And since the wedding was only two weeks away, they all talked about it for the next hour. Alan wanted to take Carmen fishing in New Zealand for their honeymoon. He had made a picture there and he really liked it. And she wanted to go to Paris, because she'd never been there.
“I'll take you to New Zealand, Jeff,” Alan said expansively, lighting a cigar. “The girls can stay home and go shopping.”
But even as they joked about it, Allegra urged them to be careful. The press were going to make their lives miserable once they figured it out. It was vital that no one suspect anything for as long as possible. “How are you going to get to Vegas?”
“I thought we'd just drive,” Alan said practically.
“Why don't I rent you a bus? Bram uses a great one. I'll see if I can get it, as a gift from me.” It would cost her about five thousand dollars to send them to Vegas in it, but it was fabulous, and well worth it. It was like driving in a yacht, or a private airplane. And if she rented it in her name, no one would be the wiser.
“That sounds like fun,” Carmen admitted, and Alan indulged her, and thanked Allegra.
Jeff and Allegra helped them clean up, and they put the dishes in the dishwasher for the maid to deal with in the morning, and Jeff and Allegra left at eleven. The moon was still bright, and he asked her if she'd like to see his house on the way home. It was only a few blocks away. She was hesitant at first, and then she nodded. It was all so new to her still, and in some ways she felt shyer with him now than she had in New York. Everything had been so rushed there. They had to take what they could, while they had it. It was a little bit like a shipboard romance, and now suddenly this was real life, and she knew they both meant it. It was more than a little scary. And she still couldn't believe Carmen and Alan were getting married.
“I introduced them to each other two weeks ago,” she said to Jeff incredulously, as they stopped near a small, well-tended beach house.
“That's Hollywood,” he laughed and yet, the funny thing was, they seemed perfectly suited to each other. Getting married a month after they met was a risky thing to do, and yet he had a feeling that it was going to work, and so did Allegra.
“They're both great people. I just wish they'd move a little more slowly.” It didn't surprise her of Carmen, but it did of Alan. He was usually so cautious. But maybe he sensed too that this was right for him, and he knew it. “Will you really come to the wedding?” she asked Jeff, as she followed him to the door of his house. He unlocked it, and turned to look at her, wondering if he should carry her over the threshold. He wanted to, but he was afraid to scare her by the seriousness of the gesture, especially with the other two getting married after a four-week courtship.
“I will if you'd like me to. I've never been to Las Vegas.”
“Wait till you see it!” she laughed. “It makes L.A. look like Boston.”
“I can't wait,” he said with a laugh, thinking about it. There were a lot of things he couldn't wait for, a lot of things he wanted to do with her, and show her. This was just the beginning.
He showed her around his house. It was small and neat, and surprisingly orderly for a writer. There were sisal rugs on the floor, and comfortable couches covered in denim. He had only rented it, but like him, it looked very Eastern. It reminded Allegra of Cape Cod, or summer houses in New England. It was perfect for him, it looked like a good place to write, and a cozy place to tuck oneself in with a book on a gray day. There was a fireplace, and several large leather easy chairs. And in the bedroom beyond, there was a large four-poster bed made of logs, and it looked very Western.
There was a huge bathroom with a marble tub and a Jacuzzi, and a big country kitchen with a table for twelve. And other than that, he had an office, and a small guest room. It was really perfect.
“How did you ever find it?” She was impressed. Finding a house in Malibu was like finding gold in your breakfast cereal, and just about as likely.
“It actually belongs to a friend, who went back East last summer. He was happy to rent it to me, and I was happy to get it. He moved back to Boston, and I think he'll want to sell it eventually. I thought I might buy it. Right now, I just rent it.” She looked around with a smile; she liked it, and it suited him. And interestingly, it was very different from Alan's, which was much more L.A., and somewhat Southwestern.
They went for a walk on the beach, but eventually the breeze drove them back in, and then they sat on the couch for a little while, cuddling and talking. It was one o'clock when she thought of going back to the city. She hated to make him drive all the way in, but they had gone to Alan's in his car, and she had no other way to get back to Beverly Hills.
“That was stupid of me,” she apologized. “I should have met you here. I feel awful making you drive back.”
“I don't mind it. That's what California is all about. Driving.” He was easy and good-natured, unlike Brandon, who had always been angry about something. It was so pleasant being with Jeff. It was as though they had been together for years. Like Carmen and Alan, they felt completely at ease with each other.
They kissed again. But this time, it seemed to be with more fervor. And she responded to it. It was so nice being alone with him, having time, and not having to go anywhere, or even think about anyone but each other. It was a real luxury just to be together.
“I'll never go if I don't get up soon,” Allegra said softly, as he kissed her again.
“That's what I'm hoping,” he whispered.
“So am I.” She laughed. “But I think I should go,” she said softly.
“Why?” Jeff asked her, as he lay down next to her on the couch, and she had no objections. They lay there together for a while, watching the fire in the fireplace that he had lit when they'd come in. It was a cozy place to be, with the ocean lapping at the sand outside, and the moon high overhead. But all Allegra could think about was Jeff as he held her. “Would you think I was crazy if I told you that I loved you?” he asked, as he looked at her next to him, but it all seemed so natural between them, as though this had been meant to be. It was what she had felt about him from the moment she met him at the Weissmans'.
“No, I wouldn't. Does that seem odd to you? I feel as though I've always known you, like Alan.”
“I wish I had known you then. I'll bet you were cute at fourteen,” he said, looking at her, imagining her with freckles and pigtails and braces.
“Yeah, me and my sloppy kisses. We had fun then, everything was so simple.”
“It's simple now,” Jeff said easily. “It's only complicated when it's wrong, and this isn't. This is completely right, and you know it.”
“Is it?” she asked, looking up at him, and with that he rolled closer to her and kissed her even harder. “I get so scared sometimes,” she confessed in the dimly lit room with the fire going near them.
“Of what?”
“Of doing the wrong things, or being with the wrong person. I don't want to screw my life up, like … like people who marry the wrong man and regret it for the rest of their lives or almost kill themselves trying to change it. I never want to have to do that.”
“Then you won't,” he said matter-of-factly. “You haven't yet, why should you start now?”
“I've been too scared to do the wrong thing, or the right one.” And as he listened to her, he knew what was right for them, and what they both needed. It was time, there was no point torturing themselves any further. And very gently he picked her up, in her white jeans and her red sweater, and carried her into his bedroom. He laid her down gently on the big four-poster bed made of logs, and hung with denim. It was a comfortable place to be, she knew she was safe with him, and she made no move to leave or move away from him. She just lay there and looked at him, with her big green eyes, and then she responded instantly when he kissed her. And bit by bit, he stripped her clothes away, and looked at every inch of her and held her and kissed her. His tongue and his hands and his eyes feasted on her, and she on him, and they lay together and made
love for hours, and she slept like a baby in his arms when the sun came up in the morning.
He got up and cooked breakfast for her, and brought it back to bed on a tray, and then he woke her gently with kisses all up and down her back, as she stirred and looked at him with a long, slow smile of pleasure. It had been a night she would never forget. He had been right. It was their time now.
She had breakfast with him, and they talked for a long time. And then they got up, and shared a long, lazy bath in the Jacuzzi, and then she walked on the beach with him. And in the distance, they could see Carmen and Alan. But before they were seen, Jeff and Allegra went back to his house and made love again. They spent a lazy Sunday afternoon in each other's arms.
And in Alan's house, Carmen was insistent.
“I know I saw Allegra this morning, walking with Jeff.”
“They went back last night,” Alan corrected her, already sounding like a husband. “Allie wouldn't do that. Not yet. She takes her time about things. And I think she's still scared after Brandon.”
“I'm telling you, I saw them.” She was sure of it, and when Jeff drove Allegra past their house late that afternoon, on their way back to town, Alan and Carmen were outside in the garden, and Alan looked surprised when he saw them.
“See!” Carmen said, as the pair in the car waved to them and sped past on the way back to the city.
“Well, I'll be damned,” Alan said, watching them. He wished them well. Jeff seemed like a good man. And Allegra deserved the best life had to offer, as far as Alan was concerned. He loved her like a sister.
“Maybe we'll make it a double ceremony in Vegas,” Carmen said, and she laughed as they went back inside again. But that, Alan wisely doubted.
CHAPTER 10
Allegra's workload was enormous at the beginning of February. She had Bram's concert tour to set up, Carmen's new movie deal, several other movie offers to negotiate for a variety of clients, and an assortment of smaller, more mundane projects to take care of for the firm. But she seemed to be smiling all the time, and Alice thought she had never seen her as happy.
Jeff dropped in to see her sometimes when he took a break, or had an appointment nearby, and whenever possible, he'd take her out to lunch. Sometimes they even disappeared mysteriously to her house in Beverly Hills at lunch time. And when she'd return to the office afterward, she had to force herself to look serious and concentrate on working. All she could think about was Jeff. She had never been this happy. They seemed to be perfectly suited to each other, they liked the same things, the same books, shared many of the same ideas and interests. He was always kind and flexible, and he had a wonderful sense of humor.
And after their first week of bliss, most of which they spent in Malibu at his cozy house, Allegra suggested he come to dinner at her parents'. She still hadn't told them about breaking up with Brandon.
“Are you sure?” He looked somewhat cautious. Jeff was crazy about her, but he didn't want to push things. He knew how close she was to her family, and he was afraid that his appearance with her might be viewed as an intrusion.
“Don't be silly, my mom loves us to bring friends.” She always had, from the time they were kids, until they were adults. They liked having their children's friends around and always made them feel welcome.
“They're awfully busy people.” He felt hesitant and a little nervous about getting their approval. Meeting parents had never been one of his favorite pastimes, and at his age, it made him feel a little foolish.
“And I know they'd love to meet you,” she said warmly, and eventually, she talked him into coming to dinner on Friday night, despite all his apprehensions.
He was wearing a blazer and slacks when he picked her up, and he looked very much the way he had when she'd met him in New York. Conservative and respectable, and very handsome. And she smiled at him as they drove to Bel Air. He actually looked nervous.
“Is this because of who my father is?” she teased, “or just because they're my parents?” It was kind of like being sixteen again and it actually amused her. She knew they were going to love Jeff, even more so since they'd hated Brandon. Her father had been indifferent to him but her mother had really disliked him. She had seen right through him.
Jeff smiled at her as they drove through Bel Air. “I keep remembering how I felt when I sent my first book to him. What if he thinks that's why I'm back?” Jeff looked like a kid as she laughed at him, and gave him directions.
“I think he'll be able to figure it out. If not, my mother will explain it to him. She's pretty savvy.”
It was an apt description of her, and Blaire was poring over the plans for the new kitchen when they arrived. They were spread all over the living room floor, and she was on her hands and knees, explaining them to Simon.
Blaire looked up, with a pencil in her hair, and smiled warmly at her older daughter. And then she looked surprised when she noticed her escort, but she made no comment.
“Hi, darling, I'm showing Dad what the new kitchen will look like,” she said, smiling up at Allegra, and then she stood up as Allegra introduced Jeff. She had said she was bringing someone to dinner with her, and Blaire had just assumed it was Brandon. Blaire carefully hid her surprise, but she was obviously curious about Allegra's companion and dying to ask her about him.
Simon stood up and kissed his daughter with a woebegone grin. “She's showing me what the hole in our backyard will look like for six months, and the empty room at the back of the house where we used to have breakfast. It's going to be a disaster here this summer.” And then he introduced himself to Jeff with a casual look of interest. He liked the fact that Jeff had a warm smile and a powerful handshake.
“We met a year ago,” Jeff explained. “You were kind enough to see me about a screenplay I wanted to write from a book I'd written, Birds of Summer. I'm sure you see so many you can't remember,” he said, looking unassuming and pleasant.
“Actually, I do remember.” Simon nodded his head pensively and smiled. “Your ideas for the screenplay were very good, but the outline needed more work, as I recall. What book doesn't?”
“I've been working on it ever since,” Jeff said ruefully, and then shook Allegra's mother's hand politely. He had been carefully brought up, and it showed as Allegra watched him.
Sam joined them after that, and they sat and talked for a while before going in to dinner, about Jeff's career, their new kitchen, and Hollywood vs. New York. Jeff had to admit that he missed the New York life, but there were a lot of things about living in California that he found very appealing. Allegra most of all. He had originally planned to stay for a year, and go back to New York to write his next book. He had even thought of moving to New England or Cape Cod. But before he went anywhere he had to make his movie in May and probably wouldn't be finished till September. But Allegra looked faintly concerned as he explained his plans. She'd had no idea until then that he might be leaving to move back East again and she looked crestfallen as she listened.
“That's not good news,” Allegra said softly as they went in to dinner. It upset her to think of his leaving now, so soon after they'd met, and everything was going so smoothly.
“I can be talked out of it,” he whispered, and his lips brushed her neck reassuringly.
“I hope so,” she answered.
And all through dinner Allegra was amused to see her mother watching them. She wanted to know who he was, and where he'd been, where Brandon was, and what this man meant to Allegra. But as long as Jeff was there, there was no way Blaire could ask her. The group was very congenial, and Allegra noticed Sam looking Jeff over as well, and afterward when they went back to the living room, her mother finally cornered her and asked some questions.
“Is there something different in your life, Allegra?” she asked, when Jeff went outside for a brief walk with Simon to talk about the movie business. They were talking about unions, and production values, and problems, and Blaire smiled into her daughter's eyes. She wanted to know the whole story
. She had obviously missed several chapters.
“What do you mean, Mom?” Allegra played her along and the two women laughed, as Sam rolled her eyes. It was easy to figure out he was crazy about Allegra.
“I never thought we'd see the end of Brandon,” her mother said. “Is he in San Francisco this weekend, or does this mean what I think it does?” She didn't dare be too hopeful.
“Possibly.” Allegra looked like a blonde Mona Lisa. She wasn't giving anything up yet. It was too soon to issue statements. She had just wanted them to meet him.
“You could have said something,” Blaire chided her, as Sam lay down on the couch. She was exhausted, and she thought her sister's love life was boring, although she liked Jeff a lot better than Brandon.
“He's a lot cuter than Brandon,” Sam pronounced with polite interest. “So what happened, Allie? Did Brandon dump you?”
“That's no way to ask.” Blaire frowned, and then turned back to Allegra. “What did happen, dear?” She couldn't resist the urge to ask the question. She hoped it was nothing too unpleasant. She was just pleased that he was gone, or seemed to be. She had never thought he had really cared about Allegra. He had always seemed so indifferent to her, and so aloof, even disapproving, and the fact that he never got divorced had really disturbed them.
“I guess it was just time,” she said cryptically.
“How long's it been?” Sam asked, curious. She sensed that there was more than Allegra was telling.
“A few weeks. I met Jeff in New York.” She decided to throw them a bone and her mother looked pleased. She liked him, and so did Simon.
“He's very good-looking,” Blaire said easily, and a few minutes later, he and Simon came back in, and they were still deep in conversation about Jeff's movie.
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