Looking For You All My Life Part 103

reluctance to speak of it was understandable. But surely she

hadn't told her all this just to spite him. No, it had seemed

more of a confession of sorts, an attempt to clean the slate

before she moved on. Maggie prayed for June and Annie as

they traveled across the desert to a new life. She remembered

distinctly how that had felt-the excitement, the apprehen-

sion. Hopefully it would go as well for them as it had for her.

Cohn's tour on Sunday held no surprises, beginning with

an elegant and leisurely breakfast served Out on a terrace

right next to the golf course. Then they played nine holes of

golf, and somehow Maggie managed not to embarra.s.s her-

self too badly. Phil had taught her how to play golf in their

early married days, but she had been young and impatient

with the slow-moving game back then, promising him that

one day, when they both grew older, she would play with

him on a regular basis. This thought made her incredibly sad

now.

Cohn was polite and considerate, showing off every

amenity of the clubhouse facility with an air of grace mm-

gled with pride. It was clear he thought Desert Winds to be

his best effort so far, although he made no apologies for any 162Melody Carison

of his other developments, implying that their standards

were always of the very highest. He took more time than

June had in showing her the beautiful model home, careful

to point out and demonstrate each and every luxurious

detail. When Maggie asked him how this house compared

with the others, he diplomatically answered that no two

homes were the same, and that this fact was what made his

developments so special. She had to look the other way to

hide her disgust as she remembered how there'd been only

three different sets of blueprints used in the houses in the

Phase Three section, each one only slightly different. She

questioned him about things such as water, electricity, and

waste disposal. But each of his flawless answers flowed

smoothly, implying that other than the occasional problem,

all went very well at Desert Winds. He even stopped to show

her his own home, which not surprisingly, was equal in every

way to the model home.

Shortly after lunch, Maggie began to feel unwell. She

wasn't sure if it was a result of the stress from playing a

double agent or from the restaurant's overly rich food, but

her head was throbbing and she honestly felt ill. She thanked

Cohn for everything and quickly excused herself to her

room, collapsing Onto the bed to rest. Mostly, she was

relieved to get away from him. His smooth charm had begun

to work on her again, and she had almost believed him when

he'd rambled on and on about his vision for his future devel-

opments. He promised her that Pine Mountain Estates

would be far superior to Desert Winds. He even invited her

to become involved on the ground floor, offering her a spe-