“No? That’s it? No?”
“I love you but, as things stand, marriage isn’t for us.”
“I see. Well, thanks for setting me straight.”
She wouldn’t react to the harshness of his voice, she told herself. “I don’t think you see at all. And how I wish you did.”
“You’re still my patient, I take it.”
“Of course.”
“Alright, I... Look, Jeannetta, we...we’ll be in touch.”
* * *
Mason replaced the receiver carefully, deep in thought. Needles and pins produced a tingling in his fingers and toes, and lightness claimed his head as though all the fluid had been wrung from his body. He told himself to get a grip on it, but he needed time to digest what had just happened to him. For the first time in his life he had let himself love a woman, a woman who believed that he didn’t meet her needs. He swallowed a curse; anger wouldn’t solve anything. Maybe he should have given her the details about the two occasions on which she had thrashed beneath him, calling his name as he kept her hanging at a precipice, begging him for ecstasy while he branded her with one powerful thrust after another. Maybe he should have told her all the things he knew about her that would leave no doubt in her mind that she’d made love with him. Like the little red mole beneath one of the chocolate-brown nipples that he’d held between his lips, teasing her, while she begged him to suck them. He could have told her that they tasted like Tia Maria. Just as good and just as heady. Or should he have merely reminded her that a man had to have known a woman intimately to know how many moles she had at the edge of her pubic hair?
Mason paced the floor of his bedroom. What he wanted was to get her back in his bed, and then he’d show her, love her until it all came back to her. He knew that she would eventually remember everything, but would that time come too late? He stopped short. He didn’t want to believe it, but maybe she had never loved him—had enticed him, used him to get what she wanted. Pain flowed through him, enervating him. It couldn’t be, he told himself. Not even Ethel Waters was reputed to have been that great an actress. Maybe he ought to get back up to Pilgrim and have it out with her.
* * *
After Mason’s call, Jeannetta gave up the idea of sleep, dressed and went down to the lounge, where Geoffrey held Lucy’s hand and lectured Clayton about the importance of clearing his name. Jeannetta couldn’t help being amused; all was right in Geoffrey’s world, and he wanted smooth going for all of his friends. She had turned to leave when he asked why she wasn’t in New York with Mason.
“I just spoke with him, Geoffrey. Quit meddling.”
Geoffrey cocked his head to one side and peered at her. “He wasn’t too happy when I saw him, and you ain’t exactly bouncing. So, seems to me that you two need to spend more time together. I don’t expect to let Lucy here out of my sight for more than a couple of hours at a time. We don’t have misunderstandings when we’re together, only when we’re separated and start thinking about things that ain’t got nothing to do with what glues a marriage. You don’t see Clayton here leaving Laura with all these fellows that come up here to fish, do you?”
Jeannetta looked from Geoffrey to Lucy. She doubted that she had ever seen a happier woman, and she smiled in delight as Lucy inched closer to her husband. Geoffrey leaned back, propped his left foot on his right knee and looked at Jeannetta.
“I knew all the time that you two hadn’t leveled with each other.” Geoffrey looked up toward the ceiling. “That kind of thing does a lot of damage, and takes a lot of healing.” He patted Lucy’s hand and stood. “Where’s Skip?”
“On the Internet,” Clayton responded. “I’ll bet my last dollar that this visit of Skip’s is going to cost Mason a state-of-the-art computer.” He glanced at Laura and smiled the secret smile of a lover. Everybody seems to have that something special except Mason and me, Jeannetta thought. Maybe Geoffrey was right; their relationship had been flawed from the outset. She walked over to her sister.
“Laura, I need to write, and I’ll have to get away from here to do it. Pleasant company represents too much of a distraction, and Mason said he wants me to be active but quiet. My house is leased for three more months; I don’t start school until January—if Mason will let me, I need to begin relying on myself. I have to look for a place where I can work.”
Never at a loss for advice, Laura told her, “You shouldn’t be in New York City and you shouldn’t be too far away from Mason. You’re not out of the woods yet.”
“You’re right; Kay and David Feinberg will be in Europe until mid-October, and I think, maybe I’ll ask them to let me baby-sit their house and their dog while they’re gone. I think I’ll do it. You remember Kay; we shared a room at NYU.” She watched Laura put on her worried look.
“Child, that’s way past Fire Island. I don’t know...doesn’t seem right.” She looked to Clayton as though seeking support for her argument. “West Tiana is a little inlet, and it’s probably safe from storms but, honey, it’s so far. What if she needs Mason?” She directed her question to Clayton.
“You’re worrying unnecessarily, sweetheart,” Clayton replied. “If Jeannetta needs Mason, she can probably signal him by mental telepathy. If I guess right, the man’s antenna is pointed straight at her. I’d better see why Skip is so quiet.” He headed for the office.
“And other thing,” Jeannetta said, hoping to circumvent Laura’s open disapproval of her plans. “Mason said the environment out on Long island will be good for me—clean air and a lot of natural scenery.” She watched Laura purse her thin lips and knew she wouldn’t like the words that were about to pass through them.
“Honey, you sure you don’t want Clayton? Is that why you’re content to let things slide with you and Mason? I don’t want to see happen to us what happened to you and Alma when she slept with...”
Jeannetta interrupted, her tone harsh. “Laura, I don’t want to have to tell you this again. I wouldn’t see Clayton if he strolled past me butt naked. Okay?” She watched Laura’s lower lip drop and her eyebrows arch sharply.
“Your eyesight couldn’t possibly be that bad.”
“It isn’t. We’re not talking eyesight here, Laura; this is a matter of chemistry. You should have had a look at Mason lying on the beach wearing nothing but red G-string bathing trunks. If you’d seen that sight, honey, you’d be fired up for life.”
“If you say so. But I didn’t see it, and I am fired up.” She had paused for effect, Jeannetta realized, when she added: “For life. Mason isn’t the only hot stuff on this planet; my Clayton can start fires with the best of them.”
Who was this woman? Jeannetta squelched a laugh as she eyed her newly liberated sister.
“From the looks of you these days, honey, I don’t doubt it.”
Laura’s quick change of manner startled Jeannetta. Now what?
“Now that all of Pilgrim knows a celebrated doctor comes here regularly to see you, Alma’s out for revenge. I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Laura said, her mood pensive. “The jealous woman’s threatening to take that lie about you and Jethro to the dean of your department at SUNY. She tells everybody that you never denied having an affair with Jethro.”
“No, I didn’t deny it; the idea was too ludicrous. Besides, that was the only way I could punish her for what she did. My closest friend sleeps with my fiancé and tells him she’s pregnant, when she isn’t. That hurt. I’m sorry they aren’t getting along, but whether I tell her the truth won’t matter. She’ll believe what she wants to believe. If she used her brain, she’d know that, as far as I am concerned, Jethro Williams ceased to exist when she told me they’d gotten a marriage license.”
“What about the dean?”
“Alma was once on the dean’s staff. Enough said.”
“Don’t be so smug about it. She tricked him into marrying her, because she was je
alous of you; now she knows you got the better part of the deal and she’ll do anything to upset you. ’Course, if you ask me,” Laura went on, warming up to the subject, “Alma’s got a big blob where her head’s supposed to be, and sometimes I think she manages to sit on that. You be careful.”
“Okay. Okay.”
“And don’t go too far from Mason,” Laura nagged, following Jeannetta up the stairs. “I know you’re going to do whatever you want to, but I don’t like this. Anything could happen.”
“But nothing will. How about driving me to Payne’s Drug Store first thing tomorrow morning; I don’t know what I’ll find out there in West Tiana.”
Laura nodded in agreement.
* * *
The two sisters were standing at the cashier’s station in Payne’s, joshing with the proprietor’s daughter, when Laura nudged Jeannetta.
“Look over there. Darned if it isn’t her royal highness.”
Jeannetta followed her sister’s gaze, knowing that she’d see Alma Williams; she had already started toward them.
“I heard you’d had a brain operation,” she said to Jeannetta. “I suppose that means you have to give up teaching.”
“Hello, Alma.” Jeannetta had to force a smile, because she refused Alma the knowledge that she’d been disturbed by the woman’s gossip-mongering. “Actually, I signed a new contract a couple of days ago.” She scrutinized the woman carefully for her real reaction; anybody who lied with as much finesse as Alma had to be a consummate actress.
“Well,” Alma said, “contracts have been broken. By the way, did you know that that doctor of yours practically killed a woman?”
“You ever been sued for slander, Alma?” Laura asked. “Well, prepare yourself, because you’re about to get it, you hear?”
Jeannetta almost admired Alma’s arrogant toss of the head as the woman prepared for her parting shot.
“You don’t say. The dean said she’d be getting in touch with you, Jeannetta.”
* * *
They returned to the lodge to find Geoffrey, Lucy, and Skip still at the breakfast table. Jeannetta asked Geoffrey whether he and Lucy would like to spend a few days at West Tiana with her.
“No thanks. We left the Georgia heat and came up here for some cool air. You go ahead. Lucy’s fallen in love with Skip and that great big oak out back, and Skip wants to learn everything Lucy knows. They’ll have a good time. You’re not going to drive, are you?”
“Hadn’t planned to.”
Skip left his place at the table and rushed to Jeannetta. “You going away someplace?” She told him her plans.
“What about me? Weren’t you gonna tell me?”
Her heart skipped several beats as she observed the boy’s crushed demeanor; she hadn’t considered that he cared for her.
“Yes, of course,” she assured him, “and I’d let you go with me if you hadn’t agreed to work, and if Mason didn’t mind.”
Lights danced in Skip’s eyes, and a smile beautified his young face. “You going off somewhere with Mason, huh?”
She hated to disappoint him, but she couldn’t mislead him. “Don’t hope for that, Skip.” She watched his enthusiasm fade along with the gleam in his eyes, as he hung his head. His painful need to belong somewhere stabbed at her and she folded him in her arms.
“You’ll be special to me, no matter what happens between Mason and me,” she tried to assure him but, unappeased, he stared into the distance.
Geoffrey tried. “She’ll be back, and while she’s gone, you and my Lucy can bake cookies.” Skip looked at Geoffrey, and she didn’t remember having seen so vacant an expression on a child’s face.
“I promised Mason I’d look after Jeanny, but I can’t if she’s checking out. He’ll think I lied.”
Jeannetta decided to telephone Mason and let him ease Skip’s worries.
“I’ve decided to stay out at the Hamptons for a few weeks,” she told him, “but I’m afraid I’ve upset Skip, because he’s staying here and won’t be able to look after me.” She bit her lip as she forced herself to sound serious for Skip’s sake.
A comforting feeling of security settled within her as she listened to his dark, husky voice, reassuring her, telling her that he’d be there for her when she needed him.
“You need a good rest, though I’d prefer that you were someplace nearby.” He listed a number of signs that she should regard as foretelling an emergency. “If you experience any of them, call or beep me. But don’t waste time about it. Promise?”
She promised and gave him the address and phone number.
“Let me speak with Skip.” His abruptness stunned her, but she later realized he’d had a good reason. She handed the phone to the eager boy. Seconds later, Skip tossed the phone in the air and let out a whoop. Jumping and slapping his fist into his palm, a gesture he’d taken from Mason, he yelled, “Mason is adopting me.” Immediately, he became subdued.
“But my aunt’s pretty sick and wants to see me, so I have to go to New York.” He looked at Laura as she entered the dining room with fresh muffins.
“Can I still have my job when I come back?”
Laura nodded. “Of course you can. You come right on back to the Hideaway, you hear?”
Making a quick decision, Jeannetta told Skip that he could go with her to New York.
* * *
Mason looked at his watch for the nth time since he’d spoken with Skip. Two-thirty. The boy should have been there. His office door opened, and Betty Goins sauntered in, unannounced, as usual.
“Heard you’d come to your senses,” she said in greeting, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss on his mouth.
“Yeah, and I bet you heard it less than an hour ago.” He needed a lot of self-control to refrain from wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Don’t be mean, Mason.” She pouted.
He couldn’t help laughing and wondering what he’d ever seen in her. “Alright, but don’t you be so obvious.” He lightened his tone, but he stared directly into her eyes; he wanted her to believe him when he said, nothing doing.
“We can still see each other, can’t we?” She moved closer to him.
“Sure,” he replied, backing his chair away from the desk and her, “but with my present preoccupation, that’s all we’ll do. I’m involved with someone.” He pointed to his temple. “And she’s right here thirty-six hours a day. You wouldn’t get a rise out of me no matter what you did. Trust me.”
She sauntered a step closer. “You’re sure of that?”
Mason threw his head back and laughed. “Does water flow downstream? Let’s leave it where it is, Betty. We’ve been friends, and I’d like to remember us that way.”
“Oh, Mason, darling don’t be like this.” He watched her lower her lashes, drop her head to one side and rim her lips with the tip of her tongue, and he started to lose patience with her.
“If you want it crude, just say so.”
Her head snapped up. “Alright. You can’t hold it against me for trying. How’s your precious patient?”
“Doing great.” He paused, remembering Betty’s wide contacts. “You remember that class-action suit against Miles Chemicals?” Betty took a seat beside his desk, swung one of her long legs over the other one, and let her red silk skirt rise high above her crossed knees.
He grinned at her. “No dice, Betty. What about Miles Chemicals?”
“Sure, I remember that. One of my friends joined the suit, but her skin is already back to normal. I used it, and nothing happened to me.”
Mason leaned forward. “How long did you use it?”
“As long as it was on the market. A year and a half, or two, I’d say. Why?”
Mason strummed his long fingers on his desk and thought for a minute. “The owner of that factor
y went belly-up because of that suit. He’s a good guy, and he doesn’t think he deserved what he got. He doesn’t want the money returned; he wants to clear his reputation. He’d been assured that that formula had been properly tested.”
Betty swung her knee and eyed Mason for effect. Seeing none, she got down to business. “I’d go back to court, if I were in that man’s place. The instructions said that, if your skin felt dry, smooth it liberally with olive oil. That’s what I did. He ought to make those women get their skin examined. I’ll bet there’re isn’t a one whose skin isn’t back to normal.”
“Thanks. I’ll pass that along.”
“Well, if we can’t get together, I guess I’d better take off.”
He dialed the Hideaway with the intention of speaking to Clayton, but Betty opened the door to leave, and his heart pounded as though it were a runaway train. She stood facing Jeannetta and Skip. He dropped the receiver in its cradle. She glanced back at him, but his gaze seared the woman who occupied a permanent place in his heart.
Skip raced to him, his arms wide. “Dad! Dad! When will we get the papers? I started to think they wouldn’t let you do it.” He turned to Jeannetta. “Can you believe it, Jeanny? He’s my dad now.” Mason didn’t bother to correct him, because the only thing lacking was the judge’s seal, which would be affixed within a week. He saw the tears of happiness in Jeannetta’s smiling face and the lack of understanding in Betty’s. Thank God, he’d avoided that pitfall. He let his arms tighten around Skip, stunned at the swell of love that flooded his senses. He reached one arm out to Jeannetta.
“Sweetheart, come here, please.” He held them both until the three of them broke apart at the soft sound of Betty closing the door.
“You think Jeanny should be going out to Long Island by herself, Dad? She said it’s almost three hours on the train.”
Mason looked at her and hoped that his eyes mirrored what he felt, that she knew they reflected the heart of the man, not the doctor. “We can’t run another person’s life, son. We can only say what we believe to be the truth, wish them well, and let them go.” He tried to ignore Skip’s startled look. The boy had learned some archaic assumptions about women and their capabilities, and he intended to set him straight. He looked at Jeannetta, and hated the feeling of helplessness that stole over him when tears swam unshed in her beloved eyes. Why did she keep them apart with the cryptic explanation that he didn’t meet her needs? He didn’t believe a word of it, but she left him with no choice, and he had to accept it. He looked down at her small suitcase.
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