ringing. Snatching a towel off the rack, she wrapped it around herself and ran for the bedroom and the phone on the bedside table.
"Hello?" she said breathlessly, dropping to sit on the edge of the rumpled bed.
"Terri?"
"Kate!" She sat up straight, a smile curving her lips. She was pleased to hear from her cousin. She knew that Lucern had called and spoken to Bastien Friday night to assure him that they'd arrived in California safely, but Terri had been sound asleep at the time and had missed her chance to speak to Kate. Now it was Monday morning, and the first time either Kate or Lucern had called again as far as Terri knew. "How's the conference going?"
"It's going fine," her cousin assured her, adding apologetically, "I'm sorry about this. Here you flew all the way over to spend time with me and help with the wedding, and I—"
"Don't worry about it," Terri interrupted. "It's work. I understand. Besides, Bastien has been taking me around the city and showing me a good time, so it's—"
"What?" Kate said. "I'm sorry, Terri, but did you just say that Bastien has been taking you around the city and is showing you a good time?"
"Yes." Perplexed by her reaction, Terri listened as a man's voice—Lucern's, she imagined—rumbled in the distance. Then Kate must have covered the phone, because all Terri could hear were bits of a muffled conversation.
"Sorry," she apologized at last, speaking clearly into the phone again. Then she asked in nonchalant tones, "So, how has Bastien been showing you a good time?"
"How?" Terri dropped back to lie on the bed. She stared at the awning overhead. "Well, Saturday he took me out for breakfast, then around to the flea markets. We wandered a couple of those for a bit, then—."
"Flea markets?" Kate interrupted with disbelief. "You mean outdoor, open-air flea markets?"
"Yes. I take it you know about his photosensitvity, then—caused by the medication he's taking?"
There was a pause from the other end of the line. "Yes. I knew about his photosensitivity."
That was it. No explanation of what the medication was, or what it was for. Terri had briefly hoped her cousin would enlighten her. Disappointed, she forced herself to continue. "Anyway, the sun started getting to him after the second flea market—well, really I think it was getting to him during the first, but he only admitted it and explained about his condition at the second. Once he did, we caught a taxi to Macy's and switched to indoor shopping. Which was fun," she added quickly. "We mostly just browsed in shops and talked and ate. It was nice and relaxing. Then we came back here, got changed, and went out for dinner. He claimed he was completely recovered by the time dinner was done, and offered to take me to a movie, but I'd noticed he still wasn't eating much and thought he might still be feeling a little rough, so I claimed I was a bit tuckered out from all that walking and probably suffering a bit of jet lag. So we stayed in."
Terri paused and cocked her head as Kate indulged in another muffled conversation with Lucern on the other end of the phone. It sounded like she was passing on the details of Terri's Saturday.
"I'm sorry." Her cousin was back, sounding a bit breathless. "What about Sunday? Did you two do anything Sunday?"
"Oh… er… well, yes," Terri admitted, then sighed and launched into the explanation. "We started a little later on Sunday. Bastien had to go down to his office and take care of some business, so we went out for brunch when he got back. There was some kind of parade going on when we came out of the restaurant, so we stood under the awning of a store to watch. Then we went to a couple of street fairs. I wasn't sure we should, what with his condition and all, but it was an overcast day and he wore a long-sleeved shirt and this hat and glasses and…" She laughed at the memory. He had looked pretty silly in the gear. He'd reminded her of the Invisible Man, trying to cover up every patch of his
"Hello?" she said breathlessly, dropping to sit on the edge of the rumpled bed.
"Terri?"
"Kate!" She sat up straight, a smile curving her lips. She was pleased to hear from her cousin. She knew that Lucern had called and spoken to Bastien Friday night to assure him that they'd arrived in California safely, but Terri had been sound asleep at the time and had missed her chance to speak to Kate. Now it was Monday morning, and the first time either Kate or Lucern had called again as far as Terri knew. "How's the conference going?"
"It's going fine," her cousin assured her, adding apologetically, "I'm sorry about this. Here you flew all the way over to spend time with me and help with the wedding, and I—"
"Don't worry about it," Terri interrupted. "It's work. I understand. Besides, Bastien has been taking me around the city and showing me a good time, so it's—"
"What?" Kate said. "I'm sorry, Terri, but did you just say that Bastien has been taking you around the city and is showing you a good time?"
"Yes." Perplexed by her reaction, Terri listened as a man's voice—Lucern's, she imagined—rumbled in the distance. Then Kate must have covered the phone, because all Terri could hear were bits of a muffled conversation.
"Sorry," she apologized at last, speaking clearly into the phone again. Then she asked in nonchalant tones, "So, how has Bastien been showing you a good time?"
"How?" Terri dropped back to lie on the bed. She stared at the awning overhead. "Well, Saturday he took me out for breakfast, then around to the flea markets. We wandered a couple of those for a bit, then—."
"Flea markets?" Kate interrupted with disbelief. "You mean outdoor, open-air flea markets?"
"Yes. I take it you know about his photosensitvity, then—caused by the medication he's taking?"
There was a pause from the other end of the line. "Yes. I knew about his photosensitivity."
That was it. No explanation of what the medication was, or what it was for. Terri had briefly hoped her cousin would enlighten her. Disappointed, she forced herself to continue. "Anyway, the sun started getting to him after the second flea market—well, really I think it was getting to him during the first, but he only admitted it and explained about his condition at the second. Once he did, we caught a taxi to Macy's and switched to indoor shopping. Which was fun," she added quickly. "We mostly just browsed in shops and talked and ate. It was nice and relaxing. Then we came back here, got changed, and went out for dinner. He claimed he was completely recovered by the time dinner was done, and offered to take me to a movie, but I'd noticed he still wasn't eating much and thought he might still be feeling a little rough, so I claimed I was a bit tuckered out from all that walking and probably suffering a bit of jet lag. So we stayed in."
Terri paused and cocked her head as Kate indulged in another muffled conversation with Lucern on the other end of the phone. It sounded like she was passing on the details of Terri's Saturday.
"I'm sorry." Her cousin was back, sounding a bit breathless. "What about Sunday? Did you two do anything Sunday?"
"Oh… er… well, yes," Terri admitted, then sighed and launched into the explanation. "We started a little later on Sunday. Bastien had to go down to his office and take care of some business, so we went out for brunch when he got back. There was some kind of parade going on when we came out of the restaurant, so we stood under the awning of a store to watch. Then we went to a couple of street fairs. I wasn't sure we should, what with his condition and all, but it was an overcast day and he wore a long-sleeved shirt and this hat and glasses and…" She laughed at the memory. He had looked pretty silly in the gear. He'd reminded her of the Invisible Man, trying to cover up every patch of his
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