“Grandma already likes you. She watches our shows. She told me you were hot.”
“What about your mother?”
“You met her already. She’s a pushover,” she said. “Honestly, Jason, why do you care?”
“I want them to approve of our marriage,” he said.
He took her breath away. He’d said it that first day. He kept saying it. She hadn’t agreed, but Jason was a stubborn guy, and he kept bringing it up. He talked about where they’d live after they married. Whether they should buy a new co-op together. He asked her if she wanted to have babies someday. That took her breath away. He even asked about her dream wedding. The time of year, the venue, whether she wanted to wear a fancy white gown.
Now she said, “I thought we agreed to hold off on that.”
“No, you want to chicken out of committing to me,” he said, impatiently. “You’re still pretending at the studio we don’t live together.”
“Meanwhile, you’ve been going behind my back and calling me your fiancée,” she said, angry all over again since the first time Ernie had said it.
“You’re going to marry me. Of course you’re my fiancée,” he insisted.
“Not if you annoy me so much I refuse.”
At that, he turned and caught her up in his arms and planted a major kiss on her willing lips. Her stubborn back took a few seconds to yield. Then she plastered her body against his, fiercely kissing him. After a while, Jason raised his head, clearly satisfied with her response.
“When do you want to get married?”
“Ohhh.” She banged out of the bedroom, only half pretending to be annoyed at how he had outmaneuvered her. When he kissed her like that, she melted. She’d thought it would fade after the first few days. In the past, the appeal of most other guys had dimmed quickly. Not Jason’s sexy charm. He said and did the most outrageous things, and then all he had to do was kiss her and she was distracted. She wanted him as desperately now as she had three months ago. Only now, she could have him every night.
Did she want to marry him? Did she want to marry any man? She didn’t intend to be a doormat wife like her mother. She didn’t want to make a mistake and end up divorced, either. No “starter marriage” for her. How could she be sure Jason was the right man? He was so wrapped up in his ambition.
As was she. Did they have the right to marry when they couldn’t give much attention to a relationship?
There wasn’t any other man she wanted more. In fact, there never had been. Loving Jason had taken her to a new level of caring for the first time in her adult life. She’d given him a hard time, but he’d hung in, anyway. Jason didn’t want to be the boss of her, either. He was too busy trying to figure out how to be a hit with the public. That meant she was on her own when it came to her ambitions. She could try what she wanted and he wouldn’t interfere, although he wasn’t available to help much at this point, either.
Did he care enough? For that matter, did she? How committed did a person have to be to have a successful marriage? Especially when they were media people, well-known faces who got lots of offers? The more famous they became, the more likely it was that other people would try to grab at them and their fame.
She struggled with her thoughts all the way out to the beach. She and Jason had rented a car. Neither of them bothered owning one in Manhattan. Who wanted to throw away a fortune on garage space? He’d let her drive since she knew the way. Also because he wasn’t a total macho pig with his ego tied up in who was at the wheel.
The weather had already turned, but that made the beach even more romantic. It was deserted. Any crowds were long gone. There was a sense of the beach having seen great drama and then having been abandoned.
Her mother and grandmother must have been watching for them. They came out of the house as soon as they parked. She was struck by how healthy and happy her mother looked. She’d never noticed before. How strange that she hadn’t.
There was dear Grandma Dorothy. Daddy’s mother had died young, but Grandma Dorothy was hale and hearty.
Why was she noticing the health of her relatives all of a sudden?
#
When Linley raced to embrace her relatives, Jason saw she skipped her mother to go for her grandmother first. According to what she’d let drop, she didn’t think much of her mother but she idolized her retired activist grandmother. He had checked out Dorothy on the net and learned as much as he could about her. She’d done a lot of good for people and never taken anything more than a thank you for her trouble. One of a dying breed.
“Hello, Jason, nice to see you again,” Pam Ridgeway said, offering her hand to fill in the awkward moment when her daughter chose to embrace her grandmother. “We met briefly a few months ago.”
“I remember. I hope we’ll be seeing each other often in the future, Mrs. Ridgeway,” he replied.
She raised an eyebrow at his comment, then smiled. “Oh, call me Pam. Everybody does. Except for my mother. I’m always Pamela to her.” She turned to Linley and Dorothy Duncan. “Mother, this is Linley’s young man, Jason Egan.”
After more handshaking, Pam urged them inside. “You both might as well bring in your things now. We’re going to have our afternoon snack break in a few minutes,” she added.
Pam sent them upstairs on their own to pick their accommodations. She explained where her bedroom and Dorothy’s were, so they could infer where they’d have the most privacy. “Take as much space as you want. Or as little,” she said, smiling knowingly. Linley must have told her about them. Good. His future mother-in-law was okay with him already.
He looked into several rooms before he found what had obviously been a shared boys’ bedroom. It still was filled with trophies and sports memorabilia. “These twin beds pose a tactical challenge, but being on this side of the house will give us the most privacy,” he said.
“Why would we need privacy?” Linley asked with a saucy smile.
Jason happily rose to the challenge. He lifted her off her feet and put her on the nearest bed, then followed her down and started kissing various of her body parts. She couldn’t help groaning.
“Aha. See? Noise leak,” he gloated.
“Ooh, I’ll make you pay for that,” she said, smiling. Her talented tongue made short work of his sangfroid. He started groaning, too.
“Woman, you don’t play fair.” He flipped them over onto the hard wooden floor, where the scatter rug was little cushion. That knocked the wind out of both of them enough to stop their hijinks.
Then he escaped. Oh lord, she was magnificent. She was the woman he’d always wanted. She had to say she was his. Not only for now, but for the future. Maybe her mother and grandmother could help him convince her. Speaking of them, he’d better get downstairs and encourage them to think good thoughts. Not the obvious, that he and Linley could hardly keep their hands off each other.
#
Downstairs, Dorothy was waiting in the sunroom for Pamela to bring some refreshment. The couple who had just arrived puzzled her. Linley, of course, she recognized. Her granddaughter. Who was that handsome man with her? He looked familiar. Oh, wait. He was on television, too. Jason, that was his name. He worked with Linley. How interesting that he was here visiting with her. Were they friends, or was it more?
“Pamela, are those two young people engaged?” she wanted to know.
The young man arrived downstairs just at that moment. “I’d like to marry Lin, but so far, she hasn’t said yes officially.” He smiled at both women. Dorothy was sitting in her usual chair. Pam was setting a tray of drinks on the nearby coffee table.
She straightened up. “You’ve proposed?”
“Not formally,” he admitted.
Dorothy laughed. “Then don’t raise our hopes, boy.” She turned to Pam. “Men always anticipate a sure thing.”
Pam had gestured to a seat, and Jason took it, lolling on the couch comfortably.
“Can you blame me? Life is risky for us men. We have to do all the asking and inviting.”
Both women smiled at him.
#
Pam enjoyed a few minutes chatting with Jason before Bruce arrived and introductions were made. Bruce had formed a habit of coming in after the usual afternoon walk and hanging around during snack time. Pam hadn’t tried to fight it once she’d realized Dorothy ate better if he was there to distract her. They still hadn’t had that talk he wanted.
Pam had made snack time into something like a British high tea, hoping to tempt her mother into eating heartily after her main exercise of the day gave her a little appetite. The medicine Dorothy was taking had reduced her sense of being hungry, just as the doctor had predicted. Pam wanted to be sure Dorothy ate well at least once a day.
“Bruce, Jason is Linley’s friend and—I guess you’d call it a co-anchor or something?—from the television network.”
The men shook hands, sizing each other up. Pam had the impression Bruce viewed Jason with disfavor. Until Linley came downstairs. Jason's eyes lit up and he eagerly walked to meet her, telegraphing where his romantic interest lay. Then Bruce seemed to relax.
Pam made an excuse to accompany Bruce outside when he left. When they were on the patio, safely out of earshot, she asked, “Were you bristling at Jason?”
“What if I was?”
“Why?”
“Because I thought he might be interested in you,” he said, the relief obvious in his tone. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her doubting eyes. “You may not want to hear this, but I care about you. I get jealous of any other man who might look at you.”
“Each week, in the city, I have interviews with captains of industry. Are you jealous of them, too?”
“Don’t,” he said. “I’ve walked the line you insisted on. You know I want you.”
“You want my mother’s memories unlocked,” she said with sudden bitterness, “To get at them, you’re willing to distract me with sex.”
“Were you distracted?” he said, with hope in his voice. “Because I admit I was. I never expected to fall so hard so fast.”
“Liar.”
“No. It’s the truth. Believe me.”
“I’m going in now,” she said. She wasn’t willing to argue about what was between them, not with company nearby, but his seeming sincerity had affected her despite herself.
Inside, Dorothy was regaling Jason and Linley with stories from her golden days. Dorothy was letter-perfect on those stories. According to the books the doctor had recommended, older memories remained sharp long after newer ones got vague or could not be stored effectively in the deteriorating brain. If that was what was happening with her mother. They were trying the medicine merely as a precaution.
Everything went smoothly that evening. They went to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and as usual, Dorothy was treated as visiting royalty. Not only were they given a prominent table, but many people came up to speak to her. A few did double takes, recognizing Linley and Jason from television, but Dorothy was the star of the evening.
The next morning, Pam was up early and made coffee. Dorothy was still sleeping in when Jason came downstairs and passed through the kitchen for a cup. He was dressed for a run in jogging shorts, a loose white T-shirt, and sneakers.
“It’s a half-mile east to the old pier, if you want to keep track of your distance,” she offered. “Or two miles to Glenvale Village on the road.”
“I’ll try the beach,” Jason said. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Pam smiled. It was pleasant to do for a man occasionally. “Biscuits in half an hour.”
“Great.” With a wave, he let himself out the kitchen door and took off down the path to the beach. Yappie barked once to say he’d noticed Jason.
Pam busied herself with cooking, enjoying the sunlight coming through the kitchen windows. It looked to be a beautiful day. She was setting the dining room table when Dorothy came out of her bedroom. “Biscuits in five, Mom.”
“Splendid. I’ll finish here. You go do your magic in the kitchen.” To Dorothy, any real cooking was like an arcane art.
Pam was pulling the biscuits, perfectly golden, out of the oven when she heard her mother’s voice raised in anger.
She dropped everything and ran into the dining room. Dorothy was at the doorway, barring Jason’s motion further into the house. He’d come in the patio door.
“I repeat. Who are you, young man? What makes you think you have the right to enter my home?”
Jason was taken aback. Clearly, he was floundering for an answer.
“Mom, this is Linley’s fiancé, Jason, remember? He’s a weekend guest.” Pam spoke in a soothing voice.
“Pamela, Linley is a little girl. She’s too young to be engaged,” her mother insisted. Her voice began to rise again. “Call the police.”
Jason looked confused and stymied. He kept still, making no gestures.
“Grandma, what’s the matter?” Linley came tearing down the stairs.
“Who is this strange man?” Dorothy asked.
“Don’t you recognize Jason? He’s on my TV show with me.” Linley put her arm around Jason and hugged him. He hugged her back, but kept his eyes on Dorothy.
“Linley?” Dorothy suddenly looked confused, at a loss. She didn’t seem to recognize Linley. “Linley is a little girl. You’re not Linley.”
Pam swiftly moved to put her hand on her mother’s arm. “Linley is all grown up, Mom. Remember? She’s a television star.”
Dorothy’s face registered a look of panic and then comprehension. “Oh. Of course.”
Pam coaxed her to her favorite wicker chair. “Why don’t you sit down for a while? Look at the water. When breakfast is ready, I’ll call you.”
“All right,” Dorothy said. She looked shaken. She cast Jason a confused glance.
Pam motioned for him to leave the room. “It’s all right, Mother.”
Dorothy wasn’t listening. She had lapsed into some internal monologue Pam could not penetrate. Pam left her in the sunroom and herded her daughter and Jason out of Dorothy’s line of vision, into the kitchen. They looked shell-shocked.
“I’m sorry that happened. I had hoped all would be smooth sailing this weekend.” Pam bustled about, covering the biscuits with a cloth and turning off the oven.
“You said Grandma had only a little bit of memory loss,” Linley accused.
“She has occasionally blanked on recognizing someone. It was always a minor thing that she covered smoothly. I presume this is because her sense of time is getting confused.”
“Don’t you know?”
“I took her to the doctor,” Pam replied. “He said he didn’t think she has Alzheimer’s.” Unspoken was the knowledge that Dorothy’s behavior a minute ago, so different from her usual demeanor, looked awfully like that dreaded disease. Perhaps the doctor was wrong.
She turned to Jason. “I’m sorry. I hope you understand that my mother meant nothing just now.”
Jason had gotten over his surprise. “It’s my fault. I should have said something to reassure her. I drew a blank.”
Linley muttered, “It can’t be Alzheimer’s. It can’t.”
“Maybe it isn’t,” Pam shrugged. “We’ll have to be careful from now on. We don’t want Dorothy calling the police on you, Jason.”
Linley’s accusation seemed to come out of nowhere. “You’ve let Grandma get run down, and now you’re trying to justify your neglect by saying she has that awful disease.”
“Don’t go off half-cocked, Lin,” Jason urged. Then he seemed to take a mental step back. “Look, this is family business. I’ll leave and let you two talk.”
“No, stay,” Linley said. “Tell me what has been going on,” she demanded of Pam.
“All right.” Pam recited the entire tale Bruce had related to her about Dorothy’s hair appointment. She added what she had discovered about the finances.
“Your uncle Alexander helped her for a long time. After he moved away, she stopped paying attention to her bills. They were about to turn of
f the power a couple of weeks ago when I discovered all this.”
“No.” Linley’s face showed her shock.
“I’m afraid so. In other respects, your grandmother has been very clever. She can still write a check, and she keeps calendars everywhere to remind her of her few appointments. When she’s confused around people, she carefully doesn’t say their names in case she makes a mistake. She agrees with what others say instead of admitting she doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
Pam tried to speak calmly and not voice the sadness she felt. “What happened this morning is new. She has never shown any overt confusion or anger before. That could be indicative of Alzheimer’s, not merely dementia. She might have it after all.”
Linley looked liked she’d taken a punch.
Pam continued. “I’ve been reading up on Alzheimer’s. Personality change is the first sign. Until today, she has been positive and calm.”
“You took her to the wrong doctor. Can’t you do anything right?”
“I’m sorry, Linley. I’ve done my best. The doctor said—I’m sorry—”
“Don’t say that again,” Linley interrupted, gaining speed and volume as she spoke. “This is your fault. You neglected her, leaving it all up to Uncle Alexander. You’ve been a zombie since Dad died, not that you were much before. You should be taking care of Grandma. Not letting bad things happen to her.”
Jason looked shocked, but said nothing.
Linley continued her tirade. “As for your stupid Bright Side Foundation, don’t think it’s any big deal. I’ve seen plenty of foundations go nowhere. Your little project is no excuse for neglecting Grandma. You’d better dump it right now and move in to take care of her.”
Linley slammed out the kitchen door and headed in the direction of the beach.
Jason looked after her in concern. He began to follow her, but Pam held him back with a touch on his arm.
“I wouldn’t. Her tantrums burn out a lot faster alone.”
Her warning obviously made him uncomfortable. Pam was fighting with a much stronger feeling, the sense of having been publicly flogged. Her daughter’s scorn had humiliated her, and worse, in front of a near stranger. The scorn was nothing new. Being treated so badly in front of this man was. Pam could not resist a warning. “If you want to marry her, these scenes will become familiar.”
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