Until the End of Time Read Free Page B

already met.
    “I left you a message,” he said, looking at her cautiously, “but Idon’t suppose you got it.” He was smiling down at her, like a kid at Christmas, and feeling foolish again. He felt fourteen years old, while she looked so cool and poised.
    “I think I did.” She smiled back at him. “You’re a lawyer, right? I haven’t gotten into any trouble yet.” She still had his card somewhere in a coat pocket or on her desk. She remembered that his name was Bill Sweet. For some reason, it had stuck in her mind.
    “What’s with the truck?” he teased her. “Are you driving away from a bank robbery, or moving furniture for a friend?”
    “I’m doing a shoot in Massachusetts.” It was a story about an important socialite, being shot by a famous French photographer. “For Vogue ,” she added for good measure.
    “I tried to get in touch with you after I saw you at the Plaza. They wouldn’t tell me your name, which makes sense. I probably sounded like a stalker.” She laughed at what he said, and the earnest look in his eyes. He looked like a nice guy, and she could see he was nervous talking to her, which touched her. Most of the men she met were sophisticated and blasé.
    “They’re used to stalkers where I work. Most of the time they’re after the models, not the assistants,” she said with a wry look. Her fur hat was covered with snow again, just like the first time. He couldn’t believe he’d actually run into her again. It was the best luck he’d had in years, possibly ever.
    “Their mistake,” he answered her comment, as the attendant serviced her car. “When are you going back to New York?” he asked her, feeling breathless. What if she said it was none of his business? He was a stranger, after all. It was a Thursday afternoon, and he was going back the following night, for the weekend. He had a dateon Saturday with a girl he’d been seeing for a month, had nothing in common with, and didn’t really like, but she was the younger sister of his brother’s wife, and Bill had nothing else to do. He knew a thousand girls just like her, but not one like Jenny. He could already tell. Everything about her was exciting and different.
    “It depends when we finish the shoot,” she said vaguely. “Saturday or Sunday. I’m driving all the props up to dress the set. I’ll be the last one to leave.” He was sorry he couldn’t offer to drive with her. He had a feeling he would have enjoyed it. She looked like she laughed a lot. There was a twinkle in her eyes.
    “Would you like to get together next week?” he asked bravely.
    “I would, but I’ve got three shoots back to back. That’s what I do. I style for the magazine, which means I’m in charge of a lot of their photo shoots, for the back of the book, the fashion section.” He nodded, trying to pretend he knew what she meant, but he didn’t. And he could hardly concentrate when he looked at her. All he could see were her beautiful big blue eyes, her smile, and her sensual lips. And he couldn’t tell if she was brushing him off or was as busy as she said.
    “Do you get a day off?” he asked, looking hopeful.
    “Once in a while. Not very often. It’s kind of like being married to your job.” She looked as if she didn’t mind it, which made him curious about her.
    “Do you like what you do?”
    “I love it.” She looked happy as she said it. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
    “Drive a truck, delivering furniture?” he joked, and she laughed.
    “Yeah, something like that. You can come to one of the shoots ifyou want. We’re doing two in a studio next week, and one on location in Harlem, at a nightclub called Small’s Paradise. We rented it for the night. I’ll probably get a dinner break around ten P.M . You can meet me there, and we can do KFC, or a funny Chinese place we eat at sometimes when we’re uptown. It’s a dive, but the food is terrific. I can’t take long though. I’ve got four big models