by Webb, Peggy
“There’s nothing Aunt Sophie can do. Besides that, she’s still at the summer house in Maine.”
“Then maybe I ought to call Laura.”
At the mention of her mother’s name, Joanna went very still. Where was her mother now? she wondered. Rome? Paris? London? She didn’t know. It had been weeks since that last card. Would Laura come if she were called? If she heard of her daughter’s aching heart, would she care?
She willed herself to put those thoughts aside.
“There’s nothing anybody can do,” she said quietly.
“I bet if Mr. Kirk were here, he could do something. I’ve never seen anything yet that man couldn’t handle.”
Suddenly Joanna smiled. “Neither have I, Rose. This is just going to take a little time, that’s all.” She hugged Rose. “Thank you.”
“I don’t have the slightest idea for what, but you’re welcome.”
After her talk with Rose, the bounce came back into Joanna’s step. She was glad the blues were behind her. She’d never wasted so much time feeling sorry for herself. She’d read somewhere that the course of true love never runs smoothly. She was beginning to believe that the course of true love was totally bewildering. Who would have thought that loving could cause the blues?
Joanna plunged into her work with renewed vigor, working long hours to get the day-care center going. Late one evening as she was painting rainbows and flowers on the walls of the center, Alfred came by.
“You look good in pink paint, Joanna.” He touched a smudge on her cheek.
Joanna pulled back and reached for a cloth. She scrubbed vigorously at her cheek.
“Hi, Alfred. How have you been?”
“Lonesome. Where have you been? Every time I call you at home, you’re at the office. And when I call your office, you’re up in the playroom. By the time I get to the playroom, you’re gone. If I weren’t so cocky, I’d be feeling neglected and abandoned.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been busy.”
He glanced around the room. “I can see that. It looks good. The whole plant’s buzzing about your project.”
“I know. They’re very excited, especially the working mothers.”
“Speaking of work, Joanna, you seem to be doing nothing but that these days.” He reached for her hand. “I miss you.”
“I don’t want you to miss me, Alfred.”
“Such a serious face. Where’s my playful scamp? Where’s my charming frivolous playmate?” He squeezed her hand. “What’s going on, Joanna?”
She tugged him toward a makeshift bench, two saw-horses with a board between them.
“Do you have time to sit beside me and be my friend?”
“That sounds omnibus.” Alfred waggled an imaginary cigar in an exaggerated Groucho Marx imitation.
Joanna laughed. “Thanks, Alfred.”
“For making you laugh? Any time. I mean that, Joanna.” He chucked her under the chin. “Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Yes. I think I do.” Joanna stared at the rainbow on the wall for a while before answering. “I’m in love.”
“I believe you are. You should see your face right now. Dare I ask if I’m the lucky man?”
“Oh, Alfred.” Joanna gave him a quick hug. “You’re such a nice person. I almost wish it were you.”
“For several days now I’ve had a sinking feeling that I’m not the number one man in your life. Since our command lunch date, as a matter of fact.”
“It’s Kirk. I’m in love with Kirk.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” He smiled at her. “He’s a good man, Joanna. A man of integrity and courage.”
“I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know that.” He smiled. “And I don’t think I’m mortally wounded.”
“You’re not even bleeding.”
“I wouldn’t dare bleed on your new day-care center.” He became serious again. “Joanna, I wish you and Kirk all the happiness.”
“It’s a little early for that. Kirk doesn’t even know I love him. And he’s certainly never told me he loves me. As a matter of fact, I think he’d be horrified at the idea.”
“Good lord, Joanna. It would take a man of iron to resist you.”
“Sometimes Kirk Maitland is a man of iron. He’s in Atlanta, and I haven’t heard from him in over a week.”
“You’re sure about loving him?”
“Absolutely. It took me a while to recognize it, being the silly innocent I am; then I tried to deny it—for Kirk’s sake more than mine. But I can no longer deny the truth. I want Kirk Maitland more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I’m very much in love with him.”
“Then take my advice; do everything in your power to get him. Love is a rare and beautiful thing. Don’t let it slip away from you.”
“Thank you, Alfred.”
“That’s what good friends are for—to give advice. It makes us feel wise and needed.”
“You are.”
“Which one?”
“Both.”
“Lunch tomorrow? Just friends?”
“Yes. Lunch. Just friends.”
o0o
From: Joanna
To: Belinda, Bea, Molly, Catherine, Clemmie, Janet
Re: Puzzled
Kirk’s in Atlanta, not calling, and I think he’s avoiding me. What is WRONG with that man!
Joanna
From: Belinda
To: Joanna, Bea, Molly, Catherine, Clemmie, Jane
Re: Proud papa
Joanna, maybe you need to resort to games, after all. Molly, call some of those old flames you sent for me to make Reeve sit up and take notice!
Reeve flipped over the baby bib! He’s so happy you’d think he invented fatherhood. He sends me a dozen roses every day. This house looks like a florist’s shop! I’m over the moon!
Belinda
From: Janet
To: Joanna, Belinda, Molly, Clemmie, Catherine, Bea
Re: Period
I got my period, thank God! The only female pregnant around my house is Harvey’s bride. You know that sweet standard poodle Dan and I took in. We’ve decided this will be her last litter. Does anybody need a puppy? I’m taking orders.
Belinda, I’ve attached a list of doctors, and I know you’ll go right away. Prenatal care is so important!
Joanna, just relax. Kirk will be back. You live in the same house. Give him time. He’ll come around. Some men have to plan the entire battle campaign before they even think about conquering Virginia!
Cat, what about that job?
Janet
From: Cat
To: Joanna, Belinda, Molly, Clemmie, Bea, Janet
Re: job
Still thinking about the job. A circus! I’d love working with the large breed animals, and the traveling would certainly put me out of New Orleans. I haven’t even mentioned it to Mother. She’ll just die!
Joanna, I’m sending the French maid uniform. Try it on when he gets back and then ask him what he thinks, tell him you just want his opinion before you put it to good use – with somebody else!
Cat
From: Clemmie
To: Catherine, Joanna, Molly, Bea, Janet, Belinda
Re: Hollywood
We’re leaving for Hollywood tomorrow. Michael is anxious to start filming, and so am I! This is so exciting!
Belinda, yay! I hope I’m next!
Cat, the circus sounds like something you’d LOVE. Go for it!
Joanna, eat chocolate and then ditto everything Cat said. You have the guts to pull it off!
Clemmie
From: Bea
To: Catherine, Joanna, Molly, Janet, Belinda, Clemmie
Re: busy
Can’t talk now! Crazy around here with the grove and the new campaign! Hugs all around and fingers crossed for everybody.
Bea
From: Molly
To: Joanna, Catherine, Belinda, Clemmie, Janet, Bea
Re: Daddy
Da
ddy had a little flurry with his heart that sent all of us racing to the emergency room. Poor Glory Ethel was in tears! Thank God it turned out to be a bad case of indigestion!
The art gallery is almost finished! Yippee! Now I’ll have more time to paint and get ready for the grand opening!
Cat, take the job! Oh, I can picture you in the circus!
Belinda, if it’s a girl, I think Molly would be such a cute name! Heh!
Oh, pooh on Kirk, Joanna. Do something to make him insanely jealous!
Molly
o0o
Joanna fussed at her telephone every time she passed by. “Ring, darn it. Why don’t you ring?”
She joined the Pet Lovers’ Association to help fill her time. On Tuesday night she dressed for her first meeting. Just as she started for the door, the phone rang.
“Kirk?”
“How did you know it was me?” She heard his wonderful voice at the other end of the line.
“Wishful thinking.” Her joy spilled over and she laughed. “Who says wishes don’t come true?”
“What have you been doing, Joanna?”
“Missing you.”
There was a long silence at the end of the line. If she hadn’t heard his breathing, she would have thought they’d been disconnected.
“I’ve missed you, too, baby.”
“Kirk, are you all right? Your voice sounds funny.”
“I’m a little tired. I suppose I’ve been working too hard.”
“When are you coming home?”
Again that long pause.
“Not yet. Not for another two weeks or so. Tomorrow I’m flying to our plant in Charleston. I’ve decided to make a whirlwind tour of all our branches. It’s been too long since I’ve been in personal contact.”
She clutched the receiver as if she wanted to strangle it.
“Joanna, are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“How’s progress on the day-care center?”
“We’ll be ready to open it in another day or two.”
“That’s good news.” Another long pause. “Are you keeping busy otherwise?”
“I go out occasionally.”
“With Alfred?”
“Yes. There’s no need for you to promote his case with me.”
“Believe me, Joanna, promoting Alfred is the last thing I want to do.”
“Then what motivated your question?”
“If I knew, Joanna, it would probably scare the hell out of me.”
“Is that why you’re staying away so long, Kirk?”
“I need to make this business tour, but I also need time to sort some things out. Personal things.”
“Marsha?”
“Dammit, no!”
“You needn’t shout. I’m not hard of hearing.”
“You’re so innocent, Joanna. And so damned young.”
“Being young and innocent isn’t a crime. But being thickheaded should be.”
“Who’s being thickheaded, Joanna?”
“You.”
There was a long silence at the other end of the line. Then she heard his voice again, calmer this time.
“I didn’t call to fight with you.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, either.”
“You sounded so cheerful when you answered. What’s happened to you?”
“What’s happened to us, Kirk?”
“If I knew the answer to that, I’d be home instead of in this godforsaken hotel in Atlanta.”
“Are you lonesome, Kirk?”
“Yes. I never knew the meaning of being alone until you came back to Meadow Lane. I miss the sound of your laughter, Joanna. I even miss those cusswords you use every now and then when you think I’m not listening.”
“I’ll join you, Kirk. I can meet you in Charleston and tour the branches with you.”
“No. I don’t want that.”
“It’s my company, too.”
“Point well made. I know I’m being arbitrary and dictatorial, but I can’t let you join me.”
She wanted to hit something. And darn it all, she felt tears welling up.
“Joanna? I’m sorry, baby. Don’t be hurt. I don’t want you ever to be hurt by me.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, Kirk.”
“I won’t let you. Goodbye, sweet one.”
By the time she could speak around the lump in her throat, the line was dead. Joanna stood, holding the receiver in her hand. Her stomach felt tight and there was a dull throb at the back of her neck.
She washed her face with cold water, and by the time she got to Bel Air Center, the meeting was already in progress. And just her luck, Marsha Holmes was presiding. If Joanna had been a dog she’d have thrown back her head and howled. Seeing Marsha after that disastrous phone call from Kirk was adding insult to injury.
For about two seconds she considered turning around and going home. But she wasn’t about to give up without a fight—either Kirk or the Pet Lovers’ Association. If it took her the rest of her life, she’d have Kirk. And if it took her from now till Christmas, she’d learn to tolerate Marsha Holmes, even if she did want to punch her every time she thought of her in Kirk’s arms.
Sitting on a back-row seat, Joanna listened to Marsha tell about the work of the club and the proposed projects. Marsha was excited about the work and genuinely interested in the welfare of the animals. As she spoke, Joanna began to feel very small. Marsha was a delightful person, one she could have been enjoying all summer if she hadn’t let her feelings get in the way. She decided that jealousy was a shallow, petty emotion, one totally unbecoming in an adult, and one she was putting behind her. Starting right now.
She smiled, imagining herself leaping over another of the hurdles labeled “womanhood.”
After the meeting Marsha approached her.
“I saw you come in, Joanna. I hope this means you’ve joined the Pet Lovers’ Association.”
“I have. Since I’m probably going to make Tupelo my permanent home, I’ve decided it’s time to start participating in civic activities.”
“I’m glad you chose us. We need all the help we can get. Especially now. We’re trying to raise twenty-five thousand dollars to build better kennels at our animal shelter. Our winter quarters are totally inadequate.”
“I love animals, and I can’t imagine any of them without proper shelter. How can I help?”
Marsha laughed “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, the voice of a willing volunteer. The projects committee is meeting at my house tomorrow night to discuss ways of raising money. Can you come?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Marsha gave directions to her house on Claywood Place.
o0o
Marsha’s house was stone and redwood with lots of glass, modern and sophisticated, set among a grove of pines. As Joanna pulling into the driveway, she thought the house looked like Marsha, cool and in control, qualities Kirk admired. The green-eyed monster threatened to raise its head, but Joanna firmly squashed it.
She pulled her raincoat close around her, opened her umbrella and went up the walk. Marsha greeted her at the door.
“You’re prompt. I like that.” Marsha held the door open wide.
“Am I the first to arrive?”
“Yes. It must be a family trait. Kirk is like that.”
Joanna won another brief struggle with her monster. “We’re family only by marriage.”
“I don’t think he ever mentioned that.” Standing in her own hallway, with the sophisticated half smile on her face, Marsha had never looked more beautiful. Joanna could imagine the powerful appeal she must have for Kirk. The two of them were so alike, always in command. No wonder he had never mentioned that he and Joanna were only step-cousins.
“The weather has turned nasty on us. Let me hang your raincoat in the closet.”
Joanna peeled out of her red silk raincoat and watched as Marsha opened the closet door. There in plain view was a man’s raincoat, bla
ck, masculine, strong, exuding the power of its owner—Kirk Maitland. She’d have known the raincoat anywhere for it had been her Christmas gift to Kirk two years earlier. She’d bought it in Paris and had barely gotten it in the mail in time for Christmas. If she’d had any doubts, the handkerchief dispelled them. It hung from the pocket, white as pain except for the dark blue monogrammed M in the corner.
Joanna’s sharp intake of breath was audible. Marsha gave her a keen look.
“Kirk’s coat,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I recognized it.”
“I know.” Once again her face lit with that cool, sophisticated smile. “My legal-eagle mind is always at work. It’s a matter of no importance.” She shut the door on the coat.
Joanna was glad. She didn’t want physical evidence that Kirk was very much at home in Marsha’s house.
“You’re right. It’s only a coat.”
Further discussion on the coat was halted by the arrival of the rest of the committee members. The meeting was lively, as well as productive. Marsha saw to that. Even with the matter of the coat nagging her mind, Joanna admired the way Marsha controlled the meeting. Projects were selected, goals set, events scheduled. The meeting was superb and so were the refreshments—small pecan tarts, freshly baked by Marsha. She was a superwoman, something Joanna could never hope to be, something she wasn’t even sure she wanted to be. There was a lot of comfort in being merely human, Joanna decided, in knowing that it was permissible to fail.
After the meeting was over Marsha touched Joanna’s arm. “Do you mind staying for coffee?”
Curiosity overcame her desire to be out of the house that held Kirk’s coat captive.
“No. Of course not.”
She waited in the den while Marsha escorted her other guests to the door. When Marsha came back with two cups of coffee, she was sitting on the edge of an ultramodern black leather chair.
“Thank you for staying.” Marsha handed her a cup and sat down on the sofa. “I’ll get right to the point.” She took a delicate sip of coffee, then watched Joanna over the rim of her cup. “I don’t want any misunderstandings to stand in the way of a friendship between us.”
“The coat?”
Marsha laughed. “Precisely. I’m glad you didn’t try to pretend ignorance. I would have been disappointed. Kirk is always so forthright. Somehow I expected you to be the same way.”
