CHAPTER EIGHTY – LIKE A COMPETITION

But Vanessa wasn't just rude to Charlotte -- she took every opportunity to mock and belittle her in front of Julian as well, from her humble upbringing to her "pedestrian" tastes. When Charlotte tried putting her foot down, Vanessa would bat her eyes sweetly and claimed she was "just teasing" in that honeyed tone of hers. So Charlotte decided it was time to fight fire with fire. Two could play at Vanessa's little game. When Vanessa insisted on rearranging all the living room furniture in that irritatingly smug way of hers, Charlotte cheerfully agreed and then spent the evening loudly and repeatedly asking Julian if he preferred it the new way or the original setup. If Vanessa made snide comments about Charlotte's cooking, Charlotte would launch into lengthy, graphic diatribes about her tragically unhip childhood with an enthusiasm that soon had Vanessa tuning out. When Vanessa tried on one of Charlotte's expensive dresses without permission, stretching out the delicate material, Ch