A shadow crossed Ann’s face and she shook her head without comment.
“But you love him, don’t you?” Amy asked.
Ann looked away, then nodded.
“Any hope?”
“I doubt it. He’s just going to play this revenge game until he gets tired of me, but I think I can keep it going long enough to at least get Tim out of trouble. Heath enjoys displaying me as his wife, having me act as his hostess—Henry Talbot’s daughter on the arm of the self-made man. That’s very important to him but I’m sure the novelty of it will pale with time.”
“Then what happens to you?”
“I get discarded, like the first wives of most millionaires who move on I suppose.”
“It sounds like a raw deal for you.”
“It’s not so bad, except...”
“Except what?”
“Except that I do love him,” Ann said, biting her lip, her eyes stinging with tears. “It’s so hard being around him all the time, having him look through me as if I were a pane of glass. He gives me everything, just not what I really want. Him.”
“How’s the sex?”
Ann smiled wanly. “Come on, Amy. You know that’s not the problem.”
“I didn’t think it was. So, what’s the plan? What are you going to do?”
“Stick it out. I have no choice.”
“Well for tonight at least, I’m here to help you. I brought along a nifty little dress that should liven things up quite a bit once I slip into it. What time are the guests arriving?”
“Eight.”
“I’d better step lively then. Where’s the john?”
Ann pointed and Amy disappeared inside the bathroom, emerging ten minutes later in a spangled black mini sheath and peau de soie T-strap shoes.
“What do you think?” she said to Ann, posing with one hand on her hip.
“You’re a show stopper.”
“Exactly the effect I’m trying to achieve. Darling, I hate to be a bore, but I drove three hours to get here and I’m starving. Do you think I could slip into the kitchen for a little something? Otherwise I will be drinking on an empty stomach, which is never a good idea in my case. They never serve anything to eat at these things until everybody is plastered.”
“Go ahead. I’ll call Daniela and tell her to make you a sandwich, okay?”
“Okay.”
Amy had just left when Heath walked into the bedroom, putting down his briefcase and pulling his tie loose from its knot. He surveyed her in silence.
“Is this outfit all right?” Ann inquired, indicating her new clothes.
“Fine.”
“How does the house look?”
“Looks good.”
“Did you see the buffet table?”
“I saw it.”
Ann gave up. “Amy is here,” she said resignedly.
“I saw her in the kitchen on the way in. I didn’t know that you had invited her.”
“Do you mind?”
He shrugged.
“She’s not an employee of Bimini Boat Works,” Ann said dryly, fastening a gold bracelet around her wrist.
“I never said that you couldn’t have your friends here,” he replied, taking off his jacket.
“No, Heath, you never said that,” Ann agreed, running a brush through her hair.
He turned and faced her. “You really think I’m a bully, don’t you?” he said quietly.
Ann didn’t answer.
He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it onto the bed. “I’m not a bully, Princess. I just have a long memory.” He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Ann heard the doorbell and realized that the first guests were arriving. She put down the hairbrush and went out of the bedroom to fulfill her role.
* * * *
Several hours later, she was in the kitchen slicing a lemon when Amy sidled in behind her.
“Isn’t the caterer supposed to do that?” Amy asked.
“They ran out of lemons.”
“The party is a smash. You’re a hit.”
Ann nodded.
“You don’t seem very happy about it.”
Out on the terrace, the three-piece band switched from “Winter Wonderland” to “White Christmas.”
“No word from your lord and master about what a wonderful job you did?” Amy said.
“No.”
“He’s a jerk, Ann.”
“I guess he just regards my doing this as part of our deal. I didn’t actually cook the food or serve it, anyway. I just hired a bunch of people.”
“You’ve got, what, a hundred people out there? Just coordinating the whole event was a task. Doesn’t he know you were trying to please him?”
“I can’t imagine what he thinks. His mind is a closed book.” She sighed. “I used to know him so well.”
“Well, one thing hasn’t changed. He’s still the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He makes every other guy at this party look three days dead.”
“That aspect of it doesn’t exactly help, Amy. It only makes me want him more and he’s very good at keeping me at a comfortable distance.”
“Comfortable for him.”
“Yes.”
“Working all the time?” Amy said.
“Yes.”
“Noncommittal when he’s at home?”
“You got it.”
“He sounds just like your father.”
Ann shuddered. “That would be the supreme irony, wouldn’t it?” she said sadly.
The sliding door to the terrace opened and Joan Jensen stepped through it.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said to Ann, and smiled at Amy. “Everybody is having a great time, including my husband. He doesn’t quite have a lampshade on his head yet but he’s getting there.”
“I’ll just go check on those canapes,” Amy said, raising her brows, and Ann nodded. Amy slipped out of the room.
“Heath must be very pleased,” Joan said brightly.
“I imagine so.”
“He hasn’t said anything?”
“Well, he’s been very busy. He’s the host, after all. I’ve hardly seen him.”
Joan looked around quickly and then stepped into the hall, scanning the immediate area. Then she rejoined Ann, leaning in close to her and saying, “What’s going on, Ann?”
Ann looked at her.
“Don’t give me that innocent face,” Joan said kindly. “I’ve been watching you and Heath for almost a month. You’re both drawn, tense and unhappy. You look thinner every day and Heath is snapping at Joe if my husband looks at him cross eyed. You’re not exactly the picture of blissful newlyweds. What gives?”
Ann looked away from her.
“I thought something was wrong at your wedding but Joe dismissed it. Now even he is beginning to wonder. Why did you marry Heath, Ann?”
Ann sighed wearily. “You remember us when we were kids, right, Joan?”
“How could I forget? I never saw two people more in love. Joe and I were just thrilled when the two of you got back together, that’s why I can’t understand this situation now. You’ve been given a second chance, why aren’t you taking advantage of it?”
“It’s a long story. What has Heath told you?”
“Nothing. He just called Joe one day and asked us to witness your wedding.”
“Then let’s keep it that way.”
Joan stood aside as Ann slid the tray of lemons into the refrigerator. When Ann turned back to her, the older woman was watching her with concern.
Ann smiled. “I’m all right, Joan. Really.”
Joan shook her head. She was a little plumper, a little grayer, than when Ann had first met her so many years ago, but her air of enveloping kindness was the same.
“I don’t know if this helps you but Heath really does have a good heart,” Joan said.
Ann nodded.
“I mean it. The first thing he did when he came into that money was call Joe and offer him a job in management in the company he was
forming. Management! Joe never even graduated from high school. And when Joe couldn’t sell the marina, it was the middle of the recession, you know, Heath bought it himself at a loss. He’s been a wonderful friend to us, Ann.”
“Heath was always grateful that Joe gave him a job when he needed one,” Ann murmured.
“He’s very loyal.”
To everyone except me, Ann thought.
As if he had been summoned, Joe appeared and said, “What are you two hens clucking about in here? Everybody is dancing out on the terrace.”
“I’m coming,” Joan said, and put her hand on Ann’s arm. “If you ever need to talk...” she said in a low tone.
Ann nodded. She waited until the Jensens had left and then walked around to the front of the house, nodding at the people she encountered along the way. The party was concentrated at the back of the house and she found herself alone at the front door, the sounds of music and laughter drifting toward her faintly through the rooms.
Ann opened the door and walked out onto the flagstone path, wrapping her arms around her torso. The night was cool for December in south Florida, in the high fifties, but it felt refreshing by comparison with the house, which was warm from collected body heat. Ann looked at the lights Victor had strung in the trees, the floodlit wreath hanging under the point of the garage roof, then gazed up at the stars, thinking about Christmases from her childhood. It was a minute or so before she realized that she was not alone.
She turned to find a young woman standing behind her, smoking a cigarette.
“So you’re the wife, huh?” the smoker said.
“I... uh, yes,” Ann replied, startled.
The woman switched her cigarette to her left hand and extended her right hand. “Stacy Barcroft,” she said.
“How do you do?” Ann said, shaking hands with her.
“I’m doing just fine. I just came out here to grab a smoke. I didn’t see any ashtrays inside so I figured I’d better not light up in the house.”
“There are ashtrays in the pool room.”
“Segregating the smokers, huh? That’s okay, I’m used to it. We’re the new persecuted minority. Actually I don’t mind going outside, it gives me a chance to catch a breath of air. It’s getting pretty close in there.”
“I just told Victor to turn on the air-freshening system in the house.”
“Good idea.” Stacy inhaled deeply, the tip of her cigarette glowing, then exhaled a plume of grayish smoke that danced on the cool night air. She stepped into the light from the windows and Ann saw that she was a petite brunette wearing a stylish red evening suit with black velvet trim.
“Do you work for Bimini in Miami?” Ann asked. “I remember your name from the guest list.”
“No, I’m an architect. I designed the Miami marina, and I have been called in on a few other independent projects. I also dated Heath for a while.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t get nervous; I gave up on him real quick. His body was present but it was clear his mind was always elsewhere, you know what I mean?”
Ann didn’t reply. She knew.
“So you arrived out of the past, right? High school sweetheart or something like that?”
“Something like that.”
“I suppose you know that women have been jumping off buildings all over south Florida since the day you got married.”
Ann smiled thinly. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“It’s a fact. Mr. Eligible decamps with a mystery woman from his student days? It caused quite a stir.”
“It’s already yesterday’s news.”
“Don’t count on it. I’ll bet you didn’t get many regrets in response to your invitations to this party.”
“That’s true.”
“And you thought everybody was showing up because Heath was the boss?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Maybe. But they also wanted to see you.”
Ann sighed. “I hope I wasn’t a disappointment.”
“How could you be? A tall, slim blonde with cover girl cheekbones? The minute I set my eyes on you, all my questions were answered.”
“Really?” Ann said frostily, studying her companion. She was beginning to dislike this conversation intensely. If this woman had an ax to grind she was going to find herself alone out here with the Christmas lights.
Stacy waved her cigarette. “Don’t get your nose out of joint. I only meant that I understand what he sees in you. I come from a background like Heath’s. I came up from nothing, like him. I married my ex-husband, Jamie Barcroft, because he was born in Greenwich and went to Exeter and Yale. Heath and I both crave class and people like you are the closest we’re ever going to come to it.”
“Thank you for your analysis of my marriage. I think I’d better get back inside and look after my guests.”
Stacy put her hand on Ann’s arm. “I’m sorry if I offended you. Maybe there are some sour grapes in what I’m saying but it’s also true. Just a word to the wise, that’s all.”
“Thank you. Good night.”
“Merry Christmas,” Stacy said, turning away as Ann opened the door to the house.
Inside the first few leave-takers were getting ready to depart. Ann spent the next hour shaking hands and saying goodbye, her feet and her head beginning to ache. She barely saw Heath, who always seemed to be off in some corner deep in conversation with one of his executives. Finally she abandoned her post by the door and went up to the bedroom to get a glass of water to take some aspirin.
In the bedroom she found a man she had met twice that night and whose name she could not recall—the manager of the Bimini repair garage on Big Palm. She had danced with him earlier in the evening. He looked up as she arrived. He grinned sheepishly.
“Hi, Mrs. Bodine. I was just getting my raincoat, but there’s a pile here on the bed and I can’t find it.”
“Oh, please, let me help you. I’m so sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.”
“Ben Rowell.”
“I can’t believe so many coats wound up in here. I thought there was enough room in the front hall closet, but I guess I was wrong. What color is it?”
“Kind of an olive green—here it is,” Ben said triumphantly. As he turned to smile at Ann she felt the room spin and she reached out instinctively, clutching him to maintain her balance. He pulled her into his arms to keep her from sliding to the floor.
At the same instant Heath came rushing through the door, grabbed Ben by the shoulder to pull him off Ann, and then punched the other man squarely in the jaw.
Ben staggered back in shock, staring at Heath, his eyes wide with amazement and dismay. Ann was rooted, gaping in disbelief at her husband, who seemed to have lost his mind.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing with my wife?” Heath shouted, lunging for Ben again. Ann recovered enough to jump in front of Heath and block his path to the other man.
“Stop it this instant!” she snapped at Heath. “I felt a little dizzy and Ben was only trying to help me!”
“Why did you come back here to the bedroom with him?” Heath demanded, his eyes blazing.
“For heaven’s sake, Heath, I didn’t come back here with him. I found him in here looking for his coat. Will you calm down and apologize? You’re making a fool of yourself.”
“I saw him looking at you all night,” Heath insisted, taking a step forward again.
Joe Jensen arrived, drawn by the sound of raised voices, and Ann was never so glad to see anyone in her life.
“What’s going on here?” Joe demanded, looking around at the three of them.
“Ben was helping me when I felt faint and Heath misunderstood the situation,” Ann said quickly. “Will you take him outside for a walk, Joe? I think he’s had too much to drink.”
“I’m perfectly sober—enough to see what was going on right under my nose,” Heath said belligerently.
Joe gripped him firmly by the arm and steered him into the hall as Ann went to Ben and took
his hand.
“I’m so sorry about this, Ben. My only explanation is that Heath has been under a strain, working very hard, and I think he just had one too many tonight.”
“It’s all right, Mrs. Bodine. Everybody gets a snootful now and then, there’s no harm done. Just the same I think I’d better go. I’ll say good-night now.”
Ann saw him out the door with extreme relief and then came upon Joe and Heath in the living room, where Joe was giving her husband a lecture, talking earnestly to Heath’s bent dark head.
“I’m telling you right now, boy, you’d better get hold of yourself and straighten up quickly. That little girl is going to leave you in the dust just as fast as she married you if you keep acting this way. You’re just lucky that everybody but Joanie and me was outside. You would have put on quite a performance for a whole houseful of your employees.”
Heath didn’t move.
“And first thing tomorrow morning,” Joe went on, “you get your tail over to Big Palm and apologize to that kid Ben. A few more incidents like this and you’ll get a reputation as a crazy man who can’t hold his liquor. What do you think that will do for your business, not to mention your personal life? These islands are small, word travels fast. And I don’t have to tell you that you owe your wife an apology, too.”
Heath was listening sullenly, his eyes on the floor. Joe looked up and saw Ann standing there.
“I’ll leave you two alone. Joanie and I will see ourselves out.”
Joe walked past Ann, patting her arm on the way. Ann went to the wall intercom, flipped the switch, and said into it, “Daniela, you and Victor can go to bed now. We’ll deal with whatever mess the caterers leave behind in the morning.”
“Don’t you want me to just run the vacuum, Mrs. Bodine?” Daniela asked.
“Never mind, there will be time enough tomorrow.”
“Mrs. Bodine,” Daniela said. “Your friend Amy left about half an hour ago. She asked me to tell you she was staying at the inn and would call you in the morning.”
“Thank you, Daniela. You did a wonderful job and Mr. Bodine and I are very grateful for your help. Good night.”
“Good night,” Daniela said, and Ann flicked the switch to the Off position.
Heath was still standing in the same spot, careful not to look at her.
“The party was a great success,” Ann said. “You should give Daniela and Victor a bonus.”
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