Willow Pond Read Free Page A

from the top shelf. She placed it on top of the desk then opened it and pulled out a sheath of papers.
    “I remember this,” Laura said, grinning. “I must have been around seven when I wrote this one about the two fairies. Have you read any of them?”
    “Of course. I’ve read all of them. Your mother and father thought they were wonderful. They loved your imagination.”
    “They did?” For just a moment, Laura was a child again. She touched the papers lightly, as if she were afraid they’d crumble into dust. “Can I have them? For Todd.”
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Virginia stretched like a sleek black cat in the four poster mahogany bed, trying not to purr as she gazed at Rudy Strauss' retreating figure. She'd bought the huge bed from a redheaded woman who owned an antique shop in Greenwich Village. The woman liked to tell tall tales, like the one she'd told Virginia about the Prince of Wales having once owned the bed. Virginia hadn't minded. She liked stories.
    Rudy was patient where other men rushed, and that had made for a most enjoyable afternoon. Tired, spent and more thoroughly satisfied than she'd ever admit, she reluctantly slid off him and rested her hand on his chiseled abdomen.
    “Never let anyone tell you that you aren’t good for anything, Rudy.”
    A slow, stupid grin of male pride stretched across his dark features.
    “Not for that, anyway,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.
    He looked at her blankly. She shrugged, then pointed to a bottle of champagne chilling in a wooden bucket on the bedside table. “Go ahead and open it. I’d say we’ve earned a bit of refreshment.”
    “The whole day’s been great,” Rudy said, heading toward the bucket. Virginia watched his big fingers pick at the foil on the top of the bottle. Skillful fingers despite their size, she thought. The foil peeled off neatly and he dropped it on the table before addressing the cork. “Your life’s the bees knees, baby. You’ve got the greatest speak in the city.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “Any regrets?”
    She flicked an eyebrow in question.“Like what? Meeting you?”
    “Kids, marriage, you know.”
    “What are you, a comedian?”
    She lowered her feet onto the plush red carpet and reached for her dressing gown. The carpet was warm as summer grass under her feet and her toes curled appreciatively as she walked toward the window. Scooping open the red velvet drapes, Virginia peered outside. Central Park was busy in the late afternoon sun. Especially by the fountains. So far, 1930 had been the hottest summer anyone could remember.
    The bedroom suite was enormous, having once been two rooms. She'd painted the top half of the wall white, the bottom a deep burgundy. From beside the table the cork popped and she heard bubbles hissing in crystal. She turned toward Rudy, who held two full glasses, one of them stretched toward her. Leaving the sun to flood into the room, she headed toward him, hand outstretched for her glass.
    “How's your niece’s kid?”
    She sipped, then frowned. “Why are you so interested in him? You hate kids. Last time my assistant Harry brought his granddaughter in you looked at her like she had the clap.”
    “You can trust me.”
    “The hell I can. My family is off limits to you. Understand?”
    Ignoring his indignant huff, she sat at her vanity and stared at her reflection. Since she'd turned forty, three years earlier, she’d begun to notice subtle changes in her skin she didn’t like. With a sigh, she applied a layer of cold cream to her face, then gently removed it with a tissue. Rudy came up from behind and cupped her shoulders in his hands. Their eyes met in the mirror.
    “You’re gorgeous, baby, absolutely gorgeous.”
    She turned and looked at him. “Listen, Rudy. A rat is still a rat even if it has a smile on its face. I know perfectly well who and what you are. Don’t ever try to fool me. Stay out of my