“Maybe you could—” Colin broke off because the door opened and a pretty secretary entered carrying a big cardboard box.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.” She put the box on the desk. “Your dad wants these for tomorrow. He said he wanted to hide the faces of the team that had such a bad last quarter.”
“Sure,” Colin said. “Just leave it there and he’ll see it.”
She left, closing the door behind her.
“Anyway,” Colin said, “maybe you could apologize enough that she would—”
Reede had gone to the box on the desk and was looking inside it. “It’s Halloween,” he said in wonder.
“Yeah. Dad always gives a little party to the staff and hands out incentive awards, but this year the sales are so bad that—” He broke off because Reede had pulled out a mask of a werewolf and was holding it over his face.
It took Colin a moment to understand. “A mask would hide you.”
“Yes,” Reede said as he put the furry thing down. “She wouldn’t be able to see who I was.”
Colin’s eyes showed his racing thoughts. “It would take some work, but maybe we could keep the secret for three days. That’s today, Friday, then Saturday and Sunday. There’s the big party tomorrow night. Everyone will be in costume. My family will be there. Mom is dying to tell the world that Pere’s girlfriend, Rachel, is pregnant.”
“Everyone knows that,” Reede said. “Rachel’s bought enough baby clothes for six kids.”
“That’s all right. Ariel’s pregnant too, and with Gemma, all the clothes will be needed.”
Reede couldn’t help smiling. Everyone knew that what Colin’s mother, Alea, wanted most in the world was grandchildren, and now her daughter Ariel, her daughter-in-law Gemma, and probably soon-to-be daughter-in-law Rachel were all expecting babies. A wish come true.
“Hey! I have an idea,” Colin said. “What about a private party for you and Sophie tomorrow afternoon? You know the old Haynes house out on McTern road?”
Reede couldn’t help drawing in his breath.
“What?”
“That’s the house I wanted to buy for Laura and me. The pond . . . ”
“Yeah, right. It’s a clone of Tris’s Aldredge House.” Between them passed years of understanding. “Anyway, Ariel and Frank bought that house. They closed on it last week, and it’s empty until they return to Edilean.”
Ariel, Colin’s sister, was in California finishing her medical residency. The plan was that she’d return home and share the practice with Tristan. That way they’d both have time off for their families.
“What if I get Mom to arrange it so you could have a private party for just you and your Sophie at that house? Since it’s Halloween it could all be done while wearing masks.”
Reede had to blink a few times as he thought about what Colin was saying. Maybe it could work. Possibly. Probably not. Maybe definitely not. What woman would go out with a man in a mask? Then he remembered Tris saying that Jecca, the woman he married, was an artist, so he’d had to be creative in courting her. “Not easy for a man of science,” Tris had said, “but I did it.” Sophie was an artist too, so maybe she’d like—
Reede looked back at Colin. “Think Sara can find another costume between now and then?”
“I think that if there’s any hope to get you out of your gloom and doom this whole town would start sewing and make you one. Hell! I’ll put on a few buttons.” Colin took out his cell phone. “This is your last chance to say no. Once I call Mom and tell her, there’ll be no backing out.”
“Between her and my mother . . . ” Reede didn’t want to think anymore. “Sure, why not?”
Colin pushed the key that contained his mother’s phone number.
Seven
Sophie leaned back from Dr. Reede’s computer and smiled at her work. It had taken hours, but she’d set up online banking for him and had put every bill she could find on autopay. She’d even used his AmEx points to order a new vacuum cleaner and a set of white dishes. The ones he had were chipped and cracked and so old she was afraid the glaze contained lead.
She’d downloaded Quicken and put his expenses into categories. He didn’t spend much and his checks were mostly for bills, so it hadn’t been too big of a job to do the whole year.
As for his income, savings, and investments, she had no idea what they were. Every few weeks a check would be deposited and it would cover his expenses. If what was deposited was his total income or not she didn’t know. If it was, he was far from rich.
“And his financial state is none of my business,” she said aloud as she looked around the apartment. This morning she’d been disappointed when she was told she wouldn’t be meeting Dr. Reede after all. But she understood about medical emergencies. Yet again, the women in the office had talked at length about what a great guy Reede is, how he thinks of no one but himself.