Pretty Woman

by Fern Michaels

  She wondered now if she should have told Jack what had happened yesterday when she’d talked to him last night. For some reason she hated talking to Jack about Kent. They’d talked for over an hour about everything and anything. Talking about Kent would have ruined her mood and the conversation. She smiled when she remembered how sexy she’d felt while she was talking to Jack, how warm her body had felt. She missed him. He said all he did was think about her. Did that mean they were in love?

  Twice she’d started to tell him about her experience with the tree, but at the last second switched the conversation to something else. That, too, would have ruined the mood.

  She’d been restless after the phone call and unable to sleep, so she’d gotten up and sat on the rocker with the warm night breeze that swept through the window cloaking her in a delicious ambiance she was at a loss to explain.

  She’d thought a lot about Martha and finally decided it was a special, private experience and not to be shared with anyone. At least until there was some kind of a sign that maybe she should share. Maybe she just wasn’t supposed to share it with Jack. Telling Vickie would probably be okay. A woman thing? Her overactive imagination? She simply didn’t know. What she did know was she wasn’t spooked in any way. That had to mean something.

  Rosie started to tingle when she thought about taking Vickie out to River Road and having her take a look at the tree. Vickie had a good head on her shoulders. Maybe her friend would see or feel something she was missing. Then again, Vickie might think she was a total nutcase.

  Rosie checked her watch. Time to head for the meeting with Tim Donovan. She looked down at Buddy, who was sitting with his leash in his mouth. “Sorry, baby, but it’s way too hot to leave you in the car. I won’t be long, then we can go to the school and do our bike ride. My dental appointment is just a checkup. You’ll get a good run, and all the kids will play with you.” The dog tilted his head as though he knew that was exactly what she was going to say to him. He dropped his head between his paws, his leash at his side. Rosie offered up a rawhide chew that he totally ignored, as though to say, you can’t bribe me.

  In the foyer, Rosie looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing one of her new outfits, a cranberry silk dress. She’d chosen it because it had a pretty gold-braided belt, and at last she had a waistline. She winked at herself. She knew she looked good, and she felt even better. She was a smart, pretty woman with only eighteen more pounds to lose.

  One time after a particularly bitter quarrel with Kent, Luna Mae had said something to her she never forgot. She’d said, never fight with a boyfriend or a husband if you don’t look good. Looking good gives you confidence. She’d also said, stand tall and don’t slouch and do not ever let someone tower over you while they are talking to you. Luna Mae said that allowing something like that was gross intimidation. Something Kent excelled in. Well, not today or any other day. This wasn’t the old Rosie Bliss. This was the new improved Rosie Gardener.

  Rosie was almost to the door when she backtracked to the kitchen for a plastic grocery bag. She stuffed it in her purse before she set the alarm, then exited the house. In the car, she picked up Kent’s Bally shoes and tossed them into the grocery bag.

  She was going to get such pleasure out of returning the shoes to Kent in front of both lawyers.

  The ten-minute private conversation with her attorney was not all that she wanted it to be. Rosie listened intently, her eyes sparking with anger. “No, no, and no. I’ll deal with the lottery ticket in my own way. I’m not settling with Kent, I’m not paying him alimony, and I’m not giving him half of my private pension plan. No, no, no!”

  The lawyer stepped back to get a better look at his client. This was definitely not the same woman who had first appeared in his office. This woman was a fire-eatingdragoness. He was pleased with the thought until he wondered if there was such a thing as adragoness. He liked the change in his client.

  “I hear you, Rosie. Okay, let’s go to the conference room.”

  Her head high, her eyes still blazing, Rosie followed the attorney to the conference room and sat down across the table from her husband. Kent was the first to look away. He did raise his eyes long enough to glance suspiciously at the grocery bag Rosie dropped on the conference room table.

  Rosie listened while the two lawyers went at it with their legalese. To Rosie’s ears it sounded just a little too civil for her. For all she knew the two attorneys were friends, although from the looks of Kent’s slick-looking attorney, she wouldn’t bet her pearls on it. They’d probably go to lunch together when the meeting was over. On her dime.

  Rosie stood up. “That’s enough! I’m sick of this. I’m not paying four hundred dollars an hour to beat around the bush.” She placed the palms of her hand on the table and fixed her gaze on Kent. “Listen to me, Kent. You are not getting half of my private pension. I am not settling with you. Do you understand me? You broke into my house twice. I have a witness who saw you,” she lied with a straight face. “You stole Jack Silver’s gun out of his car, and you stole money and jewelry from me and Luna Mae at the house and from my purse out on River Road. Just so you know, Kent, I have a private detective watching you twenty-four/seven,” she lied again.

  “In addition, don’t you think it’s time for you to give up on that Wonderball nonsense? I am going to file a harrassment suit against you. Now, is there any part of what I just said that you don’t understand?”

  All Kent heard were the wordsprivate detective andtwenty-four/seven. He stared at his wife as he tried to control his rage and the fear that was threatening to choke the life from him.

  “Here!” Rosie said, sliding the grocery bag across the table. “Your shoes are in there! The shoes you left behind yesterday when you were out on River Road. I saw you, you son of a bitch! You were trespassing on Jack Silver’s property.”

  Rosie turned her wrath on the two lawyers. “Here,” she said, withdrawing a stuffed manila folder from her straw carry-all bag. “Every receipt, every penny I gave this man is accounted for. He contributed nothing to our marriage. All he did was take and take and take. Add it up, and it will blow your minds. I want every damn cent back! Otherwise, I will go to Kent’s employer, Jason Maloy, and ask him to garnish his wages. I will do that, and don’t think I won’t. The man is an alley cat. He feeds off women because he isn’t man enough to take care of himself. He has no pride, no integrity, and, on top of that, he’sSTUPID.

  “When I leave here, I am going to the police station to get a restraining order against you, Kent. Then I am going to tell the police how you broke into my house not once but twice. They’re going to look at you real close, Kent. They probably have a tail on you, too. You now have a gun in your possession that you stole. In my eyes, that makes you a dangerous person because you’re a hothead, and that frightens me. Your stupidity is exceeded only by your greed. I must have been out of my mind to have married you. Oh, one last thing.” Rosie leaned farther across the table. “I’m going to make you look like the arrogant fool you are in that November triathlon because I’m going to beat you. You’ll eat my dust.”

  I hope I did that right, Luna Mae. I stood up. I towered over him just like you said. I did my best to look good. I feel good.She worked her facial muscles into something that resembled a smile and said, “Good day, gentlemen! I can see myself out.”

  The two lawyers looked at one another. Then, as one, they looked at Kent.

  Flustered and frightened out of his wits, Kent stood up. He had trouble meeting the lawyers’ eyes. “All right. Just file the damn divorce papers, and I won’t contest it. However, I want to reserve my right or whatever it is you have to do in case Rosalie ever comes forth with that Wonderball ticket. I’m going to want my half.”

  Both lawyers watched as Kent reached for the grocery bag and exited the office.

  The lawyers sat down when the door closed, legal pads in front of them, their respective Mont Blanc pens at the ready.

  In the parking
lot, Rosie pressed the remote to open the car door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kent approaching her. She held her arms out in front of her. “That’s far enough, Kent! Just so you know, the private detective I hired is around here somewhere, and he’s probably taking pictures,” she fibbed. “Keep it in mind from this moment on. Every move you make is documented.”

  “You’re crazy! I always knew you had a screw loose, but this just proves it,” Kent snarled. “You better not go to Maloy with your garbage. Don’t worry about getting a restraining order. I have no desire to get within spitting distance of you. To me you’re still the tub of lard I married.

  “In addition,Rosalie,” Kent sneered, “I had a legitimate reason for being out there on River Road. The house at the end of the road is up for sale, and I went there to take a video for two different clients. I can show it to you and your lawyer if you want. I was walking up and down the road shooting different angles. Yeah, I stepped foot on Jack Silver’s property, and some goddamn freaky wind whipped up and blew me all the way across the yard and also blew off my shoes. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened. I was not spying on you. Why would I? You don’t mean anything to me. You never did.”

  Once those words would have burned her to her soul.Freaky wind? A wind so strong it blew off Kent’s shoes? Martha? She forced a laugh she didn’t feel. She’d think about that later. “You’re looking a little ragged, Kent, not your usual snappy self. You need a haircut, your clothes are wrinkled. Dry cleaning is expensive, isn’t it? What, no manicure? They’re expensive, too. Is that a zit on your face? By golly, it is. I couldn’t believe it when Vickie, Annie, and Danny said they saw you going through the drive-through windows of some of Savannah’s finest greasy fast-food restaurants.

  “Luna Mae told me you’re residing at the Days Inn. My, oh my. Howcan you stay there? You were always so fastidious. Just thinking about all the people who slept in that bed doing God knows what? Roaches. All kinds of people doing all kinds of things in those beds. Probably doing thingsyou wouldn’t eventhink of doing. It just gives me the creeps thinking about it. You have a nice day, you bastard.”

  Kent shouted something, but Rosie couldn’t hear once she closed and locked the door. She gave the horn a zippy three-note tap and sped off.

  Kent sat in his hot car until the air-conditioning finally cooled it down. It shouldn’t be so hot in early September. He turned the key and drove away, aimlessly driving up one street and down another. Where should he go? What should he do? He kept his eyes on the rearview mirror, hoping to spot the detective Rosalie said she’d hired. Of all the damn, dumb, stupid breaks. He was sorry now that he never watched cop shows and all those legal programs where detectives gave away their secrets. He could use the trick called “how to spot someone following you.”

  Maybe he should just go back to work and forget about everything except showing houses and making money.

  His wife’s words rang in his ears. It had all been so humiliating. He knew he was slipping, and he hated it. He’d always strived to match his appearance to his Porsche. He had to dress and look like a person good enough to own and drive a Porsche. People expected it, and he had been more than glad to comply. You could dress any way you wanted if you drove a leased Buick, just like you could wear overalls and drive a Toyota. Those vehicles simply weren’t dress-up cars that shouted, “Hey, look at me!”

  Kent steered the Buick into the parking lot of a strip mall and headed for the liquor store. He had his hand on a bottle of scotch when he realized he didn’t really like scotch. He only drank it because it was a man’s drink and fashionable at the same time. He moved his hand and picked up a quart of gin, an inferior brand given the price. At the register he bought two packs of cigarettes, paid the bill, and walked away. He was going back to the Days Inn to get soused. But before he did that, he had some heavy-duty thinking and planning to do.

  In his room, Kent covered the small sofa with the skimpy towels. The ice bucket was full, and his bed had been made, so that meant none of the housekeeping staff would be knocking on his door. He opened the bottle of gin and poured it over the ice in his glass. He stared at the glass in his hand. Maybe he should have gone to the gym and worked off his anger instead of coming here to drink.

  Dammit to hell, where does Rosalie get off talking to me the way she did? Like she’s really going to win the triathlon in November.He snorted.God, how I hate her.

  Kent downed his drink and poured another. And another, then still another. When he couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer, he kicked off his shoes and crawled between the sheets.

  Life is such a bitch,was his last thought before he passed out.

  It was two o’clock when Rosie returned from the vet’s with Buddy. She watched, smiling, when he went to his bed and lay down. Poor baby, he hated the vet and all the poking and prodding he’d done. He hadn’t liked the two shots he’d gotten either.

  Rosie was now free and could do one of two things. She could either go to the high school with her bike and do her five miles or she could go by the Simmons mansion to see how the seniors were working out. She opted for the seniors. She could bike tomorrow and really start her training with a hard-and-fast routine. She had no pressing engagements to interfere with her program.

  Fifteen minutes later, Vickie’s voice rang out loud and clear. “The boss is here!”

  Rosie blushed as her new employees looked up, smiled, and waved.

  “What are you doing here, Rosie? You’re supposed to be training. That’s what this,” she said, waving her arms, “is all about.”

  “Tomorrow I start in earnest. I had an appointment with the lawyers. Kent was there. It wasn’t nice. I wasn’t nice. I had to go to the dentist, then take Buddy to the vet. I also had to go to the grocery store and the drugstore. Jack doesn’t want me canoeing on the river unless someone is there with me. I thought about asking you if you’d go with me. Not in the canoe, but just so you can keep your eye on things.” Rosie lowered her voice. “There’s also another reason why I want you to go with me out to River Road if you have the time.” She quickly explained about her experience with the tree and swing. Vickie’s eyebrows shot upward, her eyes wide. “Can you leave them, or do they need you to be here?”

  “Are you kidding! They are so on target it’s almost scary. Come over here, I want to show you something. What do you think?” Vickie asked, pointing to a box made of thin wooden lath and filled with gold-and-silver pinecones. A bright red velvet ribbon finished the pretty box.

  “It’s gorgeous. Did you buy it?”

  “No. Lettie made it. She went out in the yard when she finished her lunch and picked the pinecones. Sally sprayed them, and Mitzi made the bow. Ben made the box in under five minutes. No nails. He used super wood glue. The pinecones dried in seconds. Mitzi has some kind of gadget that actually makes bows. You’d be surprised at the stuff she lugs around in that satchel of hers. A person could set up housekeeping with what she carries around. What do you think of $49.95?”

  Rosie looked surprised. “For that!”

  “Yeah. It costs about thirty-nine cents to make. This yard is littered with pinecones. So is your yard and so is mine and practically every yard in Savannah. I took a picture of the box when it was finished, and Fred already added it to the website. That was a while ago. We got six orders that just came through. But I can top even that, Rosie.” Excitement rang in her voice when she said, “Willie, the man in the wheelchair, is a whiz with websites. His nephew showed him how to do it, and that’s what he’s been doing for the past year as a hobby. We now have animation on our site, and it’s terrific! He geared it all to Christmas, with Santa, elves, and a sleigh loaded with our products. I’m telling you, Rosie, it’s a work of art. The best part of all this is, all these ladies and gentlemen love what they’re doing. Forget working part-time. They want full-time, and they are in no hurry to go home at six o’clock. They are worth every penny we’re paying them plus more.”

  �
��This is just so awesome.” Rosie laughed. “Does that mean you can go with me to River Road?” Her voice dropped to a low whisper. “Is there a reason why all of our new employees wear so much jewelry? Do they buy it by the pound?”

  Vickie broke into hysterical laughter as she led Rosie out of earshot of their new employees. “It’s magnetic jewelry. For their aches and pains. That’s why they’re so spry and upbeat. They have a magnet for everything. We had to do some organizing when we first got started because all our metal tools kept gravitating toward them. It’s under control now, though. Who knew?” she quipped.

  “That’s great. I should get some for my knees,” Rosie said, laughing. “Hey, if it works, more power to them. So, can you go with me or not?”

  “Yep, I can go with you. Just let me tell Mitzi I’m leaving. I’ll meet you in the car.”

  Shaking her head from side to side, Rosie walked outside to follow the path that led to the backyard. She looked up at the tall pines and down at the ground, where hundreds and hundreds of pinecones of all sizes lay. The magic of throwaway stuff.

  Unbelievable.

  Rosie parked the car, and both women got out to look around. “Oh, this is so beautiful, Rosie. I’m not being nosy, but how does a physical fitness trainer own something like this? Just maintaining it must cost a fortune. Do trainers make that kind of money?”

  Rosie shrugged. “He runs the gym here in town and oversees the others. He travels a lot to make sure they’re up to speed. I never got into financials with him. It’s none of my business. We were just trainer and pupil until a few days ago. He did say he grew up here, so that has to mean the house was in the family. He lived here all his married life. Oh, I remember. Jack said that his father deeded it to him when he and Martha got married.”

  “What’s it like inside?” Vickie asked, as she stretched her neck to look around at the landscaping.