Page 15 of A Certain Appeal
Andrea freezes, her fork just shy of her mouth. “Well, that’s the rub, isn’t it?” She places the fork back onto the plate. “If it goes thatway, there’s no guarantee the nephew would employ the same concept, but given the show is the club’s biggest draw, the best move would be to change as little as possible.”
“Where would you be, in this scenario?” Jane asks.
“That...” She pauses. “That remains to be seen. Charles’s involvement is specific to Meryton; outfitting some other venue for our shows would be too much of a gamble for him. I certainly don’t have the assets to start anything of my own, and finding another investor would take time.” She sniffs. “You all would scatter to the four winds, getting scooped up by other producers and shows.”
I roll my eyes at the unnecessary drama and make my next bite large enough to let me avoid having to placate her. It earns me a kick from Jane, but I chew on, defiant.
Jane sighs. “We wouldn’t abandon you, Andrea.”
Andrea’s eyes soften, likely more at Jane’s acknowledgment of her emotional fronting than his loyalty. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. Thank you, darling,” she says to the waiter, who has returned with another ungodly amount of $2 bubbles and orange juice concentrate. He tops off each of our glasses, and Andrea raises hers in a toast. “To artful negotiations. And happy couplings.”
“On a scale from one toSilkwood, how badly do you need to shower after that conversation?” I weave my arm through Jane’s, and he gives mine a squeeze. We’ve opted to aid digestion with a stroll through the park instead of heading straight home.
He sighs. “Andrea gonna Andrea.”
Andrea left as soon as her plate—and mimosa vat—was clear. At least she’d done us the courtesy of paying for the meal. I’m still lividover her suggestion about Jane, but Jane’s been quiet. When I peek at his face, his expression is shuttered, brows low in thought.
“It doesn’t have to change anything with you and Charles,” I say.
He blinks. “Why would it? Andrea’s just beingher, and I don’t mind that Charles didn’t mention it. I don’t know when it would have come up.”
“I bet not.” I elbow him. “You got a love bite on your neck—”
“That’s two Cher references in less than thirty seconds, Bennet.”
“That one was Olympia Dukakis.”
“StillMoonstruck.”
“Still stalling.”
Jane releases my arm. I let him walk ahead a few paces. He turns, scrubbing his hand along his jaw. “I like him, Bennet. I want to get to know him better in the time he’s here. We only talked a little bit about him; he was the one asking what brought me to New York and about my interests and...” He shakes his head, eyes distant, then bright. “Ireallylike him.”
While I love seeing Jane so buoyant, my thoughts touch down on the potential fallout of this hypothetical love affair. An image of Jane, depression-dulled and couch-bound, mainlining nature documentaries, flickers in my memory.
I force it aside. It’s been three years. He’ll always be a softie, but Jane’s more resilient now. Plus, he’s braced for a short-term thing here. “Then that’s all that matters.”
Jane nods, beaming. “I saw your folder out, by the way. Andrea did mention renovations.” He links arms with me again, and we turn onto a path lined with benches. “You feeling inspired?” His angling hooks the excitement I’ve been holding in check all morning.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Iamsorry I didn’t say anything about thesale last night. Part of it was how wrapped up I was with Ol’ Tolerable, but...” I grit my teeth. “I didn’t want to mention it, in case it fell through.”
Jane tugs me to take a seat on a bench. A few yards away, a group of children play in a water feature, a man-made stream that will be turned off in the coming weeks. For now, the weather is still warm enough to keep it running.
A little girl in a pink sundress beelines for the water, launching herself into it. The resulting splash flecks our shins. She holds her arms up in triumph, though a few smaller kiddos wail at the unexpected deluge.
Jane chuckles at the spectacle, then tips his head my way. “I know you closed that chapter, Ben. I also know you love interior design. You’re good.”
“I am good,” I concede, helpless in the face of the praise.
“And Idohave a special relationship with the moneyman.”
I let my head fall onto his shoulder. “Dearest, are you volunteering to honeypot yourself for little ol’ me?”
“Only you,” he croons, and kisses my temple. “Now c’mon. All that Cher talk has me wanting to watchMermaids.”
CHAPTER
5
