“You are electric together,” Veronica observed, smiling at me, and then looked curiously at Harley as she noticed the younger woman eyeing her coolly.

“You’re Veronica Desmond,” Harley finally spoke, in cool, clipped tones.

Veronica nodded, her eyes narrowing as she continued to look at Harley, but evidently not recognizing her.

“Aerin, I’m afraid I’ll have to move to another table while your friends are here,” Harley said as she turned to me. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and made to stand up.

“Wait! Wait! Wait a second!” I exclaimed as I held her hand down on the table. “You’re not going anywhere, Harley!”

“I have to, baby,” Harley said softly. “I won’t be far, don’t worry.”

She tried to stand up again.

Veronica’s voice interrupted me as I tried to convince Harley. “Are you with the firm representing my husband?” she asked.

Suzy and I looked from one to the other. And then it clicked in my head. Desmond! Of course! I’d just met Mr. Desmond (“call me Matt”). He was Harley’s biggest client, it seemed. But did the case involve Veronica?

Harley didn’t respond to Veronica’s question but kept looking at me, and said in a firm but soft voice, “Aerin, I’m bound by the rules not to socialize or speak to her. I really must leave. But please do continue with your conversation with them. I’ll just head to the bar, and then I’ll return, ok?”

I was crestfallen, but I understood that Harley wasn’t being churlish. She really did need to go. I couldn’t help the disappointment in my face as I let her hand go.

Harley gave Suzy a regretful smile and smoothly left us.

Suzy turned to Veronica and asked, “Is she the one?”

“What one?” I asked.

Veronica said, “Matt was being asked at a party that Suzy had been in, why he looked so relax about our divorce case, and he’d said calmly, “the lawyer’s got it under control.” Now anyone who knows Matt knows he never has a good word to say about lawyers, so for him to say that much was equivalent to anyone else saying they had the best firm working for them. I think Suzy even heard him describe the lead lawyer, when he was being pressed by someone.”