The twist came that Thursday. Out of the blue, Kat got a phone call from Kelly in LA. She was hysterical and crying. Her husband had died. It wasn't entirely unexpected -- he was significantly older, had been battling health issues for a number of years, and was an unrepentant workaholic until he keeled over in his office of a heart attack. He toiled, keeping the money-making clock ticking, until his last breath.

I couldn't relate to it. But I felt for Kelly deeply. Though her marriage was more of a business partnership, it was one she held dear. And the relationship worked for them. The four of us, if...