"No. "
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jane open her mouth as if to speak, then quickly close it again.
"I hope you'll allow me to interview you more in-depth, about specifics, and whatever anecdotes you'd care to share. And that you'd be willing to share any photographs, perhaps copy them at my expense for inclusion in the book. "
"I'll consider it, very seriously, and contact you when I've made my decision. "
"Thank you. I very much appreciate the time you've given me. " He got to his feet, offered his hand. "Your family is of great interest to me, and it's been a pleasure to speak with you. "
"Goodbye, Dr. Carnegie. Jane, show the man out. "
At the door he offered his hand to Jane, smiled straight into her eyes. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Paulson. "
He walked to the elevator, then rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited for the doors to open.
The old woman had something - something she didn't want to share. And the quiet little puppy knew it.
ROZ STROLLED HOMEthrough her woods in the best of all possible moods. It was nearly time for the major spring opening. Her season would begin with a bang, the work would be long, hard, and physical - and she'd love every minute.
The new potting soil was already beginning to move, and once the season got into swing, the twenty-five - pound bags were going to march out the door.
She just felt it.
The fact was, she admitted, she felt everything. The hum in the air that said spring, the streams of sunlight that spilled through the branches, the loose and limber swing of her own muscles.
Hardly a wonder they were loose and limber after last night, she thought. Four orgasms, for God's sake. And Mitch was a man of his word. Stick with me, he'd said, and it won't be the last time.
He'd proven just that in the middle of the night.
She'd had sex twice in one night, and that was certainly worth a red letter on her calendar.
With John . . . they'd been young and hadn't been able to get enough of each other. Even after the children had come, the sexual aspect of their marriage had been vital.
Then it had been a long, long time before she'd allowed another man to touch her. And to be honest, none ever had. Not really, not beyond the physical.
Bryce hadn't. But she'd thought, for a while at least, that it was her own fault, or her own nature. She hadn't loved him, not deep down. But she'd liked him, she'd enjoyed him, and had certainly been attracted to him.
Stupidly, but that wasn't the point now.
The sex had been adequate at best, and adequate had been enough for her. She'd wanted - needed - companionship, partnership.
Since the divorce, for a considerable time prior to
it, if truth be told, she'd been celibate. Her own choice, and the right one for her.
Until Mitch.
Now he'd turned her inside out, and God, she was grateful. And relieved, if it came to that, to know her sex drive was in fine working condition.
He said he was falling in love with her, and that put a little knot in her belly. Love still meant specific things to her. Marriage and family. And those were too enormous to take lightly.
She'd never take marriage lightly again, so she could hardly take love, what she considered its precursor, lightly.
But she could, and she would, enjoy him, and the way she felt on this spectacular evening.
She crossed her own lawn and saw that her earliest daffodils were blooming buttery yellow. Maybe she'd go in, get her sheers, and cut some for her bedroom.
As she approached the house, she saw Stella and Hayley on the veranda, and raised her hand in a wave.