Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand Read Free Book Online

maybe not. Margot knew nothing about gardening;
     every year, she killed one store-bought herb garden by placing it on her fire escape
     and forgetting to water it.
    Out the back screen door, which faced the yard, Margot called to her children, “The
     gentlemen are here to set up the tent! Either make yourself useful or get out of the
     way!” Ellie was lying on her stomach on the swing, spinning in circles until the ropes
     were twisted to the top.
    “Eleanor, come in, please!” Margot called.
    “No!” Ellie said.
    Margot sighed. Was it too early for wine?
    Upstairs, Margot heard Jenna and her maidens milling around; she caught the occasional
     burst of laughter. The hysteria over the missing Notebook had subsided—THANK GOD—and
     shortly thereafter, Autumn Donahue had arrived in a cabfrom the airport. Autumn had been Jenna’s roommate at the College of William and Mary.
     She had beautiful copper-colored hair and freckles and brown eyes and was the visual
     antidote to Jenna’s and Finn’s uncompromising blondness. Autumn swore like a sailor,
     and she could turn any situation pornographic in seconds. At the bridal shower, which
     had been attended by Pauline, as well as Jenna’s future mother-in-law, Ann Graham,
     Autumn had seen fit to give Jenna a two-headed vibrator and a tube of lubricant.
    “Just turn that thing on for Stuart,” Autumn had said. “He’ll love it.”
    Autumn always dated three men at the same time; she called these men her “lov-ahs,”
     and she sometimes threw a random one-night stand into the mix. She had never been
     in love; she had no intention of ever falling in love.
    Quite frankly, Margot admired this about Autumn.
    Margot was waiting for a text from Edge. She had texted him the night before to tell
     him that Drum Sr. was getting married. What she’d written was:
Drum Sr. is getting married to someone named Lily the Pilates instructor.
    When, after thirty minutes, she hadn’t received a response, she had written:
No, seriously, Drum Sr. is getting married.
    Margot had fallen asleep with the phone in her hand, waiting for a response. But in
     the morning there was still nothing from Edge. Margot found this silence perplexing.
     He often let one or more of her texts go without a response, but a text about her
     ex-spouse remarrying? That was real
news.
It deserved
something.
Then Margot began to worry that Edge wasn’t responding because he thought Margot
     was fishing for a proposal herself. Ha! The mere idea of a proposal from Edge was
     ludicrous. He had allowed her to spend the night at his apartment only once—and then
     only because he’d had a favor to ask of her.
    She wouldn’t let herself think about that night, Picholine for dinner first, then
     the unprecedented invitation to sleep over, then the ask, like a cold hand on her
     throat. Griffin Wheatley, Homecoming King. She
couldn’t
think about it.
    Maybe Edge was just busy. He had been preparing for court all week; he was taking
     over something called the “shitshow Cranbrook case” for Margot’s father. Margot had
     asked what that meant, but he hadn’t told her; he couldn’t tell her about any of his
     cases—not only because it was privileged information, but because Edge didn’t want
     Margot to accidentally slip up in front of her father.
    The result of this was that Margot knew next to nothing about Edge’s work life or
     how he spent his days. She almost preferred the way things had been with Drum Sr.
     Drum Sr. had done nothing for work, but at least that nothing had been reported to
     Margot in excruciating detail.
Going for run in park. Back from run. ATM, $80. Warren Miller film—off the hook! Thinking
     about enchiladas for dinner—ok with u? Store. Sale on canned tomatoes, buying 3. Picking
     up Ellie now. Walking. What is name of Peyton’s mom? And what is wrong with her face?
Margot used to sit in her office at Miller-Sawtooth, which was the most prestigious
     executive search firm