Sweet Liar Part 9

That simple meeting had started a friendship that had eventually resulted in Dave turning the guardianship of his daughter over to Mike. aOwnership,a Samantha had muttered when Mike had told her the story.

aSome ownership,a Mike answered in mock weariness. aThe deedas kept in a safe deposit box.a Mike had been very upset at Samas telling him that she was planning to remain in New York, and she suspected that he had every intention of keeping her out of everything that he was planning to do. Knowing that he blamed himself for the murder attempt, she guessed that he planned to not allow her out of his sight, and his best way of controlling her was by keeping facts from her.

After their confrontation of this morning, shead gone downstairs and seen Mikeas gym bag by the front door, letting her know that he had obviously been planning to go to the gym after she left for Maine. When she asked him about the bag and his plans, head stubbornly said he was staying home with her. It had taken some fast talking on her part to persuade him to leave the house and go on his planned trip to the gym. She had to get him out of the house, because something head said was bothering her. Mike had said that she couldnat help him research because she was too afraid of New York to so much as leave the block.

What he had said was true, and Samantha knew she had to screw up her courage and get out into the city. After all, she couldnat spend her life hiding in Mikeas town house, or for that matter, she couldnat spend her life hiding behind Mike. Aftera"ifa"they found her grandmother, she would have to leave the city and Mike. How could she ever think of living alone if she was too frightened to leave the house?

Now, Mike was at the gym and Samantha was going out all alone into the maw of this notorious, noisy, dirty city full of strangers. No gladiator facing the lions had been more afraid than Sam was at this undertaking; no St. George facing the dragon had more misgivings than she did.

She walked down Sixty-fourth Street, breathing a sigh of relief when she crossed the street and no one had yet held a gun or knife to her throat. When she crossed the wide expanse of Park Avenue, which seemed to be mostly residential, she headed toward Madison, her head down, her courage screwed to the breaking point.

For the first two blocks she was so afraid that she didnat look at her surroundings, but by the time she neared Madison, she noticed uniformed doormen smiling and tipping their hats to her. Tentatively, she smiled back at thema"at least they didnat look like muggers or drug dealers.

When she reached Madison, she took a right and headed north, walking three full blocks looking straight ahead, wondering how far she had to go before she had proved herself, proved that she could go out into this city without fear overcoming her. Her thoughts were occupied with imagining telling Mike defiantly that she had spent the whole afternoon alone on the streets of New Yorka"and she had survived!

By the fourth block, she began to look at her surroundings, and since midtown Madison Avenue was all shops, this meant looking in the display windows at the merchandise. In Santa Fe most of the shops were full of goods for the tourists to take home: T-shirts with idiot sayings on them, mugs and badly made Indian dolls, coyotes on every conceivable surface. Everything was labeled handmade, as though people in other parts of the world had found robots to make cheap tourist goods. Besides the junk goods, there were also hundreds of galleries full of overpriced Indian art. The few anormala stores geared toward the residents were filled with low-end merchandise: cheap rayon skirts, plastic picture frames, earrings that made your ears turn green.

What Samantha saw on Madison Avenue were shops full of beautiful goods: the best products the world had to offer. She saw stores that contained clothes so expensive that guards stood at the door, selectively admitting customers who pa.s.sed their scrutiny. When a handsome young man in a beautiful suit smiled and held a shop door open for Samantha, she felt as though shead pa.s.sed membership into a world of the rich and powerful. Entering the store, she saw lush gray carpet, mirrored walls, and merchandise that cost the yearly income of some peoplea"mostly women who were overworked and underpaid, she thought with a grimace.

She went into a shop full of exquisite sleepwear, Montenapoleone, and, on impulse, spent much too much on a white nightgown made of cotton so fine that it was transparent. Little pink threads were tied into bows about the neckline.

She pa.s.sed Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent. It was in Valentinoas that she realized how much money Mike had spent on the clothes she had bought at Saks, for she saw a suit just like one she had and the price was thirty-four hundred dollars.

aAre you all right?a the pretty young clerk asked in concern.

aYes,a Sam managed to say as she sat down and took the cup of cool, bottled water that was offered to her. There was part of her that felt she should be angry at Mike for deceiving her and part of her that glowed with pleasure, for what woman didnat like to receive presents? She couldnat help wondering when head worked out the details with his cousin Vicky to dupe Samantha into thinking that the clothes were something she could afford and that she was going to be able to pay for them herself.

Leaving the store, she wasnat sure what she should do. Go to Michael and confront him with her knowledge of what shead found out? Then again, it didnat seem very nice to yell at him for doing something so sweet as buying her thousands of dollars worth of lovely clothes. So maybe later shead figure out a way to say thank you.

With her head up (it didnat hurt her pride or self-esteem to now be aware of the fact that she was wearing about five grand in clothes), she continued on her excursion into the wild, untamed streets of New York. As she looked in a shop window of antique jewelry, she thought, The real danger in this city is the merchandise.

At Seventy-second Street, Sam went into the wonder of a store that Ralph Lauren had created and wandered all the floors looking at the furnishings as much as at the goods. She used the very pretty lavatory in the bas.e.m.e.nt, then went back upstairs and bought a marcasite pin that looked Edwardian.

After leaving his store, she looked west toward Fifth Avenue where she saw the green of Central Park. Turning toward the park, she thought she might wander through it, but if New York beat Santa Fe in merchandise, nowhere on earth could beat Santa Fe for scenery.

Instead of going into the park, she took a left and went down Fifth Avenue, looking up at the windows of the buildings facing the park and wondering what famous people lived in the buildings. Just at the end of the park, she stopped into F.A.O. Schwarz and bought a stuffed monkey, thinking the funny little creature might relieve the seriousness of her apartment.

Across the street from the toy store she saw the Plaza Hotel and there she encountered Bergdorf Goodmanasa"lovely, beautiful Bergdorfas, which she instinctively knew deserved a day all its own, so she limited herself to the first floor, where she thought she couldnat get into too much trouble. She underestimated Bergdorfas, for she left the store with a shopping bag full of socks and hose and a leather belt with a silver buckle. Past Bergdorfas she saw Fendias and the barred, fortress-looking jewelry store of Harry Winston, which made her think of the d.u.c.h.ess of Windsor. Moving south, she saw Charles Jourdan, Bendelas, and Elizabeth Ardenas red door.

Smiling in fond memory as she looked across the street at Saks, thinking of the lovely day shead spent there with Mike and what he had done for her that day, she turned into Rockefeller Center and saw the gold statue of the flying man that shead seen a thousand times on TV. Leaning back against the rail that overlooked the area that in the winter was the skating rink, she set down her heavy shopping bags by her feet and rubbed her hands. She had been walking for hours and she should have been tired, but instead, she felt wonderful: She had faced the enemy and found the enemy to be a delightful, entertaining new friend. As she looked at the people around her, at the windows of the Metropolitan Gift Shop, she couldnat help but smile. What a lovely place, she thought.

After buying a hot dog from a street vendor, she left Rockefeller Center and walked further south, where she looked in the window of a shop and saw a four-inch-tall bronze statue of a j.a.panese samurai. The little warrior was strong and armor-clad, but he had a particularly engaging smile that reminded her of Michael. Thinking of all Mike had done for her, she very much wanted to buy a gift for him, and this statue would be perfect. She went into the store and asked to see the statue.

It was in this store that Samantha learned what every true New Yorker knows: that everything in New York is for sale and what the price tag says has nothing to do with what an item actually costs.

Contrary to the worldas opinion, there is no human being on earth nicer than a New York merchant when heas showing his wares to a richly dressed customer. The man looked at Samas expensive designer suit, her Mark Cross purse, her Bally shoes, and the big diamond flashing on her finger and smiled sweetly as he handed the little statue to her. It wasnat a false smile, for no one has ever loved anything or anyone as much as a true New Yorker loves buying and selling.

aHow much is it?a she asked.

aSeven fifty,a the man said.

Samas face fell. She wanted the statue, but that was far, far too much to pay.

The merchant, who had a good eye for touristsa"who were so naive they could be talked into anything at any price; in fact, tourists often bought things they didnat want just to get the merchant to stop badgering thema"thought Samantha was a New Yorker. She dressed like a New York woman, even had the nails of a New York woman. (In the rest of America, manicures were something only the richest, idlest, most vain women had, but in New York, thanks to the Koreans, manicure parlors were five to a block and eight dollars a session.) He thought Sam was acting when she said the price was too high; he thought she was playing the game.

aIt will be a hardship to me, but I can let you have it for five fifty.a Samantha looked startled. Shead not expected him to lower his price. aIam sorry, thatas still too much.a Born in the city, the merchant thought. aIs there anything else in the store you like?a Thinking that was a very odd question, Samantha didnat try to understand it but pointed to some garnet earrings that she liked and the merchant took them out of the window so she could look at them.

She thought the earrings were lovely, but she refused to allow herself to covet them. It was better that she bought something for Mike to say thank you for all head done for her. aTheyare nice but Iad rather have the statue, but it costs too much,a she said honestly.

aHow about five fifty for both of them?a Again Samantha looked startled, but she was beginning to understand. On impulse, she said, aThree fifty.a aFour twenty-five,a he said, taking the earrings off the counter.

aThree seventy-five for both of them. Cash.a She held her breath, for that was every penny she had on her. She couldnat go up even a nickel.

aFour hundred and thatas all I can do.a Samas face fell again, and she looked as sad as she felt. aIam sorry but three seventy-five is all that I can spend.a Slowly she turned toward the door.

aOkay,a the man said in disgust. aTheyare yours. Three seventy-five. Cash.a When Samantha left the store, she was feeling a little stunned, as though shead just done the strangest thing of her life, and she walked for half a block before she realized that it was beginning to rain. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was nearly six oaclock. She knew without a doubt that Mike would be home waiting for her and head be furious.

Having learned about bargaining, Samantha now learned about taxis: At the first drop of rain, all New York cab drivers headed for shelter. At least that was the theory proposed to explain why there were never any vacant cabs on the street when it rained, or maybe the rain might wash the cars, then theyad no longer deserve the name of New York cab. Standing at the curb side, she held her hand up, but no cab stopped for her. Well, she thought, perhaps New York isnat perfect after all. Readjusting her grip on her shopping bags, she put her head down against the rain and started the long walk back to Mikeas town house.

17.

A s soon as she turned the corner onto Sixty-fourth Street she began to run. The rain was coming down hard now and she was getting wet, but that had nothing to do with her hurrya"she was hurrying toward Michael. He might be angry that shead left without telling him where she was going and head rant and rave a bit, but she knew that head be waiting and head be glad to see her. Head be glad that she was safe and head want to hear about what she had been doing, what she had seen, what shead bought. Head want to know everything. She didnat know how she was sure of this, but she was.

He opened the door before she was on the top step. Obviously he had been watching for her. In spite of his immediate bl.u.s.tering, she was grinning at him.

aWhere the h.e.l.l have you been?a he said, sounding angry, but she could hear the underlying relief in his voice. She also detected something else: curiosity. aIf youad been gone another minute, Iad have called the cops. Donat you realize that this city is dangerous?a aOh, Mike,a she said, laughing and running her hand through her wet hair. aThere are thousandsa"millionsa"of women out there without a big, strong man to protect them.a She could see that he was partially mollified by her calling him a abig, strong man.a aYes, well, they know what theyare doing, but youa"a He stopped because she sneezed and the next minute he took her by the arm and led her to the bathroom they shared. aOut of those wet clothes. Now.a aMike, my dry clothes are upstairs. I needa"a aAfter today Iam afraid to let you out of my sight, even to go upstairs. Iall get you something to put on.a He shut the bathroom door.

For a moment Samantha stood looking in the mirror. Even to her, she looked flushed and happy, which is how she felt. Quickly she began to undress, hesitating over whether or not to remove her underwear, then, on impulse, she took it off too and rubbed herself with a towel. There was a knock on the door, and Mike opened it enough to hand her a bathrobe. Taking the robe, she saw right away that it had never been worn. The robe was too new, and it wasnat something that Mike would wear. It was navy blue silk charmeuse with burgundy piping, the kind of robe a woman would buy a man, then become frustrated when he wouldnat wear it. Only David Niven could wear something like this robe and feel comfortable in it.

Slipping her arms in it, she hugged the silk to her. It was Mikeas and it felt good.

When she left the bathroom, she was toweling her hair dry. Mike met her in the kitchen, a drink in his hand.

aNo,a she began, but he pushed the drink toward her and she took it.

aNow,a he said sternly, aI want to know where you have been. What caused you to run off like that and scare me half to death anda"?a She took a deep swallow of her gin and tonic. aIf you donat stop complaining, I wonat show you what I bought you.a That statement made his eyes widen.

She smiled. aCome on,a she said and led the way into the breakfast area, where they could sit and watch the rain through the gla.s.s doors. She left him there while she went back to the foyer to get her bags, and when she returned he was sitting at the table.

aClose your eyes and hold out your hands,a she said.

After a momentas hesitation, Mike did what she asked as she unwrapped the little samurai and put it in his hands. When he opened his eyes, she watched his face to see if he was pleased.

Mike didnat say anything for a moment as he held the little statue. He liked the sculpture, liked it very much. In fact, it was something he might have bought for himself, but more important than his liking the statue was the fact that shead given it to him. Never before had an unrelated female given him a gift when it wasnat his birthday or Christmas. All of the other presents head received from females had been impersonal, a sweater or a tie or a wallet. And the gifts were usually followed by the female saying, aLetas go out to dinner and show it off,a which meant that head spend more than the present had cost.

aDo you like it? I thought he looked rather like you. You know, kind of fierce, but rather sweet, tooasmiling.a He was looking at her as though seeing her for the first time. From what he saw on her face, he might as well have been seeing her for the first time, for she looked different: She looked happy. aYes, I like it,a he said softly, puzzled by the pleasure his words seemed to give her. Could giving a gift to another person please someone that much?

Leaving his chair, he walked to the gla.s.s doors and examined the man in the light, looking at his facial features, studying the intricate carving of his clothes. When he looked up, Sam was standing beside him.

aHeas the nicest present Iave ever received in my life,a Mike said truthfully. Normally, when he received a gift from a woman, he kissed her, then, after an expensive dinner, took her to bed, but now he just smiled at Sam as his hand curled about the little statuea"and that smile, at that moment, seemed more intimate than what head shared with other women in bed.

They went back to the table and when she began to talk, he watched her as much as he listened to her. She was telling him of the great and wondrous experience shead had when shead bargained for the purchase of the man. To hear her tell it, she had fought her way through enemy territory to explore new frontiers.

aWhat else did you buy?a he asked, looking at her shopping bags.

As she began to pull out other purchases to show him, Mike knew without being told that this showing of what shead bought was a new experience for her. How odd, he thought, because his sisters and his mother, and sometimes it seemed that every female in the neighborhood, used to gather in their dining room to look at each otheras purchases.

Extravagantly admiring everything she showed him, he made comments about all of it. He listened with interest and pleasure as she told him about Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue and what the other women had been wearing and what she had seen and how shead eaten a hot dog from a street vendora"all of it so ordinary, but seen through Samas delighted eyes, all of it so wondrous.

When shead shown everything except the white nightgown, she seemed to run out of words and she sat down, all her purchases on the table about her and sipped her drink. Smiling, she looked out at the rain.

aOh Mike,a she said, aI havenat been thisaa She seemed to search for the words. aThis happy, in years.a aThe shopping made you happy?a She laughed. aYes and no. The selfishness of this city, of having my hair done and my nails polished, of living here in this house and not having to cook and having you look at me as thougha"a She broke off, then after a quick glance at him, said no more.

After a while, he spoke. aWhat did you do in Santa Fe?a he asked, genuinely curious, for as far as he could tell, nothing shead done since coming to New York was unusual. His sisters, his mother, and all the females head ever known seemed to spend their lives fooling with their hair and nails.

aI worked,a Samantha said, knowing she should keep her mouth shut, but the drink was making her relax. aI worked at ComputerLand five days a week, and two evenings and Sunday evenings I taught an aerobics cla.s.s at a local spa. The time I wasnat at work I did housework and bill paying and groceries, that sort of thing.a aAnd what did your husband do?a He hadnat meant it to, but the word husband came out with a sneer.

A humorless little laugh escaped Samantha as she held her drink aloft in a mock toast. aHe was writing the Great American Novel.a Her words gave Mike some insight as to why shead once made a snide remark about writers. aAnd what did you do when you lived with your father before you got married?a Downing the last of her drink, she looked back at the rain, and when she spoke, he could barely hear her. aI saw a TV show once where someone asked a man why he remained married to his terror of a wife. He was such a nice man, you see. The man said that sometimes he thought he was like a clock and that his wife kept him wound up and that he was afraid if he didnat have her, head sit down somewhere and never get up again, that head be like a clock that no one remembered to wind. I think my father and I were like that man. My mother was an outgoing, social person and I think she wound my father and me up. After she died, weawe sort of unwound.a Mike wasnat sure he understood what she was saying. All of his life head had to fight for privacy and time alone so he really couldnat imagine just two people living in one house. When he was a kid and one of the younger kids had invaded his room and messed with his stuff, head thought that being an only child must be divine.

Now, looking at her, snuggled in the chair, overwhelmed by the size of his robea"head always hated the thing, but right now it was his second favorite possessiona"he didnat think being an only child was so good.

He smiled at her. aTell me more about today. Tell me about Santa Fe.a She laughed at that. aYou wouldnat believe me if I told you. Santa Fe is the strangest place on earth. Shall I tell you about the Soul Quest seminars or our brand-new escalator?a aAll of it,a he said.

As she began talking, Mike listened and laughed as the rain coming down outside isolated them. It was an ordinary evening, just two people sitting at a table, sipping drinks, and talking, but to Mike it was one of the most pleasant evenings of his life. For once he was with a female, and there was no pressure on him to entertain her or make her think he was great. There was no need to try to impress her. Holding up the little samurai, he looked at it, then closed his fingers tightly around it.

aWhat?a he asked. Samantha was looking at him expectantly.

aI want to know about Colorado and your eleven brothers and sisters, if you donat mind telling, that is.a She spoke shyly, as though she were asking something she shouldnat.

aWhere should I begin? Think of always being in a crowd. Think of noise and confusion and no privacy. Actually, think of living in a circus, complete with clowns and monkeys.a Sam leaned forward on her elbows, her face eager. aDid you have arguments? Did you have lots of friends? Did you have pets? Did you go to movies? Did your sisters have slumber parties?a He grinned. aWant to hear about the time my brother Kane and I hid under my sisteras bed waiting for her slumber party to begin?a aYes,a she answered eagerly.

It was late when, after seeing Samantha yawn, Mike suggested that they go to bed. She headed for the stairs, but he told her no, that he wanted her to sleep downstairs near him, at least until Monday when the grills were to be installed on the windows.

After escorting her up the stairs to her apartment, he stood in her living room waiting while she got some of her night things to move downstairs into his bedroom. His, he thought with a smile. This morning when head tried to shave head had to move a bottle of perfume, two pots of pink stuff, one of purple, and at least six little brushes. Her stockings were draped over the shower rod, and there was a bra hanging off his bathroom doork.n.o.b.

After head moved out of his fatheras house, away from his many siblings, Mike had never wanted another person to live with him. Even in college head refused to have a roommate, and head never wanted any of his girlfriends to live with him. It wasnat until the last two years that head begun to feel as though he missed the company of other people. After head met Dave, it had seemed natural to invite him to live in his house; theyad be together, but theyad have their own apartments, so it seemed to be the ideal situation.

After Dave had called and asked Mike to take care of his daughter for a year, Mike had dreaded having a female in the house, because he knew that a female would need lots of looking after and cause him lots of problems. aYou never guessed half of it, Taggert,a he said aloud to himself.

aDid you say something?a Samantha asked, coming out of the bedroom and holding yet more bottles to be put in his bathroom. What did women do with all that stuff? he wondered.

aNo, I was just looking. Itas dark in here, isnat it?a Samantha looked about the room, at the dark greens, the hunting prints, and the plaid on the furniture. When shead first entered this room she had loved it, but now she thought she might buy a slipcover for the largest chair. aI saw some lovely rose damask in a shop on Madison,a she said. aMaybeaa She stopped, for what she was thinking seemed to be disrespectful to her father. After all, he had chosen everything in this room, and, too, it didnat make sense to spend money on the apartment when she was going to be leaving in such a short time.

She looked at Mike, then had to look away. It was better not to think of leaving and going somewhere where she knew no one.

aRose damask, huh?a he asked, taking her arm in his, offering to take the bottles from her, but Sam said no, then asked him to get a beat-up old hatbox from inside the closet. He didnat even want to know what was in it, probably some more female-only products, he thought.

Downstairs, as he helped her put her things on the bathroom counter, which was already packed, she looked at the counter in dismay. aYouall have your s.p.a.ce back when they put the grills on.a A minute before, Mike had been thinking with regret of his lost s.p.a.ce, but now he didnat want to think of her moving back upstairs.

aAnd, Mike,a she said softly, aabout the ring.a Holding out her left hand, she looked at the big diamond sparkling, thinking that it was so beautiful that she didnat want to part with it. Reluctantly, she began tugging at it. aI meant to give it back, buta"a He put his hand over hers. aKeep it. As long as you want to wear it, itas yours.a aI couldnat do that. I meanaa aIall just have to take it back to the bank and put it in the safe, and itall just rot there. Mother says that jewels react better to being used than to sitting in a safe deposit box. Besides, it looks better on your skin than in the ugly gray box.a aMikeaa she began. aNo one has evera"I meanaa Leaning forward, he kissed her softly and gently. aIf you again tell me thanks, Iall get angry.a When she looked up at him, there was grat.i.tude in her eyesa"and he didnat like it. Head never done anything but shown her simple human kindness, kindness that she should have expected. aYou want to spend the night in bed with me?a he asked.

For a moment Samantha looked startled, feeling betrayed that head expect her to thank him in that way, but then she realized he was teasing. She laughed and the moment of tension was broken. aIam not that grateful.a aThe grat.i.tude comes after you spend a night with me,a he answered, grinning at her.

aGet out of here,a she said, laughing, then quickly he stole another kiss and left the bathroom.

Mike went into his bedroom and began to undress, smiling all the while. d.a.m.n it, but he was glad she hadnat left, glad she hadnat gone with his skinny cousin to Maine. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that there was danger if she stayed here, and sometimes all he could remember was Sam with his friends, all of his friends. He had been surprised but pleased when she hadnat snubbed Daphne, and Sam had liked Corey and the others. He knew she would like his family in Colorado and that theyad like her. He could imagine her and Jeanne talking about rose damask together.

At the thought of his family, Mike frowned, remembering her story of tonight. What had she meant with her little story about clocks winding down? He had an idea that if he asked Sam for further explanation, shead tell him another story and another and another, and he just might never find out the truth. She called him a liar, but she could give lessons.

Picking up the telephone extension, he called information in Louisville, Kentucky, giving the operator the name of Daveas attorney to get his home number. Mike knew it was late in Louisville, but he didnat know anyone else who might be able to answer his question of what had happened to Sam after her motheras death.

When the attorney answered, Mike quickly apologized for its being so late, then asked his question. The attorney jolted him by saying that Allisonas death had sent Dave into a clinical depression that had lasted for years.

aHe was so bad that a couple of us wanted to commit him,a the attorney said, abut we couldnat bring ourselves to do it. Dave stayed in the house in the darka"he couldnat bear any light in the housea"ate only enough to keep alive and saw only Samantha. She was his little subst.i.tute wife, doing all the cooking and cleaning. The poor kid gave up everything that a kid does. Dave had some savings so he didnat have to go to work, and he couldnat stand for Samantha to be out of his sight except to go to school. Poor, poor kid. If shead grown up in a mausoleum she would have had more fun that she had in that house with Dave.a aWhen did it stop?a Mike asked.

aDave never did get back to what he was before Allison died, but his savings ran out and he had to go back to work. By then Samantha was a teenager, and Dave was so dependent on her that she continued taking care of him and the house until she got married. All of us were glad to see her get married, see that she would at last have some life of her own.a He hesitated. aBut her marriage didnat work out, did it?a aNo, her marriage didnat work out,a Mike said softly, then thanked the attorney and put down the telephone, feeling that he understood a great deal more now than he had. He now understood Samas fascination with his family. He understood her pleasure at the smallest bit of attention; he understood why she sometimes seemed as though she were seeing the world for the first time.

As he thought of Sam, he remembered seeing her in Daveas apartment, remembered the look she had given that plaid chair. In the next moment he picked up the phone and called his sister in Colorado. Jeanne lost no time in getting to the point: Samantha. Eyes rolling skyward, Mike had no doubt that Samantha was a major topic of conversation with his family.

aWhatas this Samantha look like?a Jeanne asked, not trying to hide her curiosity.

Mike didnat hesitate. aA modified Bardot; skin like cream; eyes the color of Kitas a57 Chevy; hair the color of that palomino you had when you were fourteen; a body that belongs on the cover of Sports Ill.u.s.trated.a He stopped because Jeanne was laughing, but he grinned into the telephone.

aMike,a Jeanne said, still laughing, adoes she have a brain?a aYeah and a real smart mouth.a aI think I like her already. Tell me what you need.a aYou still have the floor plan for the top two floors of my house? The apartment you did for Dave Elliot?a aYes. Mike, I was sorry about his death. I know you liked him a lot.a aThanks. I want you to redecorate the apartment and I want it done fasta"real fast.a aTwo weeks?a aOvernight. I take Sam out for a day, say next Monday, and come back to a new apartment.a Jeanne didnat say anything for a moment as she thought of her sources in New York. She could buy most of the furniture off the showroom floor, a lot of it at Tepper Galleries, put it in storage, then move in a day. aI canat get curtains made or paintings done, and youall have to pay retail for some things.a aAll right,a Mike said without hesitation.

Jeanne gave a low whistle. aYou must be in love.a When Mike was silent, she asked, aWhat style is she?a aShe lives with me, but sheas only let me kiss her a few times, no hands.a aAhhh. Old fashioned. English chintz. Rose silk cushions. Aubusson rug. A four-poster bed draped in slate blue damask. Ta.s.sels. Eighteenth-century antiques.a He interrupted her. aSounds good to me. Hey, Jeanne,a he said as he was about to hang up, amake the bed big.a Laughing, she hung up.

18.

S amantha awoke in the morning and, half asleep, staggered into the bathroom, only to be brought up short by the sight of Mike standing before the mirror wearing only a towel about his waist and shaving lather on his face.

aSorry,a she murmured and started back into the bedroom.

aItas okay,a he said. aIam decent. What do you want to do today?a Turning back toward the bathroom, she blinked to clear her sleepy vision. He was certainly something wonderful to see so early in the morning, with his broad back and that tiny towel barely hanging onto his hips. One tiny tug anda aYouare going to get into trouble if you keep looking at me like that,a he said, watching her in the mirror.

Samantha smiled at him, but instead of going back into the bedroom, she went to stand by him to watch him shave. Both her father and her husband had used electric razors, so it was new to her to see a man shave with lather and a blade.