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“Hello, darling,” she said.
“What a nice way to be greeted, Jen.”
It was Kevin.
“Kevin.” Je
“In Mi
Je
“We’ll see what happens. How’s it going with you, Jen?”
“Very, very well.”
“And the kids?”
“They’re simply fine.”
“I’m coming down to see them. You go
“Kevin, no.”
“I want to see my kids, Jen. Where’s Krueger?”
Something warned Je
“He’s out at the moment. I thought he was calling now.”
“Give me directions for getting to your place. I’ll borrow a car.”
“Kevin, you can’t do that. Erich would be furious. You have no right here.”
“I have every right to see my children. That adoption isn’t final yet. I can stop it by snapping my fingers. I want to be sure Tina and Beth are happy. I want to be sure you’re happy, Jen. Maybe we both made a mistake. Maybe we should talk about it. Now how do I get to your place?”
“You’re not coming!”
“Jen, Granite Place is on the map. And I guess everybody there knows where Mr. High and Mighty lives.”
Je
“Kev,” she pleaded, “don’t come here. You’ll spoil everything for us. The girls and I are very happy. I’ve always been pretty decent to you. Have I ever once turned you down when you asked me for money even when I hardly had my own rent? That should count for something.”
“I know you did, Jen.” Now his voice took on the intimate, coaxing tone she knew so well. “As a matter of fact I’m a little short right now and you’re loaded. How about giving me the rest of the furniture money?”
Je
“I’ll come down for it.”
He was obviously determined to see her. There was no way she could allow him to come to this house, even to this town. She shuddered, thinking how painstakingly Erich had been teaching the girls to say Beth Krueger, Tina Krueger.
There was a small restaurant in the shopping center twenty miles away. It was the only place she could think of to suggest. Quickly she gave Kevin directions and agreed to meet him at one o’clock the next day.
After he hung up she leaned back on the pillows. The relaxed pleasure of the evening was gone. Now she dreaded Erich’s call. Should she tell him that she was going to see Kevin?
When Erich’s call came she still was not sure what to do. Erich sounded tense. “I miss you. I’m sorry I came, darling. Did the girls ask for me tonight?”
She still hesitated to tell him about Kevin. “Of course they did. And Beth is starting to call her dolls ‘critters.’”
Erich laughed. “They’ll end up talking like Joe yet. I should let you go to sleep.”
She had to tell him. “Erich…”
“Yes, darling.”
She paused, suddenly remembering Erich’s astonishment when she admitted giving Kevin half the furniture money, his suggestion that maybe she wanted him to have plane fare to Mi
“Oh, darling, so do I. Good night.”
She could not sleep. The moonlight filtered into the room, reflecting against the crystal bowl. Je
Je
12
The keys to the Cadillac were in the farm office, but Erich kept spare keys to all the buildings and machines in the library. It would make sense that the extra Cadillac keys were there as well.
Her guess was right. Slipping them in the pocket of her slacks, she fed the girls an early lunch and settled them for a nap. “Elsa, I have an errand to do. I’ll be back by two o’clock.”
Elsa nodded. Was Elsa naturally this taciturn? She didn’t think so. Sometimes when she’d come in after skiing with Erich, Tina and Beth would be already awake and she’d hear Elsa chatting with them, her Swedish accent more pronounced when she spoke quickly. But when Je
The country roads had a few patches of ice but the highway was completely clear. Je
It was twenty of one when she got to the restaurant. Surprisingly Kevin was already there, a nearly empty carafe of wine in front of him. She slid into the booth and looked across the table. “Hello, Kev.” Incredible that in less than a month he could seem older, less buoyant. His eyes were puffy. Was Kevin drinking too much? she wondered.
He reached for her hand. “Je
She disengaged her fingers. “Tell me about the Guthrie.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve got the job. I’d better have it. Broadway is tight as a drum. And I’ll be that much nearer you and the kids out here. Jen, let’s try again.”
“Kev, you’re crazy.”
“No, I’m not. You’re beautiful, Je
“I guess it was expensive.”
“You’re classy, Jen. I always knew it but didn’t think about it. I always believed you’d be there for me.”
Again he covered her hand with his. “Are you happy, Jen?”
“Yes, I am. Look, Erich would be terribly upset about my seeing you. I have to tell you you didn’t make much of an impression on him the last time you met.”
“And he didn’t make much of an impression on me when he stuck a piece of paper in front of me and told me you’d sue me for nonsupport and attach every nickle I ever made if I didn’t sign.”
“Erich said that!”
“Erich said that. Come on, Jen. That was a lousy trick. I was up for a part in the new Hal Prince musical. That would have really queered me. Too bad I didn’t know I’d already been eliminated. Believe me, there wouldn’t have been any adoption papers signed.”
“It isn’t that simple,” Je
“That was just a loan.”
She was torn between pity for Kevin and the nagging certainty that he would always use the girls as a wedge for staying in her life. She opened her pocketbook. “Kev, I must get back. Here’s the three hundred dollars. But after today, please don’t contact me; don’t try to see the children. If you do, you’ll make trouble for them, for you, for me.”