“So the Patrons level. He’ll really enjoy it. I’ll put together the information for him. Let him know I’m counting on him for a Patrons donation. It’s twenty-five thousand, so.”
“Twenty-five thousand.” Evelyn licked her lips. “Right, the thing is, though—”
The man returned with a triangular shopping bag, and Camilla took it as she continued, “He will have a great time. I don’t want to hear another word about it. Now, lunch.” She started to walk away, leaving Evelyn a little stunned.
*
Evelyn had pictured the whole New York weekend being just her and Camilla, shopping and ordering drinks and brunching, but when she joined Camilla that evening at Sant Ambroeus, Camilla had ordered Aperol spritzes for seven.
“Who else is coming?” Evelyn said, taking a sip of the fluorescent-orange drink.
“Nick, Brooke Birch, Will Brodzik, Pres, and I think Pres is bringing your friend Carrie,” Camilla said.
“Charlotte?” Evelyn said.
“Isn’t it Carrie?” Camilla asked.
Brooke had gone to St. Paul’s and Trinity with Camilla, Evelyn had discovered when Googling her after an earlier mention. Her plump boyfriend Will had played water polo at Enfield but was squarely middle class; he had been an Enfield day student, practically a townie, Camilla had once explained. Brooke and Will had been uncompetitive sorts who moved to San Francisco after college, electing a life of triathlons and second-tier markets instead of the elbow throwing of New York. Brooke had worked for two years doing fund-raising at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She had quit not long ago, and talked vaguely about opening a boutique in Pacific Heights, but her mother’s second marriage had been good enough that she would inherit plenty and didn’t have to work. Indeed, the marriage, to a ski-resort developer, was also good for Will, who worked for Brooke’s stepfather’s firm.
Brooke arrived when Camilla was in the bathroom and, when the ma?tre d’ took her over to the table, flat-out glared at Evelyn before sitting.
“I’m Evelyn Beegan. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” Evelyn said, scooting out from her chair to offer her hand. “So you know Camilla from St. Paul’s?”
“We’re very old friends,” said Brooke, who had thin blond hair and pointy ears, emphasizing the “very.” “I thought it was just me, her, Will, and Preston tonight, actually.”
“Nope,” said Evelyn.
“You met through a website?”
Brooke was being jealous, and thus bitchy, and Evelyn took her time sitting back down before she responded. “We met in Lake James. But yes, I work for a website. People Like Us? There was a Styles feature about it last week.”
“It’s online dating or something?”
“No. Not at all, actually. It’s a social network. We have a few clusters of members. In New York, of course, but also Dubai, London, Geneva. Aspen,” she said pointedly, given that she remembered Brooke’s stepfather had a giant place in Vail so Brooke probably had an inferiority complex about Aspen.
“Well,” said Brooke.
Nick, Preston, Will, and Charlotte tumbled in en masse, midconversation about an acquaintance.
“He went to Wharton, though,” Charlotte was saying.
“He went to Wharton because his father gets everyone else important into Wharton,” Nick said. “His dad fucked up the Federated LBO.”
“His father didn’t get you into Wharton,” Charlotte said.
“Get over yourself, Hillary. The point is, he’s an idiot but his CDO group at Lehman made billions last year. Billions. Enough profits for the whole firm. They package these bullshit mortgages for, what’s the term, Pres?”
“Subprime.”
“No, the other one.”
“Oh, NINJA.”
“Right. No income, no job, no assets.”
“CDO is collateralized debt…,” Charlotte said.
“Obligation,” Nick finished. “Banks selling packages of mortgages made to the losers in Nevada and California.”
“First of all, it’s not the fault of the people getting the loans, it’s the banks’ fault for making the loans. Second of all, the housing market isn’t that hot anymore,” Charlotte said.
“German banks are buying this shit like it’s candy, so it’s a no-lose,” Nick said. “I just can’t believe this Lehman dude gets that kind of bonus.”
“I’m bored,” Camilla said, sauntering back to the table. “Enough business. Do we all know one another?”
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Evelyn said quietly to Charlotte as Camilla handled introductions.
“I’m surprised to see me here, too,” Charlotte said. “Pres called me and I was done with work early, and I figured it was worth braving Ms. Rutherford to have a real dinner out and see you two. Nobody’s been in the city all summer.”
“So. Are we all thrilled about our urban weekend?” Camilla said, speaking over Charlotte.