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“William thought a thirty-year-old should be firmly established in business, not going to school.”
    â€œWell I think education and the pursuit of professional advancement is the most important thing,” Ivy’s mother said, patting Declan’s hand. “You’ll be a huge success one day. Declan is the son of an old friend of mine,” Ivy’s mother added. “I’m thrilled that he and my baby girl are getting married.”
    â€œI think it’s nice that William would leave us anything at all,” Ivy said, “considering how little he was involved in our lives.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be so appreciative yet,” Olivia’s mother retorted. “You don’t know what’s in your envelope. Perhaps it’s a bill for those summers you spent at his house in Maine.”
    â€œMother,” Olivia said through gritted teeth. “ Enough .”
    â€œYes, enough,” Ivy’s mother seconded, staring down Olivia’s mother.
    Olivia and Ivy shook their heads and let out deep breaths in unison.
    The lawyer stood. “Good day, ladies.”
    Both mothers shot up. “What? That’s it?”
    â€œThat’s it,” Mr. Harris said. He turned to Amanda. “I’ll see you on the tenth, Amanda. You can come any time during the day to pick up your envelope.”
    The tenth was Friday, two days from now.
    â€œOnce again, ladies,” Mr. Harris said. “I can’t stress enough that any deviation from the terms of the will shall disqualify that person. Once again, please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss.” With that, he clicked shut his briefcase and left the room.
    As there was nothing left to say or do, the mothers stood, hugged their respective daughters, and left.
    Amanda, Olivia and Ivy remained seated.
    â€œI can’t believe he’s really gone,” Amanda said, staring down at her trembling hands.
    â€œI know,” said Ivy.
    Olivia nodded.
    And the three women sat there in silence, not exactly companionable but not unfriendly either, until the receptionist came in to let them know the room was needed for a partners’ meeting.
    â€œWell, I have to get back to the magazine,” Olivia said.
    â€œAnd I’d better get back to the precinct,” Ivy said. “Declan,” she added, glancing at her watch. “You’d better hop in a cab if you want to make your ten o’clock class.”
    Declan glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. “You’ll be all right?”
    Ivy smiled and nodded. Declan kissed her and left.
    â€œNine forty-five,” Amanda said, eying the clock. “Tommy is probably just about ready for his morning nap.”
    Olivia and Ivy glanced at her.
    â€œHow old is he now?” Olivia asked as they all gathered their belongings and headed to the elevator bank.
    â€œHe’ll be a year next month,” Amanda responded.
    â€œHe’s a beautiful baby,” Ivy said.
    â€œHe definitely has the Sedgwick eyes,” Olivia added as the elevator came.
    And when the three women said awkward good-byes on the street and then went their separate ways, Amanda realized her sisters must have looked at the baby pictures Amanda had sent along with Tommy’s birth announcement.
    She smiled. Perhaps her sisters did care about their nephew, after all.
    Â 
    Ethan stood in the shadows of a doorway across the street from the Manhattan law offices of Harris, Pinker and Swift, reading the New York Times obituary of William Sedgwick as he waited for the Sedgwick sisters to appear.
    ... survived by his three daughters, Ivy Sedgwick of New Jersey, Amanda Sedgwick of Queens, and Olivia Sedgwick of Manhattan.
    And suddenly, he saw her, Amanda, exiting the building with two women, whom he assumed were her half sisters, Ivy and Olivia. They stood in front of the building, moving aside when a group of office workers congregated near them to smoke cigarettes.