Chapter 8 Summary

Clarissa returns home with her flowers and meets her lover, Sally, who is on her way out the door. For a moment, Clarissa sees Sally as if for the first time; in truth, Sally is an aging woman with a poor sense of fashion and is visibly impatient. They kiss on the lips, and Sally tells Clarissa she's going out to lunch with Oliver St. Ives. Sally feels guilty for having lunch on her own, with a movie star, while leaving Clarissa to prepare for the party. Clarissa insists she have a good time, but she inwardly feels left out since it seems that Oliver didn't find her important enough to invite to lunch. She wonders if the fact that she is the woman in Richard's award-winning book will cause Oliver to reassess her, but believes that he has relegated her to the...