Wish List

by Fern Michaels

  “I’ve had my share. See you Saturday.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” She thought he was going to kiss her, but he just smiled and left. She smiled, too, when she saw Snookie go over to the door and lie down directly in front of it. Her head dropped to her paws, but her eyes were on Ariel as though to say, everything’s okay now.

  The week rushed to a close, and before Ariel knew it, it was Saturday. Things were under control at Able Body Trucking and she was excited about spending the evening with Lex.

  “It’s a casual date,” Ariel said. “I don’t think Lex Sanders is the suit and tie type. I was the one who said we should have Italian or Chinese and perhaps take in a movie. He looked so relieved that I felt relieved, too. So, I’m wearing my rainbow-colored skirt, white tee, and the blue linen jacket. Espadrilles and straw bag. I don’t think you can get more casual than that. Comfort seems to be what we both prefer.”

  “I’m all for that. I haven’t heard from Harry so I don’t know if we’re on or off. Either way is okay. I did enjoy our time the other night, though. If it’s meant to be it will be. He makes me . . . not exactly nervous . . . maybe apprehensive, but isn’t that the same thing? Forget it.”

  “Do you notice, Dolly, how we’re both mellowing out? We were both so . . . stressed all the time. Even now with everything going on you’d think we’d be out of our minds with anxiety, but we aren’t. Maybe it’s because we have some money in the bank and we know we have that cushion.”

  “Imagine this scenario, Ariel. You marry Lex Sanders, I marry Harry, you live at the ranch and I live wherever, and you sell the trucking company back to Mr. Able. He’d buy it in a heartbeat.”

  “My God, Dolly, you should be writing for the movies. You’re moving pretty fast here, aren’t you? Did you mean that part about marrying Harry and moving away? We’ve been together for so long . . . what would I do without you? We’re like a pair, a matched set. Snookie loves you. God, Dolly, now I have to worry about Harry popping the question.”

  “It won’t be for a while, if it even happens. Maybe never if I can’t put my finger on whatever it is that bothers me about him. I’m probably overreacting, but I think he really likes me. A woman can tell these things. Like the way you know Lex Sanders is wild about you. I forgot how nice it was to be with a guy. It was just a thought, Ariel. Flip that coin over and look at your side. Let’s say you did marry Lex Sanders. What would you do with me? Lex has his own housekeeper who, you said, has been with him for a long time. He’s not going to let her go. You know me, I could never work with someone else, doing busy work.”

  “If that ever happened, we’d work something out. I’d never cut you loose, no matter what the circumstances. We’ve been through too much. We’re a package deal. Is that why you’ve been so cranky lately?”

  “Partly. Listen, Ariel, I think I’m starting to go through my changes. I’ve been getting hot flashes at night and you’re right, I’m cranky and irritable. On top of that, along comes Harry. At this stage. I want it to be something, you know, work out, but there’s something . . . I just don’t know. I hope it’s my hormones or lack of them making me feel this way.”

  “Why didn’t you say something, Dolly? We’re going to make an appointment with a gynecologist first thing Monday morning. He can prescribe pills for you and give you some estrogen or whatever it is they give for hot flashes and crankiness. You don’t have to tolerate it. For God’s sake, Dolly, I thought you would have gone to the doctor at the first sign.”

  “I didn’t want to admit that’s what it was. I still don’t want to admit it. You’re right, though, I should have gone to the doctor months ago. How about you, Ariel?”

  “So far, so good. I try not to think about it, but just the other day, I blasted Agent Navaro. He thought it was a hot flash. He said his wife is having them. You know what? I don’t think he even has a wife. Don’t ask me how I know that or why I even think it. I just damn well do. Maybe I am starting and am too dumb to know it. I blush and flush a lot. Little things are starting to bother me. A hijacking doesn’t bother me half as much as running out of half-and-half for my coffee. Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay?”

  “You know what the worst thing is, Ariel? It’s knowing half your life is over and this next half isn’t going to be as good because of . . . of . . . all the things you have to go through. You dry up. Your skin flakes. And, of course, children are out of the question. It’s all over. You damn well age is what you do. And it shows. We’re looking at our mortality. I just started thinking about that lately. What have I done with my life, Ariel. Not much. I didn’t make a mark. What am I going to leave behind? Everyone is going to remember Ariel Hart. You did something with your life. I wish I’d listened to you and gone for my degree. What will they put on my tombstone? Nothing but my name.”

  Ariel’s stomach started to churn. Dolly needed her to say just the right thing. But, what was the right thing? Please, God, make this come out right.

  “I don’t know if my career was preordained or not. What I do know is I would not be where I am if it wasn’t for you. You made it all possible. You took care of me in every sense of the word. You were there for me through the good times and the bad. You’re a caregiver, a nurturer. I know I could never be what you are. God’s hand was on both of us, I guess. It could just as easily have been you who was the actress and me the caregiver, but I know you would have fired me after the first day. You’re better than a nurse, you’re better than a shrink, you’re that very, very, rare person called friends. Everyone says they have friends by the bushel, but if push came to shove, most would be reduced to zip or maybe one friend. One solid, good friend in life makes a person rich. You’re the one person in this world I would trust with my children, if I had children, and my money. The one person, Dolly. You’re my family, the sister I never had, my mother, my grandmother, my aunt. You are that wonderful person. You care, Dolly. Not just about me, but about everything. Do you have any idea how often I wish I was more like you? I do, every time something goes wrong and I can’t do it on my own. That’s pretty damn often. Now, this is my last word on this subject. If you go before me, I promise your tombstone will say, ‘Dolly Delaney’ on the first line. Under that, it will say, ‘Friend, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, Aunt.’ That’s in the order of importance. You’re on your own if I go first.” She tried to laugh for Dolly’s benefit. Instead, she burst into tears. The two women clung to one another, their tears mingling. Snookie howled at the strange sounds, trying to wiggle her way between them.

  “Now what?” a voice said through the screen door. “What happened? Why didn’t you call me? Jesus, what happened? Somebody better tell me something.” Lex Sanders roared. Snookie nudged the screen door open, sniffed his shoes, then went back to try and separate the two sobbing women.

  “Is this one of those female things men aren’t supposed to understand?” Lex demanded as he checked out the new front window and the furnishings to reassure himself things were all right in the Hart household.

  Ariel wiped at her eyes, as did Dolly. “We were talking about our mortality.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we passed the half-century mark and things start to happen to a woman. I don’t suppose you thought I was that old. I am. I’m going to be fifty-one!” She made it sound like she was going to the moon on the next shuttle.

  “I’m going to be fifty-four,” Lex said importantly. He felt out of his depth.

  “Oh, sure. Fifty-four for a man, especially if he’s rich and unattached, is like hanging out a red flag for every twenty-year-old within a hundred-mile radius. You need to know, though, that those twenty-year-olds just want your money and whatever they can get out of you. Think about it—why would a beautiful young girl want a middle-aged or old man? For what they can get, that’s what. I’m an authority on the subject so don’t even think about arguing.”

  “I agree. Why else would I still be a bachelor at the age of fifty-four? Why are you gettin
g so upset over something so silly?”

  “Because, men grow distinguished and women just get older. Now that you brought up the subject, why haven’t you gotten married again? The odds, especially in California, of a man like you not getting married are about one in three million.” Her voice was sounding suspicious.

  Lex winced visibly and threw his hands in the air. “Is this where I go out and come in again and we start over, and you go to repair your makeup or whatever women do when they cry?”

  “No. What you see is what you get. I’m ready if you are.” Ariel squared her shoulders as she brushed past him. “As you know, Snookie will be joining us so I hope you picked a place where we can eat outside. Burger King will be fine. Snookie is partial to their french fries.”

  Hands on hips in the driveway, Ariel stared at Lex’s pickup. “I don’t mind riding in your truck, but where is Snookie supposed to sit?”

  Lex sucked in his breath. “In the back?”

  “Snookie is not a job dog. She’d fall out. I keep her in a seat belt. She’s a seat belt dog. This is a problem.”

  “Does this mean we stay home and order pizza again?”

  “No, it does not. Why don’t we take my Rover? If we don’t take my Rover then yes, we stay home.”

  “I bet you want to drive, too.”

  “Of course—it’s my truck.”

  “Tell me something, do you lead when you dance?” Lex guffawed as he hopped into the passenger-side of the truck.

  “Sometimes. If my partner has two left feet,” Ariel snapped. “In the back, Snookie.” The shepherd sat back on her haunches, barking loudly. “In the back, Snookie,” Ariel said, holding the door open. “She wants to sit in the front.”

  “Now, why did I know you were going to say that?” Lex said, getting out of the car to allow Snookie to take her place in the passenger seat.

  “Because you’re intuitive. Listen, I’m not embarrassed over this.”

  “Hell, that never entered my mind.” He was still laughing. “Since we’re going in your vehicle, with you driving, and your dog in the front seat, am I to assume you’re picking up the check?”

  “You expect me to pay, too?” Ariel asked in outrage.

  “This is the 90’s. Women pay. This is one hell of a date, Ariel Hart.”

  “Yes, it is. Do you want to eat in the car or sit at one of those tables? It’s kind of breezy.”

  “I like eating in a car with a woman and a dog who knows how to fasten her own seat belt. It’s very romantic. Are we going through the drive-in?”

  “We are unless you want to get out and go inside, in which case you’ll have to pay. It’s your call,” she said, swerving into the parking lot.

  “The drive-in is just fine. I’ll have two Whoppers, two large fries, a Coke, and a milkshake. Whatever they have for dessert is okay with me.”

  Ariel leaned out of the window to place the order. “Six Whoppers, hold the dressing on three of them, five large fries, three milkshakes, one Coke, and three apple tarts.” She slipped the Rover into gear and moved up to the take-out window, paid, pocketed her change, and said, “Do you want to eat in that parking space over there or would you like me to drive us somewhere?”

  “I like eating in parking lots with a woman and a dog. I never did that before. They say everything in life is an experience,” Lex said.

  “I’ve heard that, too,” Ariel said through clenched teeth. “You encouraged me to take this dog, so you need to take half the responsibility for . . . for this date.”

  “Yes, I did. Did you hear one word of complaint out of my mouth? No, you did not. I even said this was romantic. So there. I do have a question, though. How are we going to do the ketchup thing with our french fries?”

  Ariel sniffed. “You need to take some responsibility for this dinner. You figure it out.”

  “I say we skip the ketchup.” Ariel looked in the rearview minor to see him grinning from ear to ear.

  “Fine. But I like ketchup. So does Snookie.”

  “Then I’ll open all of the ketchup packets and dump them in the Whopper box. Is that okay with you?”

  “Three boxes. I like my own ketchup. I don’t like other people sticking their fries in my ketchup. Snookie doesn’t, either.”

  “I hate that dog,” Lex said.

  “Right now I do, too.”

  “How are we going to get this relationship off the ground with that dog glued to you? Do you think there’s a way to outwit her?”

  “No. She seems to know what I’m going to do before I do it. She’s very tuned to me. She loves me. I’m hers. It’s your fault.” She reached for the two bags of food and the tray with the drinks which she handed over the seat to Lex. She drove to a parking spot and turned off the engine. Snookie undid her seat belt, shifted her huge body, and leaned over the seat. Lex parceled out the food. The dog waited patiently for her box of ketchup, turned around, and sat down. “She’s a dainty eater,” Ariel said.

  “I see that,” Lex said. Ariel clenched her teeth.

  “Is this a fun evening or what?” Lex said as he stuffed a wad of french fries into his mouth.

  “Damn right it is,” Ariel snapped. “I can’t remember when I had such a . . . nice date.” She exploded into laughter.

  “I’m thinking of this as a test. Of what, I don’t know,” Lex said.

  In the front seat, Snookie stirred and then fastened her seat belt.

  “She’s ready to go,” Ariel said around the food in her mouth. If we don’t go now she’ll try to start the car and turn the wheel. She’s very smart.”

  “I’m not finished,” Lex grumbled.

  “Well, guess what? Neither am I?” Ariel said, her burger clutched between her teeth as she backed the Rover out of the parking space. Snookie woofed softly. “She likes to ride. Where to now?”

  “You’re in charge. Drive me around until you get tired.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then what what?” Lex said.

  “Then what and where do you want me to go?”

  “I have an idea. Let’s go back to your place and hash over that conversation you had with Dolly the night you shot at me through your window.”

  “That was a private conversation.”

  “Maybe so, but it was about me so I think that gives me the right to hear all the parts I missed. Yes, that’s what we should do.” He pulled his legs up and stretched them out, leaning back with his arm over the back of the seat.

  “Wrong!” Ariel said.

  “Then drive me home. You’re no fun,” he said with pretended petulance.

  “To Bonsall? You aren’t exactly a barrel of laughs yourself.”

  “Don’t like that, huh? Okay, this is my best offer, my only offer, my final offer. Let’s go back to your place, rip off our clothes, and make wild, passionate love.”

  “You got it!” Ariel said, making a U-turn in the middle of the road. Her ears felt warm and then hot.

  In the back seat, Lex’s feet hit the floor. His heart started to pound.

  In the front seat, Snookie barked, her ears going flat against her head.

  “What’s that mean when her ears go back like that?” There was worry in Lex’s voice.

  “That means she’s pissed off. I told you she’s smart. She knows exactly what we just said, and she also knows it doesn’t include her. Start thinking, and remember that she went through the front window. She might kill you. I wouldn’t want that on my conscience. Maybe some herbal tea. She likes that—it has a very calming effect. We could give her two cups. She’ll chew through the door if we don’t let her in the room.”

  “I wasn’t prepared for an audience,” Lex said. “Maybe some brandy in the tea?”

  “Absolutely not. I learned my lesson. We need a plan.”

  “A plan is good.” Lex grinned.

  “We’ll go up to my room, turn on the television. We’ll all have tea. I’ll make a whole pot. We’ll have a fire. She likes to lie by the fire. She’ll think
we’re going to settle down. If we don’t make a lot of noise, it should be okay.”

  “I’ve been known to roar like a lion. A lusty lion.”

  Ariel swallowed hard. “I’ve been known to squeal a time or two myself.”

  “We’ll work it out.” There was absolutely no confidence in Lex’s voice.

  “I hope so. I’m in the mood.”

  “Brazen hussy.”

  “You better be worth all this trouble.”

  “Define the word worth.” There was such worry in Lex’s voice, Ariel smiled in the darkness. “You made that up about those triple orgasms, right?”

  “Nope.”

  “I’m fifty-four.”

  “I know. I’m going to be fifty-one. That means I’m just hitting my stride.”

  “I never heard anything like that. How do I know it’s true?”

  “ ’Cause I read it in Cosmo. Helen Gurley Brown is up on all that stuff. If you can’t believe Cosmo who can you believe?”

  “I hardly know you. You can’t expect . . . perfection the first time out.”

  “I am expecting it. Are you trying to say you can’t deliver?” Ariel wanted to laugh so hard she had to clench her teeth at the worry she saw on Lex’s face in the rearview mirror.

  “I’m not saying that at all.”

  “Good, ’cause we’re home.”

  While Snookie did her last evening visit in the garden, Ariel prepared a pot of herbal tea and poured milk and sugar into separate bowls. “Do you take lemon, Lex?”

  “No. I like milk in my tea. I don’t think I ever drank herbal tea.” He reached for her just as Snookie appeared at the kitchen door. He dropped his arms, picked up the tray, and said, “I’m just here to serve the masses.”

  Giggling, Ariel led the way up the steps, Snookie in between them. In her room, with the door shut and then locked, she set about lighting the fireplace. Lex put the tea tray down on the hearth. Ariel spread out a champagne-colored satin comforter on the floor along with mounds of pillows. “Take your shoes off,” she ordered. “When you take off your shoes, she relaxes. She knows you aren’t going anywhere.” She kicked her espadrilles into the corner before she settled herself on the floor next to Lex. She poured three cups of tea, setting Snookie’s on the side. The shepherd drank daintily and waited for more, her eyes on both of them, watching to see if they were drinking. Three cups later, Ariel leaned her head into Lex’s lap. “It takes a while for her to nod off. Talk to me, tell me things about you I don’t know. Start with the day you were born,” Ariel said lazily.