They laughed. Nadine watched Emma and was starting to look confused.
Finally Margo’s laughter faded and she sighed. “He’s still an unbelievable prick though.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Emma agreed.
“And I still get to hate him.”
“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”
“Okay. Good.” Margo took a deep breath. “I love you, Em.”
“I love you too, Mar.”
“I’m going to go read Montgomery’s contract now and see if we can sue him.”
“Have fun.”
Emma hung up and turned to Nadine, whose mouth hung open.
“Montgomery and Davina?” her friend whispered.
Emma nodded. “Montgomery and Davina.”
“But I thought they barely knew each other!”
“Apparently they hooked up at the New Year’s Eve party,” Emma said, and then paused. “Wait, you were with them both for the house tour. Did you see anything?”
“Nothing!” Nadine replied. “He showed us all his art and then some of the renovations on the second floor, and then he said we should get more champagne and asked me to go downstairs to get it while he showed Davina the view from the roof…”
As she said the words, Nadine seemed to be listening to the story for the first time, coming to the same conclusion as Emma. They looked at each other, mouths agape.
“Oh my God, they hooked up on the roof!” Nadine said, mortified.
“Who would hook up on a roof? It’s freezing out,” Mr. Woodhouse murmured from the table. Emma and Nadine had almost forgotten he was there and jumped at the sound of his voice.
“Montgomery Knox and Davina Sundar,” Emma said.
He seemed to consider for a moment and then shrugged.
“You’re not the least bit surprised?” she asked.
“Darling, I barely remembered their names five minutes ago,” he replied, and then turned back to his paper.
“What about you?” Nadine asked, watching Emma carefully. “Did you really not like him, or did you just say that so Margo wouldn’t feel bad?”
Emma considered for a moment. “I liked the idea of him. But I think he and I both knew it was never going to work out.”
“Definitely not if he was hooking up with Davina,” Nadine said. Then she paused, her face suddenly stricken. “God, what about Knightley? Do you think he’s upset?”
Behind them, Mr. Woodhouse scoffed. “If he’s upset by the loss of that woman, I’ll eat a Big Mac.”
It was an odd comment, and Emma’s brow furrowed at it, even as Nadine’s expression lit up once again.
“You think?” she asked him, her smile still directed at Emma.
“Absolutely,” Mr. Woodhouse replied. “I’ve known that boy his entire life, and he’s never been less interested in a woman.”
Nadine looked like she was about to burst, bouncing slightly in her seat as she looked at Emma for… what? Encouragement? An endorsement? Emma only stared at her dumbly, watching her friend’s smile widen across her face. It felt like the inverse of Emma’s expression, the flat line of her lips turning down the more Nadine’s grin turned up.
