“Food’s here,” they said at the same time, drawing mutual chuckles and smiles that would continue long into their lazy Sunday afternoon.



* * *

Monday came as it always does, forcing attentions to be turned to things of importance besides each other. This particular day also brought with it temperatures in the teens and blowing snow. Maria arrived at 7:30, half an hour late. Monday was the day she stopped at the supermarket first to pick up fresh milk and bread to replenish whatever Ronnie had depleted over the weekend. Normally was not a problem, but an accident near Routes 378 and 9 had traffic backed up for almost an hour. Ronnie was already in the shower after her morning workout. As Maria made her way from the foyer, the housekeeper tossed a curious look at the hastily moved furniture in the living room, noting the rumpled blanket and pillow. “Are you supposed to be up there?” She queried the orange and white cat lying on them.


“Mrrow?” Tabitha picked her head up at the voice and quickly followed Maria out to the kitchen. This was the dark-haired one that dropped the little pieces of meat all the time, the feline remembered.


“I see you’ve taken over while I was gone, eh?” She set the bags down on the counter before tossing her purse into the drawer reserved for that purpose. Her wet coat went into the laundry room along with her scarf. “Well, let’s see if we can’t try and get something quick whipped up before Ronnie gets down here.”


“Looks pretty nasty out there,” the black-haired woman said as she entered the kitchen a few minutes later. “Think maybe I’ll take the day off and stay home.”


“Did you have a good weekend? I see you certainly left enough dishes for me.”


“Actually I did have a good weekend,” Ronnie replied as she crossed the room looking for a fresh cup of coffee. “The roads are pretty nasty, right?”


“Well, they’re not the best but they are driveable.”


“But it could get worse,” she said, making the statement sound more like a question.


“I suppose it could, Ronnie. I didn’t really get to see what the weather report said this morning.”


“So it could get worse out there.” The executive seemed pleased with her reasoning. “I’d better work from home today. Wouldn’t want to take the chance.”


“Of course not, after all you’re what…eight miles from work or so?” Maria opened the refrigerator to survey the damage from the weekend. “Omelets?”


“Sounds good. I’ll go check on Rose while you’re doing that.”


“What does she like in hers?”


“I think mushrooms and green peppers…oh, and cheese, of course.” Ronnie picked up her coffee cup and headed toward the office, leaving Maria to her tasks and Tabitha to follow after the housekeeper in hopes of a treat.


Rose was still sleeping when Ronnie entered the office and sent an email to her secretary and to Susan announcing that she was going to work from home that day. Rose slept through the sound of the television being turned on and the constant flicking from one station to another. The only thing that brought her out of her dream world was the smell of fresh omelets and muffins when Maria brought breakfast in to them.


“Knew something had to wake you,” Ronnie quirked.


“Mmm? Oh, morning Ronnie,” she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Morning Maria, how was your weekend?”


“It was fine, Rose. How was yours?”


“Good.” She sniffed the air. “Oh, that smells wonderful.”


“Maria’s cooking is always wonderful. That’s why I keep her around,” Ronnie teased.


“I knew there had to be some reason,” the housekeeper joked back. She turned her attention back to the injured woman. “How are your legs feeling?”


“They ache a lot but the heat seems to help.”


“Good. You just do what the doctor says and I’m sure you’ll be up and about in no time.”


“Yeah, as long as she doesn’t try to do everything for herself,” Ronnie chimed in. “We had to make a trip to the ER.”


“You did? Oh my!” Maria looked from one to the other. “What happened?”


Ronnie filled the housekeeper in on the incident while Rose tried unsuccessfully between forkfuls to change the subject. The head of the house was just finishing up her breakfast when the doorbell rang. “That must be your nurse,” she said to the young woman.


“I’ll see to her coat and then bring her in here,” Maria said.


A few minutes later the nurse entered the room. “Hello. My name is Karen Brown and I’ll be your nurse,” she said to Rose.


“Hi, I’m Rose Grayson.” She held her hand out to the nurse.


“Ronnie,” the executive offered.


“Well, I suppose the first thing I should do is wash up and take a look at those stitches on your cheek.” Karen looked up at Ronnie. “How long has she been home?”


Ronnie chose not to correct the nurse about Rose’s residence status. “They released her Friday afternoon.”


“Have you done any passive therapy?”


“No, but she’s been up in the wheelchair a little bit.”


“That’s not passive therapy,” Nurse Brown corrected. “Well then, I suppose we’ll clean the wounds and we can get started.” She glanced at Rose’s cheek and the stitches that ran across it.

“There’s no sign of infection there. When are you supposed to go back and have your stitches removed?”


“Friday. With any luck I’ll be up and walking again soon.”


Karen pushed her glasses up on her nose. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up, Miss Grayson. Your legs have been through a tremendous trauma. It’s going to take a great deal of time and effort before you’ll be able to get around on your own. Let’s not worry about walking yet and just concentrate on getting you healed.”


Ronnie stood up and grabbed her empty cup. “I’m getting some more coffee. Do you want some, Rose?”


“Yes please, thank you.” She held out her cup.


“What about you, Miss Brown?”


“Oh no thanks. I don’t drink caffeine.”


“Fine, I’ll be back in a minute.” She headed for the door but was stopped by the melodic voice.


“Ronnie?”


“Yeah?”


“Could you give me a few minutes?” Rose gave an embarrassed smile. “I have a couple of things that I need to take care of.” She looked pointedly at the bedpan sitting on the small stand.


“Oh, uh, okay. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”


But Ronnie did not go in the living room. Instead, she haunted Maria while the older woman tried to get her daily chores done. “So, you saw her, what do you think of her?”


“She’s not my nurse. You should be asking Rose about her.”


“But do you think that she’s all right? I mean, the agency said she was a registered nurse. Should I have gotten more information about her? I can call Susan and have her run a check with the State Board.”


“If you think you should, Ronnie,” replied Maria, the duster in her hand flying over the antiques.

“Has she said or done anything you don’t approve of?”


“Well…no, not really.”


“Then what’s the problem?”


“No problem. I just wondered if I should or not, that’s all,” the executive replied, her tone slightly miffed. She stood there silently for a minute, the tension building within her. “I have a lot of work to do and my computer is in there.”


“You have another one upstairs in your room that you could use if you had to.”


“But the data I need is on this one,” she lied, knowing full well both computers connected to the network housed at the corporate offices.


“Ronnie, if you need to get in there I’m sure Rose would understand.”


The tone in Maria’s voice made the tall woman realize just how she sounded. “No, I’ll use the one upstairs. Let me know when lunch is ready.” She turned and raced up the stairs.


Part 4




Once inside her room, Ronnie flipped on the switch of her computer and sulked over to her bed. She looked around the room, realizing, as if for the first time, how quiet and empty it was. The thick carpets and solid wood floors kept the sounds from below from filtering up to her. “This is stupid,” she scowled, returning to her computer desk and sitting down. “I have work to do.”


The folder she clicked on however, was not a work folder. It was to her solitaire game. She followed by reviewing her appointment book and noting that Christmas was only seventeen days away. Well, it would not hurt anything if she looked around the Internet for a while. Browsing the Macy’s site gave Ronnie no ideas at all about a gift to get for her mother. She had seen several items she thought Rose would like though. By quarter of twelve, Ronnie still had no presents for the members of her family. “The gift that always fits,” she decided, clicking on the gift certificate form. That problem solved, she shut the computer off and trotted downstairs to have lunch with Rose and watch Judge Judy together.


When Ronnie entered Rose’s room, she was pleased to see Karen was finishing up. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t forget to do those exercises I showed you. You have to keep those muscles active as much as possible or it will only slow your recovery.”


“I will, thank you,” the young woman replied.


“Fine.” The nurse turned her attention to Ronnie, correctly assuming she was the one in charge.

“I’ll be back tomorrow around nine.”



* * *

Lunch was a simple fare of soup and sandwiches, eaten while listening to the feisty judge reprimand someone for thinking she would believe they had repaid a loan but just could not find their receipt. By the time the credits rolled, both women were looking at empty plates. “Maria can make anything taste good.”


“Oh, she’s a wonderful cook,” Rose agreed. “Has she always worked for you and your family?”


“As long as I can remember. Her mother worked for us too, but she retired shortly after I was born. Maria’s been everything from housekeeper to baby-sitter to referee ever since.” The high pitched chirp of the phone interrupted her. “Probably another telemarketer,” she grumbled.


“Aren’t you going to answer it?”


“No. Maria screens my calls for me.” As if on cue, Maria knocked on the door. “Okay,” Ronnie called while reaching for the phone. “This is Veronica Cartwright.”


“Um…yes, Miss Cartwright, this is Jonathan Barker from First Albany Savings and Trust. How are you today?” Recognizing the name of the bank’s senior vice-president, Ronnie’s posture stiffened and she pushed her chair over to the desk.


“Yes, Mister Barker. What can I do for you today?”


“Well…I don’t mean to bother you at home but I felt this matter required your immediate attention.” She did not miss the touch of nervousness in his voice. “Mister Cartwright hasn’t returned any of my calls and I am afraid at this point I have to seek recourse somewhere else.”


Ronnie rolled her eyes and picked up her pencil, lightly tapping it on the desk. “What’s this about?”


“Well…as you know, when a loan is defaulted, we are obligated to go to the guarantor in order to recover our losses and since you are the cosigner on Mr. Cartwright’s personal loan….”


“I cosigned a loan?” The pencil stopped moving. “When was this?”


“Oh, I um…” She heard papers shuffling about on Barker’s desk. “Yes, here it is. I have your signature dated April fifth as a cosigner for Mr. Thomas Cartwright’s personal loan.” A touch of nervousness crept into his voice. “You did cosign a personal loan for him, didn’t you, Miss Cartwright?”


The pencil began tapping rapidly. “I guess I must have forgotten about it, Mister Barker.”


“Well, I’m sure it was just a simple oversight on Mister Cartwright’s part but I am afraid that we haven’t received a payment in over five months. I really can not let this go on much longer.”


“No, of course not.” The pencil moved with more force. “You can transfer the overdue amount from my personal savings account.”


“Well, I appreciate that Miss Cartwright but I am afraid at this point the loan is considered to be in default and we have to ask for full repayment.”


“Fine. You can take whatever is owed from my account.” She nestled the phone between her ear and shoulder, freeing up her hand to grab a piece of paper. “Can you please tell me the exact repayment amount so I can mark my records?”


The pencil dropped to the desk and clattered onto the floor. “What?”


“I said the total with interest and late fees comes to seventeen thousand six hundred forty-two dollars and twenty three cents. I’ll have that withdrawn from your account immediately.”


“Mister Barker?”


“Yes?”


” In the future, make certain you check with me personally before approving any more loans for any member of my family.”


“Certainly, Miss Cartwright.”


There was a pause before Ronnie realized that he had said something else. “Excuse me, I’m afraid I didn’t hear you.”


“I asked if there was anything the bank could do for you today.” the banker repeated.


“No. I think you’ve done enough, thank you.”


“Have a good day, Miss Cartwright,” he said, but she had already hung up.


From her seat only a few feet away, Rose heard every word of the executive’s side of the conversation. It was not hard to piece together what happened. “Ronnie?” All she got was a view of the back of the brown leather chair and the furious clacking of the keyboard. “Ronnie?”


“Do you need something, Rose?” Her tone sounded much harsher than she intended. The typing stopped. “You know, there are times when I wish I wasn’t the oldest,” she sighed, turning her chair around to face the young woman.


“Do you want to talk about it?”


Ronnie’s first reaction was to say no, that family problems are always settled privately, but then she looked up into soft green eyes and realized she did want to talk about it, she did want to share her frustrations and feelings with Rose. “Tommy took out a personal loan and forged my name on it as cosigner.”


“Oh, that’s terrible,” the young woman gasped. “But, why did you pay it?”


“Because that’s what I’m expected to do,” she sighed. “If I didn’t, Susan or Mother would have.”


“But you’re only making it easier for him to do it again.”


“I know, but I don’t have a choice.” She pushed her chair closer to the bed. “Even though I’m considered the head of the family now, there are still some things I have to do whether I like them or not.”


“It’s a lot of pressure sometimes, isn’t it?” Rose reached out and placed a gentle hand on the older woman’s forearm. “It must be very stressful to have to keep everything inside.”


Ronnie looked up in surprise. “Yeah.” It was the first time anyone had ever expressed any understanding of her feelings when it came to being the family caretaker. “Tommy just soaked me for almost eighteen grand.”


“Oh my God! Eighteen thousand dollars?”


“It’s not even the money that bothers me,” Ronnie continued, deliberately not focusing on the fact that the amount meant completely different things to each of them. To her, it was a fraction of her savings and would not really be missed. To Rose, well…she did not even want to think about what it meant to the young woman who spent less than twenty bucks a week on groceries.


“It’s the fact that he used you,” the blonde woman guessed.


“He forged my signature on a bank loan. I can’t imagine why he would need a cosigner for that small amount anyway but I don’t manage his finances. I just can’t believe he had the balls to do that and then not bother to repay it.” As she spoke, Ronnie’s voice betrayed more of her anger and outrage. “He knew I’d take care of it. He knew the bank would never question my signature on a loan for him.”


“He used you.”


“He used me.” She looked at her desk and the still unsolved problems that waited for her there. The enormity of the problem made her take a deep breath. “I’m going to have to call for an audit of the Real Estate division.”


“Do you think he’s embezzling?”


“If you asked me that yesterday, I would have said that I wasn’t sure.” She leaned over and picked up the manila folder. “Today? Now I know he’s embezzling, I just can’t prove it.” She let the folder fall back on the desk with a thwap. Her body was a bundle of nervous energy and she needed to release it. “Rose, I need to go downstairs and work out for a while. Do you think you’ll be okay?”


“I’ll be fine,” the young woman assured her. “I know you have things to do. You don’t have to keep me company all the time.”


Ah, but Rose, she thought to herself.I like keeping you company. She stood up and pushed her chair back over to the desk. “I’ll be back in about a half-hour or so. If you’re up to it we can go out into the living room and watch some more movies.”


“That’d be nice.”


Yes it would, the executive thought.



* * *

A grueling workout did nothing to improve Ronnie’s mood, which only seemed to worsen the longer she thought about her brother and what he had done. The punching bag suffered an onslaught of blows, accented by a string of curses that would make even the most raucous sailor blush. Only when she was thoroughly exhausted did she remove the boxing gloves and head for the small refrigerator to get something to drink. As she removed the last bottle of Gatorade, Ronnie noticed the clock on the wall. It was after three, well past the half-hour that she had planned on being gone. “Dammit.”


The door opened to the office fifteen minutes later with a freshly showered Ronnie holding a videotape. “Sorry, guess I got caught up in what I was doing. We still on for the movie?”


“Oh, yes. Of course,” Rose smiled. She had heard the muffled sounds of Ronnie working out, or raging, depending on how one looked at it, and seriously doubted the executive would be up to spending time with her.


As she had done yesterday, Ronnie used her brute strength to carry the wheelchair and its occupant past the steps of the sunken living room and helped Rose onto the couch. “I thought a romantic comedy would be nice…unless you prefer something else?”


“No, I’m sure whatever you’ve picked will be fine,” the young woman replied enthusiastically. And it was the truth. Rose would have been happy to watch a test pattern if that was what Ronnie wanted. The initial awkwardness was quickly fading, replaced with a sense of friendship and caring for the woman who befriended her. She was surprised when the executive did not lower the snack tray that had served as a barrier between them before and even more astonished when Ronnie sat down on the middle cushion, only scant inches away from her. “Don’t you want your footrest?”


“Naw, I feel like sitting up for a while,” she replied, tucking her feet underneath her Indian-style.

“You comfortable?”


“Very.”


“Good.” She pressed the play button on the remote and fast-forwarded through the trailers until she saw the Feature Presentation logo. “Here we go.”


The opening scene was almost over when Rose’s nose picked up a most delicious scent.

“Popcorn?” As if on cue, Maria appeared from the kitchen with a large bowl of the treat in hand as well as several napkins.


“If you don’t need anything else, I do need to be going,” Maria said as she handed the bowl to Ronnie. “Dinners are in the refrigerator, microwave on medium for three minutes to heat them up.”


“I think we’re all set, Maria. Drive carefully.”


“I’m only going home, Ronnie. You’d think I lived ten miles away,” the older woman said. “I could walk if it weren’t so darn cold outside.”


“I know, but I’m still allowed to worry about you. After all, who’d do all the cooking and cleaning if you weren’t around?” The twinkling in her blue eyes was the only sign that the blackhaired woman was joking.


“Ronnie!” Rose yelped. Maria chuckled.


“Keep it up, Veronica Louise, and you’ll find out.” She turned to Rose. “You keep an eye on her.”


“I will,” the young woman promised with a smile.


Once Maria left, Ronnie backed the tape up to the beginning and the two women settled in to watch Richard Dreyfuss try to win Marsha Mason’s heart. The popcorn bowl rested between them and both women were busily stuffing the buttered snack into their mouths. As was bound to happen, the large and small hands reached in at the same time and the greased fingers intertwined. “Oops,” came the simultaneous apology as their digits were disengaged from one another.


“Good popcorn,” Rose said as she reached back in, this time making sure to stay on her own side of the bowl.


“Yeah, really good.”


As the movie wore on and the popcorn supply dwindled, their hands continued to brush against each other in pursuit of the tasty kernels. After the fourth or fifth time, both gave up apologizing and just let it happen without comment. Rose still did her best to avoid touching Ronnie’s hand, but it seemed to always be on her side of the bowl. When only the tiniest pieces were left along with unpopped kernels, the older woman moved the bowl over to the unoccupied cushion. “You want something to drink?”


“Sure, thanks.”


“What do you want?”


“Anything would be fine. Water is good.”


“Uh huh.” Ronnie rose gracefully from the couch and wandered out to the kitchen, returning a minute later with soda for each of them.


“Thanks,” Rose said, taking the glass. “Do you want to back it up so you can see what you missed?”


“Naw, I’ve seen this one several times.” She sat back down and tucked her legs underneath herself. “I’m a sucker for a good romance story.”


Tabitha wandered out to see what was going on. “Mrrow?”


“No, we’re up here right now. You go play,” Ronnie said. Apparently the orange and white cat thought she said ‘come on up’ because she did exactly that, crossing over the executive’s lap and settling down between the two women.


“Do you want her down?” Rose put her hand under the feline’s stomach, ready to shoo her.


Ronnie looked at the purring cat. Two weeks ago she never would have let an animal take control of her house. “I guess she’s not hurting anything.” The truth was that it made the executive smile inside to see Rose happy and obviously being around Tabitha did that. She reached out and let her long fingers join the smaller ones in petting the happily purring feline.



* * *

Tuesday brought with it the realization that the matters at Cartwright Corporation could not be ignored any longer. Ronnie bid goodbye to the still sleeping Rose and headed for the Jeep.


The morning disc jockeys were busy making fun of recent political activities, leaving the executive with no choice but to pop in a CD. She guided the bright blue Jeep through the neverending series of traffic lights and one-way streets until she reached the Hudson Avenue parking garage. She drove up ramp after ramp until she reached the row of spaces reserved for Cartwright executives. Ronnie pulled into the spot reserved for her and shut the engine off. She took a few minutes to put her head in the work mode after being in the caretaker mode for so many days. Feeling ready to face whatever awaited her, Veronica Cartwright stepped out of her vehicle and headed for the elevator that would take her down to the ground floor. From there it was a short walk to State Street and the Cartwright Building.


The worst part about having the corporate offices on the top floors of a large high-rise in downtown Albany was she had to share the elevator with everyone who worked on the lower floors. Ronnie found herself squashed into the corner as more and more people convinced themselves they could fit into the small transport. She clutched her attache tightly against her body and waited an interminable amount of time for the elevator doors to finally close and begin the slow ride upward. The multitudes of colognes and perfumes assaulted her senses, lingering behind after their owners departed on their assigned floors. When the elevator finally reached the twenty-eighth floor, a grateful Ronnie stepped out to face the double glass doors that led to the Cartwright corporate offices.


“Morning, Laura. Anything important I need to know about?” Veronica asked, pulling the pile of pink phone messages out of their slot. More than half found themselves crumpled up and tossed into the blue recycle can next to the young secretary’s desk.


“The reports are on your desk.” The brown haired petite woman glanced over the schedule book.

“You have a meeting at ten with the investors from Houston and your sister has left word for you to call her as soon as you arrive.” She took her boss’ coat and crossed the room to hang it up in the closet. “She says it’s important.”


“It’s always important to Susan,” Veronica responded, unimpressed. Reaching for the handle to her office she instructed, “Call my house and get Maria on the phone for me.”


Once inside the privacy of her corner office, Ronnie set her pumps under the desk and padded around in her stockinged feet, fetching a fresh cup of coffee from the private pot kept in her office. A few minutes later she was sitting at her desk, the computer humming to life. A polite buzz and the flashing light on her phone told her that Laura’s task was accomplished. She picked up the black receiver and pressed the button for line two. “Maria.”


“Is something wrong?” the housekeeper asked. It was rare for Ronnie to call home.


“I just wanted to see how things were going with our guest.”


“Rose is still sleeping. Do you want me to wake her up?”


“No.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “Listen, when she wakes up, give her my office number and have her give me a call, okay?” The sound of the door to her office opening brought Ronnie’s head up. Susan stood there, her body language indicating that something was life-or-death. “I’ve got to go. Have her call me.” She set the receiver down.

“What?”


“You know that ‘new hire’ of yours? Rose Grayson?”


“Yeah? What about her?”


“She’s never shown up for work. The termination papers just hit my desk.”


“Termination papers? Who authorized that?”


“Grace did. Accounting is her department. She said she had never heard of this woman and that she never showed up for work.”


Ronnie picked up the phone and pressed the digits for Laura’s phone. “Get Grace on the phone.” She turned her attention back to her sister. “Anything involving Rose comes to my desk immediately. You are to do nothing involving her without my consent.”


“Ronnie, what’s going on? You hire someone for an entry level, give them full benefits immediately and they never even show up to work?”


“Don’t worry about it, Susan. I’ll handle it.”


“Grace on line three,” Laura’s voice cracked through the intercom. Ronnie picked up the receiver.


“Grace, there’s a problem with a new hire, Rose Grayson?”


“Yeah, like she never showed up for work.” the cousin replied.


“Don’t worry about it. She’s on extended medical leave. Just process her paperwork every week. Under no circumstances are you to terminate her.”


“What? Ronnie, she never showed up. I’ve never even met this Grayson woman. All I have is a few forms faxed over from Susan last week.”


“I know all about it.” There was a pause and she thought her cousin was going to argue with her some more about it. “Grace, there is no discussion on this.”


“Fine. You’re the boss.” There was a click followed by the dial tone. Ronnie hung the phone up and glanced at the computer screen. “Is there anything else, Sis?”


“Of course there is.” Susan replied, moving around the desk until she was standing next to her older sister. “Ronnie, come on, what’s going on?”


“Nothing you need to worry about. I’m sure you have more important things to do than to worry about one little employee.”


“One little employee that you mysteriously hired.” The redhead leaned casually against the mahogany desk. “Ronnie, you have never directly hired anyone for a position except Laura.” A thought occurred to her. “This isn’t like when you were at Stanford, is it?”


The mention of her great personal failure brought the executive’s attention away from the computer. “Susan, can’t you let anything die? That was ten years ago!” There was no mistaking her angry tone.


“Hey, you should have known better than to trust some poor white trash.”


“Christine was not poor white trash. She was there on an academic scholarship.”


“And what subject were you two studying at night in your room?” Susan jibed. “You weren’t there when Dad answered the phone the night she called. You didn’t hear the things she told him. The way she threatened to make it public knowledge.”


“Drop it, Susan,” she warned with a low growl. “I could have handled it.”


“How? Would you have preferred that everyone knew that the heir apparent to Cartwright Corporation was queer?” She flinched at the blazing look in Ronnie’s eyes. “Look, you’re my sister and I love you. I can understand that you made a mistake. You were young, you didn’t know better. I just don’t want you to have to suffer through that again.”


“That is not what’s going on.” Ronnie picked up a pencil and began tapping it on the desk.


“You promised Dad that it wouldn’t happen again.”


“And it hasn’t!” The pencil was thrown angrily, causing it to bounce off the desk and onto the floor. Ronnie stood up and looked out the window at the Albany skyline, seething inside at the reminder of her great humiliation. The vision of the blue eyed blonde who had once filled her with happiness only to turn around and become a blood-sucking blackmailer flashed before her eyes. “I’ve never…I mean…since….” She gave up and continued to stare out the window.


“Ronnie…” Susan stood next to her taller sibling and put her hand on the forearm. “I felt so bad for you when Mom and Dad went to pick you up at the airport that night.” The call from Christine demanding money in exchange for keeping quiet about her affair came less than two hours before Ronnie arrived at the Albany County Airport to spend the Christmas break at home with the family. “That was the worst holiday I can remember. All the yelling and screaming.”


It had been a subject the two sisters never spoke of, not even at the time. Ronnie had never known Susan’s true feelings on the matter of either her sexuality or the whole blackmail incident. Without turning around, the older woman spoke. “I had been looking forward to coming home. I missed Thanksgiving and after Chris and I broke up….” She shook her head. “Was what I did so horribly wrong?” she asked quietly.


“Trusting her or having sex with a woman?” Susan queried, turning and leaning against the ledge of the window.


Ronnie shrugged. “Either…both…ah, never mind.” She turned from the window and sat in her chair. “We both have work to do.”


“No, it’s okay.” The redhead said, pulling a chair around to sit on the same side of the desk as her sister. “Look, what I said earlier about being queer, I didn’t mean…”


“Forget it.”


“No. It’s your life. I have no right to judge you. Lord knows, I’ve done things that I’m ashamed of.”


“No judgment in that statement, is there?” Ronnie said sarcastically, turning her chair slightly and pulling out the keyboard tray. “I guess it’s okay to have an affair with your personal trainer but not with someone of the same sex, right?”


“I didn’t think you knew about Andre,” Susan said hesitantly, wondering just how much her older sister knew.


“Not much escapes me.” She tapped her password in, changing the screen from the corporate logo to her personal desktop. “Look, I’ve learned my lesson, okay? I don’t hang out in gay bars, cruise the softball fields, or have a parade of women going in and out of my bed.”


“You’re also thirty three and not married, Ronnie. This is a business. We have to maintain a certain image.”


“And I do!” She rose and began pacing. “I always attend all the charitable functions with a good looking male escort. Don’t I? I’ve done nothing to upset the family’s preciousimage.”


“What is it about a woman?” Susan stood to face her sister. “What is it? Really. Help me understand this, Sis. We grew up together. What happened?”


“Susan, we’re at work. Let’s drop this, okay?”


“Fine. The mysterious Rose Grayson stays on the payroll and insurance because you say so.” The redhead was obviously miffed at the brusque tone. “Are there any other problems you’re interested in or is she it?”


“I am President, aren’t I?” Ronnie scowled. “The whole Grayson thing isn’t a big deal, Susan. You don’t have to worry about seeing me leading the next gay pride parade either. Now can we talk about something else?” She stalked over to her desk and sat down. “Did you cosign any loans for Tommy?”


“Why would Tommy need a cosigner? He’s got plenty of money. He doesn’t even own a home except for that cabin in the Adirondacks.”


“He defaulted on a loan that had my name forged on it as a cosigner.”


“It must be some kind of mistake.”


“No mistake. I’m going to have copies of the application sent over so I can compare it to my signature.”


“Maybe someone forged Tommy’s name too.”


“Yeah, maybe. I’ll find out after I get the papers. In the meantime I suggest you take a look at your bank records.” She reached for the mouse and clicked open her link to the bank. “Oh, one more thing. I’m ordering an audit of Real Estate.”


“What? You’re auditing Tommy’s books?” Susan all but shrieked. “Do you know how that will look to him?”


“Like I don’t trust him. I don’t.” A quick typing of her account number and password and Ronnie was glancing at her recent transactions. The debit card that looked just like a Visa Platinum card was handy. All purchases were posted to her checking account within two days, making it easy for her to verify that her card was not compromised. She looked over the list, noting the familiar items like Tabitha’s toys and Rose’s bed. “You said yourself that you think something is wrong. Do you want me to find out what it is now, or do you want to wait until it blows up in the press?

I thought you were worried about ourimage?”


Susan bristled at the comment but reluctantly conceded that her sister was right. Trust was a big deal with the public image. The public remembered names and if they did not the nightly news would be more than happy to remind them. It was how scandals lasted so long in Albany. Thus far the Cartwrights had been lucky enough not to be involved in any publicly, no matter what it cost them privately. “All right,” the younger sibling sighed. “I can’t see where it would hurt anything if he’s innocent.” She headed for the door. “Ronnie?”


“What?”


“If he is, you had better give him an apology. And you’d better make sure Mother doesn’t find out about it.” The intercom buzzed, followed quickly by Laura’s voice.


“Rose on line one for you.”


Ronnie looked up to see her sister’s eyes light up at the name. “Is this the mysterious Rose Grayson?”


“Goodbye Susan.” She picked up the receiver and pressed the button. “Hi…” There was no mistaking the change in Ronnie’s voice. It became softer…gentler. There was a tenderness in it that was in direct contrast to her earlier tone. “Can you hang on for a minute?”


“I’m going, I’m going. But this isn’t the end of this conversation.”


“Susan!” she looked pointedly at the door. The redhead left, determined more than ever to solve the puzzle of her sister and Rose Grayson.


“Hi. Sorry about that. Did you sleep well?” Ronnie said, settling down in her chair and resting her stockinged calves on the desk.


“Very well. Maria said you wanted me to call.”


“Yeah…um…I guess I just wanted you to know that if you needed anything, let Maria know. She’s going to stay there until I get home. She’ll make you anything you want for breakfast, just ask her. Oh, and if there’s anything you want her to pick up at the supermarket, just let her know that too.”


“I’m fine, but thanks. How’s work going?”


“Oh, just a typical day,” Ronnie replied sarcastically. “It’s a wonder I don’t have an ulcer sometimes.”


“I wish there was something I could do to make it better for you,” Rose said sincerely.


You already do, the dark-haired woman thought to herself. “I’m fine. Tell you what. You up for seafood tonight?”


“Sounds great.”


“Good. I’ll have Maria whip us up something nice.” The light on line two began flashing. “I think I’d better get back to work, I just wanted to check up on you.”


“Okay, I’m glad you did.”


“Um…you know if you want to you can call later.”


“Oh. Okay, well maybe after lunch? I don’t want to bother you.”


“Sure. After lunch would be fine. I don’t think I’m going to stay all day anyway.”


“All right…well…I guess I’ll talk to you later then?”


“Okay Rose. You relax and do what the nurse tells you.”


“Bye.”


“Bye.” Ronnie listened to the click and then the dial tone for a few seconds before pressing line two. “This is Veronica Cartwright.” Her voice, once again, pure business.



* * *

Ronnie was surprised to see the kitchen light on when she returned home, until she remembered she had asked Maria to stay until she got there. She and Rose had spoken briefly in the early afternoon but a meeting had cut that call short. Now, finally home, she was looking forward to spending the rest of the evening with the blonde woman. She hung her coat up in the closet and kicked her shoes off before walking into the office.


“Hi!” Rose greeted enthusiastically, a huge smile coming over her face.


“Hi yourself.” She turned her attention to Maria, who was picking up the cards that she and the young woman had been playing. “Thanks for staying so late.”


“I didn’t mind a bit. She’s better at rummy than you are,” the housekeeper remarked, drawing a smile from Rose. “I can stay late tomorrow too if you need me to.”


Ronnie’s first response was to say it would not be necessary but upon reflection of what had transpired today at the office and what was going to happen once Tommy found out about the audit, she reconsidered her answer. “Actually, I think I may have to take you up on that. Perhaps you could come in later so you don’t have to work so long. I can make my own breakfast.”


“Make your own breakfast and dirty every piece of cookware in my kitchen,” Maria snorted. “I’ll be here at seven like I always am. The only night I can’t stay late is Thursday. Carrie and Monica will worry if they don’t see me there by six thirty.”


“Bingo night,” Ronnie explained to her houseguest. “Well, since you’re here now anyway, why don’t you stay and join us for dinner? I’m sure you made more than enough.”


The older woman chuckled. “You know your mother would have a fit if she found out.”


“Why? Doesn’t her mother like you?” Rose asked, her curious expression turning to a selfconscious frown when Maria gave a short laugh and shook her head.


“Mrs. Cartwright likes me just fine, child. But it is considered bad form to share a meal with the hired help.”


“Oh,” the young woman murmured, embarrassment tinting her face. She wondered if her friend’s mother would disapprove of her as well.


“But my mother doesn’t decide who I dine with,” Ronnie said firmly. “Now do you think you’d like to eat in the dining room or in here?”


“Um…wherever you want is fine.”


“I’ll set some places at the table. It will take only a few minutes to heat everything up,” Maria said, excusing herself from the room.


“Thanks,” Ronnie said as the older woman brushed past her. Now alone with Rose, the persona she had kept in place all day long faded. Her shoulders slumped, her stockinged feet protested being stood on, and the headache she had been fighting made its presence known with full force. She crossed the room and all but flopped into her leather chair. “What a day.” She lifted her left leg up, bracing it over her right knee, and began rubbing her aching foot.


“Did you confront Tommy?”


“No. He never showed up,” Ronnie sighed. “I ordered an audit.”


“Oh.”


“Yeah. It’s not going to be a pretty sight when he finds out.” She began rubbing her foot with more force, using both hands to knead the sore muscles. “On top of that, I had a mountain of paperwork to get through. Laura took off halfway through the day.”


“Laura?”


“My secretary,” she clarified.


“Oh, she must have been the one that answered the phone when I called.”


“Yeah, that’s her.” Ronnie reversed the position of her legs and began massaging her right foot.

“Oh great,” she scowled, looking at the rapidly growing run moving up her leg. “You know, someone should be able to figure out a way to make pantyhose so they don’t run the instant you put them on.” She stood up, smoothing the dark gray skirt. “I’m going to run up and change. By then I’m sure dinner will be ready.” Her eyes fell on the stringy strands of hair surrounding Rose’s face. “After dinner I think we’ll wash your hair.”


“How are we going to do that? I can’t take a shower.”


“I’ve got an idea.”



* * *

After changing into her sweats and sneakers, Ronnie grabbed a set of keys and headed across the snow-covered driveway to the garage. The original building had been torn down three years ago to make room for her idea of what a true garage should be. Capable of holding four cars comfortably, the garage sported multiple rows of fluorescent lights and a separate alarm system. The back half of the garage served as a storage place. Entering through the door on the side, Ronnie quickly walked over to the control panel and deactivated the alarm.


A quick flip of the switch and the four bays were bathed in a sea of white light. The first bay housed a car hidden by a canvas cover. Distracted for a moment, Ronnie walked to the back of the car and pulled back the cover. The white vanity plate sported the Statue of Liberty on the left side and blue letters announcing the car as “Rons Toy”. She pulled the cover back more to reveal the gas cap with the familiar mustang logo. “Soon,” she promised herself. Her prized muscle car had been painstakingly restored and the harsh salt of Albany winters meant that it had to stay in hibernation until the flowers started to bloom again. Her fingers trailed over the deep blue metallic paint and her mind drifted back to when she had first bought the car.


It was her senior year at Dartmouth. While she liked the Audi that her father had given her for her twenty-first birthday, she found herself always looking at the weathered Mustang that one of her sorority sisters’ boyfriend owned. The paint had been chipped away, surface rust was the dominant color, but when the pedal was put to the floor, the car could blow the doors off anything put up against it. When Ronnie had asked her father for permission to withdraw enough money to buy one for herself, Richard Cartwright adamantly refused, citing that she had a perfectly good car and that the Ford was far too dangerous a vehicle. Ronnie was undaunted, however, and saved her allowance for the entire semester until she could afford to buy it on her own. She drove it home on spring break, much to the dismay of her parents. Her father called it a pile of junk and her mother insisted that she would only get herself killed in that ‘death trap’. They tried offers of a new Mustang, threats of financial cut-off, even the old ‘ladies of proper upbringing don’t drive muscle cars’, but none of it worked. By the end of the week all they had accomplished was to make Ronnie even more determined to keep and restore her blue speed demon. Although it was no longer her primary car, she still took it out for a spin occasionally and, the metallic blue beauty was still her favorite.


A slight chill went through her, pulling Ronnie from memory lane and back to the present. She replaced the cover over her Mustang and walked into the next bay. The red Porsche sat there. It was the first time she had seen it since the accident. The fourth bay was where she kept the Jeep and thus far she had made it a point not to go near the sports car. Now she slowly walked around the car, blue eyes taking in all the repairs. Green tape surrounded the edges of the new windshield, no doubt to allow the new rubber sealant to set. The hood, grill, bumper, and front right quarter panel were all gone, the dull gray metal chassis standing out in stark contrast to the rest of the vehicle. A rolling toolbox sat against the wall, evidence of Hans’ visits. Ronnie turned away from the car and leaned her hands against the toolbox while she fought to keep her stomach in check. She knew right then that she would never be able to drive the Porsche again. She bit down the resurgence of guilt and took deliberate steps toward the storage room door, all the while telling herself everything would work out, that Rose would completely recover, the damage she had caused could be repaired. She tried three different keys in the deadbolt until she found the right one and stepped into the darkness of the storage area.


It took Ronnie a minute to find the light switch. When she did, she found what she was looking for immediately. In the corner, under a pile of drop cloths was a five gallon work bucket that once held quick-dry concrete. She took it to the work sink nearby and cleaned it thoroughly until the milky white water ran clear. Her task accomplished, Ronnie returned to the house.



* * *

“So what did you think of that last question?”


“I still say it was too easy. Everyone knows even numbered interstates run east-west and the odd ones run north-south,” Rose replied, adjusting the pillow behind her head. Maria had left a few minutes before and they were now relaxing in the office.


“If everyone knows that, why do so many people get lost when they go traveling?” the older woman replied, leaning back in her chair and setting her bare feet up on the edge of the bed near Rose’s left hip. Since the winter months were upon them and Ronnie had no reason to wear open toed shoes, she did not bother to get pedicures as often as she usually did. In the process of wiggling her toes, a nail scratched against the one next to it. “Well, no wonder I’m ripping up all my pantyhose. I guess it’s time to call for a pedicure.” She saw a faraway look take over the young woman’s face. “What?” she asked softly. “Share with me.”


“You were talking about a pedicure and I was remembering when I was thirteen.” Seeing the expectant look on the chiseled face of her companion, Rose continued. “The State found a foster family for me for a few weeks and they had a girl right around my age. Stacey loved having me around because I was a willing guinea pig for her to practice cosmetology on. She loved to play with nail polish. She had rows and rows of bottles on her dresser in every color you can imagine.” Rose absently reached down and put her fingers on Ronnie’s toes. “Well, one night we got in a mood. We painted every nail a different color. I can remember that on my toes it went from plum to avocado to this hideous purple to…” As she spoke, her forefinger brushed across each of the long nails of the bare foot. “The funny thing is that we were up past our bedtime and we didn’t have time to remove it. We went to school the next day and when we went to take a shower after gym class everyone saw our toes.” She chuckled. “It really was funny. I mean, between the two of us there were twenty different colors on our feet. After that, Stacey deliberately wore different shades of polish on her fingers. That was the last time I polished my toenails.”


Ronnie looked at her quizzically, then rose and went to the foot of the bed. Within seconds the oversized socks were removed to reveal Rose’s toes. “When was the last time someone gave you a pedicure?”


“That was it, if you could call that a pedicure. I just use clippers to keep them short now. Ow, easy.”


“Oh, sorry,” Ronnie apologized, letting go of the little toe she had moved to get a better look at the one next to it. Can you feel that in your ankle?”


“Yeah, that’s why I don’t wiggle them. My legs hurt enough as it is.”


“When was the last time you took anything?”


“No, it’s not that bad right now. I’d rather wait until I really need it.”


Ronnie looked up and remembered what she wanted to do that evening. “Are you ready to get your hair washed?”


“You figured out a way?” She sat up, prepared to get back into the wheelchair.


“No, you stay here. I’ve got it all worked out so you don’t have to get out of bed.” She looked at the adjustable bed, currently up in a comfortable angle. “You’re gonna have to lay the bed flat, though.”


A few minutes later Rose was lying on her back across the bed, her head hanging off the side. A towel braced behind her shoulders dangled down to protect the mattress from any soapy water. Ronnie was sitting on a stool taken from the kitchen, the white five-gallon bucket nestled between her knees. A large towel lay on the floor below to catch any spills. “You ready?” she asked.


“Yeah.”


Ronnie poured the water slowly over the blonde locks, using her other hand to help distribute the liquid over all the hair. She poured a generous amount of shampoo on her hand and worked it into a lather. Ronnie did her best to support Rose’s head, taking some of the strain off the young woman’s neck. “How’s that feel?”


“Niiiice,” she murmured, green eyes half-closed. “You have strong fingers.”


“I work out. Am I pressing too hard?”


“Oh no, it’s just right.”


“Good.” Ronnie continued to work her digits into the soft hair, thoroughly cleaning it. “Time to rinse. Keep your eyes closed.” Using her left hand to hold Rose’s head up, she gently rinsed the shampoo out. Once the majority was gone, she put another dollop of the strawberry scented liquid into her hand. “Round two.”


“You’re going to wash it again?” Rose asked with surprise.


“Of course. You know the directions. Lather, rinse, repeat.” She worked the shampoo into the golden hair before the young woman could tell her not to. “I take it you only wash it once?”


“Yeah, it uses less shampoo that way. My hair always looks clean. Lots of people only wash it once.” Rose leaned into the gentle but firm pressure of Ronnie’s fingers. She was treated not only to a second washing, but to having conditioner combed through her hair. Twice the executive had to get more water but the results were worth it. The soft overhead light bounced off the various shades of Rose’s hair, creating a golden aura around the young woman’s face.


“Looks great.” the dark-haired woman said, noting the smile that came to her companion’s face upon looking at herself in the hand held mirror. “Doesn’t she, Tabitha?” she asked the cat who decided the water was no longer a threat.


“Mrrow?” Two seconds later, the orange and white purring machine was perched across Rose’s belly.


“Ooof, you are definitely gaining weight.”


“I think Maria’s giving her scraps but I can’t prove it,” Ronnie said with a smile. “I just know that every time she’s cooking that furball comes out of the kitchen licking her lips.”


Ding, ding, dong, dong. The deep tones of the doorbell rang throughout the house. “Who could that be at this hour?” Ronnie asked, looking at the clock on the stand. “It’s almost ten.” The doorbell rang again, this time accompanied by furious pounding against the solid oak door.


“Ronnie? Ronnie, open the fucking door!” The shout followed by more pounding and tones from the bell.


“I’ll be right back.” She slipped her sneakers on and tucked the excess lace into the sides. Tabitha jumped off the bed, sensing something more interesting was about to happen in the other room.

“Oh no you don’t. You stay here with your mother.” Ronnie picked up the protesting feline and set her back on the bed, this time within reach of Rose’s hand.



* * *

“Ronnie! Open this fucking…” The words died in Tommy’s throat when he saw the outside light come on and heard the lock being turned. “Well it’s about time.”


“What are you doing here at this hour?” she scowled, having no doubt her younger brother was quite drunk.


“What the hell are you trying to do to me?” Tommy pushed his way past her and through the foyer into the living room. “I don’t show up to work ONE day and you order a fucking audit?”


“This is not the time to talk about this, Tommy. Go home and sleep it off.” Ronnie moved between him and the office, trying to guide him back toward the door. She put her hand on his arm only to have it shoved off.


“Fuck you, Ronnie!” He paced to the other side of the room and punched the wooden front of the entertainment center cabinet. He turned to face her and she could clearly see several days growth on his face as well as the unkempt hair and clothes. Tommy had obviously been on a bender and had only now heard the news. “What do you think I’m doing? Stealing from my own company?”


“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I am not going to let it continue,” she shouted back, her own short temper showing. “What is it, Tom? Drugs? Gambling?”


“Go to hell, Miss High and Mighty God of everything!” His fist slammed into the cabinet with enough force to knock a tiny vase off the top. Only the thick plush carpet kept the antique from breaking.


“Get out of my house, Tommy.”


“Your house,” he scoffed. “I grew up in this fucking house. What gives you the right to tell me to get out?”


“I bought the house fair and square from Mother and you know it.” Her eyes narrowed at the wild, almost inhuman look in her brother’s eyes. Tommy was strong enough on his own, but if he was on drugs…


Ronnie’s suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later when he lifted the end of the heavy coffee table and upended it. “You act like you’re an angel but you’re not, Ronnie.” For the moment, he was standing still so she kept her distance. Her heart pounded as the adrenaline pumped through her. “You sit in that office day after day. You have NO idea what it’s like to work for a living,” he spat, “I can’t just snap my fingers and make your wallet bigger.”


“No, but you can forge my signature on a loan,” she retorted.


“What?”


“You defaulted on a loan and they had my name on it as a cosigner. Why would you need a cosigner, Tommy?”


The sandy haired man blinked a few times as the information sunk in. “Shit. That’s all you’re ever worried about, isn’t it? The fucking money?”


“Someone has to worry about it. You certainly don’t. Now get out of my house!”


“This is not over! I don’t care what your damn audit turns up, you can’t kick me out of the company.” A thought occurred to him. “You may own the most stock but you don’t have controlling interest. You think anyone is going to vote with you to get rid of me?” He gave a short laugh, his energy fading as the high he had been riding began to wear off. “Face it, Ronnie. You can’t do a thing about me. You think Mom is going to vote with you to toss me out? Frank?

Susan? You can’t win this battle.” He made his way toward the door. “Any fool can see that. Leave me alone, Sis, or you will regret it.” Tommy slammed the door behind him, the sound reverberating throughout the room. Ronnie’s heart was pounding and she could only guess how scared Rose was.


“You okay?” Ronnie asked when she entered the room. She noticed the pallor of fear on the blonde woman’s face. “Hey, it’s okay.”


“He was pretty angry. What went crashing?” Rose’s demeanor was calmer now that she knew Ronnie was safe. She patted the empty place on the bed next to her. “Here, have a seat.”


“Nah, thanks,” the tall woman continued to stand, although the soft pillow was beckoning her.

“He flipped the coffee table and knocked something off the top of the cabinet. Nothing broken.” She looked at the TV, still on but with the sound muted. “Hey, there’s one of those news magazine shows.”


“Yeah, they’re supposed to have a thing on those rental trucks and how unsafe they are.” She patted the bed again. “Come on, I’ve got the heat and the massager on. This has got to be more comfortable than that chair.” She turned on the small lamp on the table next to her just before Ronnie shut off the overhead light. The softer glow was preferred by both of them for television watching.


“You’d be surprised how comfortable that chair is,” Ronnie replied, kicking off her sneakers and reluctantly accepting the offer. She sank into the vibrating warmth and closed her eyes with hedonistic delight. “Oh! That is nice. I’ve got to get one of these for my room.” She adjusted the pillow behind her head, slipped her feet under the covers, and opened her eyes. Rose pressed the button and they began watching the show. With the tall woman right next to her, she felt a sense of safety and her rapidly beating heart returned to a more normal level.


Rose used the remote to shut the television off once the late news began. “Wasn’t that interesting?” Receiving no answer, she turned her head to see her companion’s eyes closed.

“Ronnie?” No response, just the rhythmic rise and fall of the sweatshirt covered chest. Rose shut lamp off. The bed was plenty big enough. There was no reason for her to wake Ronnie up just to send the older woman to her own bed. “Good night, Ronnie,” she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the even breathing of the woman next to her lull her into a sound sleep.



* * *

Blue eyes fluttered open shortly after six and looked around, trying to get her bearings. “What the…oh,” she mumbled, realizing she had fallen asleep on Rose’s bed. Taking a moment to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, Ronnie propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at her sleeping companion. The morning rays highlighted the upturned nose, the rust eyebrows, and the full lips parted slightly in sleep. The seconds ticked by as she watched the slumbering woman. It amazed her how easily she had fallen asleep next to Rose. With the exception of Christine, Ronnie had never slept with anyone. She had done it then only because it was expected by her lover. Truthfully, she never did feel comfortable sharing a bed and would often slip away and sleep in the unused bed in their dorm room. Yet obviously she had no problem curling up and sleeping next to Rose. It was a curious mystery Ronnie knew was not safe to ponder over. She felt the slight hum of the massager beneath her. That was it. It had to have been the massager. It relaxed her enough to put her to sleep regardless of the presence of someone else in the bed. The executive smiled to herself with the logic of her explanation, even as she chose to ignore the fact that she was still laying there next to Rose. She contemplated playing hooky but the voice of responsibility won out. With a disappointed sigh she slowly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her companion, and padded off to the bathroom.


A vigorous workout and a refreshing shower prepared Ronnie for the day. She inhaled the cup of coffee Maria made for her while putting on her floor length wool coat. The temperature had dropped significantly overnight, bringing it down to single digits. She was headed for the door when the phone rang.


“Cartwright residence,” Maria answered. “Just a moment. Ronnie, it’s Susan. She sounds upset.”


She took the cream colored phone and nodded at her housekeeper. “Susan.”


“Ronnie, we have a problem.”


“I’m sure we have more than one. What has you so bugged that you couldn’t wait until I got to the office?”


“Both Ricky and Timmy came down with chicken pox.”


“So? Susan, your kids being sick isn’t the end of the world. It’s only chicken pox.”


“Ronnie, the family Christmas party is tonight.”


“So?” She unbuttoned her coat, deciding it was not going to be a quick and easy phone call after all. “I’m too busy to go. Why would you plan the party for a Wednesday night anyway?”


“It was the best date we could come up with. People always have parties to go to on the weekends. Putting it on a Wednesday guaranteed everyone would show up, but that’s not the point. The point is we can’t have the party here.”


“So. Rent a hall somewhere.” A thought dawned on her. “Oh no you don’t, Susan. I am not having the party here.”


“Ronnie. It’s too late to rent a hall and get directions to everyone.”


“You’re not having it at my house. No, no, no.” The coat now found itself draped across a nearby stool. “Sis, I can’t have the party here. Do you have any idea how much work that would take?”


“It’s perfect. Everyone knows where you live and they’d love the idea of a good old fashioned party at the Cartwright House.”


“I’ve told you before. This is my house now and I don’t want every relative in the world trampling through here.” She watched Maria preparing eggs for Rose’s breakfast. “Sis, I’ve got company staying with me. It’s really not convenient to have people here.” The call waiting tone beeped. “Hang on, Susan, I’ve got another call.” She pressed the flash button. “This is Veronica.”


“Ronnie, it’s your mother.”


“Hello Mother.” She rolled her eyes, drawing an amused look from her housekeeper.


“I’ll be there after I go to the airport to help with the caterers and to make sure you don’t put up any of those gaudy decorations.”


“What, did Susan call you first? I have her holding on the other line.”


“Yes. She did. We decided that the house would be the perfect solution.”


Perfect solution for everyone but me, Ronnie thought to herself. “Mother, I can’t have the party here. Couldn’t we just reschedule it or get a hall somewhere?”


“No. We can not,” Beatrice Cartwright replied. “Now Veronica, we don’t have time for all this selfish nonsense. I have to pick your Aunt Elaine up at the airport by three. Send a car for me at two and make sure I don’t get that incompetent boob like last time. It took him over an hour to get there.”


“Mother, it was a snowstorm and the traffic was backed up for miles. It wasn’t his fault.”


“He should have taken an alternate route. He couldn’t even get in front of the terminal. You just make sure I get someone else this time.”


“But…”


“No buts from you, young lady. Now I have to get to my hair appointment. You talk to your sister and don’t forget to call for my car.”


“Mo…”


“Goodbye dear. Nice talking with you.”Click. Ronnie took the phone from her ear and stared at the receiver for a moment before hitting the flash button.


“Susan? You still there?”


“I’m here. I assume that was Mother on the other line?”


“You assume correctly. Nothing like bringing in the heavy artillery.”


“I’m sorry about that.” Ronnie doubted her sister’s sincerity. “I’ll bring some ornaments that the boys made. Ooh, they’re so cute. Ronnie, you’ll love them. Ricky made this one with green glitter…”


“Sis, I need to get going here.” She gave a defeated sigh. “I guess I have a party to get ready for.”


“Oh. Sure. Jack and I will be by around six. I’ll let the family know.”


“I’m sure Mother’s already called them,” Ronnie said in a dry tone. “You deal with getting the decorator and caterers over here. Oh, and Susan?”


“Yes?”


“This makes us even.”



* * *

Rose was surprised to see Ronnie walk in and turn on the computer. “Good morning.”


“Morning, Rose,” she replied, setting her coffee cup down and typing in her password. “Maria will be bringing your breakfast in a few minutes.” She clicked on her mail file and quickly scanned the unread ones.


“Is something wrong?”


“Wrong? What could possibly be wrong? My mother and sister have decided the family Christmas party is going to be held at my house, tonight.”


“Oh.” A momentary pause, then “What are you going to do?”


“What can I do? I guess I’m going to get this place ready for them.” She began tapping the pencil in her left hand on the desk. “At least a third of them smoke. I put those carpets in three years ago and they’re still perfect. You think they’ll stay that way? Ha. I bet you there are gonna be at least a half dozen burn holes in it before the night is over.” Ronnie stopped ranting long enough to take a swallow of coffee. “I have to rearrange all the furniture, have Maria clean the game room and set up the bar in there, have the liquor store make a delivery…” The tapping increased.

“And on top of all that, I have to go get both of us something to wear.”


“U-us?” Rose swallowed hard at the implication.


“Well, yes of course.” Ronnie looked at her quizzically. “You don’t want to greet everyone wearing my Dartmouth shirt, do you?”


“What? Uh…” The shock had not worn off yet and the blonde woman was at a loss for words.

“I…well…”


“Rose, I’m not trying to punish you by making you meet my family, but I’m not going to lock you up in a room all alone for the evening while there’s a party going on.” The pencil found its way to her perfect white teeth, and they began gnawing at the eraser. “Actually,” she mumbled around the yellow writing implement while looking around the room. “Think we can both hide in here all night?”


They chuckled for a few seconds before the seriousness of the situation took over. Ronnie set the pencil on the desk and moved her chair closer to the bed. “As much as I’d like to let you stay hidden away, everyone knows there’s a bathroom in here.” The women found their conversation interrupted by Maria, as she entered the room with the tray of food and a decanter of coffee.


“Where are you going to want the tree?” the housekeeper asked.


“In someone else’s house,” Ronnie wisecracked, drawing a snort from her companion. “I don’t care. Rose and I are going to hide out in here all night.”


“Don’t even think about it, Veronica Louise.” Maria set the tray over Rose’s lap and began pouring coffee into the ceramic mug. Ronnie held her own cup out expectantly. “There isn’t enough time to get the carpets cleaned.”


“Vacuuming will be fine. Thanks.” She pulled the cup to her lips and took a grateful sip. “Do you want me to call somewhere and get extra help to get the place ready?”


A look akin to hurt flashed through the brown eyes of the housekeeper. “Just because you don’t run around like your mother checking for dust doesn’t mean that I’ve let this house go unattended. I polish the silver regularly even if you don’t use it. Except for a quick run of the vacuum and moving the furniture, we’re all set for company. Of course, I can’t put that coffee table back the way it should be.”


“I’m sorry, Maria, I didn’t mean to suggest that you did anything less than a perfect job. I’ll take care of the coffee table and everything else.” She drained her cup. “Right now I need to run out and get a few things.” Ronnie stood up and gave Rose a smile. “Your nurse should be here in a little while and I’ll be back in a couple of hours. What’s your favorite color?”


“Really, I don’t…”


“Color?” Ronnie repeated, making it clear she was not taking no for an answer.


Rose looked into deep azure depths and the answer came without thought. “Blue.”


“Easy to find something nice in that color. What shade? Do you prefer light tones like turquoise or dark ones like cobalt?” Ronnie did not fail to notice that the green orbs continued to stare into her own.


“Um…a bright blue, I guess. Something deep and rich.” Rose shifted nervously and looked down at her toast. “I guess any shade is fine.”


“I’ll make sure to pick out something nice.” Ronnie smiled inwardly at the thought of being able to pick a dress for her to wear.


“If it’s too much trouble I can go in another room. I could take a book into the laundry room. No one will go in there,” Rose offered, feeling very much in the way.


“No.” Ronnie answered quickly. “I’m not going to hide you. You’re a guest in my home and they’re just going to have to accept it.” She flashed a look to Maria, who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be back before lunch.”


part 5


It was easy enough for Ronnie to walk into the exclusive boutique and pick out a dress for herself. It was quite another thing to pick out something for Rose to wear. For the better part of an hour she sat there watching the model try on different combinations of blouses and skirts, pantsuits, and dresses. Nothing seemed right.


“Perhaps if you told me exactly what you were looking for, Miss Cartwright?” The manager asked.


“I’m not really certain how to explain it, but none of these will work.” Ronnie waved a hand at the rack of clothes. The matronly woman looked at her particular customer and frowned.


“What is wrong with them? Perhaps we can figure out what you’re looking for that way.”


“There’s nothingwrongwith them so much as they’re just not right.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Maybe I should just look around and see if there’s something I like.”


“By all means.” The boutique manager waved her arm. “Monica will be happy to model anything you wish.”


Ronnie walked through the racks of expensive garments, barely giving any of them more than a passing glance. Then she saw it. Tucked into the corner, she almost missed it and in fact wasn’t even sure what made her look in that direction. She reached over and pulled the dress out to look at it. Just a shade below a bright blue, the silk shimmered with beauty and softness. The material gathered at the elastic waistband before flaring out again. Ronnie guessed that it would reach down to Rose’s ankles, easily covering the casts. “This one,” she announced, drawing the manager’s attention.


“Would you like Monica to model it?”


“That won’t be necessary. This is the one I want.” She glanced at the size tag. “Yes, this will be perfect.”



* * *

The Jeep worked its way through the holiday traffic. A glance at the clock on the radio told the executive it was almost eleven. So far she had been to the boutique and the jeweler’s. Now it was off to the mall to fight with other shoppers for the little things that were needed…like gifts. She was within a mile of the mall when a corner lot full of trees caught her eye. She pulled the Cherokee over and walked through the aisles of pine and balsam propped up against wooden rails. Sensing a sale, the stocky merchant dashed over to her side.


“What can I help you with today?”


“I need a tree with nice full boughs and a sturdy top.” Ronnie gave disapproving looks at the group in front of her.


“We have very nice ones toward the back,” he said, gesturing toward the taller pines leaned against the chain link fence that ran along the back of the lot. “How tall are you looking for?”


Ronnie’s brow furrowed as she tried to imagine just how tall the trees in her home usually were.

“Tall. Over eight feet.”


“Oh, well then.” His eyes lit up even more and the pace quickened. “We have some beautiful nine and ten footers.”


Ronnie settled on a ten-foot tree that seemed to want to burst forth from the ropes holding it. The man called his son over to help but it still took some help from the strong woman to get it on the top of the Jeep. It hung over the front, the white rope running from the tree to the front bumper. A pair of ropes did the same to the back. Once fully secured, Ronnie resumed her journey to the mall. She pressed the scan button on her radio and settled on a station playing holiday music. When the Carpenter’s song Merry Christmas, Darling came on, Ronnie lost herself in the haunting sounds and harmony. Without thinking about it, she began singing along, her rich contralto voice blending in with the unique tones of the late Karen. She ignored the strange looks being thrown at her by the other drivers, preferring instead to lose herself in the song. Even after pulling into the parking space, she left the car running until the song was over.



* * *

Holiday ditties were piped through the speakers, adding to the general din of the crowd. Everyone had bags in their hands and was in a hurry to finish up their shopping. Ronnie gripped her purse closer to her body and headed for Macy’s. A few gift certificates and her shopping would be done. As she moved through the bustling crowd, she saw the Christmas shop, a generic store opened just for the holidays to sell everything from tinsel to lights to ornaments of every possible design. The clerks alternated between ringing up sales and watching for shoplifters. Ronnie picked up a shopping basket and began filling it with the usual decorations. Soon the basket was full but she was not finished. After nailing down a clerk to help her, Ronnie spent the better part of an hour picking both tasteful and fun things to convert her dour residence into a festive home. Just as she handed the clerk her credit card, she noticed one item had been overlooked. “Oh, wait. I’ll need that too.” She pointed an elegant finger at the item in question. As the sprig of mistletoe was added to her purchases, Ronnie’s mind entertained the possible benefit of catching Rose beneath it. “Add a few more, will you please?”



* * *

“Let’s try again,” Karen said gently, putting her hands in position.


“No, wait, please?” Rose cried. “Can’t we do this later?”


“Miss Grayson, you have to stretch at least twice a day.”


“I know,” she said, wiping a tear off her cheek. The door opened and Ronnie entered with several shopping bags in her hands.


“What’s going on?”


“I-it’s okay,” Rose croaked, embarrassed at the drops that continued to run down her cheeks. She looked up and saw Ronnie’s concerned face. “I have to stretch and it hurts.”


“Let me try,” Ronnie said, replacing Karen’s hands with her own. The young woman watched as the nurse explained how to properly stretch. Satisfied she knew what she was doing, the executive looked back at Rose. “You think you’re ready?”


She nodded, her eyes conveying her fear of the pain. “Be gentle?” She was still hesitant but there was something reassuring about the warmth of Ronnie’s hands on her foot.


“I swear.” The softly spoken words bathed her with a sense of reassurance. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of the strong fingers on her skin. Slowly she raised her leg to the point where she felt the pull up the back of her thighs. “Come on, Rose…that’s it, just a little more now.” She felt her limb being raised higher and fought the urge to fight against it. “That’s good, you’re doing great, Rose. You think we can go a little higher? Just a little bit?”


Ever so slowly she lifted her leg until she couldn’t take the pain anymore. Dimly she realized that it was higher than she had been able to go before, but that was immaterial at the moment.

“Please…”


“Okay, relax now. We’re going to go back down now.” Rose’s eyes were closed tightly and she clung fervently to Ronnie’s words and soothing tone. “There you go, almost done now.” Soon the sheet greeted her heel and she let out a deep breath. “How do you feel?”


Rose opened her eyes with surprise at the proximity of the voice and found herself staring into the endless blue depths. “It hurts.”


“Shh, it’s over now.” Ronnie looked up at Karen. “I think we’re done for the day. I have a party here tonight we have to get ready for. Is there anything else that has to be done?”


“Just bathing Miss Grayson.”


“Oh.” Rose looked from one woman to the other. “I can wash myself mostly if someone can get the water and washcloth for me.” She tried to tell her friend with her eyes that this was what she preferred to do. Ronnie nodded in understanding.


“Okay. I guess we can handle everything else, Karen. We’ll see you tomorrow.”


Rose relaxed with Ronnie’s words, until she remembered the rest of them…a party here tonightwe have to get ready for. “Oh God, the party.”


“Don’t worry about it,” the dark-haired woman replied, walking into the bathroom. “I’ll get the things together you’ll need to wash up and then we’ll get you dressed.” The sound of water running into the basin mixed with the words. “I’ve got to get everything else from the car and find the stand for the tree.” She returned with the washbowl, soap, and cloth. “I think it’s in the attic. Do you need anything else before I go?”


“No, this is great.” Rose maintained her smile until the older woman left the room. Her legs throbbed from the physical therapy but panic overrode the pain.A party. A party full ofstrangers. A party full of high class strangers. A party full of high class strangers related toRonnie.The Dartmouth shirt found its way off her body and onto the bed. Rose felt the pressure building from within.Oh God, please don’t let me do anything to embarrass her.The soapy cloth moved over her arms and shoulders as she thought about the possible disasters that could befall the evening. Her legs could get bumped accidentally, she could spill a drink down her front, she could say the wrong thing, all those and a dozen others passed through her mind while she continued to clean herself.


She was just finishing up when Ronnie knocked on the door. “May I come in?”


“Just a minute.” She covered her chest with the fluffy towel. “Okay.”


Ronnie walked in with a bag in one hand and the most gorgeous dress Rose had ever seen in the other.


“It’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.


“Glad you like it. I’ve got all the things you’ll need to wear with it so now is just as good a time as any to get you dressed.” Ronnie walked over to the bed and set the bag down. “Then you can help me with the other things that need to be done.” She reached into the bag and pulled out a lacy brassiere, snapping off the price tags effortlessly. “I um…I got one that closed in the front.” Ronnie handed her the bra and quickly turned to rummage through the bag. “I thought that would be easier for you.”


“Yes, it would be. Thank you.” She was not sure how to take what appeared to be shyness mixed with enthusiasm from her friend. Ronnie seemed almost nervous to her. She took the bra and ran her fingertips over the lacy trim. They were low cut cups, designed to be worn with something that showed cleavage and had no padding, not that she needed any help in that department. Rose was quite comfortable with her 36C bust that had only recently begun to droop. She looked at the size tag. 36B. Well, it would still fit, she decided, just make her appear more busty. She let the towel drop and slipped her arms through the straps before hooking it. “It fits nicely, thanks,” she said, drawing Ronnie’s attention away from the sales receipt she had been studying intently.


“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure what size to get. Do the straps need adjusting?”


“Actually, yeah, they do.” Rose sat up as best she could, while Ronnie sat down next to her on the bed and slipped her fingers under the thin strap.


“Let me know when it feels right,” she said. The blonde woman nodded and tried to focus on the task at hand.


“A little higher…no, a little less than that…yeah, that’s good.” She placed her hand on the side of her right breast and checked the fit. Yes, it felt just right. Ronnie walked around to the other side and repeated the process. The end result was exactly what Rose thought it would be. Her breasts pushed up from the confines of the lacy bra, making her appear to be larger than usual.


“Um…do you like it? I can still run out and get a different one if you don’t like it.”


“No, no. It’s fine, really,” she assured. “Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve ever owned such a pretty bra.” She looked up to see a smile on Ronnie’s face. “It’s very nice of you, thanks.”


“Oh, there’s more.” She returned to the bag and pulled out a silky lace half-slip and equally delicate panties. “I had to guess at the size for these too, but they should be close.


With the older woman’s help, Rose pulled the half-slip over her head and into position. She flushed with embarrassment as Ronnie helped her get the panties on, unable to take over the job herself until they were within inches of being pulled all the way up. “How are we going to get the dress on?”


“Easy. We have to put you in the chair first, though.”


Sitting in nothing but undergarments in the wheelchair, Rose patiently waited while Ronnie gathered the layers of blue material. “Put your arms up.” She did as she was told and soon the dress was in position. It hurt her hamstrings to lean forward while it was zipped and tucked around her waist but it was over quickly. A new pair of large tube socks covered her feet and ankles. “That’s the best I can do. I don’t think slippers or anything like that would fit over the cast.”


Ronnie stepped back to admire her handiwork. She had good reason to be proud. Rose was a vision, even with the stitches still prominently displayed on her right cheek. Her golden hair hung loosely over her shoulders, creating the aura that captivated the older woman. The rich blue highlighted the alabaster skin and the low front accented another set of lovely features. Looking at the vision before her, Ronnie could no longer deny she was feeling an attraction to the young woman. “You look beautiful,” she said, sadly, knowing inside she could never act on that feeling. The true circumstances of the accident had ruined any chance of that.


“Thank you,” Rose replied. She ran her hand down the shimmering fabric. It was so delicate, so beautiful. A lump formed in her throat and she found herself blinking rapidly. It was obvious Ronnie had taken great care in picking out the clothes. She didn’t even want to think about how much everything cost her wealthy friend. “Everything is perfect…it’s all…”


“Hey, if it really is too much for you, I’ll figure out something else,” Ronnie cooed, kneeling down next to the chair.


“No, I can do this. I…” She sniffled and lifted her head, convinced she had her emotions under control. “I told you about my life. I’ve never been to fancy parties or worn beautiful clothes like this. I’ve given up on trying to figure out why you’re helping me but it’s still a bit overwhelming sometimes.” She clasped the larger hand resting on her own. “I know I thank you all the time and I seem to cry at the drop of a hat, but I can’t remember when anyone has been so good to me.” Rose lowered her eyes, the gentle green partially obscured by naturally long lashes. “You’re a very special woman, Veronica Cartwright.”


“So are you,” Ronnie countered, squeezing the hand beneath hers. The grandfather clock in the living room bonged with the arrival of the top of the hour. “I’d better finish getting everything inside and get changed. The decorators and caterers will be arriving soon.” She stood up, reluctantly removing her hand from between Rose’s. “Do you want to hang out in the living room or stay in here for a while longer?”


“I think I’d like to go out there, if I won’t be in the way. It would be nice to watch everything get set up.”


“Fine.” Ronnie smiled and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. “I’ll put you to work then. You can direct traffic and make sure the decorations are evenly spaced on the tree.”


“Tree? You bought a tree?” Rose’s eyes lit up with excitement.


“Hey, I may not want to throw this party but if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right. Besides, wouldn’t you like a tree for Christmas?”


“I, uh…yeah, that would be very nice.” She had not thought Ronnie would decorate at all based on their earlier conversations but now…. “A tree would be very nice.”


Ronnie decided the smile she received was worth all the trees in the world. “Great. Let’s go get this place ready.”



* * *

Maria expertly controlled the traffic of caterers and decorators. Calls for surge protectors or extra outlets were met with ease by the experienced housekeeper. Whether it was tacks to hang up the streamers or the mini steamer to clean up a spill on the carpet, she was one step ahead of them. Even the issue of Tabitha had been settled. Feline, food, litter box, and a bag of catnip were now safely hidden away in the laundry room. With her chair in the far corner of the living room, Rose stayed out of the way but was still able to keep an eye on the symmetry of the tree decorations. With Maria busy and Ronnie nowhere in sight, the decorators turned to her time and again for instructions on where to place this ornament or that string of lights. Rose tried to think about how her friend would like it to look. She decided tasteful yet appealing to the eye would be nice with just a touch of flair thrown in.


Ronnie stopped halfway down the stairs and just gaped at what she saw. A colorful array of blue, yellow, and red ornaments accented the branches of the tree, no one area screaming for more attention than any other, tinsel was draped in light strips throughout, with the same sense of symmetry. Multi-colored strings of lights twinkled and glowed with the exception of one set. Blue and red chaser lights formed a double-helix design from the base to the top, drawing attention to the traditional star resting there. The tree was absolutely perfect.


Slowly, her head turned to take in the rest of the effect. The decorations were scattered about the room, transforming it into a warm and welcoming space. Twisted streamers of red and green rimmed the room, old family ornaments hanging off them like tassels. Ronnie smiled as the sense of nostalgia flooded through her and images of childhood parties superimposed themselves over the modern scene.




The hostess was not the only one stunned into silence. Rose looked up and found she could not tear her eyes away from the beauty on the staircase. The velvet dress stopped just above the knees and was the same shade as Ronnie’s hair. A gold herringbone necklace and matching belt accented the diamond-studded earrings and bracelet, giving color to the outfit. A touch of blush enhanced the natural highlights of her cheekbones and a shade called coincidentally enough,Always Rose, emphasized her lips and nails. The soft velvet scooped down respectfully in the front, perfect for family occasions and the three-quarter sleeves highlighted every movement of her long arms. Veronica Cartwright was, in a word…stunning. When Rose saw blue eyes gazing back at her, she turned away, embarrassed at having been caught staring. Wrapped up in her own unexpected emotions, she didn’t realize that Ronnie had been staring at her as well.


Ronnie worked her way down the stairs, still enchanted by the miracle performed on her living room. “It’s perfect,” she said when she reached the young woman’s side.


“I saw the box of old ornaments and thought it might be nice to put them out where everyone could see and remember them. I hope that was all right. It gave color to the entire room instead of just the corner with the tree.”


“It was a wonderful idea and I love it.” She gave a smile reserved for Rose alone. The grandfather clock chimed. “Mother’s going to be here any minute.” Ronnie knelt down next to the chair. “Sometimes my mother can be a bit…harsh. I’ll try to keep her away from you. Don’t forget what I said about Susan being a gossip. I have to walk around and speak with everyone but I’ll try to spend as much time as I can near you.” The sound of a limousine pulling up in the driveway filtered through to them. “That’s probably her and Aunt Elaine now.”


As expected, Beatrice Cartwright arrived with her younger sister Elaine. Beatrice took her role as matriarch seriously, feeling it outranked everything else, including the president of Cartwright Corporation. She was no sooner in the door than she was ordering the decorators around and scrutinizing the caterer’s work. While Ronnie was busy listening to her mother’s demands about the party, Elaine wandered into the living room and spotted Rose.


“Hello there.”


“Hello.”


“Elaine McCarthy, Ronnie’s aunt.” She held out her well-manicured hand.


“Rose Grayson. I’m…a friend of Ronnie’s.” She returned the gesture. Elaine removed her red scarf to reveal dyed brown hair.


“Well…” the older woman said, looking around, “Seems like Ronnie did a halfway-decent job.” She reached into her overstuffed pocketbook and pulled out a silver cigarette case. “I’m surprised the party is here this year. She’s managed to worm her way out of the last two family gettogethers.” A press of the button on the silver lighter and the cigarette glowed to life. “You know where the ashtrays are?”


“Um, no I don’t,” Rose replied, hoping the woman would take her foul-smelling vice somewhere else.


“Well, I don’t need it right this instant. So tell me, what happened?”


“I was hit by a car.” She shifted in her chair, uncomfortable with the memory.


“That’s a shame. But that’s what insurance is for, I guess. I hope you have a good lawyer.” Elaine exhaled, sending a stream of smoke into Rose’s face. “My plane was over twenty minutes late getting into Albany. I can drive through snow with no problem, I don’t understand why pilots whine so much about it. It’s not like they have to come to any sudden stops or anything.” The smoke hung in the air, forcing Rose to blink rapidly to keep from tearing up. “I guess people always needsomethingto complain about.”


Rose thought briefly about pointing out the fallacy in the wealthy woman’s thinking but decided against it. “I guess so,” she said, craning her head around to look for Ronnie.


“Exactly!” Elaine said enthusiastically, her movements causing ashes to fall on the carpet.


“Oh, let me go find you an ashtray.” Rose gripped the wheels of her chair and prepared to make her exit.


“Now why bother doing that?” Elaine caught the attention of a passing waiter. “Excuse me, I don’t see any ashtrays around here.” Her condescending tone was not missed by either Rose or the young man.


“I’ll get you one right away, Madam,” he replied.


“And I don’t think it would hurt anything for someone to start tending bar.” She turned her attention back to the blonde woman. “Really, you’d think we paid them to stand around.” Another ash fell onto the carpet. “When my husband Richard was alive, the workers never even thought about striking. They knew where their paychecks came from, then the damn unions came along…” Elaine paused long enough to pull a chair over, effectively cutting off any thought of escape Rose might have had.




Ronnie was not faring any better in the kitchen. “Mother…”


“Now there’s nothing wrong with speaking the truth, Veronica.” She cast a disdainful look around the room. “The refrigerator should be opposite the stove, not next to it. That is why we had it on the other side of the room.”


“It’s easier for Maria to work with it over here.” Ronnie had forgotten her mother had not been over since the remodeling last summer.


Beatrice stepped away from her daughter. “Heaven forbid Maria should walk a few steps to get the butter. It didn’t bother her mother when she worked for us.” She shook her head dismissively.

“Coddling, Veronica. I’ve warned you about coddling.”


“I don’t think moving the fridge ten feet constitutes coddling, Mother.”


“Of course you wouldn’t, dear.” The hairs on the back of Ronnie’s neck bristled at the tone. “And what did you get for rearranging the kitchen? Did Maria still ask for her annual raise? Of course she did. I’m sure most of this…” She pointed at the cook’s island and the dishwasher. “…was her idea.”


“Why don’t we go see the tree? They did a very nice job decorating it.”


“We’ll see.” Ronnie reluctantly followed her mother out of the kitchen.


Rose watched the two of them enter the living room, Ronnie pointing out the various decorations. “See how the ornaments from when Susan, Tommy, and I were kids are out? Isn’t that nice?”


“Very nice, Veronica.” For the first time since she entered the house, Beatrice actually smiled. “I remember, every year you would give me an ornament. I guess some family traditions are destined to fall by the wayside.” She turned and noticed her sister and the woman in a wheelchair. “Ah, there you are, Elaine. And who do we have here?”


“Mother, this is Rose Grayson. Rose, my mother, Beatrice Cartwright.” Ronnie’s voice remained pleasant but her eyes narrowed at the wisps of smoke rising from the crystal plate being used as an ashtray.


“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Cartwright,” the young woman said.


“Grayson…Grayson…” The wrinkled brow furrowed with thought. “I don’t recall any Graysons. What happened to your face? And the rest of you?”


“I was in an accident.”


“Oh,” she tsked. “You poor thing. Such a pretty face ruined like that.” Beatrice moved to get a better look at Rose’s right cheek. “Well, don’t give up hope, dear. It is amazing what they can do with plastic surgery these days.”


Rose looked down at her lap, wishing she were keeping Tabitha company at the moment instead of being subjected to this torture. She did not see the empathetic gaze being cast on her by Ronnie. “I’m just happy to be alive.”


“Of course,” the matriarch said curtly before turning to face her daughter. “So what brings her to ourfamilyChristmas party?”


Rose was not sure which bothered her more, the fact Beatrice was speaking as if she was not there or that, with just a few short words, the older woman made her feel more like an outsider than ever. Suddenly a warm hand rested on her shoulder. “Rose is staying with me while she recovers.”


“Couldn’t her own people take care of her?”


“She’s a friend, Motheranda guest in my home.” The hand on her shoulder gave a quick squeeze before withdrawing, a reassuring gesture the blonde woman greatly appreciated.


Beatrice looked at her daughter and nodded. “Of course, Veronica. We had no way of knowing that you had company. I’m sure the caterers can come up with an extra plate.”


“I’m sure they can.” On the surface, Ronnie appeared calm, but the rhythmic clenching of her jaw did not go unnoticed by Rose.


“Well…” Beatrice looked at her sister. “Elaine, I think there’s too much red on the lower branches. Come help me show these people how to properly decorate a tree.”


Elaine made only the barest of attempts to put her cigarette out. “The problem isn’t the balls, it’s the lights.” She set her purse down next to Rose’s chair. “Be a dear and keep an eye on this for me. I don’t want to have to drag it around.” She walked away without waiting for an answer.


“You okay?” Ronnie asked once the older women were out of earshot. She could only imagine what Elaine had said to Rose before she and her mother had entered the room.


The young woman took a deep breath before answering. “They are quite a pair, aren’t they?”


“I tried to warn you.”


“You weren’t exaggerating.” She looked up into deep blue eyes. “Ronnie, if it’s going to be a problem, I can go into the laundry room. I don’t mind, really.”


“I should have let you take that escape when you could,” she said apologetically. “Unfortunately they’ve seen you now. You’re stuck, just like me, until the last guest is gone.” She leaned down and whispered conspiratorially, “Welcome to the world of the rich and snobbish.” The doorbell announced the first in a stream of arrivals. “I guess it’s time to meet the rest of the family.”



* * *

In groups of twos and threes the relatives arrived, those that had planned on attending as well as those who decided after finding out it was being held at Ronnie’s home. Limousines and luxury cars lined the long driveway and filled the parking area while taxis dropped off even more attendees. The electronic age allowed word to travel quickly and word was thattheplace to be on this evening was the old Cartwright Mansion.


Susan and Jack arrived almost an hour later than expected. The redhead joined her mother and sister while her husband headed for the bar. “What a crowd,” she said joyously as she approached.


“Yes, it does appear to be shaping up to be a success,” Beatrice replied. “Your brother isn’t here yet, though.”


“What a shame,” Ronnie muttered before taking a sip from her long stemmed champagne glass.


“What was that, dear?”


“Nothing, Mother.” She scanned the room. “Excuse me, I have to go tend to my guests. Susan, you can help greet the new arrivals.” Long legs carried her away before they could respond.


The corner opposite the tree seemed to be a good place for Rose to hide out. People stopped by, inquired about what had happened to her, gave sympathetic looks and moved on. She had been eavesdropping on a nearby conversation about the history of a particular ornament when she saw Ronnie moving through the crowd. Blue eyes smiled warmly at her as the tall hostess headed in her direction. “How are you?”


“Fine. Is that your sister?” She pointed at the redhead standing next to Beatrice.


“Mmm.” Ronnie took a sip, letting the tiny bubbles tickle her nose, and looked around.

“Everyone seems to be having a good time. I’ve heard more than one compliment on the decorations. Putting the old ornaments out along the streamers really was a good idea.”


“Thank you.” Rose smiled shyly and looked around the room. “Quite the crowd.”


“Yeah, and some of them were actually invited. Susan said there would be close to forty and we are well past that figure now.” Ronnie tasted the champagne again. “Where’s yours?”


Rose lowered her voice and looked around, not wanting to be overheard. “I didn’t think I should…you know, with the Percocet and all.” She felt alone enough being in a room full of strangers, but not being able to even join them in a simple toast made her feel even more isolated.


“Oh…I didn’t think of that.” Ronnie looked around and waved a serving person over, taking a step away from her in the process. The din of the crowd and the holiday music made it impossible for Rose to hear what was said. A few whispers later and the elegant hostess returned to her side.


I’ve seen that look from you before. What are you up to?Aloud she asked, “Is everything okay?”


“Fine. I just had to take care of something.” She retrieved her glass. “So have you met everyone?”


“I think so. It seems like I’ve been saying ‘hit by a car’ all night long.” The injured woman gave a short laugh. “There’s a little boy running around…”


“Tyler.”


“Yeah, he’s a cutie. Anyway, he was over here earlier. Stepped up on the coffee table before I could stop him and asked me if my stitches hurt.”


“Stepped…” Ronnie looked past her to check if there were any scuff marks. “He walked on my table?”


Rose smiled at her friend. “Don’t worry, I made him get down, but before I did, he leaned over and kissed my cheek.”


“He what?”


“He kissed my cheek. Said his mother did that to his boo-boos.”


“Tyler did that?”


“Yeah, isn’t that sweet?” She watched as Ronnie’s expression changed from one of annoyance to one of pleasure at the kind act.


The serving person arrived with a long stemmed glass filled with amber liquid. “Here’s your drink, Miss.”


“I didn’t…” Rose stopped when she saw the look on Ronnie’s face. “I mean, thank you.”Maybeshe wants another drink without anyone knowing about it,she thought as she took the glass. The server smiled and walked away to take care of the other guests.


“It’s ginger ale. I thought you’d like something to drink that looked like the champagne,” the older woman said, taking a sip from her own.


“Yes, this is perfect,” Rose replied, bringing the glass to her lips. The tiny bubbles from the soda tickled her nose much like she supposed the champagne would. The color match was almost perfect. The ginger ale was so light in color that no one would suspect it was anything different from what they were drinking.


An older woman in a blue dress stopped by to talk with the hostess, giving Rose the opportunity to watch her friend. Ronnie smiled and appeared friendly enough but her body language told a different story. The executive shifted from one foot to another and her eyes darted about as if looking for an escape. Obviously, there was something about this particular person Ronnie did not like. The older woman continued to talk, keeping Ronnie trapped for the moment. Rose decided she liked the way that particular shade of lipstick looked on Ronnie. The discreet slit in the black velvet dress revealed that the tall woman chose to wear a garter and stockings for the evening instead of pantyhose.I bet those didn’t come from a plastic egg,she thought to herself. Expertly manicured nails tapped the champagne glass in a nameless rhythm as the conversation between Ronnie and the woman in blue dragged on. Looking around the room, Rose could not help but ask herself again why she was here.It’s not like someone like her lacks for company.Rose knew one of the reasons for the large crowd was Ronnie’s presence. She had listened in on enough of the conversations throughout evening to know that.So why would someone like youwant someone like me around?she asked silently.


The woman in blue finally found someone else to talk to and Ronnie was once again standing by Rose’s side. “That’s Agnes, Frank’s wife.”


“And Frank is…” She tried, but there were just too many Cartwrights to remember.


“Cousin, car wash.”


“Oh, right. Is he the one who cheated on his taxes?”


“They probably all do that, but he has it down to an art form.” Ronnie gave her a quizzical look.

“How’d you know that?”


She smiled. “The man with the toupee and the one with the cigar were talking and I heard one of them comment on it.” She gave a sheepish grin. “I was just sitting here and they were right there. I couldn’t miss it.”


“So you’re the one to go to when I want information, huh?”


“I guess it depends on the information,” she replied with a smile.


“Okay,” Ronnie put her hands on the arm of the wheelchair and knelt down so only Rose could hear her. “So, what are they saying about the party? I know what they’ve said to me, but what are they saying to each other?”


Rose’s smile grew even wider. “Everyone is raving about how nice it is, saying it reminds them of parties from years ago. You’re getting lots of compliments.” She did not miss the look of pride that crossed Ronnie’s face.


“So they’re really having a good time?”


“Yes, a fabulous time, actually. I heard more than one person say they wished you would do it every year.”


Ronnie looked around. “You know, it is nice to see the whole family here again. It’s like when Dad was alive.”


Rose put her hand on the older woman’s. “You really miss him, don’t you?” Blue eyes regarded her seriously before she received an almost imperceptible nod.


“He enjoyed these parties.” Ronnie pivoted and looked at the tree. “Christmas was his favorite time. He’d get such a kick out of reminiscing with everyone or seeing the kids opening their presents.” Her face took on a faraway look. “He used to drag out the projector and screen and show the old home movies.” There was a long pause and Rose patted her friend’s hand in silent support. “Yeah, I miss him.” Ronnie stood up, withdrawing her hand from under the smaller one.

“He would have liked this.”


A commotion near the door drew their attention. “Damn.”


Rose watched the transformation before her. Lips pressed tight, eyes narrowed to intimidating slits, jaw muscles clenching…everything about Ronnie’s appearance spoke of being ready for trouble.


Turning her head, Rose saw what had captured her friend’s attention. “Is that Tommy?” At Ronnie’s nod, she studied the man who dared to return after the fiasco the evening before. Good looks ran in the family, she decided, taking in his sandy hair, piercing blue eyes, and athletic body. It was hard for her to reconcile the image before her with the screaming maniac who had flipped over the mahogany coffee table.


“I can’t believe he showed up,” she finally said after a minute.


“It’s an act, you know,” Ronnie said. “Him smiling and being all nice-nice like that. He’s just charming Mother and Susan…and anyone else who is foolish enough to fall for it.”


“What are you going to do?” She could not imagine Ronnie confronting him in front of the whole family at the Christmas party but Rose also could not see her putting up with his presence all night long.


“I guess I’d better get over there and say hello to my brother.” She held her glass out. “Keep an eye on this for me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”


“Ronnie…” she said, taking the crystal. “You okay?”


“Part of being in my position is having to be nice to people I can’t stand. If I don’t get over there, Mother will think that I’m snubbing him.”


Rose watched her walk away, thinking how hard it had to be for Ronnie to be pleasant to her brother after last night’s antics. She said a silent prayer for the evening to go well.


As Ronnie headed toward her siblings, she felt a tugging on her dress. She turned and looked down to see a round face smiling up at her.


“Hi cussin Ronnie.”


“Hi Tyler,” she replied, kneeling down to his level. “How are you? Are you having a good time?”


“Yeah.” He held out a little cookie covered with red sprinkles. “There’s lots of stuff to eat.”


“So you like the cookies, huh?” She reached out and wrapped one long arm around him. “That was very nice of you to give Rose a kiss.” Tyler smiled shyly and put the holiday treat in his mouth.


“Iff you kith the boo-boos, they get better,” he mumbled, spewing cookie crumbs with each syllable.


Ronnie pulled him close and gave him a hug. “I hope so.” She stood up and tousled his hair.

“You’re a good boy, Tyler.” She turned to go but he tugged on the velvet again. “What is it?”


“Do you know where the baffroom is?” He grabbed himself to stress his urgency.


“Yup, come on, you.” She picked him up and quickly moved across the room, not stopping until she was in the office. “In that room.” She pointed at the other door.


While she was waiting to take him back out she noticed the Percocet sitting on the table next to the bed.Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea, she thought to herself, snatching the brown plastic bottle. Once Tyler was finished, she sent him back out into the living room and put the prescription on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet, certain it would be well out of reach of any curious little hands up there. That task finished, she stepped into the living room and steeled herself to greet her brother.




“Oh, here comes Ronnie,” Susan said.


“Good. I don’t know where she’s been all this time,” the matriarch said in a disapproving tone.


“Sorry. I had to help Tyler find the bathroom,” Ronnie said as she approached. She nodded at her brother. “Hello Tommy.”


“Hi Sis, how are you?” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. ”Bitch!” he hissed before stepping back. “That dress looks wonderful on you, doesn’t it Mother?”


“It’s very nice, but too dark.” She reached out and tugged on the velvet sleeve. “You should wear lighter colors, Veronica.”


“Well, I think she looks lovely,” he said, sounding totally supportive of his oldest sister. “Ronnie looks good no matter what she wears.”


Oh that’s right, lay it on thick, you son of a bitch, she thought to herself. “You look nice tonight too, Tommy. New suit?”


“Actually, it is. I didn’t think anything I had was good enough for tonight.”


“I’m sure of that.” Blue eyes shot daggers at the sandy haired man.


“After all, I do believe this is the first time that you’ve allowed the family in here since you took it over.” He gave her a sinister grin, daring her to push it.


“Well, I think it looks very nice here tonight,” Susan chirped. “I like the way you hung all the ornaments around. Everyone’s stopping to look at them. I want to see the one I made in the third grade. Ronnie, can you help me find it?”


“Yeah. I think it’s over here,” she said, grateful for the escape offered to her.


They walked through the crowd until a flash of golden hair caught Susan’s eye. Immediately the redhead’s direction changed. “Where are you going?” Ronnie asked.


“To meet the infamous Rose Grayson,” she replied. “Aunt Elaine said she was in a car accident.”


“Susan…”


“Now what kind of hostess would I be if I didn’t stop by and meet everyone?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief.


“I thought I was the one hosting the party. It is my home.”


“Whatever,” the redhead replied, obviously not interested in silly technical details like that.

“Either way, I really should meet her.” She felt a firm hand grab her upper arm.


“Don’t you dare put her through one of your famous inquisitions.” Ronnie lessened her grip, but only slightly. “I mean, she’s kinda shy.”


“How am I supposed to learn anything about a person if I don’t ask them questions?” Susan teased, but the serious look on her sister’s face made her reconsider. “I just want to say hello, I’m not going to ask her for every personal detail of her life.”


“Promise?”


“I promise.”


The injured woman was finishing her ginger ale when she saw the sisters approach. “Rose, I’d like to introduce you to my sister, Susan Cartwright.”


“Younger sister,” the redhead corrected. She held her hand out. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Rose. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Truth be told, Susan had grilled both her mother and aunt in search of information about the mysterious woman. She looked at the row of stitches and tsked. “Such a shame, such a pretty face.”


“Susan, I think Alexandra is around here somewhere. You haven’t seen her in a while.”


Ronnie’s attempt to get her sister away failed. “No, you go ahead, Sis. I’ll stay here and chat with Rose.” She picked up the empty glass that Rose had set down on the coffee table. “That’s going to leave a ring. Ronnie, don’t you have any coasters?”


“Of c…” Out of the corner of her eye she caught the ashamed look on her guest’s face. It was only then that it occurred to Ronnie Rose might not be used to using coasters. “Actually, I think they’re all being used.”


“Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Maria can get the rings out later.” Susan crossed in front of the wheelchair-bound woman and sat demurely on the coffee table, a much more comfortable position from which to interrogate her unknowing victim. “So tell me, Rose, how do you know Ronnie?”


“I um…” Green eyes looked up to blue, pleading for help.


“She was a sorority sister at Pi Epsilon Gamma,” Ronnie blurted.


“Really?” Susan looked from Rose to her sister and back again. “But you look so much younger than Ronnie.”


“Um…I skipped a couple of grades in school,” the young woman said.


“Oh, that’s nice. Still, you must have been a freshman when Ronnie was in her senior year.”


“I was,” Rose replied, still exchanging looks of desperation with her friend. She was not sure the exact reason for the lie but understood that there was no way to go back now.


“So where are you from?”


“Oh, well…I grew up in and around Albany.” She was afraid of lying and mentioning a city that the worldly redhead would be familiar with.


“Really? Well, Ronnie and I went to Saint Sebastian’s Academy.”


“Home of the Tigers,” Rose offered, drawing a smile from Susan. She was now grateful for the hours spent at the library reading the local newspaper.


“Yes. I was the head cheerleader the year we went to the state championships.”


“Which sport?”


“Well, basketball of course,” the redhead said, her eyebrows rising slightly. “I’m surprised you didn’t know that. Ronnie played…” She looked at her sister quizzically.


“I played guard,” Ronnie said, silently wishing someone, anyone would come by to distract Susan.


“Yeah, that’s right. You were all-conference that year, weren’t you?”


“All-State.”


“All-State,” the redhead repeated, not particularly worried about the details. “Anyway, enough about Ronnie. So what happened to you? I heard you were in a car accident.”


“Actually I was hit by a car.”


“You mean you were walking and got hit?”


“Yeah.”


“Oh, that’s terrible. So are you paralyzed or something?”


“Susan,” Ronnie admonished. “Her left ankle and both her legs are broken.”


“Oh, that must hurt quite a bit, huh?”


“Well…yeah.” Rose could not figure out why anyone would ask such a silly question. “My legs were broken very badly.”


“That’s a real shame. Well, at least you’re lucky enough to have Ronnie taking care of you.”


“Very lucky,” Rose agreed. “I don’t know what I would have done without her.” She gave a smile to her friend, an action not unnoticed by Susan. The redhead stood up and smoothed her skirt.

“Well, if you two would excuse me, I have to mingle. It was nice meeting you, Rose. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”


“Nice to meet you too.”


“Ronnie, can you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” Susan asked in a sing-song voice, the kind that always grated on her older sister’s nerves.


“Actually…”


“It’ll only take a minute.” She grabbed the velvet-covered elbow and tugged Ronnie away from Rose and into the kitchen, leaving the younger woman alone to her thoughts.


The caterers and Maria were occupying the kitchen, affording them no privacy. Susan spotted the laundry room door. “In here.”


“You don’t want to go in there,” Ronnie warned, but it was too late. Her younger sister opened the door to reveal an annoyed pile of orange and white fluff.


“Mrrow!”


“You have a cat?”


“Well don’t just stand there. She’ll get out.” She gave her younger sister a shove and shut the door behind them.


“Does Mother know you have a cat?” Susan asked.


“She will about twenty seconds after you leave this room,” Ronnie said knowingly. “So what did you want to talk about, as if I didn’t already know?”


“She wasn’t a sorority sister. I’d bet my Bentley she never even went to Dartmouth.” Susan leaned against the closed door, a Cheshire-cat smile crossing her lips. “You know what I think, Ronnie?” She continued without waiting for an answer. “I think this is a repeat of what happened at Stanford.”


“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Rose is just a friend that I’m helping out. That’s all.”


“Is it? You give her a job, insurance…is she living with you?”


“She’sstayingwith me while she heals.”


“Oh, so this is a temporary arrangement?” Susan looked down at the cat desperately trying to get Ronnie’s attention. “So is it hers or yours? Or does it belong to both of you?”


“Stop it, Susan. Tabitha is Rose’s cat, there is nothing going on between us, and this discussion is over.” She reached past her sister and grabbed the door handle.


“Ronnie,” She placed her hand on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Say what you want but there is more to this than just helping a out afriend.” She stressed the last word, making it clear that she did not believe that was the appropriate title for the blonde woman.


“Think what you want, Sis, but right now there is a room full of people that I need to attend to. And Susan?”


“Yeah?”


“I don’t think Jack would be too happy to hear about Andre, do you?” Ronnie said, playing the only trump card she had on her sister. There was silence in the laundry room for a moment before Susan nodded, accepting the unspoken threat.


“This better not blow up in your face, Ronnie. You can not afford another incident like Christine.”


“I know,” the black-haired woman said solemnly.




Ronnie spent the rest of the evening keeping her distance from wherever her brother happened to be. Fortunately it appeared the vain young man had no interest in meeting the woman in the wheelchair. It allowed her to spend most of her time hovering around her guest. The time wore on and the liquor ran low. Ronnie had underestimated her family’s ability to consume alcohol. Tommy seemed to be staying away from the booze, his smile and friendly manner remaining constant throughout the festivities. But every time he looked at her, the smile turned to a smug grin which she answered with a menacing glare. One such exchange of looks had her on the verge of exploding when she heard Rose quietly joining in with the rest of the carolers.


“…fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the sea-son to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.”


“Don we now our gay apparel,” Ronnie joined in, lending her rich contralto to Rose’s alto


“Fa la la, la la la, la la la,” they sang together. “Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la.” The song ended far too soon for the black-haired woman as the grandfather clock chimed to announce the late hour. As expected, the music stopped and several guests began to say their goodnights.


“I guess the party is winding down. I’d better go play hostess,” Ronnie said, her feelings mixed about the evening. It was nice to see everyone so happy and to be reminded of the holidays past. Tommy’s presence and her mother’s comments however made her wish that she had insisted on them holding it somewhere else.Still…it would have been nice to share another song with Rose, she lamented as she took her place near the door, pasting a smile on her face and wishing everyone a safe ride home.


It took every ounce of concentration to keep her smile when Tommy appeared in front of her.

“Nice party, Sis.”


“Sorry you can’t stay longer,” she said without a hint of sincerity. “I suppose I’ll see you in the office tomorrow?”


“No can do, Ronnie. I’ll be in the field all day, but hey, if I get a minute I’ll swing by and say hello. Hi, Mother.” Beatrice and Elaine appeared forcing Ronnie to swallow the comment she wanted to say.


“Mother, leaving so soon?”


“It’s almost eleven, Veronica. We still have to drop Elaine off at the Hilton.”


“I could take Aunt Elaine there,” Tommy offered pleasantly.


“Oh, that is so nice of you, dear, but the driver can take her. I wouldn’t want to burden you.” She kissed her son on the cheek. “He is so much like his father, isn’t he, Elaine?”


“Very much,” the matriarch’s sister agreed, much to Ronnie’s annoyance.


“Well, at least let me escort you two lovely ladies to your car.” He hooked his arm through his mother’s. “Night Ronnie. I had a good time. We should do this again.”


“Good night, Mother,” she said, ignoring her brother’s comment. She kissed the proffered cheek and stepped back. “Aunt Elaine, it was nice seeing you.”


“You too, dear.” Tommy and the two women stepped out into the cold air of the night. Ronnie took a deep breath and released it, feeling the heavy blanket of stress that had covered her all evening slip away.


Ronnie checked all the doors and set the alarm system once everyone was gone. “I’m glad that’s over.” She shut the Christmas tree lights off and turned to face Rose. “So. That’s my family. What do you think?”


“There sure are a lot of them,” Rose replied. “Tyler’s nice.”


“He’s too young to be a snob.” Ronnie looked at her carpet. “Look at that. I knew someone would burn it.” She scanned the rest of the room looking for damage, then realized that it was far too quiet. “Rose?” She didn’t expect to see the sad face looking back at her. “Hey,” Long legs crossed the room quickly. “What’s wrong?”


“Nothing. I guess I’m just tired, that’s all,” came the soft reply, although the young woman refused to look at her.


“No, there’s more to it than that.” Ronnie sat down on the coffee table, her knee touching the right wheel of the chair. “What’s going on, Rose? Did someone say or do anything to upset you?”


There was silence for a moment before she received an answer. “Are you embarrassed by me?”


“Why would you say that?”


Rose shrugged. “I don’t know, never mind.”


“No.” She reached out and placed her hand on the smaller one. “Is this because I lied to Susan?” The quick look away gave her the answer. “Rose, I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of you.”


“Then why did you make up that story about me being a sorority sister?” Green eyes looked at her, revealing the confusion and hurt.


“I don’t know,” Ronnie sighed. “I am not ashamed or embarrassed by you. If anything I’m embarrassed by my family.” She pulled her hand back and ran her long fingers through her dark hair. “Susan didn’t believe me anyway.” Realizing she still owed Rose an explanation, she continued. “I guess I just figured it was easier.”


“Then telling them the truth? That I’m just a poor bum with nowhere else to stay?” Rose turned her head away, blinking rapidly to keep the tears in check.


“No. That’s not it at all.” She reached out and captured the young woman’s chin with her fingers.

“You are here because I want you to be here, not because there was nowhere else for you to stay,” she said emphatically. “My family wouldn’t understand that. I’m sorry if my attempt to protect you made you feel that I was embarrassed by you.” She released Rose’s chin and looked down.Fucked up again,she thought to herself. “You know how everyone acted toward you because you were in a wheelchair?”


“Yeah?”


“If they knew that you didn’t come from money, it would have been much worse. You would have been the topic of conversation instead of the hors d’oeuvres.”


“So instead of being the cripple, I would have been the poor cripple living off you,” the young woman clarified.


Ronnie chewed her lower lip, trying to think of a way to deny the truth in Rose’s words. Finally she gave a defeated nod. “That is how they would have seen it, yes, but that’s not how I see it and that’s all that matters.” She patted Rose’s hand and stood up. “Right now, I think we’d better let Tabitha out before she decides to claw her way through the door.”




The clock on the stand next to the bed read 12:15 by the time Rose was changed out of the blue dress and back into the Dartmouth nightshirt. Pacing back and forth across the bed was Tabitha, still loudly protesting her time in confinement and demanding extra attention. Ronnie helped the young woman into bed and adjusted the pillows. “All set?”


“Yeah, I guess so.” Rose looked around. “Do you know where my Percocet is? I thought it was on the stand but I don’t see it.”


“Sure do.” Ronnie headed into the bathroom. “I put it here so Tyler wouldn’t find it,” she called out. Rose heard the medicine cabinet open and poured herself a cup of water in preparation. The sound of items being shoved back and forth on the shelves caused her to turn her head in the direction of the bathroom.


“Is something wrong?” She was answered with the continued moving about of items followed by the slamming of the medicine cabinet. “Ronnie?”


The black-haired woman exited the bathroom, her face an unreadable mask. “Someone took it.”


“The Percocet is gone?” The throbbing in Rose’s legs that had begun earlier seemed to intensify at the news. Ronnie began pacing back and forth between the bed and the desk, her anger rising with each step.


“Tommy. I’ll bet you anything it was him. I can’t fucking believe he did that.” Her hands balled up into fists and her jaw was visibly clenched. “Bastard comes into my home and does this to you. He had to know those were for you, your name was on the bottle. What kind of asshole takes medicine away from someone who so obviously needs it?”


“You don’t know for sure that it was him.”


“Oh yes I do. I can feel it.” Her leather chair got in the way of her pacing and she gave it a hard shove. “Unbefuckinglievable.”


“Hey…” Rose said softly, reaching out and putting her hand on Ronnie’s forearm, feeling the muscles bunched up beneath the skin. She let her thumb slip to the soft underside of the angry woman’s arm and began gently rubbing. “There’s nothing you can do about it now.”


Ronnie’s fury was close to the breaking point when she felt the soft touch. For reasons she could not explain, the anger seemed to dissolve, the tensed muscles relaxing under the soothing motion of Rose’s thumb. She nodded in agreement and tried to think of a solution to their immediate problem. “I’ll call the doctor. Maybe she can give you a new prescription.” She headed to her desk and grabbed the thick phone book. “I’m sure there’s a twenty-four hour pharmacy somewhere.” Ronnie flipped through the yellow pages, tearing several of them in the process with her desperation. “Doctors, see Physicians. Damn it, why can’t they make it easy to find?”


“Ronnie…”


“Barnes…Barnes…there’s no Barnes listed. I’ll try the hospital.” More pages flipped, more torn.


“Ronnie…”


“It’ll be all right, Rose. We’ll get a new prescription and you’ll be all set in no time.”


“Ronnie!”


“What?” She finally looked up from her frantic searching.


“Stop.”


“But-”


“It’s too late to do anything now. I’ll have to wait until morning.”


“Rose, you can’t wait until morning.” She looked back down at the yellow pages. “Look, there’s an all-night pharmacy less than five miles from here.”


“You can’t go out now.”


“Sure I can. I can be there and back within a half hour.” She reached for the phone.


“Ronnie, no.” She shifted, well aware of the pain in her legs. “It’s starting to snow out there.”


“So? I’ve driven in snow before.” Her hand rested on the phone but did not pick it up. “Rose, you need the Percocet, you know that. How are you going to make it through the night without it?”


“I’ll have to manage. Ronnie, I don’t want you to drive tonight. It’s snowing and you’ve been drinking.”


“I haven’t had that much. I’m fine to drive.” She rose to her feet, fully intending to change into more suitable clothes to go out.


“I’m sure the person who hit me felt the same way.” Rose said quietly, causing Ronnie to stop and look at her, the words hitting home harder than she realized. “I don’t ever want you to have to go through that.”


Even though Ronnie knew she was unable to argue the point, she hesitated before lowering her head. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I could take a cab,” she offered.


“No. It’s too late. Please, I can make it through one night.” Even as she said the words, Rose was not at all sure. The pain had been steadily increasing and she really wished she had a pill at that moment. “Maybe you have some Tylenol or Advil?”


“You know they won’t touch the pain.”


“It’s better than nothing.”


Ronnie left and returned a minute later with several bottles of over-the-counter pain-killers from her medicine cabinet. While upstairs collecting them, she also grabbed her sweats and T-shirt to sleep in, knowing the couch would be her bed tonight. There was no way she was going to leave Rose all alone downstairs. She went into the bathroom and changed while Rose sifted through the various products promising to relieve pain and took three pills.


“You need anything else?” Ronnie asked when she returned.


“No, I think I’m all set.” She reached for the covers, but her benefactor was faster.


“I got it. Move, Tabitha.” The feline protested but moved out of the way. Ronnie tucked the blanket around Rose’s body. “There you go.”


“Thanks.” The orange and white cat jumped back up and resumed her position on the bed.


“If you need anything, I’ll be out on the couch.”


“Oh Ronnie, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure your bed is much more comfortable.”


“No, really, the couch is fine. I’ll leave the door open in case fuzzball needs to get out.” She reached over and petted the purring feline. “Do you need anything else?”


“No, I think I’m all set.”


“Okay then, I guess it’s time to say good night.”


“Good night, Ronnie.”


“Good night, Rose.” She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle in the blanket before heading to the door. “Remember, if you need anything, just call out. I’m a light sleeper.”


“I will,” the young woman promised as the light was shut off and Ronnie left the room.


part 6




Swirling memories of Christmases past danced in the wealthy woman’s dreamscape; presents wished for and received, laughter and merriment, wrapping paper ripped apart in anticipation of the treasures hidden within. The sound of someone crying slowly broke through the fog, pulling Ronnie away from her childhood and back to the present. Her eyes opened to the darkness of night and it took her a moment to realize where she was and what she was hearing. “Rose,” she whispered to herself, shaking off the weight of sleep and getting up.


“Rose?” she called from the doorway.


“Did I wake you? I’m sorry,” the young woman choked, grateful the darkness kept her tears hidden from her friend’s gaze.


“I knew the stuff I had wouldn’t do any good,” Ronnie said as she entered the room and sat down on the bed. “You want me to run out now? I’m completely sober.”


Rose shook her head. “No, please don’t leave.” The pain was practically unbearable but the thought of suffering through it without Ronnie was even worse. “Please.” She reached out and gripped the larger hand with her own. “Can you…can you stay here with me?” There was a shift in weight as the taller woman slipped under the covers.


“I’m right here.” Ronnie moved as close as she dared, telling herself it was for Rose’s comfort and not her own. She was surprised when she felt the soft cheek press up against her shoulder.


“Is this all right?” the young woman whispered. Ronnie felt the tears soak through her cotton tee and realized Rose must have been crying for quite a while before she had been awakened.


“It’s fine,” Ronnie answered, moving a bit closer.


“It hurts,” Rose admitted, lifting her head to allow Ronnie’s arm to slip underneath. They shifted their bodies into more comfortable positions, at least as comfortable as they could considering the injured woman could not roll onto her side because of her broken legs. Ronnie managed to bury her face into the soft golden hair, breathing in the gentle scent. Rose found herself snuggled into the crook of the older woman’s shoulder, a place far more comfortable to her than the softest pillow could ever be. In Ronnie’s arms she felt safe, protected, cared for. The throbbing pain was still there, yet somehow it seemed bearable now. Within moments both women were fast asleep.



* * *

Rose awoke to throbbing pain in her legs and the sound of Ronnie clacking away on the computer. “Good morning,” she yawned, snuggling back into the warmth of her pillow.


“Morning. Your pills are there on the stand.” The executive stopped typing and turned around to face her. It was then that Rose noticed Ronnie was dressed for work, a tailored gray skirt and blazer combination accented by a cream colored blouse.


“You went out already?” The young woman sat up slowly, clearly surprised.


“I called the hospital as soon as I woke up and explained the situation to them.” She moved her chair closer and poured a glass of water from the pitcher. “Doctor Barnes was there and had another prescription in for you right away,” she said while handing the cup to Rose. “Then it was just a matter of running out and picking it up.” She watched the young woman take her pills before she turned and pressed a few more keys. “I’ve got to get going. Do you need anything before I leave?”


“No, I’m sure Karen will be here soon. Is Maria here?”


“Yeah, she got here about a half hour ago. I’ll let her know you’re awake.” Ronnie stood up and shut the computer off. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”


“No, really, I’m all set. You have a good day at work. Do you think Tommy will be there?”


“I doubt it. He said something last night about not being in the office today.” A flash of anger over last night’s events clouded her features. “He’d better not show up either.” She reached over and gave Tabitha a quick pet. “My office number is two on the speed dial if you want to give me a call.”


“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you or anything.” Rose silently wished Ronnie would give her a hug goodbye but could not bring herself to ask for one.


“If you feel like calling, you just do it. Don’t worry about bothering me because you won’t.” She hesitated for a moment. “It’s kinda nice to hear a friendly voice in the middle of the day.”


“Okay then. I’ll call you later.” She set the glass down and looked at her friend. “Ronnie?”


“Mmm?”


“Thank you for running out this morning. I really appreciate it.”


Ronnie smiled. “You’re welcome.” She reached out and gave Rose’s hand a squeeze. “Now I really do have to get to work. Call me later, okay?”


“Okay.”



* * *

It was late afternoon when the door to Ronnie’s office opened and Susan entered, carrying a manila folder. “I was right,” the redhead said triumphantly as she tossed the folder onto the desk.


“You were right about what?” Ronnie asked disinterestedly, not bothering to turn away from her computer.


“Your guest.” She picked up the folder and opened it, reviewing the information she had acquired. “Rose Grayson graduated from Albany High School. There is no record of her ever having attending college anywhere or owning a credit card. She doesn’t even have a driver’s license.”


Ronnie stood up quickly, sending her chair rolling back as she grabbed the folder out of Susan’s hands. “You investigated her?”


“I had to,” the younger sister protested. “You obviously believe everything she says.”


“And what does it matter to you?”


“Ronnie, she obviously has nothing and saw a good meal ticket.”


“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She slammed the folder down on her desk. “Rose is not using me.”


“No? Do you know where she was employed before you gave her a job?”


“Money Slasher, I know. She was a cashier there.”


“A part time cashier,” Susan corrected, “making minimum wage. From what I can tell, before that she bussed tables at a diner.”


“What is your point?”


“My point is why are you doing this? Why are you letting some poor white trash live off of you?”


“Don’t…you…EVER call her that again!” Ronnie roared. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, and as far as ‘white trash’ goes, have you taken a good look at Tommy lately?”


“You’re trying to change the subject.”


“Am I? You’re judging her because she doesn’t have the money you and I do. How fair is that?” She walked over to the window and looked out at the dreary gray sky. “Did you take the time to talk to her? To find out what kind of a person she is? No. Not everyone who doesn’t have money is scum and not everyone who is rich is a good person.”


“I’m not saying that.”


“You’re not? You find out she wasn’t born to privilege and right away you assume she’s a gold digger.”


“Then what is she, Ronnie? Help me understand because right now I don’t,” Susan challenged.

“Try looking at it from the family’s point of view. A woman we’ve never heard of suddenly moves into your home, complete with a cat and obvious medical problems and you expect us to just sit back and not be concerned?”


“Yes, I do. It’s my life, Susan. Who stays in my home is my concern, not yours. I didn’t run an investigation on Jack when you announced you were going to marry him.”


“Are you planning on marrying her?”


“You still won’t accept that she is just a friend, will you?” She crossed the room and flopped down on the black leather couch. “Why does it bother you so much?”


“I just don’t want to see you hurt…again.”


“This is not like Christine, I told you that before.”


“You may not think so, but from what I see…”


“Then you had better look again. Rose doesn’t want anything from me. She’s just a friend. Stop trying to make this into something more than it is.” She kicked her shoes off and tucked her feet up under her legs. “You don’t know her, Susan. You don’t know what she’s like. Last night her bottle of Percocet was stolen. I offered to go get more but she didn’t want me to. Does that sound like someone who is only interested in my money? She hasn’t once asked me to buy her a damn thing. Everything I do, I do because I want to, not because she asks me to.” She waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t understand, forget it.”


“Look. You’re an adult. You have to make your own decisions. I ran every check I could on her today. All the info is in that file. Do with it what you want.” Susan headed for the door. “Ronnie, don’t forget dinner tomorrow at Mother’s.”


“Oh, I’m looking forward to it,” she said sarcastically. “Did you fax her a copy of your precious report? Or did you just take an ad out in the Times Useless?”


“That wasn’t necessary, Ronnie. I’m just looking out for you.”


“Last time I looked, I was taking care of myself just fine. I don’t recall asking you to baby-sit me.”


“Fine. Do what you want, you will anyway.” Susan left, not bothering to close the door. Laura, who had been listening to the raised voices, discreetly closed it and returned to her desk, knowing the intercom would buzz in a few seconds.


“Laura, hold my calls.” A second later, line two lit up and the young administrative assistant would have bet her entire paycheck that she knew who her boss was calling.


“Cartwright Residence,” Maria answered.


“Hi Maria, may I speak with Rose please?” Ronnie was still sitting on her couch in the office, the block multi-line phone sitting on the floor next to her. It was at times like this she appreciated the extra length in the gray phone cord, even if it did get tangled up in her feet under the desk from time to time.


“Hello?”


“Hi there.” At the sound of Rose’s voice, Ronnie smiled, the stress of her conversation with Susan melting away. “How was Judge Judy today?”


“Oh, you wouldn’t believe the cases she had.”


“Tell me about them,” she urged, settling back into a comfortable position. Ronnie could not explain it but the sound of Rose’s voice had a soothing effect on her and, at the moment, she needed that comfort.



* * *

A few days later, Rose was at the hospital to get her stitches removed and to have new X-rays taken of her legs. Ronnie sat in the waiting area, reading six-month old magazines to pass the time.


“Almost finished,” Doctor Barnes said, removing the last of the stitches on Rose’s cheek. She stepped back and threw her latex gloves in the red waste receptacle. “Looks good. I don’t think you’ll have a scar. Remember to keep it out of the sun until it’s fully healed. Not that that is a problem this time of year.” She made a notation on Rose’s chart. “You’re recovering splendidly. At the rate you’re going, I see no reason why you won’t be on crutches by late Spring.”


“Late Spring?”


“Late Spring,” the doctor repeated. “Your body suffered a severe trauma. Your ankle alone was broken in seven places. It’s going to take time to heal. Understand this, Miss Grayson, we’re talking months of therapy, not weeks.” The young woman’s heart sank at the words. She knew it would take time, just not that long. How would Ronnie react? Surely that would be too long to stay at the place she was quickly thinking of as home.


Despite Rose’s fears, Ronnie took the news well, more concerned about the progress of the recovery than the time frame. Although it caused some discomfort, the young woman insisted she could ride in the back seat of the Cherokee by sitting sideways, allowing her legs to rest on the deep gray velour. Ronnie did her best to avoid potholes, but there were still a few times when she looked into the rear view mirror and saw Rose wince as they passed over a particularly rough spot of road. “You know I could stay home tonight,” she said as they turned onto Cartwright Drive.


“No, your mother and sister are expecting you. I’ll be fine.”


“But what if you need to use the bedpan or something? What if you need a drink?” She pulled the Jeep into the driveway and turned off the ignition.


“I’ll go before you leave. If you fill that pitcher on the stand, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”



* * *

Ronnie was late arriving at her mother’s condo. She blamed it on the Friday rush hour traffic but the truth was she found it difficult to leave Rose alone. A full pitcher of water, cans of soda cooling in the ice bucket, various snacks all within easy reach of the injured woman…she left nothing to chance, even going so far as to write down her mother’s phone number just in case Rose needed anything.


The small round dining table had just enough room for everyone. Ronnie found herself seated between Elaine and Susan. It was bad enough to be a lefty stuck next to a right-handed person but the pungent smell of her aunt’s perfume threatened to take away Ronnie’s appetite. “Smell’s wonderful,” Susan said as the platter of meat was placed on the table.


“Thank you, dear,” Beatrice replied as if she were the one who had spent hours preparing the food instead of her part-time helper. “You know your sister always enjoys a good pork roast.”


“Yes I do,” Ronnie readily agreed, reaching for the platter.


“Hey, leave some for the rest of us.”


“Now Susan, don’t you worry about it,” her mother chastised. “There’s plenty for everyone.” She turned to her eldest daughter. “You just take as much as you want, dear. I’m sure you must be tired of those reheated dinners that Maria makes for you.”


Ronnie poured the steaming gravy over her pork. “Maria’s a great cook, Mother, you know that.”


“I know that when I ran the house she worked until eight o’clock each night. I never had to worry about dirty dishes piling up until morning.”


“I have a dishwasher.”


“Humph, another appliance purchased so she could work less, no doubt.” Beatrice ladled some gravy onto her plate. “You know you spoil her.”


“I know,” Ronnie grinned, drawing a smirk from her sister and an annoyed frown from her mother.


“First it was every weekend off, then it was shorter hours. At the rate she’s going, you’re going to pay her to stay home just like those welfare people.”


“Mother, she puts in a full work week just like anyone else.”


“I’m sure she’s busier than ever with your friend there,” Susan chimed in.


“Yes, how is that poor dear?” Elaine asked. “She seemed like such a nice girl. What was her name? Rachel, Ruth…”


“Rose,” Ronnie corrected.


“Ah yes,” the visiting relative replied, not at all interested in the correct name. “Well anyway, she seemed like a nice girl. Pass the corn, please. Bea, did you see in the paper where they are rabble rousing about health care again?”


“You’d think the president would have better things to worry about,” the matriarch replied. “Jack, do you know anyone without insurance?”


“Of course not, Mother,” he replied, learning long ago exactly what answers his mother-in-law wanted to hear.


“See, that’s my point exactly. They need to worry about more important things like reforming the tax code or bringing prayer back to school.” Beatrice took a sip of wine. “I’m telling you, that’s where the country went wrong. There was a time when children respected their elders. Now I can’t get the paperboy to leave the paper between the doors when it’s raining. And he wonders why I don’t tip him. Tips should be earned, but nowadays they seem to think they deserve it just for doing their jobs.”


Throughout the rest of dinner and into the after dinner drinks, Ronnie tried to pay attention to the conversation but found her mind slipping back to thoughts of the blonde woman waiting for her at home. She wondered if she would sleep on the couch or if Rose would let her share the bed again. She hoped the latter. Ronnie’s mind was so far away she did not hear her mother address her and it was only Susan kicking her under the table that brought her back to the present. “I’m sorry, what?”


Beatrice gave an annoyed huff. “I asked you if you planned on coming here for Christmas. Honestly, Ronnie.”


“Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”


“Or someone,” Susan said so quietly only her sister could hear it.


“Actually I thought I’d spend Christmas at home this year,” she replied, shooting a glare at her younger sister.


“Oh good. Elaine asked me to join her on a cruise but I didn’t want you to have nowhere to go.”


“What about Tommy?” Susan asked.


“He said he had other plans this year, something about going up to the mountains with some friends of his. You and Jack have the boys, so the only one I was worried about was your sister.”


“I’ll be fine, Mother.” Ronnie looked at her watch. “I didn’t realize the time. I need to swing by the office and pick up some files before it gets too late.” She stood up and tossed her napkin on the now empty plate. “Dinner was wonderful, as always.”


“That’s my daughter, always working,” Beatrice said. “Perhaps someday you’ll find the time to settle down and make me some grandchildren.”


Ronnie ignored the jibe and donned her jacket. “I really need to get going.” She glanced out the window. “It’s beginning to come down really hard out there.”


“Of course, of course. You go work on making money. I guess I’ll have to depend on Jack and Susan to give me a granddaughter.”


“I guess so,” the black-haired woman said as she reached for the door handle. “Jack, you’d better be careful on the way home, looks like sleet. Goodnight everyone.”



* * *

“Hey, you’re still up,” Ronnie said when she walked into what used to be considered the office and now was Rose’s room.


“Yeah, it’s only ten.”


“Anything good on?”


“Not really.” Rose used the remote to mute the television before patting the space on the bed next to her. “So how did your dinner go?”


“Draining,” the older woman sighed, taking the offered seat on the adjustable bed and leaning back into a comfortable position. “Now I remember why I hate family dinners so much.”


“Why is that?”


“Everyone talks about nothing. They went on and on about things they have no control over like taxes and tipping. Not to mention Mother started in again about my not giving her grandchildren.”


“Oh, that’s too bad. Does she do that a lot?”


“Every opportunity she can,” Ronnie shrugged. “Come on, let’s see what’s on TV.”


They settled back and watched a crime drama. Both of them guessing who the murderer was long before the cops figured it out. When it was over Rose found she was unable to stifle a yawn.

“Sorry, must be more tired than I thought,” she apologized when Ronnie pressed the button on the remote to shut the television off.


“That’s okay. It is getting late. I guess I’d better get going and let you get some sleep.” She made a move to get off the bed only to be stopped by Rose’s hand on her arm.


“Are you going upstairs?”


“No, I’ll probably crash on the couch, why?”


“You know, it’s a big bed and I am sure it’s more comfortable than the couch is. You could stay here.” Rose bit her lower lip. “I mean, if you want to, I don’t mind.”


Ronnie hesitated for only a second. “Well, I wouldn’t want to crowd you or anything.”


“You haven’t yet.”


“It is more comfortable than the couch…but only if you’re sure.” If the truth were told, she could fall asleep in either place, but one definitely was preferred over the other.


“I’m sure.” Rose pulled one of the two pillows out from behind her head. “Here, I’ll even share.”


Ronnie smiled at the gesture. “Let me change and get the light.”


A few minutes later Ronnie was changed into her sweats and a cotton T-shirt. She shut the light off and scooted under the blanket, consciously keeping her body from moving over and pressing against Rose no matter how much it wanted to. Her resolve lasted only until the moment sleep overtook her, when her body took over and did what it wanted so desperately to do when she was awake.


Half-asleep, Rose woke up completely when she felt the strong arm rest across her stomach. Ronnie gave a soft sigh of contentment in her sleep and snuggled closer, her warm breath caressing the smaller woman’s shoulder. Rose smiled in the dark and brought her left hand down to rest atop the larger one. It should have seemed strange to sleep next to someone after spending the first twenty-six years of her life sleeping alone but it didn’t. Lying next to Ronnie felt natural, comfortable, right. She believed the older woman truly cared for her, something Rose had never really felt before. It filled her with a sense of…well, whatever it was she could not quite name but it was a wonderful feeling just the same. Another sigh and the older woman moved even closer, her chin resting just above Rose’s shoulder and her face buried in the blonde hair.


Time ticked by while the young woman enjoyed the sensations, the warmth of Ronnie’s hand through the cotton nightshirt, the gentle breaths tickling her ear. The feeling of safety and security covered her like no blanket ever could. Rose had friends growing up, playmates, girls to share secrets with, but she never felt toward them what she felt toward Ronnie. Her feelings ran deeper than anything she had ever known and although it should have scared her, it didn’t. She turned her head to the side and placed a gentle kiss on Ronnie’s forehead. “Sweet dreams,” she whispered before closing her eyes and letting sleep overtake her.



* * *

The rusted out station wagon chugged its way up Morris Street. Delores Bickering spotted the address she was looking for and double-parked in front of it. She had planned on visiting her sister but decided since she was in the area anyway it would not hurt to stop in and see Rose, especially since she had not received a reply, or a check, from the young woman yet. She rolled down the window and reached for the outside handle, the only way to open the car door, and stepped out. She walked down the steps leading to the basement apartment, frowning when she saw a Hispanic couple moving about inside. She knocked on the door. “Does Rose Grayson live here?”


“No, we just moved in. You might want to check with Cecil. He lives upstairs.”


“What the fuck you want?” Cecil asked when he opened the door.


“I’m looking for Rose Grayson. I thought she lived here.”


“Moved out,” he grunted. “Damn bitch didn’t give me no notice either.”


“Do you know where she moved to?”


“Who the fuck are you?” He looked at Delores suspiciously.


“I’m her mother,” she lied.


“I don’t know and I don’t give a shit. If you want to know, you should ask the bitch that was here. Hang on, I got her name here somewhere. I wrote it down in case the check she gave me bounced.” He went back into the apartment, leaving her standing outside. He returned a minute later with a Post-It note with scribbling on it. “Here, that’s the name and address of the bitch that moved her stuff out.”


Delores took the paper and looked at it. V. Cartwright, One Cartwright Drive, Loudonville. “Did you get a phone number?”


“Do I look like the fucking information booth?” he snarled. “That’s all I know. Now, unless you’re interested in renting the third floor, you’re wasting my fucking time.” He shut the door without waiting for an answer. Delores walked back to her car, puzzled. Anyone who lived on a street with the same name as theirs was no doubt rich, and the fact that it was in Loudonville, where no one on welfare could afford to live was even more intriguing. She decided she needed to find out more. She adjusted the pillow on the front seat, the only thing keeping the worn springs from pressing into her bottom, and turned the key several times before the twenty year old station wagon sputtered to life.


She stopped at the nearest convenience store to gas up the car, not bothering to pull up to the furthest pump.Let them wait, she thought to herself while putting the nozzle into the tank. She put exactly five dollars worth of gas into the tank before entering the store. Once inside, she picked up a street map of Albany County and headed for the back where the soda coolers were lined up. While opening the case with one hand, Delores used her other to stuff the street map into her pocketbook. She approached the pimply-faced clerk with a bottle of Pepsi in her hand.

“Seventy-five cents for the soda and five for the gas,” the clerk said. Delores pulled a worn bill out of her jacket pocket along with a one-dollar food stamp. The clerk nodded and returned her a quarter, completely unaware of the shoplifting. As she always did, Delores could not resist smirking as she exited the store, having once again gotten away with getting something for nothing.


The station wagon sputtered and worked its way through the congested traffic of Albany into the quieter suburb of Loudonville. In the village where the average income was well into six digits, the rusted out Ford with fake wooden panels stood out in stark contrast to the newer vehicles of Ronnie’s neighborhood. Delores made two wrong turns before finding Cartwright Drive, blaming both of them on the street map and not on herself. Deciding the large mansion at the beginning of the street had to be number-one, she pulled the uninspected and uninsured car into the long driveway, stopping it just behind a bright blue Jeep Cherokee. She removed the key from the ignition and waited for a moment while the car continued to run before it finally gave a dying gasp and went silent. Drips of oil stained the driveway as she rolled down the window to reach the door handle.No doubt about it,she thought to herself.This has to be Number One Cartwright Drive.If Rose knew the person who owned this place, well that certainly was worth investigating, Delores reasoned. She spotted the shoveled flagstone walkway that circled the lawn and led to the large double-door entrance and followed it.



* * *

Ronnie was working on her computer when she heard the rattling sound of a car pulling into her driveway. A quick look at the bed confirmed Rose was still sound asleep. She stood up and walked to the window, blue eyes widening at the sight of the brown, white, and rust colored station wagon sitting in her driveway. “What the hell…?” The window rolled down and an arm reached out for the handle. She watched as a rotund woman, poorly dressed, stepped out of the car and looked at the house. Ronnie’s first thought was it was either a lost traveler or one of those annoying door-to-door salespeople. She took another look at the peacefully sleeping woman and decided to intercept the unexpected arrival before the doorbell could wake Rose.


Ronnie opened the door and realized this was no door-to-door salesperson. A black knit cap with a pompom at the tip covered the head of a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties while a dirty yellow jacket littered with various stains covered the upper body. She held an oversized purse in hands that bore no gloves and her feet were covered with a pair of sneakers which had long ago stopped being considered white. The dark-haired executive looked down at the shorter woman and frowned. “May I help you?”


“Um, yes,” Delores said, looking up with surprise. “How did you know…”


“I heard your…” Ronnie paused as she tried to think of a tactful term for the bucket of junk.

“…car…park in my driveway. What do you want?”


“I’m looking for someone and I was told you would know where she is. Her name is Rose Grayson.”


“Who told you that I would know where she is?” Ronnie now knew who the woman standing before her was and she was not the least bit happy with the revelation. She had promised to bring Rose’s checkbook to the hospital but with the unexpected release and everything that had happened since, there had not been any more mention of the subject. As far as Ronnie knew, Rose had not mailed out anything since coming to her home. So how did this leech find her?


“I stopped at her old apartment and they told me you had paid her rent.” Delores shivered and looked pointedly at the door. “Can I come in? It’s pretty cold out here, you know.”


Ronnie mentally cursed whoever it was that created manners and stepped back, holding the door open. “Come in, Miss…?”


“Bickering, Delores Bickering,” the rotund woman said, walking past the executive and pulling her knit cap off to reveal straight brown hair that looked in need of a good cleaning. “So you’re V. Cartwright?”


“Yes,” Ronnie said without bothering to elaborate further. Now she was faced with a moral dilemma. She could pretend Rose was not here and send Delores packing, but that risked upsetting the young woman. Then again, she was not sure she wanted to let the vulture near her companion. Reluctantly she accepted that the decision was not really hers to make. “Wait here.”




Ronnie crossed the room and entered the office, making sure to close the door behind her. She knelt onto the bed and placed her hand on the sleeping woman’s shoulder. “Rose…Rose honey, wake up.”


“Hmm?” Green eyes opened and blinked wearily.


“We have company, you have to get up.”


“Company?” She gave a healthy yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Who?”


“Delores.” Ronnie did her best not to let her annoyance show through.


“Delores? Bickering? Here?” Rose’s eyes widened.


“Delores. Bickering. Here.” She watched as the words sank in and the blonde’s demeanor changed. “Hey, if you don’t want to see her…”


“No, if she went to all this trouble to find me then I owe her at least that much.”


“Rose.” She took the younger woman’s chin in her hand. “You don’t owe her a thing. Whatever she did for you in the past you’ve already paid back and then some, I’m sure.” She gentled her tone, realizing it was not helping. “I’m sorry, I know you feel you owe her and I shouldn’t be telling you how to think or feel.” She withdrew her hand and sat back. “I just don’t like to see you being used and I’m afraid that’s exactly why Delores is here.” She picked up the brush and began to straighten out Rose’s sleep-mussed hair.


“Ronnie?”


“Mm?”


“Would it be too much to ask if I could borrow the shirt you wore yesterday? I can cover the rest of my body with a blanket.”


“It will be a little big on you but it’s fine with me.” She leaned back and used her long arm to pluck the gray button down shirt from its position across the back of the chair. Rose pulled off the nightshirt at the same time and when Ronnie straightened up she was greeted to the sight of firm young breasts. She reluctantly tried to keep herself from staring by concentrating on helping Rose get her arms through the sleeves. “I’ll let you button it up while I get the chair ready,” she said abruptly, leaving the bed and retrieving the folded up wheelchair from the corner. A few minutes later Rose was comfortably settled in her chair, the afghan tucked neatly around her legs and hips. “You ready?” Ronnie asked.


“Yeah,” came the half-hearted reply. The last person she wanted to see was Delores. She hadn’t replied to the last letter and had no doubt in her mind the former foster mother would bring up the subject of money, especially after finding out where she was living. “Ronnie?”


“Yes?”


“Could you…I mean, if you don’t mind, would you…stay with me?” She hoped Ronnie’s presence would keep Delores from asking about money, but more than that, she wanted the emotional support she knew her friend would give. She smiled when she felt the warm hand squeeze her shoulder.


“I’ll be right there, don’t you worry,” Ronnie said.




Delores turned from her inspection of the various ornaments still dangling from the streamers and gasped when she saw Rose in a wheelchair. “What happened to you?”


“I was hit by a car,” the young woman replied. “How did you know where I was?”


“Your landlord told me,” she said smugly. “So did you sue the guy who hit you?”


“The police don’t know who it was. He took off after the accident.”


“They couldn’t find him? That’s a shame. If they found him, you could have sued. I know a good lawyer that’ll help you if you need him. He represented me when I slipped in some water in the supermarket. Got me almost four thousand dollars.” Delores stepped into the sunken part of the living room and flopped down on the leather couch, drawing a disapproving look from Ronnie.

“So, come tell me what you’ve been doing. I haven’t heard from you in almost two months now.” She reached into her oversized pocketbook and pulled out a worn vinyl cigarette case and lighter, lighting one up without a thought.


“I don’t allow smoking in my home,” Ronnie said.


“Oh, don’t worry, I have my own ashtray,” Delores replied as she pulled a small brown one out of her purse.


“No, Idon’tallow smoking in my home,” the black-haired woman stressed, not caring a bit about the glare she received from the large visitor, but caring a great deal that Rose did not make a sound of objection.


“Oh, that’s fine.” Delores took one long drag before butting out the cigarette. “So Rose…” She exhaled, filling the air around her with the translucent smoke. “How long are you staying with Miss Cartwright, or do you live here now?”


Rose blinked in surprise and looked to her benefactor, asking the same question with her eyes. Ronnie swallowed, uncertain of how to answer.What do you want, Rose?There was no doubt in her own mind that she wanted the fair-haired woman in her life, and in her home.Does leavingthe decision up to me mean that you want it too?Looking into Rose’s eyes, Ronnie inhaled deeply and took a chance, letting her heart guide her answer. “She lives here.”


Rose opened her mouth, then closed it, shock taking away her ability to speak for a moment. “Yyes, that’s right.” Her voice cracked and she fought to keep a smile off her face. “So, what brings you up to this area? Visiting Isabel again?” she asked, referring to Delores’ sister.


The large woman nodded. “The Tupperware came in. You know she’ll never get around to delivering it to me. If I don’t come down and get them she’ll end up using them herself or selling them to someone else for the money just like the cookie episode. You remember that, don’t you, Rose?”


“Isabel collected all the money for the Girl Scout cookies but didn’t have it when it came time to pay for them,” Rose explained to Ronnie.


“Sounds like quite a family,” the executive said dryly.


“Not to mention that her kids got into them before they were delivered,” Delores added, always ready for a chance to run the rest of her family down, even if she were guilty of the same things.

“Anyway…” She turned her attention to her former foster daughter. “So what do the doctors say?

I hope you went to a real hospital and not just down to the clinic. You know they don’t know anything down there. I fought with them for five years over Jimmy and they never did find anything wrong with him,” Delores said. Rose nodded politely thinking to herself the reason they never found anything wrong with her foster brother was there was never anything wrong with him. Jimmy was the picture of health during the time she stayed with them, yet Delores dragged him from doctor to doctor, insisting that some dreadful rare ailment affected her younger son.

“You know he’s in college now.”


“Really?” Rose had not thought he would make it through high school. “What’s he majoring in?”


“Acting. Someday he’ll get his own series just like Seinfeld. He even got an offer to play downtown,” she boasted, as if downtown Cobleskill was anything to brag about. “Yup, they’re doing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andy Gibb played the lead on Broadway, you know.”


“Now there’s someone to look up to,” Ronnie drawled, earning her a slightly raised eyebrow from the young woman. She gave Rose a slight pout but quickly returned to her normal bored expression as Delores continued to ramble on and fill the young woman in on all the trivial events that had happened in her family recently. Eventually, as Ronnie suspected it would, the conversation turned to money.


“You know the state stopped paying for Jimmy when he turned eighteen. It didn’t occur to them that I needed that extra money each month for the other kids. One in college and four other kids still in school.”


“Doesn’t Jimmy help out?” Rose queried.


“He only works weekends at Fred’s gas station. He needs that money for gas to get back and forth to school.”


“Sounds like Jimmy needs to get another job and help out,” Ronnie quipped, earning another disapproving, albeit brief, look from Rose. Delores shifted, focusing her attention on the young woman and wishing that the dark-haired woman would go away. To her delight, it was at that moment the phone rang and Ronnie excused herself for a moment. The scheming woman leaned forward in her seat.


“The State doesn’t care. The idiot social worker doesn’t care either.” She paused, sighing for effect. “It’s so hard when you’re alone, you understand that, don’t you, Rose?”


“Yes,” she replied. Delores smiled inwardly.


“You know how hard it was when you were there, all the sacrifices I had to make just to keep you and the others out of the state orphanages and group homes.” She watched, pleased, as Rose nodded.The hook is set, now to reel her in, the dumpy woman thought. “You must be getting some kind of disability money, aren’t you?”


“Actually, no. I didn’t get any benefits at Money Slasher and I haven’t applied for anything.” Rose’s head drooped, a visible expression of her knowledge as to where the conversation was going and her inability to speak up and stop it.


“But you’re living here. You can’t tell me someone like her lets you live here rent free. You must be paying her something.”


“I think that’s a matter between Rose and I,” Ronnie said as she reentered the room, her tone effectively ending the subject. She did not miss the quick look of relief which passed her way from the grateful woman. She also could not miss the way Rose’s shoulders were slumped.


“Well I don’t see what the big deal is. I just asked a simple question.” Delores tried to appear hurt, but no one was buying it.


“And it was answered,” Ronnie replied firmly as she took her seat. She crossed her arms, making it clear that she was not leaving the room again. She had no doubt that if she had not returned the leech would have guilted Rose into giving her money. Ronnie would be damned if she were going to let that happen.


“I think Rose is old enough to speak for herself, don’t you?” Delores made no attempt to hide her anger. She had only one shot left. “Rose, I think you should come stay with me until you recover. I always took such good care of you when you were a child.”


There it was. The threat was on the table. Delores was making Rose choose between her and Ronnie and the overweight woman was confident the quiet child she once knew and controlled would come forth and pick her.


“I…I…” Rose felt the pressure closing in around her. It had been so automatic to do whatever Delores bid for so long. Now she actually had a choice, an option to make up her own mind. Submit to the long-standing status quo or plunge forward into the unknown with Ronnie. She lifted her head and gazed into soft blue depths, seeing only warmth and concern. “I…I don’t want to leave.” She said it to Ronnie just as much as to Delores. She watched the executive release a breath and give a small smile. On the other hand, the former foster mother looked furious.


“Rose, I want to talk to you privately, or does she make all your decisions for you?” Delores glared at Ronnie.


“Rose is her own woman,” the black-haired woman said. “I don’t control her, or manipulate her,” she insisted. Her own temper was rising rapidly and Ronnie’s thoughts centered about throwing the fat woman out on her ear and hopefully out of Rose’s life.


“Then why don’t you let her tell me that for herself?” Delores snarled, visibly upset her plans were crumbling around her. “You don’t know how hard I worked to keep a roof over her head when no one else would.”


“You took her in because of the extra money from the State. That’s all there is to it.” Ronnie stood up and began pacing. “Have you once asked her if there’s anything you could do to help her? No, you asked what happened and then went into your own little world of problems, half of which would be solved if you got off your lazy ass and got a job instead of living off of everyone else.” She deliberately avoided looking at Rose, certain she would see disapproval in her eyes. She knew she should stop, let her friend fight her own battles, but she would be damned if she was going to let Delores Bickering bully Rose into giving her one more cent.


“I don’t have to listen to this,” the large woman said angrily, rising to her feet and retrieving her pocketbook. “Rose, you’re letting this bitch control you. You’re going to turn your back on me?

On the only family you have?” She stepped up onto the main level and headed for the door.

“After everything I’ve done for you.”


Rose let a lone tear slip down her cheek. “Wait.” She looked up at Ronnie. “Please?”


“Rose,” the dark-haired woman protested, “you don’t have to do this.”


“Please, just a few minutes. I’ll be all right.” She winced inwardly at the hurt look on Ronnie’s face but knew she needed to do this.


It went completely against her better judgment but finally Ronnie nodded. “I’ll be downstairs.” She shot a murderous look at Delores before leaving the room.



* * *

“Hrmmpf,” Delores grunted as she returned to her seat. “I don’t know, Rose. These rich people, they think they can control everyone just because they have money.”


“Ronnie is not like that,” the young woman protested.


“She won’t let you speak for yourself. You are a grown woman. What you do with your money is your business, not hers.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her cigarette case. “You would think you were a child the way she treats you.”


“Delores, please don’t.” Rose pointed at the cigarette case.


“Obviously she doesn’t know how to treat guests either,” the large woman grumbled, shoving the case back into her purse. “Well, I can’t stay long. I have to pick up the Tupperware and hope I have enough gas to get home.”


“Delores, you understand I’m not working? I don’t have any money.”


“Rose, you live here. You can’t tell me if you needed something she wouldn’t help you out.” The large woman pointed out the obvious. “You’re not going to starve…or run out of gas on some lonely stretch of highway on the way home…” Delores paused for effect. “I remember the time it was snowing and I had to take you to the doctor’s for…what was it again?”


“Strep throat,” Rose replied sullenly, knowing full well the older woman remembered.


“That’s right. I had to get prescriptions for both you and Jimmy because he hadn’t had it yet. I couldn’t afford to go to bingo that week because of that, you know.”


“I know.”


“You know, the coverall is worth two hundred fifty dollars and I had just as much chance to win it as anyone else in that room.”


“I know,” Rose repeated, sinking further and further into the role she knew so well.


“You know how scared little Jessica will get if I don’t come home?”


Whatever strength and reserve Rose had crumbled with the last implied threat. Jessica was nine and very much attached to her mother. “How much do you need?”


Delores relaxed against the couch, triumphant. “At least thirty dollars.”


“I don’t have that much,” the young woman lied.


“Well how much do you have?”


Rose thought quickly. “The most I can spare is fifteen dollars.”


“Well if that’s all you can do then I guess that’ll have to do.”


“I’ll get my checkbook.” Hanging her head in defeat, she turned her chair and wheeled her way into the office, returning a few minutes later with the check lying on her lap. Delores already had her coat on.


“Thank you, Rose. I hope to hear from you on Christmas.” Delores reached for the check only to have the young woman jerk it out of reach.


“Wait…” she summoned her courage and took a deep breath. “I…I really can not afford to give you any more money after this.”


Delores’ smile changed to an angry snarl. “Fine, I’ll remember if I end up with no food or anything I shouldn’t call you for help.” She leaned forward and snatched the check out of Rose’s hand. Now, having what she came for, Delores was ready to leave, but she would do her best to reinforce her hold over the young woman. Her voice became shrill, accusatory. “You just remember that while you are sitting here in all this…” she spread her arms out to encompass the room, “that I struggled and suffered to take care of you for so long.” Delores opened the door, letting in the cold air. “I hope you get back on your feet soon, Rose. Perhaps someday you will stop being so selfish and realize just how much it took for me to keep a roof over your head.” The door shut and soon Rose heard the sound of an engine straining to turn over. After a few false starts and a backfire accompanied by a cloud of black smoke from the rusted-out tailpipe, the station wagon backed out of the driveway and headed down the street.


The door to the basement opened and Ronnie appeared, looking about for her unwelcome guest.


“She’s gone,” Rose said in response to the raised eyebrow. Worried her benefactor would be upset about the check, she hid the checkbook beneath the cover of the afghan. “Ronnie, I’m sorry about…”


“No, don’t worry about it,” the older woman replied, cutting off the apology. “You had no way of knowing she would show up here.” She walked over to stand behind the wheelchair. “You hungry?” she asked. “Never mind, silly question.”


“What can I say? Maria’s a great cook,” Rose replied. Her beaming smile earned a quick hair tousle from her companion.


“Okay, you head on in and find something on the tube while I see what goodies Maria left for us.”


Nothing more was said about Delores Bickering as the day progressed, both women far more interested in lying side by side on the bed and watching television together. It was only after night had fallen and both were settling down to sleep Rose broached the subject.


“Ronnie?”


“Mmm?”


“Would you be mad at me if I told you I ended up giving Delores money?”


“I don’t think I could ever be mad at you,” Ronnie admitted, rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her hand.


“Disappointed?”


“No,” she sighed. “Rose, if I seemed short or aggravated or…”


“Hostile?” the younger woman offered. Ronnie looked at the shadowed form in the dim moonlight and arched an eyebrow.


“I don’t think I was hostile, Rose. I think I did a great job of being civil to the witch, especially considering what I really wanted to do was throw her out into the snow bank.”


Rose reached out in the darkness and ran her knuckles up and down the forearm Ronnie was propped up on. “I know you did…and I appreciate it.”


“I don’t like to see anyone use you, Rose,” she whispered. “You deserve better than that.” Ronnie hesitated for a moment before continuing. “So how much did she take?”


“Fifteen bucks,” was the reply. “But I told her this was the last time,” Rose added quickly.


“Have you ever told her that before?”


“No.”


“Well then, that’s a start, anyway.” She reached over with her free hand and softly cupped Rose’s cheek. “Hey, I understand, I really do. It’s hard to say no after saying yes for so long. Look at me and my family.”


“So you’re really not upset with me?”


Ronnie leaned over and gave her young friend a hug. “I could never be upset with you,” she whispered into Rose’s ear. She did not expect to feel arms wrap around her neck and pull her close.


“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve a best friend as good as you,” the young woman choked as her grip tightened. Ronnie returned the embrace, smiling at first with the feeling of holding Rose. Then memories came unbidden to her mind…a flash of blue flying over the hood and into the windshield, blood pooling on the ground, and a series of lies designed to cover up the truth. The smile faded, replaced with a look of sadness.


“I am the one that doesn’t deserve you,” Ronnie whispered. She held on for a moment longer before rolling back to her side of the bed. “It’s time for us to get some sleep.”


Despite her intentions when she closed her eyes, Ronnie’s body betrayed her as it did every night. Just as Rose was drifting off she felt the warm weight of the older woman’s arm flop across her stomach and warm breath caressing her shoulder. She smiled and allowed sleep to claim her. Deep in the land of dreams, they let the warmth of each other’s bodies fight off the night chill the two and a half century old home couldn’t keep at bay.



* * *

“Ronnie, got a sec?” Susan asked as she stepped into the office. “There’s a claim here that doesn’t make any sense.”


“Since when do you come to me about something like that?” She asked, not bothering to look up from the computer screen.


“Since it involves lost materials and equipment totaling over a hundred thousand dollars.”


“What?” Ronnie turned from the computer and motioned for her sister to take a seat in the chair on the other side of the desk.


“Orbison Contractors filed a claim for lost equipment and materials from that mini-mall remodeling site. They say that everything from lumber and tools to a brand new work truck were stolen.” She handed Ronnie a copy of the multi-page claim form. “Since they had full protection with us, they also are filing for lost wages due to lack of equipment.”

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