Twenty-five
It was one week later. Sitting at her desk trying to read Bertha Stumpf ’s Casbah, Jane grimaced and gazed out the window. At that moment a white stretch limousine pulled up to the curb. Jane remembered Cecil Willoughby’s limo, but it wasn’t poor Mr. Willoughby who got out, of course.
It was Goddess. Jane jumped up and ran out to the reception room.
Goddess burst through the door, all smiles. Today she was dressed like a matador. She looked at Daniel, then at Jane. “I’m baaaack!” she cried.
Jane grabbed the girl and hugged her. “Thank God you’re all right.” She drew back and looked at her. “I’m so sorry about your sister.”
Goddess chomped on her gum. “Yeah, thanks. But she wasn’t really my sister, not really.” She looked into Jane’s eyes. “Blood isn’t always thicker than water.” She turned to Daniel. “I’m sorry about Laura.”
“Thank you.”
Goddess chomped again, looked around the agency. “Cute. Well, I guess I’m ready to start my book now. And thanks to you, Miss Marple, I’ve got a hell of a lot to put in it.” She winked at Jane. “Maybe we won’t even need that pop-up idea you hated.”
Jane opened her mouth to protest; then they both burst out laughing.
Abruptly, Goddess’s expression turned to one of regret. “First, though, I’m going to see Mommy and Daddy. I figure life’s too short to let this kind of thing go on. Where’s the bathroom? I wanna check my hair.”
“Right next to my office,” Jane said, pointing.
Goddess hopped off.
Jane turned to Daniel. He gave her a little smile.
A moment later, Goddess reappeared. “Okay, kids, gotta fly. Love ya! Oh,” she said, pausing at the door, “don’t forget to send those contracts to Yves.” And she was gone. Through the window they saw the white limo slide away.
Jane shook her head and laughed. “And I thought Bertha was bad!”
Daniel actually laughed, a good sign.
“Take you to lunch?” Jane ventured.
Daniel looked down shyly. “Thanks, but I’m having lunch with Ginny today. Did you know she broke up with Rob?”
“Yes, she told me,” Jane said thoughtfully, and worked to keep her face serious. Daniel and Ginny . . . What a wonderful thought.
“Did you also know that Ginny is a whiz with computers ?” Daniel asked. “She’s going to help me with this confounded program we bought.”
“Perfect,” Jane said, and returned to her office, ready to confront Bertha’s manuscript once more.
Looking down at her desk, she discovered something that hadn’t been there before: a gift-wrapped box. Jane pulled off the bow and lifted off the lid.
Inside were several items. A new CD—by Goddess, of course. What We Need, it was called. On the front was a photo of Goddess done up as Marilyn Monroe. Jane laughed and set it aside.
Beneath it were two orchestra tickets to Goddess of Love. She’d take Stanley, she decided, and then laughed at the thought of that.
The last item in the box was a bottle of deep red nail polish. Sitting down, Jane examined the label. Eternally Yours.
With a little chuckle, she unscrewed the top and began brushing the polish onto her nails. A thought occurred to her.
“Daniel!” she called out to him.
“Yes?” came his voice through the intercom.
“If People magazine calls . . . hang up.”