the next morning at nine. She’d been working for three hours by then, and was impressed that Gemma had managed to put everything away. She even had shoe racks set up between the rolling racks in the tiny room.
“You’re a magician,” Kate said with admiration. “I can never figure out where to put two shirts and a pair of jeans.”
“I’m good with wardrobe changes.” Gemma grinned at her. She felt less panicked than she had the day before. She had a list of things she wanted to get from town. She had called a number she had used before in L.A. for things she knew she couldn’t get in the Valley. They had promised to deliver the next day.
“If you need furniture, we’ve got some leftovers in the barn,” Kate said helpfully. “Thad can bring it over for you.”
“I’m all set,” she said, and took off half an hour later, and waved as she drove by Juliette leaving her house to go to the office. She wanted to get the books in good order before she left for France and had found a bookkeeper to help Kate while she was gone.
Gemma was back from town in two hours, and stopped in to see Kate in her office. She looked busy, with ledgers all over her desk, and a pencil stuck in her hair, which was pulled back in a braid.
“Do you know they have a nail salon in town now?” she said, looking pleased, and Kate laughed, and glanced down at her own, which were cut short. She hadn’t worn nail polish since her teens, when Gemma used to do her nails for her.
“I’m thrilled to hear it,” she teased her sister. But she was relieved to see her in good spirits, and not looking as though she was ready to run, as she had the night before. She hadn’t even bothered to eat dinner while she unpacked. She was determined to make the guesthouse feel like home, as best she could.
“They have a new shoe store, which is a little sketchy, and the hardware store is pretty good,” Gemma reported. “The drugstore has some decent magazines for a change. Civilization has hit the Valley.” And three people had recognized her and asked for her autograph, which made her feel like a star again. The last few weeks in L.A. had been so depressing, once everyone knew that the show was going off the air. Nothing made an actor feel worse than being out of work. But she was a big star here, and everywhere she went, people smiled and knew who she was. She had even run into a girl she’d gone to school with, with her three teenagers in tow. Gemma was shocked by how old she looked.
Kate was a star in her own right here too, as the owner of the biggest ranch in the Valley. But no one asked for her autograph, and she didn’t need them to. Gemma did. Kate understood that about her. Gemma needed the validation that she existed and was important, and people cared. Kate had lived in her father’s shadow all her life, and was used to it and didn’t mind. All she needed to know was that she was doing a good job. Thad said she was, more than her father ever had.
“Well, I won’t keep you from work,” Gemma said, and started to walk out of her office. “When is Caroline arriving?”
“Tomorrow,” Kate said, amused by her sister. She’d seen more of her in the last month than she had in years, but she enjoyed it. She was reminded of their differences, the same ones they’d had as kids growing up. As Daddy’s Girl, Gemma had been the star. Caroline had been invisible, and the star student. And Kate had been the peacemaker and the pleaser. She wanted everyone to be happy, especially her father, and to get along. She had gone on to serve him as an adult, to be his support team, his backstage person behind the scenes, the one who did all the work and never got the credit, as long as he was happy.
And now here they were as grown-ups. Caroline deferred to her husband for every move she made and every decision. She respected his career, his success, and how smart he was. And Peter was proud of her books. She had a successful writing career she never talked about, she was always discreet and modest about herself. She lived below the