filled the air. The guide signaled the group to divide into two as he led them to the egg-shaped, glass-enclosed elevators, framed in black wrought iron. Under ceilings sectioned with Tiffany glass, they were slowly carried to the fifth floor.
After giving them a few moments to absorb the wondrous sight below, the guide ushered them toward large iron gates draped in ivy and flowering wisteria.
"This is the Cardinal's Nest restaurant," he announced. "We bring everyone here for coffee early in the tour because the Cardinal's Nest affords the finest bird's-eye view of the entire heart of Miranda."
The guide pointed to New Trump's, directly across the park. "Sparkling and majestic, the entire one-hundred-and-twenty-five-floor building is at once there and not there. It is enclosed in a special mirrored glass that reflects everything around it. This feat is most strikingly apparent when one realizes that the last fifty or so floors reflect the sky and the clouds back to the viewer...."
Billie and Thad couldn't listen anymore. All they could do
{9}
was squeeze each other's hands and try not to howl like coon dogs.
"Are you used to the apartment yet, babe?" Cary asked with a smile on his face.
"Darling, I could live in a shack as long as you're with me," Amelia laughed back. "To answer your question, yes, I love it. And we're going to need all eight rooms and three baths. It's amazing what you builders can do. Here we are living high in the sky in an apartment that's bigger than most people's houses."
"It's all for you, Amelia. I had it down on paper right to the last nail. I know you wanted a state-of-the-art kitchen. I kind of like the sunken Jacuzzi myself." He leered at her.
"I know you do." Amelia leered back. "You know what I like best, Cary? The balcony. It's as big as the patio at Sun-bridge. The first thing I did was set out my sundial. It fits perfectly on the pedestal. Cary, I just love it. I know I'm going to spend a lot of time out there when the weather is good."
"We can sit out there all year-round. Did you forget about the special heater I installed? The canopy and the sides are insulated. We'll be as snug as two bugs in a rug."
"I did forget, Cary. There are times when living in an apartment, no matter how big it is, gets to you. The need to walk outside, to touch something green, makes all the difference. Thank you, Cary."
They walked hand in hand through the apartment. Each time they did it they noticed something different—an object with a memory, a special gift, something they'd bought together because it pleased them, the colors they'd chosen after months of looking at fabric and paint samples, a cushion with a petit point cover. All the little things that made up their new home in Assante Towers. In Miranda.
"We're going to be happy here, babe."
"Not going to be happy, Cary. We are happy. I'm so proud of you and all this."
"Couldn't have done it without you," Cary said.
Amelia knew he meant every word. Cary was probably the most honest person she'd ever met. "I love you, Cary."
"And I love you, more than life itself. And because I love you, I am going to carry you to that large sofa we bought so
{10}
we could snuggle into it together. If I remember your words correctly, you said we could get lost in it."
"A nap sounds good to me. What are you going to do?"
"Not a damn thing except reflect on Miranda. I might go out to the balcony and try out that heater."
Amelia smiled at her husband as he settled her in the softness of the sofa. He propped bright orange pillows behind her head and covered her with one of her mother's afghans that had seen far too many washings. "Warmer than cashmere," Amelia whispered as she drifted into sleep.
Cary watched the tour bus from the heated balcony of his penthouse apartment. He straightened his shoulders and threw out his chest. He wasn't going to burst, he was going to bust ... with pride. He'd created it all, lived it all, 365 days a year for ten long
After giving them a few moments to absorb the wondrous sight below, the guide ushered them toward large iron gates draped in ivy and flowering wisteria.
"This is the Cardinal's Nest restaurant," he announced. "We bring everyone here for coffee early in the tour because the Cardinal's Nest affords the finest bird's-eye view of the entire heart of Miranda."
The guide pointed to New Trump's, directly across the park. "Sparkling and majestic, the entire one-hundred-and-twenty-five-floor building is at once there and not there. It is enclosed in a special mirrored glass that reflects everything around it. This feat is most strikingly apparent when one realizes that the last fifty or so floors reflect the sky and the clouds back to the viewer...."
Billie and Thad couldn't listen anymore. All they could do
{9}
was squeeze each other's hands and try not to howl like coon dogs.
"Are you used to the apartment yet, babe?" Cary asked with a smile on his face.
"Darling, I could live in a shack as long as you're with me," Amelia laughed back. "To answer your question, yes, I love it. And we're going to need all eight rooms and three baths. It's amazing what you builders can do. Here we are living high in the sky in an apartment that's bigger than most people's houses."
"It's all for you, Amelia. I had it down on paper right to the last nail. I know you wanted a state-of-the-art kitchen. I kind of like the sunken Jacuzzi myself." He leered at her.
"I know you do." Amelia leered back. "You know what I like best, Cary? The balcony. It's as big as the patio at Sun-bridge. The first thing I did was set out my sundial. It fits perfectly on the pedestal. Cary, I just love it. I know I'm going to spend a lot of time out there when the weather is good."
"We can sit out there all year-round. Did you forget about the special heater I installed? The canopy and the sides are insulated. We'll be as snug as two bugs in a rug."
"I did forget, Cary. There are times when living in an apartment, no matter how big it is, gets to you. The need to walk outside, to touch something green, makes all the difference. Thank you, Cary."
They walked hand in hand through the apartment. Each time they did it they noticed something different—an object with a memory, a special gift, something they'd bought together because it pleased them, the colors they'd chosen after months of looking at fabric and paint samples, a cushion with a petit point cover. All the little things that made up their new home in Assante Towers. In Miranda.
"We're going to be happy here, babe."
"Not going to be happy, Cary. We are happy. I'm so proud of you and all this."
"Couldn't have done it without you," Cary said.
Amelia knew he meant every word. Cary was probably the most honest person she'd ever met. "I love you, Cary."
"And I love you, more than life itself. And because I love you, I am going to carry you to that large sofa we bought so
{10}
we could snuggle into it together. If I remember your words correctly, you said we could get lost in it."
"A nap sounds good to me. What are you going to do?"
"Not a damn thing except reflect on Miranda. I might go out to the balcony and try out that heater."
Amelia smiled at her husband as he settled her in the softness of the sofa. He propped bright orange pillows behind her head and covered her with one of her mother's afghans that had seen far too many washings. "Warmer than cashmere," Amelia whispered as she drifted into sleep.
Cary watched the tour bus from the heated balcony of his penthouse apartment. He straightened his shoulders and threw out his chest. He wasn't going to burst, he was going to bust ... with pride. He'd created it all, lived it all, 365 days a year for ten long
Similar Books
It's All About Him
Denise Jackson
Letters of Love (Green Division Series Book #3)
Ashley Monahan
Love and Gravity
Olivia Connery
Alchymist
Ian Irvine
Witch’s Concubine
Cara Carnes
Her Dark Lord
Mel Teshco
I Need You
Jane Lark
Down from the Cross
Joyce Livingston
Girls Who Travel
Nicole Trilivas