” Enid said She s the place next to her “Co smile “I want to talk to you”

“Where’s Philip?” Lola demanded

“I iine he’s still with Schiffer”

“Why?”

“Don’t you know, dear? He’s in love with her He always has been, and I’m afraid for your sake, he alill be”