on the famous slot machine.
Annie’s private cell phone rang. She clicked it open and drawled, “Yes?”
“I heard what you just did, Countess de Silva!”
“I bet you did. What are you going to do about it, Fish? Not that I give a tinker’s damn what you think.”
“Nothing. I just wanted you to know I know. And to tell you I won’t be home until next week.”
“I’m fed up with this place. But I have to tell you, that was the best and worst ten minutes of my time since I’ve been here. I’m going to Washington tomorrow.”
“You gonna screw up the paper now?”
“I am. I’m going to write op-ed pieces, cover the crap no one else wants, then I’ll move on to exposés and win a Pulitzer, and by the time they kick me out, it will be time to come back here and start all over again. I-am-bored, Fish!”
Fish laughed. “You could start planning our wedding.”
Annie started to sputter, but Fish clicked off in midsputter.
Maggie Spritzer sat behind her desk and thought about going home, but she really didn’t want to do that. The house in Georgetown was empty, with only Ted’s cats, Mickey and Minnie, in residence. She’d moved them into her house while Ted was away working for Global Securities. God, how she missed him.
She looked down at the ring on her left hand, then at the new acrylic nails she’d had put on once she kicked the very bad habit of chewing her nails. She hated the nails because they interfered with the keyboard when she was typing. She even had a French manicure that she had to keep up with, which also irritated her. The only alternative was to stop wearing the ring, remove the acrylic nails, and go back to the hateful habit of chewing her nails.
Maggie’s door opened, and her secretary stuck her head in. “If you don’t need me for anything, Maggie, I’d like to leave a little early.”
Maggie roused herself enough to reply. “No, go ahead—things are quiet, it’s summer, no news, politicians are going on recess, and we’re good. Sometimes I like it when nothing is going on in this damn crazy city. I’m thinking of leaving myself. See you in the morning.” She waved listlessly before the secretary closed the door.
Maggie looked down again at the sparkling ring on her finger and her beautifully polished nails. They weren’t the only thing that was new in her life these days. She was no longer obsessed with food; her metabolism had somehow magically fallen back into the normal range. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, because there were days when she barely ate at all. “Crap!” she said succinctly.
Maggie heaved herself to her feet, looked around for her lightweight suit jacket, kicked off her heels, and slipped her feet into Velcro-strapped sneakers that she didn’t bother to fasten. Maybe when she got home she’d putter in the weed-filled garden or go for a run. She knew in her gut she probably wouldn’t do either of those things. She’d pour herself a glass of wine and park her butt in front of the television set and watch one of the twenty-four-hour news channels until she dozed off for a few hours. Result, she’d be sleepless the rest of the night. “Crap!” she said again.
Maggie turned off the lights and closed the door just as she heard the ping of the elevator. She looked up in time to see Annie de Silva step out and look around. She dropped her bag and ran squealing to greet Annie. “Oh, my God! It really is you, Annie! I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you! Oh, Annie, I missed you so,” she said, crushing the older woman to her chest in an agonizing bear hug. She held her so tight, Annie had to gasp to draw in any oxygen.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a greeting like that in my whole life. I’m happy to see you, too,” Annie said, struggling to find the breath to get the words out.
Maggie released her grip and stood back, alarm bells sounding in her brain. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Why are you here? Tell me everything. Do you want to go in the office or go somewhere and get something to eat? A drink? Everyone is okay, aren’t they? Oh, God, Annie, I missed you so much. I miss everyone. Nothing is the same anymore. I…I just hate the way it is now.”
Her breathing back to normal, Annie wrapped her arm around the younger woman’s shoulder, and said, “Tell me about it. Everything is fine, no problems. Let’s walk over to the Squires’ Pub and tie one on. By the way, I decided to try my hand at running the paper. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
“Do you know anything about running a newspaper, Annie?”
“No, but I can learn. I didn’t know anything about running a casino, either, but I learned as I went along. The best thing you can say about that is, they can’t fire the owner. I’ll stay here just long enough to screw things up, then I’ll find something else to do. I promise not to get in your way.”
They were outside by then, the heat like a furnace after the air-conditioning inside the building.
“I forgot how hot it is here. It’s hot in Vegas, but it’s a dry heat. You can keep this humidity,” Annie grumbled. “I like your nails.”
Maggie wiggled her fingers. “I hate the maintenance. You have to go every two weeks to get them filled in. They show off the ring.” A second later, Maggie burst into tears.
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s that bad. I can’t get a handle on anything anymore. Every day is like the day before, and nothing is going on. I feel as if I’m just marking time. Before…well, before I just thrived. Life was a constant challenge. I never knew from one minute to the next what was going to happen. Now I can tell you what’s going to happen seventy-two hours in advance. Nothing.” She sniffled. “Absolutely nothing.”
“I know exactly how you feel. Yesterday I gave away one point eight million dollars to some seniors from a group home. I let them win it. That’s why I’m here—figured it was time to get the hell out of Dodge. Fish was on the horn the minute the slot paid off. I really don’t like him much anymore.”
“You didn’t! Wow! Do you have someone else on the string?”
“I did. I’m not sorry, either. No, on someone else on the string. That’s what I meant about screwing up. It should give you some idea of what I can do to the paper.”
“I’ll keep my eye on you,” Maggie said, dabbing at her eyes. “Okay, we’re here. Are we drinking or eating? We can drink all night, and my driver will pick us up and carry us to the car and take us home. It’s like win-win. I have never been really, really drunk. Have you, Annie?” Maggie asked fretfully.
“A time or two,” Annie drawled. “Let’s play it by ear, dear.”
They gave their order to a snappy little waitress dressed in shorts and a bolero top.
“The food isn’t even here and I can hear my arteries snapping shut,” Annie said peevishly, referring to the everything-loaded hot dogs, french fries, and onion rings. And the margaritas.
“We’ll eat pomegranates tomorrow, and the seeds from them will flush out our arteries,” Maggie said.
“Is that true?” Annie asked.
“I read it in the
