Pretense

by Lori Wick

  "You what?"

  "I've met a woman . . . well, actually, I've known her but never noticed her."

  Mackenzie began to smile. He sounded like a boy.

  "What's her name?"

  "Jodi. Jodi Spence. She works here in the office-well, not my office, but down on the second floor-and we ran into each other at a party just a week ago."

  "Have you gone out?"

  "Yes. We just spent the weekend together. She would be here tonight, but she's taking a class and it goes until ten o'clock."

  For a moment Mackenzie didn't respond. It was still a surprise to her when people treated sex so casually. Not that she thought of Paxton as being flippant; indeed, he sounded quite smitten, but she remembered back to their first meeting. He had come right out and said he was looking for a better offer, and he'd known her less than an hour.

  Mackenzie and her roommates had agreed when they got their apartment together that no men would spend the night. They also outlawed heading into the bedrooms with the doors closed. But Beth had met someone, and it wasn't unusual not to see her all weekend. Janelle's dating life wasn't as steady, but she was known not to come home until morning either.

  "I want you to meet her," Paxton said.

  "Sure," Mackenzie was able to say without anger. She had never been in love with Paxton and wasn't now. "When?"

  "Maybe this weekend. You'll really like her, Mackenzie. I know you will."

  "I'm glad you think so, but it's more important that you like her, Pax."

  "Yeah."

  330

  His voice was so dreamy that Mackenzie had to smile. For a full minute he didn't speak. Mackenzie stayed quiet just to see how long the silence would last.

  "How was your trip?" he suddenly blurted, and Mackenzie took pity on him, telling him briefly that she'd had a great time and then letting him get off the phone. He said he would ring again soon, but when he didn't, it wasn't hard for Mackenzie to guess why.

  Mills College September 1987

  "Oh, Delancey," her roommate said softly as she studied the drawing in Delancey's hand. "What did Mr. Brinks say?"

  Delancey's smile was huge. "He gave me an A."

  Lovisa grinned at her, the freckles on her nose standing out all the more.

  "I'm not surprised. It was your best one."

  Both girls looked down at the perfect drawing of the campus art building with the two Chinese lions flanking the entrance. Delancey's way with pen, pencil, chalk, or charcoal made people stand and stare. Her drawings were all so soft but never impressionistic. The viewer could always tell exactly what Delancey was trying to say.

  "How was your chemistry test?" Delancey asked Lovisa.

  "I think I did all right. I could have used some more time with the lab test-you know how wordy I am, so I aced the essay."

  "I hate essays," Delancey admitted. "My sister is the wordy one in the family, when she puts her mind to it."

  "How's the book coming?"

  Delancey reached into a folder she had by her bed. She drew forth a thick stack of sketch paper and handed the sheets to Lovisa. The first page saidMicah Bear and the Rainy Day.Lovisa paged through the sheaves, looking at the sweet drawings of an adorable bear, pencil-drawn and then filled in with colored pencil, and read about the way he coped with rain when he had planned to go to the park. Delancey had been very creative with Micah's mother. The mother bear sometimes spoke, but you never saw anything but her legs and sometimes the apron over her round tummy. The whole story concentrated on this small bear,

  331

  whose brave little face melted Lovisa's heart.

  "And she doesn't know?"

  "No," Delancey shook her head. "I plan to give it to her for Christmas."

  "Are you going to try to have it published?"

  Delancey shrugged. "I don't think it's good enough for that."

  "Delancey," Lovisa began, but the tall blond was shaking her head. "What would it hurt to try?" she ended up saying.

  "I don't want it changed all around. I love it the way it is, and the only person I'm interested in pleasing is my sister."

  Lovisa nodded, although she didn't agree. Only about half done, the book was beautiful. But she could hardly argue with Delancey's logic. After all, they were her drawings.

  "Are you going down to dinner?" Lovisa, who was always hungry, asked.

  "Yes. What are we having?"

  "I think pot roast."

  Delancey made a face. She was in the mood for chicken.

  "Do you ever wish we had a car?"

  Lovisa laughed. "Only every weekend."

  Arlington

  Mackenzie took her job very seriously. She had from the day she started, and she knew that would never change, but not until very recently-the summer, actually-when she began to write very steadily on her story, did she understand how helpful her work would be. For years she had forgotten how fun and exciting it was to create a story. She had done some work as a kid, and in fact, was using parts from an action story she'd written then. With the computer as a tool and the plot so clear in her mind, Mackenzie was amazed at how swiftly it was all going down on paper. She had more than 300 pages completed and still so much more she wanted to write.

  To work in the filing office of the Army's national security center only added to the depth of her story. Nothing classified would ever go down in print, but in her position she was privy to details and terms that lent credence to her tale. And now it was about to get better. Mackenzie had just been informed that she would be headed to the Pentagon in February. She'd been

  332

  called into her CO's office and given the news. While in the presence of her superior, she had acted every inch the professional, but once back at the files, Mackenzie hid behind a tall cabinet so she could grin like a fool and bite on a finger to keep from shouting.

  The Pentagon. More paperwork, yes, but also more opportunity for advancement and more insight to the nation's security and defense system-subjects that fascinated her and helped her to love her job. On top of that, it wouldn't hurt Mackenzie's feelings to have an excuse to leave her roommates. It wasn't that she didn't like them. She just didn't want to live with anyone any longer. She had very little seniority in her job at this stage, but when the transfer came, she was going to try living at Fort Meyers. The barracks there might be even less private, but on the chance that she could get a room to herself, she was willing to risk it.

  It was also time to think about getting a car. Since her office was within good walking distance, she didn't need one, but with the move in February, that would change. As a rule she was careful with her money and thought that if she really budgeted, she could swing a fairly nice vehicle. She'd always liked fast, sporty models but realized the vehicle would have to be more serviceable than classy. Her mind began to play with some ideas. There were some very nice cars on the market these days.

  Insurance.Thinking of the word stopped Mackenzie in her tracks as she remembered that a car needed more than gas and maintenance. Not living at home meant she couldn't ride on her parents' policy, and that would be costly. Mackenzie was making a mental note to check into just what it might cost when the phone rang.

  "Hello, Mic," her mother's soft voice came over the line.

  "Hi, Mom. How are you?"

  "Jack just handed me an early Christmas present, so I'm doing very well."

  "It's the twenty-fourth of September, Mom." Mackenzie's voice was comical and fond. "I tell you, he's like a kid in a candy store."

  Marrell laughed. "That he is. Don't you want to know what it is?"

  "Sure."

  "He just handed me three round-trip tickets to the East Coast."

  333

  "For Christmas?" Mackenzie nearly shouted.

  "Yes!"

  "Oh, Mom, the time is going to drag until then."

  Marrell felt much the same way. June, the last time she had hugged her oldest daughter, felt like years ago. The plan had been to visit oft
en, but Mackenzie had managed to get home often enough so they never went east. Marrell had been tempted to go a few times on her own, but that hadn't worked out either.

  "What day?" Mackenzie was asking.

  "We come in on the nineteenth and leave the twenty-eighth."

  "I wish you could stay here, Mom, but there isn't room for anyone but Deej, and she'll have to share a bed with me."

  "We understand, Mic. We've already booked rooms at a Holiday Inn right there in Arlington. It even has an indoor pool. Maybe you'll want to stay with us."

  "Oh, Mom, it's going to be so fun. I already have D.J.'s gift, and she's going to love it."

  "What is it?"

  "It's one of those miniature easels that's almost like a music stand. You can sit down and set in right in front of you."

  "Oh, Mic, she was just looking at those."

  Mackenzie heard Jack's voice in the background and told her mother to say hi for her.

  "Here, tell him yourself."

  "Hi, Micki."

  "Hi, Jack. I can't wait to see you."

  "Tell me about it. It feels as though you've both been gone for years."

  "It'll be the best ten days of the year. I'll show you everything."

  "Well, be sure and take some leave to shop for your Christmas present."

  "Oh, what's that?"

  "I think it's time you had a car."

  "Oh, Jack." Mackenzie was stunned. "I was just told today that in February I'm headed to the Pentagon, so I've got to have one. I don't know what to say."

  "You don't have to say anything. Just look around and check on insurance and that type of thing. I can have our agent call you and give you some phone numbers of people to talk to there."

  334

  "Oh, Jack." Mackenzie said again. He was so loving. She didn't write home or call home anywhere near as much as she had planned, even though she missed them all, but Jack never reproved her. He always just loved her.

  "The Pentagon?" he suddenly asked, and Mackenzie laughed.

  They talked for close to an hour. Delancey was doing well, and the Lacy children asked about both girls every week. Mackenzie had been playing with the idea of going home for Christmas, and she would miss not being in San Francisco, but having her family coming to her was very special indeed.

  "Will we be able to do a proper Christmas dinner in the apartment?" her mother asked as soon as she got back on the phone.

  "Sure. I don't know what everyone's plans are, but we can shop when you get here and do it up right."

  "Will you have a tree?"

  "I think so." Mackenzie sounded uncertain, and Marrell laughed. Her daughter was not strong on her domestic skills. She liked things clean, but if pictures didn't get hung right away, or if a cardboard box was used for a nightstand, well, that was just life. Her roommates didn't sound much better. Marrell thought about suggesting they all eat Christmas dinner together, but she could tell from Mackenzie's few letters and comments that she was not close to the other girls. Her daughter was no child. If she wanted to include them, she would.

  They rang off with reluctance, both feeling a need for the other. Marrell was thankful that very soon they would be together, but Mackenzie could only think about the fact that it was three whole months away.

  Mills College

  "Hey, Delancey," Mr. Brinks called to his favorite student after class one cold October morning. The beautiful blond turned back and joined him at the front of the classroom when he motioned to her.

  "My brother is coming into town at the end of this week," he wasted no time in explaining. "He, along with my wife and me, is going to the football game at the junior college Friday night. Are you free to join us?"

  335

  Delancey looked at him for a moment. "Would I be your brother's date?"

  "Yes," his brows rose, "I guess you would be."

  A blind date. Warning bells sounded in Delancey's head. Her art teacher had no difficulty reading the signs, and in fact he didn't blame her. That she was a nice girl was one of the reasons he'd asked her.

  "He's a great guy, Delancey. He was 20 in the spring and goes to USE."

  "How tall is he?" Delancey asked, bringing a smile to Kevin Brinks' mouth.

  "As tall as I am."

  Delancey nodded. She could live with that. Mr. Brinks was over six feet tall and handsome to boot. Half the class was in love with him, herself included.

  "What's his name?"

  "Kyle. He asked me if I knew anyone who would like to join us, and I immediately thought of you."

  "Why me?"

  "I'm just not sure you get out much, and I thought you might enjoy it." Which was true, but inside he was thinking,My brother's going to take one look at you and think he's died and gone to heaven. Not to mention you 're the sweetest girl in any of my classes.

  "Can I think about it, or does that put you on the spot of not being able to ask anyone else?"

  "No, not at all. I don't have anyone else in mind, so just let me know, even if it's not until Friday."

  "All right. Thank you, Mr. Brinks."

  Delancey moved on her way, but her mind was still very much in the classroom. That this was an honor was not lost on her, but it didn't mean she wanted to go. She had allowed a fellow classmate to talk her into a blind date with her brother the second week of school. She should have been warned when she learned he was a senior in high school, but to please her friend, she went. It was a mistake. All he had done was stare at her, and after not saying two words the whole evening, expected to kiss her goodnight. Delancey's hand in the middle of his chest had given him the message, but not for several seconds. She'd had all she could do not to practice a little of her training on him.

  336

  Now she didn't know what to do. Kyle Brinks sounded nothing like the senior in high school. After all, he was 20. But Delancey was still uncertain. She hadn't reckoned with Lovisa.

  "Of course you have to go!" the other girl said immediately.

  "Why do I have to?" Delancey asked from where she had flopped on her bed.

  "It's Mr. Brinks." Lovisa's tone indicated it should have been obvious. "He would never let you be hurt, and even if his brother is a troll, you can spend the whole evening looking at Mr. Brinks."

  She hadn't thought about the fact that her teacher wouldn't let anything get out of control, but had he actually said they were going to be together the whole evening? When it came to protecting herself, Delancey was not nervous, but such situations were always unsettling, and she simply didn't want to go through that.

  "You have to," Lovisa now told her. "It's Mr. Brinks."

  "You make it sound like he'll cut my grade."

  "No, I'm making it sound like you don't pass up this kind of opportunity."

  "I'll keep thinking about it."

  "What if he asks someone else?"

  "He won't. I mean, I was the only one. I don't have to tell him until Friday if I don't want to."

  In Lovisa's mind this settled it all the more, but she knew she had said enough. She wondered whether her roommate had any idea how pretty she was. She didn't spend tons of time in front of the mirror, and she never acted too good for the other girls on the floor, but there was a confidence about her that you couldn't miss. Maybe it came from being stared at. She had known girls who let it go to their heads, but Delancey didn't fall into that category. On the other hand, Lovisa had the impression that if she were ever backed into a corner, she would be a different girl entirely.

  Lovisa shook her head. She had studying to do. She was, however, almost ecstatic when Delancey said yes, and when Kyle Brinks came to call for her on Friday night, Lovisa was just as thrilled as if she were going.

  337

  "Are you warm enough?" Kyle asked Delancey as soon as they climbed from the car.

  "Yes, thank you. I just hope it doesn't rain."

  "Was it forecast?"

  "Yes, but only about a 40 percent chance."

  Kyle searched the
sky. "Maybe we'll luck out."

  Mr. Brinks and his wife, Marty, had already started across the parking lot. Kyle and Delancey fell into step some 20 paces behind them. So far Delancey liked Kyle very much. He was attentive, but he didn't act as if he'd never been out with a girl.

  "Because you have my brother, can I assume you're an art major?"

  "Yes. I'm trying to stay on top of all my other classes, as I wouldn't mind teaching art someday myself, but my main interest is drawing."

  "What type of subjects do you like? Have you had to draw the art building yet?"

  Delancey smiled. "Yes, we did that, and Old Mills Hall, but my taste runs to children. I love children's books and anything to do with making small animals come to life."

  "Kittens and bears and such?"

  "Exactly." She smiled again. It was so nice to be understood.

  They were at the gate then, and Mr. Brinks was buying their tickets. Marty smiled at Delancey as she captured her arm and invited her to precede her into the stadium. This act gave the brothers a few moments alone. Kevin looked at his brother, his brows raised in question.

  "Wow" was all Kyle had to say. Kevin smiled in satisfaction.

  Kyle was feeling pretty satisfied himself. Since the beginning of the month he had been thinking about transferring up to Stanford at the semester break. His reasons were purely academic, but Delancey Bishop would not be hard to add to the list.

  Indeed, the cold was starting to turn her cheeks red by half- time, and with the white turtleneck she'd worn under a navy blue sweater, she looked good enough to eat. Kyle could feel himself falling and thought he needed a bit of a diversion.

  "How about something from the concession stands?"

  "Oh, sure."

  "Do you want to come, or should I bring you something?"

  338

  "I'll come." Delancey stood, not wanting to mention that her feet were getting cold.

  "Do you want anything, Marty?" Kyle asked of his sister-in- law. His brother had wandered off to talk to someone.

  "Thanks, Kyle, but I'll wait for Kev."

  "Okay."

  The two descended the steep stairway, weaving in and out of noisy fans and food containers.