Part 20 (1/2)
back against him.
She folded her arms over her stomach and remained fully upright. ”Logan, you say you're happy with
me.”
”I am.”
”Then why can't you let the past go? Why can't you forgive my sister for ... choosing another man over you?” She turned beneath his hands, so she could face him. ”I don't call her anymore, Logan. Because I feel uncomfortable myself, about the whole thing. I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to lose touch with her. She's my sister. And she's my friend. And I love her very much.”
”I never said I expected you to cut off contact with her.”
”No. But you ... you don't want me to talk about her. You behave as if you'd just as soon forget that she and Mack even exist.”
She paused, waiting for him to argue with her, to rea.s.sure her, to tell her he didn't mind talking about Jenna at all. That he most certainly did not want to forget she existed.
But he didn't argue.
She made her final point. ”You won't go and visit her.”
He did have a reply to that. ”I will. Eventually. You just have to back off a little. Give me a little more time.”
More time. ”You already said that.”
”And I think it's a reasonable request.”
She stared at him, thinking, I love you. Do you love me?
Should she ask him?
Somehow, she just couldn't bear to.
It seemed to her that a declaration of love ought to be freely given. It wasn't something a woman should pull out of a man-like a splinter or a shameful confession. She warned in a gentle voice, ”Don't take too much time,Logan. Eventually I'll simply go toKey West without you.”
”I understand,” he said.
”Do you?”
”Let it go, Lace.”
”All right. I will. For now.”
Two days later, when Jenna called, Lacey told her it would be a while before she andLoganvisited.
Jenna didn't ask why. She said she'd look forward to their visit whenever it came. And that any time Lacey needed her, all she had to do was call. The phone rang again not two minutes after Lacey hung up from her conversation with Jenna. It was Barnaby Cole. ”I had to call you. My fingers were just itching to punch up your number.” Lacey laughed, but her heart had started beating hard and fast. ”What?” ”They just left.”
”I take it you mean Xavier and Belinda Goldstone.”
”You take it right.” Barnaby's voice, always deep and booming, seemed even deeper than usual, and charged with excitement. Lacey could see him in her mind's eye, a chocolate-skinned, muscular giant of a man, hunched over the phone, fiddling with the small gold hoop he always wore in his left ear.
”How long were they there?” she demanded.
”Over an hour.”
”And? What happened? Barnaby, stop torturing me. Tell me, before I have a heart attack.”
”Tell you-?”
”Everything.”
”Everything.” He chuckled, that low, rolling chuckle of his that Lacey had always loved. ”All right. Let's
see. They came up the freight elevator, since that's the only way to get here. Xavier made the introductions. The art dealer said the same thing that everybody says. It must be fabulous to have all this s.p.a.ce-but the neighborhood is so dangerous, didn't I worry a little about my own safety? I said-”
”Barnaby. Stop it.” He chuckled some more. ”Stop what?” ”When I said 'everything,' you know what I meant. He pretended innocence. ”Oh. You want to hear about yourpaintings ...” ”That's right. So tell me. Tell me right now.” ”Well, let's see. I'd taken them out of the storage racks and propped them against the walls of the studio, in the order you told me to. I led both the Goldstone woman and Xavier back there. She took one look at them-”
”Oh, G.o.d.” Lacey ordered herself to breathe. ”What?”
”-and she turned to Xavier and me-we were standing behind her. She waved at us, a shooing gesture, with the back of her hand. 'Leave me alone,' she said. 'Give a woman some s.p.a.ce.'”
”So? You and Xavier-” ”We went out to the kitchen area. I bought an espresso machine, did I tell you? We made lattes.” ”You and Xavier made lattes, while Belinda Goldstone looked at my paintings.” ”That's right. She was in there forever.” ”And when she came out?” ”She was very quiet. I offered her a latte. She said she had to get back to the gallery.” ”And that's all?” ”You should have seen her face.” ”Why? What was wrong with it?” ”Nothing. She loved what she saw.” ”Youthink she loved what she saw.” ”No, Iknow she loved what she saw. She'll be calling you, just wait.” ”Wait?” Lacey let out a wild laugh. ”Wait?I'll go crazy...” ”Call Xavier. Maybe she said something more to him after they left.” She did call Xavier. He didn't answer, so she left him a message. He called back two hours later, after she'd nursed Rosie and changed her diaper and spent the rest of the time pacing the floor.
Xavier said virtually the same thing Barnaby had said. That he was sure Belinda Goldstone would be
calling her soon. ”Soon? When issoon?” ”It's Friday, Lace. And it's after three. The working week is over.” ”Oh. Great. That's just great.” ”I'm sure she'll call you Monday. Or sometime next week.” ”I might have a nervous breakdown before then.” ”A nervous breakdown would be counterproductive. My advice is to work.” ”Work.” ”Yes. And do ... whatever mothers do with their infants. Go someplace wonderful for dinner. Make love with your husband. Live your life and live it well.”
”If Belinda Goldstone happens to call you-”
”She won't. Not about you. It's between you and her now. I gave her your number.”
”She asked for it?”
”Yes. So settle down. Wait. She will call. She'll ask you to meet with her. She'll offer to become your dealer. And she'll want to discuss your first show with her gallery.”
”You're talking about it as if it's really going to happen.”