Lisa could afford these things, that wasn’t the issue, but she wouldn’t even know where to buy them. Or how to design a bathroom like this. It was no use having the money if you didn’t understand how to spend it. Gwen’s understated elegance made her feel tacky and loud. Lisa had thought her brown Louis Vuitton tote with the small tan logos was the epitome of chic until she brought it once on a girl’s night out and Gwen made some comment. Apparently, in the gospel according to Gwen, one logo was acceptable, but Lisa carrying the bag while wearing a Prada-branded sweater was tacky.
She still burned when she thought of the humiliation.
In April, the entire cul-de-sac and a few adjoining houses had decided to host an Easter egg hunt for all the kids. Even Kai agreed to partake when he heard there were dollar bills stuffed into some of the eggs. There had been some squabbling between Lisa and Gwen about how many eggs to hide. She mentioned to Aimee that Gwen’s penchant for organizing things was veering on OCD.
Later in the afternoon, when the eggs had been found and the kids were playing in the street, the parents gathered in lawn chairs to chat and drink. Lisa went inside Scott and Aimee’s to use the bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom into the hallway, she overheard them talking in the kitchen. Abouther.
“… it’s okay if you’ve outgrown your friendship with Lisa,” Scott was saying. “She a bit of a drama queen.”
“You think?”
“You know, you three have nicknames in the neighborhood.”
Aimee laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“Jason told me when we were playing tennis a few weeks ago. Some of the other moms call you three Queen, Lean, and Green.”
“Am I Green?” she asked.
“Of course. And Gwen, well, she’s definitely on the thin side.”
“And people think Lisa’s a drama queen?”
“She’s been known to stir up drama with the other moms, apparently,” Scott said. “And the fact that she wore a leopard-print bikini to the pool.”
“That’s not very nice,” Aimee said. “She has a great body. She can wear what she wants.”
“And this is why I never told you. Because it’s kind of mean.”
People were talking about her behind her back.Drama queen?Maybe she had stuck up for herself—she was no doormat—but that didn’t make her a drama queen. Scott certainly found it amusing. She had no idea that he didn’t like her, that he was poisoning Aimee against her.
“Lisa’s always been such a good friend to me. We used to be so close,” Aimee said. “That’s why what she said about Noa was so out of character.”
Lisa’s heart leapt into her throat. What had she said about Noa to Aimee? She searched her memory for something she could have said that offended her—perhaps she had unintentionally insulted Aimee—but she couldn’t pinpoint anything.
“People outgrow friendships,” Scott had said. “It’s not a crime. If you want to pull back, that’s fine by me. I mean, I like Marcus, but I don’t need to see him every Friday night.”
“Maybe,” Aimee said, sounding dubious. “I’ll see.”
“I just don’t like to see you so upset.”
“Do you think Noa’s anoddball?”
“Stop. You know I don’t.”
So that’s what it was. A throwaway comment. She remembered now. Noa had interrupted their coffee together and demanded attention, going on and on about orcas or whales or something, just nonstop reciting all kinds of useless information. Itwasodd. And the way Aimee just indulged her instead of reprimanding her like Lisa longed to. She had made one little off-the-cuff remark when Noa finally left the room. “What a little oddball.” She had meant it in an affectionate way.
And Aimee was willing to trash their friendship over that one silly remark? It was Scott’s doing. He was going to use that one comment as a wedge to turn Aimee against her. Lisa went back into the bathroom to wait until Scott and Aimee went outside. She clamped her hand over her mouth and let out a silent scream. If they hadn’t been right outside the house, she would have smashed the mirror on the medicine cabinet. Scott was trying to come between her and Aimee. What had she ever done to him?
She seethed for the next few days, vacillating between being unable to shake Scott’s words from her mind and worrying over whether Aimee was going to dump her. She was sure Aimee would forgive her if Scott wasn’t in the way. She entertained various plots of revenge against Scott, but none withstood the light of careful examination. She didn’t want to hurt Aimee. She was as much a victim of Scott as Lisa was. The poor thing was being manipulated by that bastard. He was a golden boy, had sailed through life with his smile and jokes and athleticism. But those were the worst bullies of all. Sweet Aimee couldn’t see it, but Lisa could. Aimee needed her then more than ever. What it must be like to be married to someone like that, who gaslights you about your own best friend.
When Marcus noticed her sullenness, Lisa told him she had a sinus headache. On the following Friday, she begged off meeting up for dinner with everyone, sending Marcus and Kai withouther, claiming her head hurt too much. Alone in the house, she poured a glass of wine and curled up in bed with her laptop. There had to be some way to get back at Scott. Some weakness or past mistake he had made. Maybe an old girlfriend Lisa might activate and bring back into his life. That could cause a nice rift between him and Aimee, which she could exploit.
But the more she looked, the less she found about Scott. He had no social media at all. His company did, but he was only mentioned by name on the website. There wasn’t even a picture.
The following day, she stopped by Aimee’s just as Scott was leaving. She entered and found her at the kitchen counter, paying bills.
“Oh, hey, did we have plans?” Aimee looked up, confused.