He looks miserable, but he nods. “Fine, Tess. Do what you need to do.”
I start to scribble my name on the contract just as the doorbell goes off. At first, I assume it must be my father, having forgotten something at our house. But then I remember. Lucy was coming to visit. We were going to have a girls’ afternoon at the mall. We were going to have a makeover.
That was before. Before I knew the truth.
“It’s Lucy,” I say.
Maybe I’m imagining it, but Harry’s eyes seem to darken again. Graham nods in understanding. “I’m sure you want to talk to her. Why don’t you sign the contract, and I’ll give you some privacy so the two of you can chat?”
But I’m not in the mood for Lucy. It’s strange because she’s my best friend, but she’s not who I want to be around right now. In fact, the thought of seeing her gives me a foul taste in my mouth. I can’t remember ever feeling anything but warmly toward Lucy, but now I feel a flash of anger.
Lucy did something to me. Something bad.
Did she do something to hurt me? Or has my tumor-ridden brain manufactured this memory?
I abandon the contract on the kitchen island, and without another word, I sprint over to the door and fling it open. I hardly even notice that Graham has been following at my heels. Or that he picked up the contract from the table and he’s got it in his hands again.
The woman standing at my front door is very recognizably my best friend. Harry looks older and scruffier and more tired than he did the last time I remember, but Lucy looks great. Even better than my last memory of her. Her red hair is glossy and her figure is perfectly trim, like she’s been working out. The only thing that isn’t perfect about her are the light purple circles under her eyes.
“Tess.” She squeezes her red purse in her fists. “It’s so good to see you. Are you okay?”
Graham’s hand drops onto my shoulder. Harry hung behind in the kitchen, but Graham is hovering over me protectively. “She’s okay. We had a long talk this morning. She knows about her diagnosis.”
“Oh.” Lucy’s face falls. “Tess, I’m so sorry…”
“It’s fine.” It’s not true, but I hope it eventually will be. “I’m fine. I… I appreciate you being there for me over the last year. You’re a good friend.”
Lucy’s eyebrows bunch together. Graham gives her a look.
“Lucy works at the company too,” Graham says in a strangely slow voice. “She’s a big part of the company. When you’re traveling with Harry, she’s going to be helping me out a lot to run the company. I’ll probably have to promote her.”
Lucy and Graham running my company. Huh. She never even thought the company would get off the ground. She warned me about starting it. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach, but I don’t want to think about it.
“Tess…” Lucy says.
“I’m okay,” I say for what feels like the hundredth time. “I promise. I’m fine.”
Lucy is still squeezing her purse for dear life, her fingers digging into the expensive material. I watch as her eyes fill with tears. “Tess…”
“Lucy,” Graham says firmly. “Don’t you think it would be better for Tess to be with family right now? Maybe you should go, and the two of you can talk another time. And later we can discuss what your role in the company is going to be.”
Lucy bows her head. “Okay.”
She starts to turn around. Graham has his hand on the door, ready to close it behind her. But then, quick as lightning, Lucy’s hand shoots out, stopping the door before it can swing closed. “I can’t do this, Tess,” she says.
“Lucy,” Graham growls.
“Graham was stealing from you.” Her chest heaves with the confession. “That’s what you told me before you got sick. You said he was filtering money into foreign accounts, and you were going to confront him and kick him out. But then the next day, I heard you had a seizure while you were driving. And then they found the tumor and…”
“Lucy!” Graham says sharply.
Lucy’s eyes fill with tears. “When you got sick, you forgave him. And after you started getting those shots, you also forgot everything he did to you. But you deserve to know what he did before you make any decisions about the company.” She pauses. “I want you to know.”
I stare at her, stunned by the revelation. Graham was stealing from me. He was embezzling money from my company.
“You’re out of your mind, Lucy.” Graham’s blue eyes are bulging out of their sockets. “I would never do that to Tess. Why would you lie like that?”
Lucy ignores him and turns her gaze on me. “He gave me a job at the company so I wouldn’t say anything to you.” She drops her eyes. “I’m so sorry. You’re my best friend. I’ll never forgive myself.”
I turn away from her, my head pounding. Harry has come out of the kitchen and is standing behind me. He looks as stunned as I feel. He never trusted Graham, but he didn’t know about this.
“You asshole.” Harry’s right hand balls into a fist. “What have you done to her?”
“Go to hell.” Graham lifts his chin, folding his arms across his chest. “You act so goddamn self-righteous, but you don’t know what this last year was like. Every morning, Tess wakes up and she doesn’t know what the hell is going on. She wakes me up screaming. I’ve been taking care of her—doing everything for her like she’s a child. Before that, I took her to every goddamn doctor’s appointment. I was there through chemotherapy treatment. I cleaned up the vomit. I deserve the company after what I’ve been through.”
Now Graham turns to me. He reaches out for my hand, but I wrench it away. “Tess, you know what I’ve done for you. You wouldn’t even be alive right now if not for me. And I kept your secret, because I know how much it scared you to end up like your mother.”
I blink at him. Of all the things he’s said, this is the only one that gets through. He knows my biggest fear. And he did try to help me.