Kevin stood up, nodded to Diane, and walked Emily out of the house.
Sue stood up. “More coffee?” Diane nodded, and Sue went and brought back the pot. They drank another mug. Diane kept taking long, deep breaths. Sue hadn’t said anything. Megan came back downstairs, face red and blotchy, and sat down next to her mother.
“Why was she so angry?” she asked Diane.
“How much did you hear, Meg?”
Megan looked shamefaced. “All of it. We followed you upstairs. I knew she was mad about something. I didn’t know why, though.”
Diane lifted her shoulders and let them drop heavily. “I don’t know why either, honey. Maybe she thought I should have told you both about Michael long before this. I would have. When Michael came back, and when we started seeing each other again, I would have told you both.”
“I like Michael,” Megan said.
“Yeah. Me too. He’s a nice person.”
“Where did he go?”
“London,” Diane explained. “He’s writing music for a movie over there. He’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”
“Is he really your boyfriend?” Megan was looking interested now. Sue began to smile.
Diane chewed her lip. “Yes, honey, he’s my, ah, boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Megan nodded to herself. “Does this mean we’ll get to go to all the concerts?”
Sue ducked her head, hiding her grin. Diane smiled and nodded.
“Yes, honey, I guess if we want to.”
“That’s cool.” Megan stood up and kissed her mother’s cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She ran upstairs.
Sue gave Diane a quick smile. “Want me to stay?”
Diane shook her head tiredly. “No, but thank you for being here. Really.”
“No problem. Call me tomorrow.” Sue went to the front door. “I mean it.”
Diane waved her out, then fell back against the chair cushions, pressing her hands against her eyes. She sat, exhausted, until Jasper jumped onto her lap. She took her hands away, and pushed the cat off her lap. She walked into her kitchen. It was spotlessly clean, a single pan of brownies on the counter. Diane cut a square out of the corner of the pan, ate it, then ate three more pieces. Feeling slightly sick, she went into the den. The light on her answering machine was blinking. She played the message. It was Rachel, saying she had talked to Emily about Michael and Diane should call A.S.A.P. Diane looked at her watch. It was almost eleven. She’d call her tomorrow. Then she looked at her computer. A message from Michael - just a quick line. He had her tickets to London. She could confirm the reservation. She sat down and answered. She wouldn’t be able to make London after all. There were too many problems with her play. She’d have to wait for him to come home. She hit the send button and started to cry again.
Emily did not apologize. She did not come home. She texted Megan all day long, but Emily would not speak to her mother. Kevin, having heard the story from both Diane and Emily, threw up his hands. He would not interfere. He felt she owed Diane an apology, but if she refused, he could not force her. She could stay with him as long as she liked.
For the next few weeks, Diane lived under a cloud. Michael was still in London. She had tried to call him again, but the number he had given her had been disconnected. His cell phone, she knew, had vanished his second week in London. She was desperate to speak with him, but did not want to call one of his sisters to ask how to reach him. Angela continued to be cool and aloof. Diane knew why. She was spending too much time with Quinn.
He found reasons to be outside her office at the end of her day. He would offer to take her for a quick drink, which often ended with dinner. She was tense, excited and miserable, and he was a warm and a soothing shoulder for her to lean on. She was so grateful for his presence that she pushed aside their growing intimacy, the longer looks, the softer kiss good-night. Every time she left him, she thought about what her life would be like with him, and how different it would be from her life with Michael – calmer, more dignified, none of the burning passion, true, but still full and rich.
The Monday before the first performance, Quinn came by her office. He sat across from her and waited while she listened patiently on the phone to a