door. Emily entered the limousine. She hugged Claire again and looked around at the leather seats and splendor.
“Seriously, this is how you get around New York?” Claire said yes. “And you don’t feel ostentatious? Perhaps you haven’t heard our country is in an economic downturn.”
Eric pulled away from the curb, and they entered traffic. It wasn’t the stop-and-go traffic that caused Claire’s neck muscles to tighten, more the sudden onset of defensiveness. “Emily, please don’t judge me or Tony. I want you to be part of our wedding. Let’s have fun looking for dresses.”
Emily exhaled and sat back on the seat. “Claire, I want to. I really do.” Claire could tell there was a “but” coming. “But John and I sat up for hours discussing you and Anthony.”
Sitting straighter, she asked, “What did the two of you decide?”
“We decided we love you. We are so happy that Anthony invited us to get to see you. But here is one of our concerns.” Claire raised her eyebrows, Emily continued, “Why did Anthony need to invite us? Why couldn’t you?”
Claire’s head almost touched the ceiling. She sat so straight and looked Emily directly in the eye. “Emily, that is ridiculous. I could. I told you things have just been busy. With his schedule, we are all over the place, as I am sure you’ve read about in the newspapers. I didn’t even know until last week that Tony was needed in New York.” And then to clarify, she added, “He didn’t know until then. He has a lot on his plate.”
“Uh . . . hmmm, please know we are just concerned. It seems like you’re a different person.” The conversation paused, and Emily continued, “That isn’t necessarily bad, but it makes us uncomfortable.” Emily saw her sister: polished, refined, stylish, elegant, and worldly. Not the little sister she knew. “I have tried to learn about Anthony Rawlings. Everything I found about him on Google is business related. He has an impressive reputation as a businessman, but I cannot find anything about him personally.”
“Emily, he is an impressive private man too. But I must emphasize private. He asked me to join him in his private personal life. I want you and John there, but you must respect the importance of his confidentiality.”
They sat in standstill traffic. “Okay, we can do that. But we worry about you. Don’t you get to have a life too?”
Claire felt her blood pressure rise. She needed to defend the life she’d despised for months. It was time to utilize the compartmentalization, bring out the good stuff. “Just because I haven’t contacted you doesn’t mean I don’t have a life. I do. I have a very full and rewarding life. I live in a beautiful home. We attend a number of events and functions. I’ve met wonderful friends in the Quad Cities area.” She surveyed Emily’s reaction. “I’m not doing meteorology currently, but I am working with Tony. As I said, he is a very busy man, with a busy schedule.” She didn’t need to offer more explanation.
The car moved again. “Are you living with Anthony there? And how long have you been living with him?”
Claire exhaled; as much as it killed her she knew she couldn’t spend her day like this. It was too much work, and although it was early her head pounded. “Okay. Emily, I am sorry this didn’t work.” Claire suddenly pushed the button to open the window to Eric. “Eric, we have a change of plans. You may drop me off at the boutique, but Mrs. Vandersol will be going back to the Hyatt.”
Emily stared at Claire in disbelief. Eric answered, “Yes, miss.”
Claire shut the window. She sat back in the seat, didn’t speak or look at Emily. She should be sad, but truly she was mad. She also realized she’d behaved like Tony. Perhaps she was being too cautious about his rules, but she knew too well that behaviors had consequences. Given the choice, she’d choose to err on the side of Tony.
“Claire, I am sorry. You’re obviously a strong independent woman. I think of you as my kid sister, someone who needs us to look out for her. Anthony Rawlings is lucky to have you in his life. I still don’t understand how it all happened. I don’t care how wonderful he is. He is the fortunate one in this relationship. I love you and want to be a part of your wedding. If this is what you want, we will support