"I sure am. I wish you could come along."
"Ash, this is the busiest night of the year. 1*11 come by in the morning. Iris said she's making a brunch. I'm so excited that Sunny has a pass to leave the grounds. And. she's bringing a guest. I was hoping Birch would make it home, but I guess we need to be grateful for all the good things that have happened this past year. It doesn't pay to dwell on the bad."
"I gotta get going. Jake can tell time now, and I promised to be there by six. If he calls, tell him I'm on the way. Happy New Year, Fanny."
"Are you okay, Ash? You look a little flushed to me."
"It's the excitement of seeing Jake. He said he made me a present. That means it's something for him with my name on it. I'll see you tomorrow."
"'Give everyone my love and kiss the kids for me."
"Will do."
Fanny rode the elevator down to the main floor. It wasn't her imagination. Ash was flushed, and his eyes were glassy. She called Iris from the phone on the bar to tell her to watch over Ash. Sage came on the phone. "Happy New Year. Mom."
"The same to you, Sage. Listen, I don't think your father
is feeling all that well. It could be nothing. Then again, it could be something."
"I'll watch him, Mom. Bess and John are coming for brunch tomorrow, so we can have John give him a once-over."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, Mom."
Fanny wandered into the Harem Lounge fifteen minutes before midnight. She sat down at one of the tables with a cup of coffee. Suddenly she wanted to cry. She had spent so many holidays alone. One more shouldn't make a difference, but it was. She could feel her eyes starting to burn.
"I seem to recall you sitting at this same exact table eons ago. Happy New Year, Fanny."
"Marcus! Oh, Marcus, it's so good to see you. I was just sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I was about ready to cry "
"No date of mine cries on New Year's Eve."
Fanny smiled. "Are we having a date? You didn't call."
"I have an excuse. I spent the last two days sitting in an airport in New York. They had a raging blizzard. All the flights were canceled and the phones were down. All I did was eat greasy food."
"I feel sorry for you, Marcus."
"No, you don't. Not even a little bit. I'm sorry I couldn't spend Christmas with you. Someday, Fanny, you and I should go to Australia. By the way, I have a whole week off. What kind of plans do you have and is it possible to break them?"
"I don't really have any plans. I do have one meeting with an architect and a contractor the day after New Year's. I'm free the rest of the week unless Ash gets sick. Would you like to go with me to brunch tomorrow at Sage and Iris's house?"
"I'd love to. Fanny, I am so sorry about your house on the mountain. Have there been any new developments where Simon is concerned?"
"No. The lawyers are still wrangling. Three minutes, Marcus! I have to get out to the floor." Marcus allowed his hand
414 RE! HAELS
to be taken. They reached the main floor just as the customers started to chant the countdown.
"Three One! Happy New Year!'' the boisterous crowd
shouted.
Fan) lost herself in Marcus's ar e kissed her. When
he b" my said "Oh my, do that again."
Marcus pretended to take a great gulp of air before his lips
,nd her rid time. "I can do better without a crowd
matching rr.
'How do you think you'd do with just one little tiny dog
'Steam will ooze out from under your door." "Uh-huh ill Fanny could think fty.
'When do you think you'll be going upstair- T Run) smiled at the way Marcu crinkled at the comers when he tried
to be serious.
"How about right now?"
)U are a woman after my own heart. Do you remember M I told you about kissing That it leads to other things
vhuh." Tm ready for those other thing
we still standing here the I thought you wanted to talk it to death." "I don't Fanr.
er do I. Follow me. Mr. Reed ''Lead the way, Miz Thornton She did.
Fanny rolled over, her naked body slick with sweat. She leaned up on one elbow, i want you to know I have ne been this satisfied in my entire h:
"Should I consider that a testimonial ''
>ur place. I would.'" Fanny fell back agai n st the pillov. ft. "F rr. surprised Ash never put mirrors on the ceiling.
I wonder what that would be like, making love under a ceiling of mirrors. You'd be able to see everything. From every angle."
Marcus's fists pounded the mattress as he howled with laughter. "This is just an opinion mind you, but I would think both parties would be too busy to look. Stop and think about it. If you kept risking glances overhead everything would be out of sync."
"That's probably why Ash never did it."
"Do you always talk this much?" Marcus teased.
"Would you rather I did other things?"
"That's a topic worthy of discussion."
"Would you like me to expound on it?"
"Hell no. Show me."
Fanny shifted her body until she was on top of Marcus. Her hungry mouth searched for his, his fiery body heating up her flesh until she thought she would burst into flames.
They tore at each other, each of them seeking that which the other could surrender. There on the satin coverlet, they devoured each other with feverish lips and grasping fingers, just as they had done twice before.
Imperceptibly, Marcus's embrace tightened. Fanny smiled and stared into dark eyes that she later swore mirrored her soul. Once again hungry mouths searched, found, and conquered. He held her close, devouring her with his wet, slick body that glistened in the dim light on the nightstand. Gently he nuzzled her neck before he released her to the softness of the pillows.
"I can't think of anything more pleasurable than sleeping in your arms, Marcus. Why did we wait so long?" Fanny asked sleepily.
Marcus shifted his weight. "I guess we both had our reasons." His voice was as sleepy-sounding as Fanny's.
"Will you be here when I wake up?"
"A bomb couldn't get me out of here. Why do you ask?"
"Everyone leaves me. Sometimes I think I'm not meant to be loved. I don't want to feel that way with you."
"That's one thing you don't ever have to worry about. I want to marry you, Fanny. I want us to grow old together. T
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want to love you forever and ever and I want you to love me in the same way. Is it possible for that to happen?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. The first moment I'm free."
They slept, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, each secure in the knowledge they would awaken together
Over coffee and toast in the morning Fanny and Marcus stared at one another, wonder in their eyes. "When will you be free?"
"Soon, I hope. When are you going to settle down here?"
"The exact moment you're free."
Elbows propped on the table, chin in her hands, Fanny said, "I love you, Marcus Reed."
Marcus propped his elbows on the table as he dropped his chin into his hands. "I love you, Fanny Thornton."
"This is a gambling town, so what do you think the odds are of us living happily ever after?''
"Very good."
"And if something goes awry with my divorce?"
"If that happens, we'll deal with it then. I have something for you. Before I give it to you, I want to explain what it means to me."
"Marcus, I'm not a person who expects or requires presents. I'm one of those card people, you know, the message is more important than the present."
"I understood that about you the first time I met you. Wait here. I'll be back in a minute." He was as good as his word, returning with a small box clutched in his hand.' 'This belonged to my mother. My father worked three jobs to pay for it. That was a long time ago. It cost $12.98. My mother wore it until the day she di
ed. If you look closely, you can almost see the diamond. My three sisters didn't want it. They wanted those big solitaires. My father gave it to me. The box is tattered and torn. I don't think it came with the ring, but I'm not sure. When it's time for me to put a ring on your finger, will you be insulted if I gave you this one?"
"Oh, Marcus, not at all. You're wrong though. If I squint,
.
I can see the diamond clearly. I'm honored that you want to give me this. I'll treasure it as much as your mother did."
Marcus stared at Fanny for a long time before he stuck the box back into his jacket pocket. He knew she meant every word she said.
"Happy New Year, Marcus."
"Happy New Year, Fanny."
25
Fanny picked up the phone on the third ring to hear Marcus Reed's excited voice. "I found Jake, Fanny! What I mean is I found out who he is and where he's from. I've been on this damn phone for almost four hours, but I now have substantial information."
"Is he alive? He can't be. Where? Can we go there?" "His name was Jake Garrety and he died ten years ago. I know the cemetery in California where he's buried. He wasn't married, but he had a lot of female friends. They were all ... ladies of the evening. Two are in some kind of retirement village and three are in nursing homes. They're all in their late seventies. I have addresses if you want to visit." "I do. What about those guys he traveled with?" "They're all gone, Fanny. He was a courier. He always carried large sums of money and always used public transportation. I guess it was a cover. By the way, how is Ash?''
"He's doing nicely. He leaves the hospital today. It's a good thing we insisted he go in or he'd have pneumonia by now. I wish he wasn't so stubborn sometimes. John and Bess want him to stay a week with them, so John can monitor him hourly. John always takes the first week of the new year off. To get ready for the year ahead is how he explains it. Iris and Sage
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live around the block, so she can take the kids to see Ash every day. He lives for those kids."
"Any news from the architect or the contractor?"
"They'll be ready to start building in four weeks. They understand the ... urgency. The contractor assured me everything would be done in four and a half months, maybe three. He has no other projects on hand, so there's every chance it will actually be finished by the middle of June. It has to be, Marcus, I promised Ash. Where are you calling me from?"
"In my car on my mobile phone. I've been looking for a house."
"How wonderful! Any luck?"
"One or two I'd like you to look at. When we get back from California. Any developments where Simon is concerned?"
"No, and I'm starting to get angry. I want it over. I called Clementine this morning, and she said he's holding tight. What he did, Marcus, was lend me money. I insisted on signing a note because I'm an honorable person. When I paid him back, he didn't give me back the notes. He's saying I still owe him millions of dollars. He handled my financial affairs, so I didn't question anything. He pulled some kind of deal with Sunny's Togs. I told him to sell the company and he said he did, but he didn't. Then he gave it back to me as a present. There were millions in that transaction alone. It's my own fault. I was so naively stupid I couldn't see straight where he was concerned. He's willing to forgive the debts if we turn over Babylon. Ash was right, Simon's as slick as they come. Clementine is looking for the paper trail. She'll find it because I paid him back. She said he's getting cocky and overconfident, and that leads to mistakes. He called the hospital several times to check on Ash. I guess he thought this was it. I'm having a hard time with this, Marcus. Let's talk about something else."
"When can you be ready to leave?"
"If we're driving, right now. If we're flying, one hour from now."
"We're driving. We can be in San Diego before dinner. I'll meet you in the front. Bring Daisy."
"She loves going in the car. I'm on my way downstairs right now." Fanny knew she had at least ten minutes. She used the time to call Ash, Bess, and Sage to tell them where she was going. She walked through the doors, Daisy in her arms, just as Marcus pulled his car to the curb.
"Marcus, I am so excited. At long last I can repay Jake's money. That money has been a burden on my back for so long. I have my checkbook with me."
"Fanny, the money didn't belong to Jake."
"Do you know who it did belong to?"
"Not exactly. You know what things were like here back then. It could have been anyone. It was such a large amount my thinking is it would have belonged to a select group."
"Can you be more specific?"
"No."
"Then the ladies of the evening get it. I think Jake would approve."
Marcus burst out laughing. "I second the decision. You know, I'm actually looking forward to this little adventure."
There was a lilt in Fanny's voice when she said, "Me too."
"Here it is, Restful Palms. It would be nice if the owners had planted at least one palm tree," Marcus said.
"It's so shabby and dismal-looking," Fanny murmured. Daisy hopped from her arms to run to the door.
"Let's get to it," Marcus said. "According to my notes, Lola, Pearl, and Gertie are in residence. You ready, Fanny?"
"Yes."
The lobby was clean but shabby. The smell of Pine Sol and something Fanny couldn't define, assailed her nostrils. Daisy started to bark. The lobby chairs were covered in orange plastic. Tired-looking plants in need of water stood in the corners. Pictures of movie stars hung on the walls. Marcus marched up to the desk. "We'd like to see Lola, Pearl, and Gertie."
The receptionist allowed her jaw to drop. She recovered and said, "Who should I say is calling?"
420 Fern Michaels
"Jake Garrety's friends," Fanny chirped.
"Wait here."
"I'm not sitting in those orange chairs." Marcus guffawed.
"You think this is funny, don't you?" Fanny hissed.
"Yes I do."
Fanny perched on the edge of one of the orange chairs. Thirty minutes later she said, "What's taking them so long?"
"They're probably getting ready." Marcus erupted into laughter again.
"For what?"
"God only knows. I hear footsteps."
Fanny wished for sunglasses. Daisy barked. Marcus sat down on one of the orange chairs.
They looked like triplets. Resplendent in various shades of satin with matching shoes, they teetered forward, their feather boas swinging in the breeze they created. Their sparse hair was frizzed and adorned with gaudy clips. Robin's egg blue eye shadow covered their wrinkly eyelids. Outrageous false eyelashes clung precariously to their own skimpy lashes. It was easy to tell their touch was less than steady with the way their rouge and bright red lipstick had been applied.
Marcus stared at the movie stars on the wall. Daisy continued to bark.
Fanny cleared her throat. "Ah, ladies, I'm Fanny Thornton, and this man is Marcus Reed. This is Daisy. She's my dog."
"We're charmed," Pearl, the one in the middle said.
"We purely are. Charmed," Lola said.
"Ladies, Marcus and I came here today to ask you if you'd ... we'd like to do something nice for you in Jake's memory. We thought ... if you aren't happy here we could get you a house with a garden and maybe a pet or two. A housekeeper of course and someone to mow the lawn, that kind of thing. We'd furnish it, too. Do you think you would like something like that?"
"You say you want to do this for us in Jake's memory?"
Fanny nodded. "New clothes, whatever you want."
' 'Did Jake ask you to do this for us? Did he name us in his will?"
"Ah . . . yes, in a manner of speaking. It . . . was left up to me.
"Forever and ever?" Lola asked, her eyes filling with tears.
Fanny's voice was soft and gentle when she said, "Forever and ever. If you have other friends here who would like to go with you, it's okay. We can get a big house with lots of bedrooms."
"And we won't have to worry about anything ever again?" Tears rolled down Lola's cheeks. "I'd like a yellow cat."
"A yellow cat's good."
"Can you get us a housekeeper who knows how to make corn bread? I love real corn bread. Will she cook what we tell her?"
"Absolutely," Fanny said.
The three women huddled, their whispers loud.
"We'd like a front porch. With screens."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"One of those big television sets so we can watch baseball games. A piano."
"You got it. Make a list. We'll be sure to get you everything you want. Here's my business card and my home phone number. I think this might take a month or so."
"We have a lot of time. Can we join the Literary Guild?"
"I'll enroll you myself. You can order as many books as you want."
"We accept," the three women said in unison.
Fanny held out her hand. The women pumped it vigorously. Everyone smiled, including Marcus. Daisy sniffed at the spike-heeled shoes.
"It was nice meeting you all." Marcus nodded as he too offered his hand.
"Where is Jake buried, do you know?" Pearl asked. "If it isn't too far, we'd like to maybe visit."
"I'll arrange it, ladies," Marcus said.
422 Fern Michaels
"We'll be in touch. Work on your lists and if anything else comes to you, call me and we'll take care of it.*'
The women nodded. "Any friend of Jake's is a friend of ours," the ladies said.
"You'll be hearing from us," Fanny said.
Fanny watched as the women teetered toward the door in their spike-heeled satin shoes. At the door they turned and flicked their boas. Fanny waved.
"We can do this, can't we, Marcus?"
'For you, Fanny, anything."
"It's kind of nice, isn't it? They went to so much effort to dress up for us. You know they don't get any visitors. Everyone's forgotten them. That's not right. They aren't giving up on life. I like that kind of spirit, and I don't care what they did for a living. All they want is recognition and attention. If it's in our power to give it to them, then we should do it. It's Jake's legacy. Marcus, I want to visit at some point in time when they're settled in."
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