A Dizzying Balance

by Harriet E Rich

  “William!”

  He walked across the room to smile down at her. “You’re looking well, Adeline.”

  Jen stopped, astonished, as Adelia smiled warmly and Rick turned to look at his aunt and at Bill. With just a hint of a grin, he said, “Adeline?”

  “It’s nothing, Richard.” The tone of her voice was the only indication that she was both embarrassed and a little flustered. “Give Judge Leveritt your chair and get him some sherry. William, what are you doing here?”

  Without a word, Rick went to pour a glass. Jen knew he would find a way to get the story. If not tonight, then on Saturday. “The Judge is a friend of Tony’s,” she said, “and has kindly agreed to perform the wedding ceremony.” As she showed Tony and Colleen to seats on the couch and found a chair for herself, Adelia made what introductions were needed.

  “You remember Brad, of course, and my son, David, but I don’t think you’ve met my daughter, Danielle, and these are my nephews, Robert and Richard. Claire should be arriving momentarily.”

  He rose to shake hands first with Brad, then with David. “You were still in college when I saw you last.”

  “Yes, sir, it’s been a long time.”

  “Please, no Judges and Sirs. I’m Bill to everyone but –” he caught the look in her eye and finished smoothly, “Adelia.” Taking the glass that Rick handed him, he sat down again. “Thank you, Rick. Danni, I’m happy to meet you at last, and this is Rob. Claire has told me a lot about you.”

  Adelia claimed his attention. “William, where is that lovely wife of yours?”

  “Visiting family in Louisiana, so I’m on my own for a while. How have you been?”

  Conversation began again in the room with Rob teasing Tony about needing a rehearsal to calm his nerves and Danni telling Colleen that Roger sent his regrets for the evening but that he’d definitely be there Saturday to kiss the bride. Rick was serving the last glasses of sherry when Thelma opened the door for Claire whose eyes lit up as she came in.

  “Bill! I didn’t know you’d be here this evening.” She gave him a hug and Adelia looked at Thelma.

  “Judge Leveritt will be staying for dinner. Please set another place.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “It won’t be any trouble?” he asked.

  “Certainly not. Your friends will survive the evening without you, and I – we will have the pleasure of your company.”

  “If they’re his poker-playing friends,” Tony whispered to Jen, “they’ll survive better without him.”

  She grinned. “Hush or he’ll hear you.”

  “My hearing is excellent, Tony, but selective. What was it you said?”

  He’d put Tony on the spot, but Jen jumped in. “He said you’d better stay for dinner or he won’t survive the disappointment.”

  “Very nice recovery,” Bill smiled. “Your tact is commendable and Adelia is right. My friends can play … that is … survive without me.”

  As he took out his cell phone, Jen noticed that Claire had found a chair beside Rob. She was asking him anxiously what had happened to his ankle, if he needed a footrest for his leg, and Rob was smiling the first real smile she’d seen from him. David had merely given Claire a light kiss on the cheek, then returned to his discussion with Brad.

  An unexpected development. Jen sipped her sherry, relaxing a little. Apparently, Claire was not her rival and, as far as she knew, that left only Nikki who had come into the office the previous afternoon and stayed and stayed, talking with Colleen about the wedding and the rehearsal until Jen had been forced to invite her to dinner. But Jen had decided that she would seat her at the table as far from David as possible.

  Aaron and Nikki arrived together a few minutes later and since Nikki wasn’t needed for the rehearsal, she stayed in the living room as the others left. Jen walked out, neither pleased that Nikki had walked straight to David’s side nor that David had welcomed her into his discussion with Brad, offering her sherry with a smile.

  By the time the brief walk-through had been completed, Thelma had shown everyone else into the dining room. Jen was the last to go in and as she walked through the doorway, she heard Thelma mutter, “Thirteen at dinner. That’s unlucky.”

  Just superstition, but a shadow crossed Jen’s face as she took her place at the end of the table. The thought was there in her head and it was several minutes before she could push it away to join in the conversation.

  After dinner, she was standing with Bill, coffee cups in hand, by the door to the sunroom. The others were sitting and standing in groups and pairs along the length of the curved room, and Bill was watching Nikki with a thoughtful look on his face.

  “Greedy.” He said it to himself almost silently, but Jen had heard.

  “What do you mean greedy?”

  “I didn’t mean to speak aloud,” he apologized. “It is a little game I play.”

  “This sounds interesting.”

  “Just silly nonsense.” He shook his head.

  “But I’m intrigued. Won’t you tell me?”

  He gave her a quiet look. “Yes, I think I will. When I first became a judge, I realized that I would have to become a student of psychology if I expected to be able to make decisions worthy of the office so, over the years, I’ve attempted to read character quickly, drawing on previous experience and my knowledge of human nature. Now, of course, it’s merely a pastime in my retirement, but I find I still try to read people.”

  “Sort of a snap judgment without passing judgment?”

  “A very apt description. When one sits on the bench, it’s essential to be aware of all the little things that people do, how they act, not just the words they speak. To see the personality behind the courtroom mask was a skill I worked at developing. Now, the game is to try to distill what I observe into a word or short phrase. Then, if I have the opportunity to get to know a person better, I refine my first impression.”

  “And your first impression of Nikki is greedy? I would have said ambitious.”

  “Oh, she is that, and I have known ambitious people, but that word is not sufficiently descriptive of your friend. I do apologize if I’ve offended you.”

  “Not at all. My feelings toward her at the moment are, at best, ambivalent.”

  He watched as Nikki stood smiling up at David, her hand barely an inch from his arm. “Yes, I see,” he said shrewdly.

  “You don’t miss much, do you. No wonder you’re such an excellent poker player.”

  He laughed. “I have found it a useful tool. My word for Tony, for example, is uncomplicated. If he doesn’t like something, it shows. If he wants something, he’s willing to pay for it. And he’s always optimistic that a bet will work out the way he has planned it.”

  Colleen had taken Tony aside and was handing him the pill case and a glass.

  “I think of Colleen as competent,” said Jen, “but perhaps that’s too one-dimensional a term.”

  “When I met her, I was surprised that my first impression was troubled. The feeling is still there, but I’ve learned since that she is worried about Tony’s health.”

  “He said it was just high blood pressure.”

  “I think she is afraid that it’s something more serious, and competent is an apt description. She will take care of him.”

  “I hope so because he’s very important to me. How would you describe David?”

  “Determined. At the risk of truly offending you, I will say that I almost chose ruthless but that is too strong a term for such a short acquaintance. It was twenty years ago when I first met him, and he was with his father at the time. Dan’s was such a strong personality that I had very little chance to observe David. Nevertheless, I remember thinking at the time that the two of them were very much alike.”

  “Adelia is formidable.”

  “Yes, but I cannot play the game with her since I’ve known her for half a century. When Dan brought her home to meet his parents, even though we all fell in love with her. she had eyes only for him
.”

  “She’s told me a little about him. They made a good team.”

  He nodded. “I spent most of my career on the east coast before I moved to San Francisco and wasn’t able to see them often, but they were a devoted couple. And now I have finally met the rest of the family.”

  “What do you think of Rob?”

  “Passionately intense. I know a lot about him from Claire and seeing him now, I understand.”

  “Danni?”

  “Steadfast and true.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask how you would describe me.”

  He looked at her again, his eyes narrowed in speculation. “You puzzle me. I’ve been watching you all evening and the phrase that keeps insisting I consider it is double exposure. I see a confident, sophisticated woman superimposed over a shy, sensitive girl.”

  Jen thought for a moment about his description of her, so close to the truth. She chose her words carefully. “I don’t think anyone has seen through me quite so clearly, Bill. Actors succeed because of their ability to present believable characters often very different from themselves. But we never stop thinking of ourselves as eighteen and insecure, do we?”

  “You are quite worried about something.”

  It wasn’t a question and she couldn’t tell him about the danger to her, nor could she deny that her fear lay too close to the surface to hide from his wise and watchful gaze. “We have a difficult company meeting tomorrow. It’s caused problems in the family, but we mustn’t spoil the evening by talking about that. What would be your way of describing Rick?”

  Across the room, Rick had neatly maneuvered Nikki away from David’s side to the window and was flirting, grinning down at her with laughter lurking in his eyes.

  “He is Robin Hood. Lancelot. He should be Danni’s brother because steadfast comes to mind for him, as well.”

  Jen shook her head with a laugh. “If this were Salem, they would drown you for a witch, or warlock, or whatever the proper term is.”

  “If this were Salem, I would conceal my magic as I should have done when I spoke aloud about Miss Hall a few moments ago.” He made a comic, self-deprecating face. “I am becoming careless in my doddering old age.”

  “Old age, William?” Adelia had walked over. “You’re not much older than I and the term is most uncomplimentary. What have you been talking about for so long? You have been neglecting me shamefully.”

  “I’ve been monopolizing him, Adelia.” Jen smiled at Bill. “Thank you for an interesting conversation. I’ve remembered something I must tell Tony. If you’ll excuse me?”

  She walked down the room toward Tony, but Brad stopped her.

  “Jennette.” He and David were together as they had been most of the evening. David’s face was set in a frown and for once, Brad wasn’t smiling. “May we speak with you a moment?”

  “If it has anything to do with the meeting tomorrow, I would prefer not to talk about it tonight. It would keep me from my guests.”

  They weren’t happy, but she mentally shrugged. Short of taking her by the arm, they couldn’t stop her from walking away. Aaron waved at her and she joined him with a smile.

  “Everything’s set for Saturday, Jennette. The decorations are finished, the team from the studio will be here at nine, and the florist should arrive about the same time.”

  “You’ve left me very little to do. There’s a room ready for you and Tony to change in, and the room next to mine is for Colleen, so my part is complete.”

  “I’ll check them off my list.”

  “You’ve done a good job, Aaron, thank you.”

  “I’ve enjoyed it. I have some ideas for the foundation’s project, but they’ll keep until Monday. Tony,” he called, “do you have your preliminary report on the location sites for the films?”

  “I’ll have it by tomorrow afternoon, Saturday at the latest, and don’t start talking business, you two. This evening is for having fun.”

  Jen smiled. “I do need to talk to you, Tony, but it’s not business.” She led him out of the living room and into the library where she had left her attaché case earlier. She took out the card she’d written and handed it to him. “The surprise I promised you.”

  He read the card with a smile then opened the smaller envelope. “Ten days in Tahiti!” He hugged her and grinned. “This is great!”

  “Well, it beats four days in Monterrey as lovely as that area is. I want your honeymoon to be extra special.”

  “Daisy’s gonna be thrilled. Can I tell her? I mean, it’s not like we’re kids anymore, and she’ll be furious if she hasn’t packed all the right stuff and things.”

  “Of course. Just wait until after you leave tonight. She’ll say I’ve done too much already, and this isn’t really for her. It’s for you to relax and rest.”

  “Ten days of relaxing. I haven’t had ten days all together since I can’t remember when.”

  “That’s exactly why. You’ve worked so hard for me from the day you met me in that coffee shop. I want you to take it easy so I can stop worrying about you.” She kissed his cheek. “Now we’ve got to go back before Colleen gets jealous.”

  “My special girl knows I love her.”

  * * *

  The family had gone upstairs, all the other guests had left, and Jen was waving Tony and Colleen down the driveway when Rick came up beside her.

  “Madam, will you walk?”

  She smiled. “I’m not Catherine Sue, but I will walk and I will talk with you.” She saw that she’d surprised him.

  “Very few people,” he said, “know that poem. Lyrics, actually, of an old traditional air.”

  She nodded. “I came across it while I was doing research for a character I once played.”

  “I don’t remember any of your movies being period pieces.”

  “No, it was high school theater. Where shall we walk?”

  “Let’s go around to your office. I want to tell you what I gleaned from my conversation with Nikki.”

  They walked behind the garage and Jen glanced up at the moon-bright sky. “It’s too nice an evening to be inside. I hope the weather holds for the wedding.” They stopped at the steps and she smiled, remembering how Bill had described him, as he pulled out a handkerchief for her to sit on. “Thank you for getting Nikki away from David.”

  “I saw the look on your face. Even I was annoyed.”

  “If David loves her as much as she loves him …?”

  “If my cousin is fool enough to want her instead of you, then I question his judgment. And his taste in women.”

  “You looked like you were having an excellent time flirting with her.”

  He grinned. “I wondered if you’d notice. I was being the charming, debonair spy tricking the enemy into giving herself away.”

  “And did James Bond succeed?”

  “Only somewhat, I’m afraid.” His grin faded. “She’s too good an actress for me to tell if she really hates you, but it was clear to me that she does resent you. Her career started ten years before yours did and she was making progress until your performances in Regatta and Lucy’s Waltz almost totally eclipsed her. She hasn’t had a lead role in the last six years.”

  “I did know that, but I didn’t know she was that old. Or did she start in films as a child?”

  “No. She grew up in a small town in Oklahoma and came to Hollywood, like you did, after high school.”

  “She is David’s age.”

  He nodded. “And although she never went to college, she’s a quick study and has learned how to blend into almost any setting. I was surprised at how sophisticatedly charming she was at the benefit.”

  “And I. But I can’t fault her for that because it’s what I’ve done myself. Nevertheless, I’m not ready to have her step into my shoes.” Or into David’s bed, she frowned, if it hasn’t happened already.

  Rick was saying, “I did learn one other interesting fact. Her father was in construction in a small way. He built houses and until she left home,
she worked with him weekends and summers.”

  “Construction. And she said David’s business talk bored her.”

  “Don’t believe it. She knows her way around a hammer and electrical wiring and gas heating systems.”

  “Engines?”

  “She didn’t mention it, but my guess is that she helped with everything, including equipment repairs.”

  Jen sat thinking for a while. “I’d love to simply throw her out of my life, but I can’t.”

  “No. The Chinese quote ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ is good advice here. But do be careful.”

  “I will although it’s not easy to watch where you’re stepping when you’re busy looking over your shoulder.”

  The lights down the winding driveway blinked off, leaving the woods suddenly dark, and they sat silently for a few minutes, enjoying the delicate scents and sounds of evening. Merging in soft silhouette with the deep velvet blue of the sky, the black of the trees swayed and rustled in the wind. She sighed. To say nothing would be easier, but when had she ever stepped back from the hard truths?

  “Are you still angry?” She waited, thinking he might not answer.

  When he did, his voice was calm. “Yes.” He looked down over the field toward the break in the trees where the little stream flowed under the bridge. “But it will keep until I’m sure you’re safe.” He stood to help her up. “It’s midnight and time for you to go in. I think I’ll walk a while.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jen left the house early next morning to avoid both David and Rob, not wanting to be questioned by either about her decision on the land vote. The board meeting was scheduled to begin at one o’clock; she drove to it from the soundstage so that she could arrive ahead of time and alone.

  The corporate offices of Kenting Industries occupied the top half of a twenty-story building in the heart of the city. To one side of the spacious lobby were two banks of elevators with a single elevator between them labeled discreetly Kenting Industries. Private. Using the special key on her chain, she rode the express to the top floor.