Part 24 (1/2)

”Yes, that's my little precious now. Once you meet this dog of mine, you may never want to come back . . . She knows I'm talking about her . . . She'll probably run under the bed as soon as 165 you walk in. That's how she usually handles strangers.” It was also how she handled their shoes, but Carmen didn't add that.

”Okay, fly safely . . . I can't wait to see you.”

She hung up and sighed. Besides dinner, there wasn't much else to do to get ready for her arrival. The cleaning lady had come this morning, and Carmen had put the finis.h.i.+ng touches on the place with fresh flowers in the dining room and sandal-wood incense when she first got home. Now if she could only get the clock to move faster.

A half hour ticked by as she prepared the chicken and put it in the refrigerator to marinate. She was about to draw a bath when her phone rang.

”h.e.l.lo . . . You're kidding.” Judith's plane was late, something about the weather in Miami delaying the inbound flight. Then she remembered the day. ”This isn't an April Fool's joke, is it?”

The estimate was forty-five minutes late, which would put dinner at around nine-ten for Judith, since she was on Eastern Time. ”Why don't you go ahead and eat on the plane? I don't want you to have to wait so long . . . If you're sure . . . Okay, I'll have it ready as soon as you get here.”

They said good-bye and Carmen studied the clock. Lots of time. Too much time. How was she going to kill three and a half hours? Why had she left work so early? She should have worked late to pa.s.s the time and brought something in for dinner. This was going to be torture.

No, it wouldn't. She would soak in the tub and go over that report Richard had given her at lunchtime. She had brought it home only to justify tearing out of the office at a quarter to four because she couldn't concentrate anymore. She had planned to read it Sunday night.

No sooner had she settled in the tub than her cell phone, which was on the kitchen counter, began to chirp. Not wanting to miss an update from Judith, she wrapped herself in a towel and raced to answer it.

166.

”h.e.l.lo . . . That's fantastic!” The airline had miraculously produced another crew and plane, one that was leaving at seven.

She would be only a half hour late after all. ”Nothing important, just bathing away the grime of the day. You know how dirty office work can be.”

That laugh again. She wanted to hear it all weekend. Well, not all weekend. A little screaming and moaning mixed in would be nice.

”Call me when you're in your seat . . . Prissy's very excited.

I've told her all about you.”

She took the phone into the bathroom this time, and climbed back into the tub. The water had cooled, so she let some out and added more hot. Only an extra half hour. That wouldn't be so bad. She could shave her legs . . . maybe even trim a little of her pubic hair. She expected that particular section of her anatomy to get a good bit of attention over the next couple of days.

She smiled immediately when the phone rang again. Judith was buckled in and on her way, for sure.

”h.e.l.lo . . . No f.u.c.king way . . . I don't believe you.” A security scare at LaGuardia was prompting an evacuation of the entire concourse. ”I smell a conspiracy. Who did you p.i.s.s off at the airlines?” Judith had no idea how long the process would take, but all outbound pa.s.sengers would have to be rescreened. ”Call me again when you know something.”

So much for the perfect evening. There was probably no way Judith would arrive before eleven. She would be exhausted and wound tight from her ordeal. There would be no romantic candlelight dinner tonight, and no breath-stealing seduction scene.

If they were lucky, they would have tomorrow to try again.

”Thank you very much.” Judith tried to hand the driver a twenty, but he waved her off.

”Ms. Delallo already took care of it. You have a nice evening.”

167.

”Thank you,” she said again, turning to the building's doorman. He was smiling his welcome and ready to help her with her bag. ”h.e.l.lo, I'm Judith O'Shea.”

He stopped suddenly as if surprised, then smiled again. ”I'm Luis. You're Miss Delallo's guest. She's expecting you.”

”I think she's been expecting me for quite a while. My plane was late.”

”I'm so sorry. Where were you flying in from?” He led her to the elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton.

”New York.”

”I hope you have a pleasant stay. Miss Delallo is on the fifteenth floor, unit A in the corner.”

”Thank you,” she said as the doors closed. It was nearly eleven o'clock, but she was too keyed up to be tired. If all those calls from Carmen were a clue, she was excited too.

When the elevator stopped, she stepped out with her bag and looked around in the hallway before knocking on the door. Her place in New York was a ghetto compared to this building. At least, that's probably what Carmen had thought. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, intimidated by Carmen's hard-earned prosperity. Carmen said she wanted to share her world this weekend, and this marvelous home was part of it, just like the first-cla.s.s ticket and the limo at the airport.

Standing before unit A, she took a deep breath and gently rapped on the door. Inside, a dog began to yap frantically. She could hear Carmen trying in vain to shush the animal before she finally opened the door.

”Welcome, finally.”

The wait was definitely worth it, Judith decided instantly.

Gone were the stylish silk suits and cashmere sweaters she had seen in New York. This Carmen looked sensational in faded jeans and an oversized denim s.h.i.+rt.

”Hi.” They embraced in the doorway, a hug that seemed to grow stronger every second until Judith dared to wonder what it 168 meant. She had missed Carmen too, but she hadn't expected a welcome like this. ”I'm sorry it took me so long to get here.”

”I'm sorry too. I bet you're exhausted.”

Prissy barked and lunged forward, demanding attention.

”Look at this little sweetheart!” She tore herself from Carmen's embrace and knelt down, holding out a hand for the black-and-tan dachshund to sniff.

Prissy sniffed, barked and jumped back. Then she edged forward to lick the outstretched hand.

”That little sweetheart only likes you if you've brought beloved possessions for her to destroy. I expect her to run under the bed any second to lie in wait.”

But Prissy didn't run. She dropped to her side to expose her belly, wagging her tail excitedly.

”She looks pretty friendly to me.” Judith scratched Prissy's tummy, delighted with the idea that this little one likely had Carmen wrapped around her paw. ”She's still a puppy?”

”A little over a year. She's a miniature, though, so she won't get much bigger. Thank G.o.d for that, or she'd be turning over the furniture.”

”She's precious, Carmen. I can't believe the way you malign this sweet dog.”

”You'll believe it when she eats through the strap on your purse.” Carmen rolled her suitcase in and closed the door before dropping to the rug beside her. ”And whatever you do, don't feed her any people food while you're here, no matter how much she begs. Priscilla did that last weekend and she threw up on my bed in the middle of the night.”

Judith looked up to take in her surroundings. The apartment looked like something out of a decorator magazine. The floors were dark oak, which matched the wainscoting and door frames.

Expensive-looking artwork adorned the dark green walls of the foyer. ”This is gorgeous, Carmen.”

”Thank you. Prissy likes it, and that's all that really matters.”

169.

With Carmen beside her, she gave herself a tour of the modern kitchen and dining room. ”I already have square footage envy, and I haven't even seen the other rooms.”