pretend she didn’t know why Emma was worried. She smiled and put her hands affectionately on the older woman’s shoulders. “Thank you for going after King. And thank you for being so loving to me.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Kelly. I just—I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
Kelly continued to meet her gaze. “I am all right. I promise.”
Emma sighed again. “Well, I can’t say I’m not glad you’ve met a man that you’re interested in. And from what I saw when he was photographing you, he is cute.”
Kelly laughed and took her hands off Emma’s shoulders. “Please, Emma, go. You’re going to keep Donald waiting.”
The doorbell rang, and Emma looked toward the hallway as if she was going to answer it.
“I mean it,” Kelly said. “Go!”
“I’m going. I’m going,” Emma assured her. She picked up her coat and scarf from the back of a chair, putting them on as she followed Kelly out of the kitchen and toward the front door.
By the time they reached the hall, King, who had been napping in the living room, joined them and started howling. Kelly grabbed his collar as she opened the front door. The bleak day had turned into a cool, damp night, and Chris Palmer, wearing a black turtleneck under a leather jacket, was standing on thestoop, carrying a bottle of wine.
“Don’t mind King,” Kelly told him, pulling the dog with her as she stepped back into the foyer. “He’ll calm down in a minute.”
As Chris walked into the brownstone, King continued howling.
“I think you should tell him that,” Chris suggested.
Kelly gave the dog a reassuring look. “It’s okay, King. He’s a friend.”
Emma thrust herself between Chris and Kelly. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Emma O’Brian, Kelly’s housekeeper and cook. But she’s making the dinner tonight herself.”
“I’m Chris Palmer.” His dark eyes shone at Emma as he extended his hand to shake hers. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Emma responded. She gave Kelly an approving nod before heading out the door and telling them to have a good time.
Once Emma was gone, Kelly let go of King’s collar. He kept howling as she walked to the guest closet under the stairs and opened it for Chris. “Let him smell you while you hang your jacket up. Then he’ll stop. If he gets to be too much, I’ll put him upstairs. I’ve just got a few things to do for dinner.”
As Kelly started toward the kitchen, Chris was hanging up his leather jacket and King was sniffing him and still howling.
“I really am a friend,” he was telling the dog. “So you don’t have to protect her. You can just hang out and have a good time. All right?”
Kelly liked the way Chris talked to King. She was glad she’d invited him to dinner. She only wished King would stop howling.
Sarah and Kevin exited through the imposing doors of the Four Seasons onto East 52nd Street. The temperature had dropped since they’d entered the restaurant, and Sarah buttoned her coat all the way up. Kevin was next to her, wearing only his blazer and a scarf. She was avoiding his eyes, as she had for most of the evening, ever since he’d told her about his engagement.
“I didn’t ask about Kelly,” he said as they emerged onto the sidewalk. “How is she?”
“She’s fine,” Sarah responded. Even under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to discuss the problem she believed Kelly was having, but these circumstances were anything but normal.
She suddenly felt his hand gently take hold of her arm.
“I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“I think I’ll take a cab.”
She could feel him looking at her, feel him thinking how strange it was that she didn’t want to walk. She loved walking; she usually walked the thirty blocks from her apartment near Carnegie Hall to Kelly’s brownstone every morning and sometimes walked back again at night. Her apartment was only a fifteen-minute walk
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Kelly. I just—I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
Kelly continued to meet her gaze. “I am all right. I promise.”
Emma sighed again. “Well, I can’t say I’m not glad you’ve met a man that you’re interested in. And from what I saw when he was photographing you, he is cute.”
Kelly laughed and took her hands off Emma’s shoulders. “Please, Emma, go. You’re going to keep Donald waiting.”
The doorbell rang, and Emma looked toward the hallway as if she was going to answer it.
“I mean it,” Kelly said. “Go!”
“I’m going. I’m going,” Emma assured her. She picked up her coat and scarf from the back of a chair, putting them on as she followed Kelly out of the kitchen and toward the front door.
By the time they reached the hall, King, who had been napping in the living room, joined them and started howling. Kelly grabbed his collar as she opened the front door. The bleak day had turned into a cool, damp night, and Chris Palmer, wearing a black turtleneck under a leather jacket, was standing on thestoop, carrying a bottle of wine.
“Don’t mind King,” Kelly told him, pulling the dog with her as she stepped back into the foyer. “He’ll calm down in a minute.”
As Chris walked into the brownstone, King continued howling.
“I think you should tell him that,” Chris suggested.
Kelly gave the dog a reassuring look. “It’s okay, King. He’s a friend.”
Emma thrust herself between Chris and Kelly. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Emma O’Brian, Kelly’s housekeeper and cook. But she’s making the dinner tonight herself.”
“I’m Chris Palmer.” His dark eyes shone at Emma as he extended his hand to shake hers. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Emma responded. She gave Kelly an approving nod before heading out the door and telling them to have a good time.
Once Emma was gone, Kelly let go of King’s collar. He kept howling as she walked to the guest closet under the stairs and opened it for Chris. “Let him smell you while you hang your jacket up. Then he’ll stop. If he gets to be too much, I’ll put him upstairs. I’ve just got a few things to do for dinner.”
As Kelly started toward the kitchen, Chris was hanging up his leather jacket and King was sniffing him and still howling.
“I really am a friend,” he was telling the dog. “So you don’t have to protect her. You can just hang out and have a good time. All right?”
Kelly liked the way Chris talked to King. She was glad she’d invited him to dinner. She only wished King would stop howling.
Sarah and Kevin exited through the imposing doors of the Four Seasons onto East 52nd Street. The temperature had dropped since they’d entered the restaurant, and Sarah buttoned her coat all the way up. Kevin was next to her, wearing only his blazer and a scarf. She was avoiding his eyes, as she had for most of the evening, ever since he’d told her about his engagement.
“I didn’t ask about Kelly,” he said as they emerged onto the sidewalk. “How is she?”
“She’s fine,” Sarah responded. Even under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to discuss the problem she believed Kelly was having, but these circumstances were anything but normal.
She suddenly felt his hand gently take hold of her arm.
“I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“I think I’ll take a cab.”
She could feel him looking at her, feel him thinking how strange it was that she didn’t want to walk. She loved walking; she usually walked the thirty blocks from her apartment near Carnegie Hall to Kelly’s brownstone every morning and sometimes walked back again at night. Her apartment was only a fifteen-minute walk
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