already tried,” she said. “I got voice mail. She’ll get back to me when she can.”
Olivia’s cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Before she looked at the iPhone screen, she checked her watch.
“Talk about a pain in the backside,” Olivia said. “Natalie’s right on time.”
“Your sister’s on time? On time for what?”
“She’s been calling every night for the past five nights at exactly seven o’clock.”
“You better answer it. You may explain after you talk to her . . . if you want to explain . . . unless it’s private . . .”
Exasperated, Olivia said, “You know I tell you everything.”
Jane nodded. “I know. I was being sensitive. It’s a new thing I’m trying. Now answer your damned phone. I want to hear what’s going on.”
Olivia didn’t want to talk to her sister, but she knew that, if she didn’t answer the call now, Natalie would continue to phone her every fifteen minutes until she got hold of her. Her sister was as tenacious as a junkyard dog, and in some instances just as mean.
“Hello, Natalie. What’s new?”
Her sister wasn’t in the mood to be chatty. “Did you talk to Aunt Emma yet?”
Olivia counted to five before she answered the question, hoping to get rid of some of her anger before she spoke. It didn’t help. “No, I did not.” Her voice was emphatic.
“She’s home from London.”
“Yes, I know.”
She could hear Natalie’s long, drawn-out sigh over the phone. “Don’t you care about our mother?”
Here comes the drama, Olivia thought. She really wasn’t in the mood to put up with Natalie’s antics tonight. She’d had enough drama today.
“Is Mother there with you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“May I speak with her?”
“She’s on the other line talking to our father . . . you know, Robert MacKenzie, the man you’ve been ignoring.”
Olivia couldn’t resist a bit of sarcasm. “I thought I was ignoring our mother.”
“Don’t be rude,” Natalie snapped.
Olivia vowed she wouldn’t let her sister goad her into an argument, no matter how abrasive she became, and so she remained silent.
Another sigh, then Natalie said, “All I’m asking is that you talk to Aunt Emma and convince her to come to our father’s birthday party.”
“His birthday isn’t for several months,” Olivia stated.
“These big celebrations take time. It’s going to be an amazing event,” she said, enthusiasm lacing her words. “One of Dad’s assistants booked the grand ballroom at the Morgan Hotel over a year ago, and we’re expecting as many as three hundred guests.”
“Three hundred for a birthday party?”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Amazing
was obviously Natalie’s word of the day. “Yes,” she said. “Amazing. But here’s my question. Dad lives in Manhattan. Why is he having a birthday party in Washington, D.C.?”
“Oh, there’s going to be another party in New York.”
“Two birthday parties?” she asked and began to laugh. “Isn’t that a little narcissistic?”
“Dad didn’t want to exclude anyone, and all those men and women who invested in the MacKenzie Trinity Fund want to celebrate with him. He’s made them all rich.”
“I’m betting they were already rich.”
“Yes, but Dad’s a financial genius, and he has more than doubled their investments. So many of his investors live in D.C., and that’s why he decided to throw a party there, too. There’s going to be at least three senators and twice that many congressmen attending the party and a couple of ambassadors, too.” Natalie sounded starstruck.
“Was every investor invited?”
“No. That would have made the number of guests well over a thousand. Just the high-income investors were invited. I’m telling you, it’s going to be amazing.”
“It sounds like it will be,” she said to placate her sister.
“So you understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Aunt Emma has to be there,” she cried out. “For God’s sake,
Olivia’s cell phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Before she looked at the iPhone screen, she checked her watch.
“Talk about a pain in the backside,” Olivia said. “Natalie’s right on time.”
“Your sister’s on time? On time for what?”
“She’s been calling every night for the past five nights at exactly seven o’clock.”
“You better answer it. You may explain after you talk to her . . . if you want to explain . . . unless it’s private . . .”
Exasperated, Olivia said, “You know I tell you everything.”
Jane nodded. “I know. I was being sensitive. It’s a new thing I’m trying. Now answer your damned phone. I want to hear what’s going on.”
Olivia didn’t want to talk to her sister, but she knew that, if she didn’t answer the call now, Natalie would continue to phone her every fifteen minutes until she got hold of her. Her sister was as tenacious as a junkyard dog, and in some instances just as mean.
“Hello, Natalie. What’s new?”
Her sister wasn’t in the mood to be chatty. “Did you talk to Aunt Emma yet?”
Olivia counted to five before she answered the question, hoping to get rid of some of her anger before she spoke. It didn’t help. “No, I did not.” Her voice was emphatic.
“She’s home from London.”
“Yes, I know.”
She could hear Natalie’s long, drawn-out sigh over the phone. “Don’t you care about our mother?”
Here comes the drama, Olivia thought. She really wasn’t in the mood to put up with Natalie’s antics tonight. She’d had enough drama today.
“Is Mother there with you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“May I speak with her?”
“She’s on the other line talking to our father . . . you know, Robert MacKenzie, the man you’ve been ignoring.”
Olivia couldn’t resist a bit of sarcasm. “I thought I was ignoring our mother.”
“Don’t be rude,” Natalie snapped.
Olivia vowed she wouldn’t let her sister goad her into an argument, no matter how abrasive she became, and so she remained silent.
Another sigh, then Natalie said, “All I’m asking is that you talk to Aunt Emma and convince her to come to our father’s birthday party.”
“His birthday isn’t for several months,” Olivia stated.
“These big celebrations take time. It’s going to be an amazing event,” she said, enthusiasm lacing her words. “One of Dad’s assistants booked the grand ballroom at the Morgan Hotel over a year ago, and we’re expecting as many as three hundred guests.”
“Three hundred for a birthday party?”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Amazing
was obviously Natalie’s word of the day. “Yes,” she said. “Amazing. But here’s my question. Dad lives in Manhattan. Why is he having a birthday party in Washington, D.C.?”
“Oh, there’s going to be another party in New York.”
“Two birthday parties?” she asked and began to laugh. “Isn’t that a little narcissistic?”
“Dad didn’t want to exclude anyone, and all those men and women who invested in the MacKenzie Trinity Fund want to celebrate with him. He’s made them all rich.”
“I’m betting they were already rich.”
“Yes, but Dad’s a financial genius, and he has more than doubled their investments. So many of his investors live in D.C., and that’s why he decided to throw a party there, too. There’s going to be at least three senators and twice that many congressmen attending the party and a couple of ambassadors, too.” Natalie sounded starstruck.
“Was every investor invited?”
“No. That would have made the number of guests well over a thousand. Just the high-income investors were invited. I’m telling you, it’s going to be amazing.”
“It sounds like it will be,” she said to placate her sister.
“So you understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Aunt Emma has to be there,” she cried out. “For God’s sake,
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