Claire jumped up and hugged her. “Good for you. We need to stretch our wings. Besides, it means I can keep Courtney gainfully employed and under our thumb.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that.” Julia couldn’t hide her skepticism.
Driving home, however, she noticed a slight change in Courtney’s demeanor. The girl actually engaged in conversation. She bristled when Julia mentioned the clothes thing, but at least agreed to think about it. To Julia, this was a major change, and she offered up silent prayers.
They ate the wonderful dinner Miranda made for them, but then Courtney went off to closet herself in her room.
“No telephone until your homework’s done,” Julia hollered after her.
The only reply was the usual slamming of the bedroom door. Julia swallowed a sigh. At least there’d been a brief interval of sanity.
“Drink this and relax.” Miranda handed her a glass of wine. “That child needs a firm hand. You need to quit worrying because she has no father and make sure she’s got a mother with gumption.”
“Couldn’t you wave a magic wand and change us into Cinderella?” Julia asked.
“Wouldn’t that be something to hoot about? Meanwhile, you drink your wine and unwind. I can tell you got something big on your mind.”
She did indeed. Later, discussing it with Beth on the phone, the full scope of the project—if they got it—suddenly hit her.
“You can do it, Mom.” Beth’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You’ve got the skills and the background. You’d just be promoting a beach instead of a sandbox. No big deal.”
“Easy for you to say, my darling daughter. Everything comes so naturally to you.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s me. The big star.”
They both knew, however, the financial services agency where Beth interned for three summers had hired her right out of college. They considered her indispensable after little more than a year fulltime. Her natural talent for numbers and for reading business trends brought her a great deal of notice. She loved her work and her bosses loved her, already giving her one large bonus with another probable by the end of the year.
“How’s Courtney?” Beth asked, changing the subject.
“Just as hostile as ever.” Julia shook her head. “I swear I’ve never seen two sisters more unlike each other. You spoiled me, Bethie.”
“Mom, she’s thirteen and full of angst,” Beth reminded her.
“There’s a word.” Julia groaned. “Angst. I’d like to take it out of the dictionary.”
“Want her to come spend the weekend with me?” Beth lived in her own apartment in the northwest area of San Antonio, not far from work and away from the danger of city streets. It wasn’t large, but she managed the cost herself, a big determining factor for her.
“I don’t know. We’ll see. She started a new job today working at the office.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” There was concern in Beth’s voice. “She thinks you’re too much of a guard dog as it is.”
“She’s working for Claire, so it’s a little different.”
Beth chuckled. “If anyone can whip her into shape, Claire can. I swear, Mom, how can someone so pretty be such a drill sergeant?”
“Wonder of wonders, Courtney didn’t bitch about it. We actually had a decent if brief conversation, although now she’s locked up tighter than a drum in her room again. I’m hoping this gives some order to her life. I’ll do anything to get her away from those derelicts she insists on calling her friends.”
“At least she doesn’t have to put up with Grandma and Grandpa.” Beth snorted. “I’d call it a blessing. Thank God we don’t have to attend any of those stupid dinners anymore.”
Until the twins went off to college, they had attended the obligatory monthly dinner with their grandparents, ever more reluctantly as they grew older. Charles’s parents continued to deliberately and obviously ignore Courtney’s existence. Julia tried confronting them about it once but Elise shut her down at once.
“She is not our blood.”
While they said nothing either publicly or to the twins, as far as they were concerned, Julia and Courtney might as well not exist. It was a mixed blessing. She no longer had to endure punishing dinners and silent criticism, but the situation obviously made Courtney feel like some kind of pariah.
So when the twins went off grumbling each time, Julia always planned something special for Courtney. Something just for her. Fun things. Things that made her feel extraordinary. Still, her three offspring had always wondered why Courtney wasn’t included.
And there was no way she could tell them.
“You’re the lucky one,” Beth had always pointed out to her sister.
Eventually Courtney simply stopped asking.
“Have you seen your grandparents lately?” Julia asked during one phone call.
“Grandfather called me at the office, of all things, and reminded me that I was ignoring my visits to them. Hell.” She groaned. “I’d be happy if I never had to see them again, Mom, they are just thoroughly unpleasant people. Andy and I don’t think they like us very much, but that’s okay, because we don’t like them. How did you ever put up with them? And how did you get them to leave you alone?”
That would be quite a story to tell her children.
“Never mind. How about this, I’m serious about the weekend. Why don’t I pick Courtney up Friday from the office and she can stay with me ’til Sunday. We can hang out and watch chick flicks and play with my makeup. Maybe I can get her to tone hers down.”
“Oh, honey, how wonderful, but I hate for you to give up your weekend.”
“No problem, honest. Maybe it will give you and Claire time to brainstorm about the new account you’re going after. I need a break, anyway. Too much going on.”
“I love you. If you’re going to do this, do you think you could take her shopping Saturday?” She hesitated to ask more but Beth
