“Excuse us, we really are very late!” Charlotte interjected.

As they walked toward the exit, the door suddenly opened and a blond lady in a chic camel driving coat entered with a little towheaded boy.

“Lucie Tang Churchill! Long time no see!” the lady said.

“Lief! What are you doing here?” Lucie gasped.

“A good friend of mine lives in the Village, so every time I come down to visit him, I pop in here to grab the latest children’s books for William.”

“And who is this now?” Charlotte asked grimly.

“Oh, sorry, Lief, meet my cousin Charlotte. Lief was my tennis partner a few summers ago at Dorset,” Lucie explained.

Reneé poked her head around. “Lief, is that you?”

“Reneé! What are you doing here?” Lief squealed. Turning to Lucie and Charlotte, she explained, “I just saw Reneé this morning at qigong class. We must be on the same vibration!”

“Yes, unfortunately we need to vibrate straight out the door!” Charlotte declared, taking Lucie firmly by the shoulder and steering her outside. Ducking around the corner, Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh. “What in the world possessed you to pick that dangerously adorable bookshop? Everyone you know in the whole wide world is in there today! What if Reneé sees you with George? I think we should abort the mission!”

“Too late,” Lucie said grimly as she saw George walking up West Tenth Street toward them.

“Hey,” he said. “Did you want to go inside?”

“Noooo!” the ladies said in unison.

George frowned. “So why did you want to meet here?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Charlotte said, as she marched Lucie and George down the street, turned right on Greenwich Avenue, and herded them into Jefferson Market Garden. Finding a bench hidden deep in the lush foliage next to the lily pond, Charlotte sat down and looked from Lucie to George. “Well, here we all are.”

Lucie folded her arms pensively, summoning the courage to say what she had come to say.

George gazed at her calmly. “I suppose you want to talk about Olivia’s film?”

Lucie shook her head. “I want to talk about what happened after the film. Actually, I don’t. I just want you to promise that you’ll never set foot in my house in East Hampton ever again.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Well, isn’t it your brother’s house? He invited me over for poker night next Saturday.”

“It may technically be Freddie’s house, but it is my childhood home and I still spend the summers there. And I don’t ever wish to see you again.”

“Why?”

“Because you have crossed a line. You insulted me within twenty feet of my future husband by trying to kiss me last night.”

“You thought that was insulting?”

“What is wrong with you, you monster? You forced yourself on her! You’re lucky that we’re not reporting this to anyone!” Charlotte exploded.

George gazed at Charlotte in shock. “Is that what she told you?” He turned back to Lucie, looking mystified.

“I think you have a problem, George. You don’t seem to understand that your advances toward Lucie have been inappropriate and unwanted,” Charlotte said in a gentler tone.

George snorted. “Inappropriate and unwanted? Lucie, in case I’m remembering incorrectly, you kissed me first in Positano. You shoved your hands down my pants last night and begged me to fuck you.”

Charlotte stared at Lucie for confirmation.

Lucie’s face turned bright red. Ignoring Charlotte, she took the opportunity to double down on her words. “You have offended me gravely, and you have offended my future husband. You need to realize that your proximity, your mother’s proximity to my family, is making me very uncomfortable in light of all that’s happened.”

“All that’s happened? We made out, Lucie. You’re making it sound like it was some tragedy.”

“It wasn’t a tragedy, but it was a mistake, George. A big mistake. I was young and foolish in Capri, but there was no excuse for what happened last night. Do you not care that I’m about to marry Cecil?”

George sighed deeply. “If Cecil were anyone else, you know I would never have kissed you. I would never do anything to disrespect the both of you. But you can’t really be serious about marrying him.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t love you!”

“How dare you say that! How could you possibly know how he feels?”

“Because of who Cecil is. He doesn’t even know you! He doesn’t have a clue who you really are, or the fact that you’d never be caught dead driving an Aston Martin. He loves the idea of you, the image of you; he just wants to post beautiful, hot pictures of you and him and see how many likes he gets. He’s in love with the social media impression of you, how you enhance his brand. It’s all about sex and vanity to him, nothing else! He can’t possibly love you in the way you deserve to be loved because he’s incapable of seeing you as a real person, a real woman. But I see you. I see the beauty inside you, and also your sadness, your fears, your flaws. I see exactly who you are and I love you for all those things, Lucie. I’ve loved you since the moment we met. I love your family, I love your mind, and I love your art. I want to be there to support your passions and dreams, whatever they are, and I want to know you more so I can love you more.”

Lucie was stunned speechless. Her throat felt like it was closing up, but she stubbornly stood her ground. “There’s only one problem. I don’t want all that from you.”

George stood stock-still for a moment, and then gazed at her fiercely. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care what you believe!” Lucie shrieked, throwing up her hands.

Charlotte placed a hand on Lucie’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Lucie, please …”

“Stop it, Charlotte! Haven’t you done enough?” Lucie turned back to George. “I’m in love with someone else and I’m going to be his wife in September. So will you please just … just go. Just leave us alone.”

“Can you hear yourself? You can’t even say his name!” George groaned, looking to Charlotte in frustration. “Do you believe her? Do you really want to see her married to someone like Cecil?”

“I … I’m here to support Lucie, and I think right now you both just need to stop fighting and calm down,” Charlotte sputtered.

George placed his hands on Lucie’s shoulders, staring into her face. “Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. Tell me you really don’t love me.”

Lucie’s eyes darted away from his as she fought back her tears. She couldn’t ruin everything, not even for him. “I don’t love you.”

An ocean of hurt flashed across George’s face. Then he turned abruptly and walked off without another word.

“George! Stop, George!” Charlotte cried out.

Lucie glared at her cousin as if to say, Get a hold of yourself!

Charlotte sat there with tears in her eyes. She knew now—hearing George’s words and looking into his face today—that she had made a huge mistake. She had been wrong about him today. She had been wrong about him from the very beginning.