Страница 23 из 96
“Actually, she looks enough like you that she could be yours,” A
“She is just perfect,” A
She found herself dropping by Pokey’s whenever she knew Sophie was in residence. A
As soon as Sophie was walking, she would run immediately to A
And if Mason was uncomfortable with his daughter’s obvious preference for his ex-wife, he never showed it. He might be stiff or distant with A
When A
* * *
As she sat beside Mason now, on his ruined wedding day, A
“Celia is an extremely competent person,” A
“What do you mean, handle?” Mason asked, frowning.
“Nothing,” A
“Pokey hates Celia,” Mason said. “I wish she’d lighten up a little. I think she’d like Celia, if she gave her half a chance.”
“Maybe,” A
Mason tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel. “So,” he said, after a long silence. “How’s it feel to be moving away after all these years in Passcoe?”
A
“Change is good,” Mason said, nodding for emphasis. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’ll be missed. You’ve done a damned good job for us. I don’t think Davis is go
She wished, fleetingly, that Mason had said he didn’t know what he’d do without her. “Davis will figure it out. And Tracey, the new girl, she’s a fast learner.”
“Farnham-Capheart is lucky to be getting you,” Mason said. “I told Joe Farnham that when he called to make sure I didn’t have any problem with his hiring you.”
“He checked with you? Before offering me the job?” A
A
“He called me as a professional courtesy,” Mason assured her. “You know how Joe is. I guess we’re probably his biggest account, and he didn’t want to rock the boat.”
She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know why she hated the idea that Joe Farnham thought he had to get Mason’s approval before offering her a job. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Maybe Mason had actually asked Farnham to find a job for her. Maybe he thought it would be just too awkward to have his ex-wife working with his new wife.
Or maybe it had all been Celia’s idea. A
Mason obviously knew he’d somehow strayed into dangerous territory. He cleared his throat.
“So,” he said, casually. “Have you, and uh, your fiancé set a date?”
“Shane,” A
“Not til then, huh?” Mason sounded surprised. “Any reason for waiting?”
“Shane’s a musician, you know,” A
“Gotcha,” Mason said, nodding his head. “Bluegrass? What’s the name of his band, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I don’t mind at all,” A
“Have to look into that,” Mason said.
A
“No!” Mason exclaimed. “You’ve got me all wrong. I love Alison Krauss.”
“Okay, whatever,” A
“Sweet.”
He made the turn onto Main Street, where A
“She’s happy for me,” A
“What’s she think about you getting remarried?”
“She loves Shane,” A
“Good for him,” Mason said. “I’m glad she approves of the new guy, since she never cared for me.”
A
Ruth adamantly refused to take any part in the pla
Mason pulled the car to the curb in front of her second-floor loft. “Okay,” he said, obviously still uneasy at being alone with her. “Here you go.”
“Thanks for the ride,” she said. It was so weird, so awkward, having him drop her off like this. She flashed back to all those nights years ago, when he would park his car down the block from her parents’ house, so they could exchange their urgent, passionate good nights without Ruth’s knowing who she’d been out with. There would be no kisses, no desperate groping, no disheveled clothes to rearrange tonight.
“G’night,” she said, jumping from the car.
11
Mason woke with a start. He sat up in bed and listened intently. For a moment, he thought maybe he’d heard Sophie, oak floorboards creaking gently underfoot as she crept down the hallway to his bedroom, as she used to do before Celia moved in and put a firm but loving stop to that.
And then he remembered, Sophie was in the hospital. It was his wedding night, and he was alone.