letting her lead him away.
‘What isn’t?’
‘Leaving things. You were always so tidy.’
‘I guess my priorities have changed. I’m too busy to fuss about things these days.’
Jake sat down and immediately moved to reach for something that had been sticking into his back. It was a book.
‘Hey, what’s this?’ he demanded, studying it. ‘Moving On, In Bed and In Life!’
‘Marianne gave it to me,’ she chuckled. ‘It’s one of those New Age psychobabble things. Just a laugh.’
‘A laugh, eh? And all these bookmarks? Are those the places where you’re laughing hardest? Or did Marianne put them there?’
‘Some are hers, some mine.’
‘Which is which?’
‘Work it out. You met her tonight. The way you two danced you must know her very well by now. You should have followed up. She’s ready to move on and, goodness knows, you must be. Did she give you her number? Because if not I can—’
‘Will you let me organise my own sex-life?’ he demanded, harassed. ‘And what does this mean?’ He was stabbing the book which was open at a chapter headed ‘Time For a Toy Boy?’ ‘Did she mark this?’
‘No, Marianne’s done toy boys,’ Kelly said cheerfully. ‘If she wanted another one she wouldn’t be bothering with you. Let’s face it, Jake. You hardly qualify, do you? What are you? Thirty-eight?’
‘Thirty-two, as you well know.’
‘Are you sure? I’ve always thought—I mean you look—well, anyway, thirty-two is still past your best, and—’
‘All right, all right,’ he said, grimly appreciative of this wit at his expense. ‘So I take it the bookmark’s yours?’
She glanced over and shrugged. ‘Sure.’
‘Nice reading matter you go in for, Mrs Lindley,’ he said scathingly.
‘Miss Harmon, and it’s none of your business what I read.’
He recited aloud. “‘Don’t be half-hearted about the change you’re making. Feel the sense of liberation as you chuck out unwanted possessions”—would that include unwanted husbands, by any chance?’
‘Oh, don’t be a dog in the manger. You were bored to tears with me. You’re just mad because I made the first move to end our marriage—unless, of course, you consider Olympia the first move, which you could—’
‘Do not,’ he said dangerously, ‘mention her again.’
Kelly shrugged. ‘OK. Nuff said—about everything. Give me back my book.’
‘Wait, I haven’t finished. Where was I? “Unwanted possessions. Replace them with something as different as possible. A change of partners works wonders. If years of sex with the same man has left you feeling bored—” now we’re coming to it “—your new lover should be somebody young. He’ll bring freshness and novelty to your bed, as well as strength, vigour, and a sense of adventure.”’ He set the book down. ‘You must be older than I realised. I wouldn’t have thought you’d reached the age for a toy boy.’
‘Shows how wrong you can be,’ she teased, running her hands over the tight black satin. ‘Underneath this I’m all droop and sag.’
‘Let me check the facts.’
‘You’ve seen the facts plenty of times,’ she said, fending off his hopeful hand.
‘Not these facts, I haven’t.’
‘Well, look your fill of the outside, because that’s all you’ll ever see again.’
His eyes glinted. ‘Wanna bet?’
‘Jake! Do I look as though I was born yesterday?’
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’
‘I’m warning you. Keep your distance.’
‘All right. Let’s get back to the subject. Toy boy.’
‘I don’t have a toy boy—yet. I was just planning for the future.’
‘And this?’ He’d found a new source of outrage in the book. “‘If you’re tired of the old self, try a new one—or several new ones.” Oh, that’s great. How the devil are you supposed to know which “you” is on duty today?’
‘Easy. You give them each their own name.’
‘So I see. You’ve written a list of names in the margin. Yvonne—’
‘Sporty,’ Kelly said at once. ‘Likes the wind in her hair.’
‘Helena—’
‘Soulful and dreamy.’ Kelly was enjoying herself. ‘An intense inner life and a hectic imagination.’
‘Carlotta?’
‘A party animal. Always ready for a new experience.’
‘Don’t the fellers get confused?’
‘Not if you keep one personality for each man.’
He stirred his coffee, not looking at her. Suddenly he growled, ‘So which of them are you sleeping with?’
‘What?’
‘Carl, or Frank? Or the mysterious Harry who “misses you terribly”?’
‘Get lost!’
‘Or is it one of the other guys who were undressing you with his eyes tonight? Not that that would take much doing.’
‘Now you’re being offensive.’
‘No way. I like a woman who’s wise to herself. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. You’ve got it—and, boy, do you know how to flaunt it! That’s OK. You missed out a whole stage of life by marrying me, I know. I don’t begrudge you your fun.’
‘It wouldn’t make any difference if you did,’ she said pointedly.
‘Not since ten-thirty this morning.’
‘Further back than that. In fact, not since— Oh, don’t let’s go down that path again. We’d end up quarrelling and what’s the point?’
‘So you’re not going to answer my question?’
‘What question?’
‘Who are you sleeping with?’
She turned slightly, resting her arm on the back of the sofa, and smiled. ‘Mind your own business, Jake.’
