ZORA'S POV I watched Kathy begin to prepare a meal. I was happier than I had been in a very long time. Having Katherine around was like coming home. One could easily forget that this was New York, the big, bustling city. I almost felt like I had been transported to an earlier time, a few months ago, when Katherine had been an integral part of the lives of me and my children. Heavens knew that I needed the familiar and the reassuring right now in my life, as it had upset me a lot of times these past few weeks. I could not keep the smile off my face as Katherine moved around the kitchen, like a tornado, leaving order instead of chaos in her wake. As soon as we had all gotten back from my office, Katherine had asked if there was any food prepared. When I had told her no, she had found the kitchen, rolled up her imaginary sleeves, and began to whip something up. Though I felt she should rest, I had made no protest as she was actually a better cook than I was. I had my best to help ou
ZORA'S POV I shook my head in disbelief as I listened to Katherine's complaints. "You should just have stayed home, Kathy," I said, laughing. "Or you could have waited till I was free to show you around." "Much as I hate to agree with you, I have to admit that you are right. If I wasn't sure you would somehow get me out of this situation, I would have been freaking out by now." "You are lucky you have me then. Now I want you to look around and tell me what you see. Describe your immediate environment so I can get a rough idea of where you are." "Okay.... I am er- at a street corner. The most prominent landmark here is a restaurant with a name that sounds funny. I can't pronounce it. Wait a minute! I just saw this same restaurant around the corner from here. Jeez! How many branches do these businesses have anyway? It seems they spring out of the ground. It's unsettling-" "Welcome to New York." "-and everyone keeps hurrying to heaven knows where. No one is even bothering to stop.
ELLIOT'S POV "I do not know what to make of her," I said. I must have repeated that sentence a dozen times during the last half hour Drew and I had spent talking. "I do not know what to make of this situation," I amended. "She was exactly like this when she first came to New York. You know...aggressive toward me, aloof and-and cold. Then she eventually started thawing, or so I thought. I must have been mistaken though, right? Yet at a point, I could have sworn that her feelings for me had been revived." I brooded for a while over how Zora had looked when I had taken her to dinner. I knew her so well and was sure that I had accurately detected the barely restrained passion in her eyes when I had kissed her. That kiss was designed for the sole purpose of finding out if she still felt the faint stirrings of something for me. With a decisive shake of my head, I went on. "No, I know her feelings for me were revived. But then, in the twinkle of an eye, we are back to square A. You n
ZORA'S POV I sighed exasperatedly and turned towards Katherine. "For the last time, Kathy, Drew is... Drew." Katherine pondered on this. Then she frowned. "What does that cryptic statement even mean? Give me all the details, Zora." "I have," I cried. "Haven't we been talking about this for the past few minutes?" "But-" "Okay. Okay. Hold your water. Now, stop talking and listen closely because I honestly don't think I will be able to repeat myself. No interruptions please." Katherine folded her legs underneath her on the sofa and made a zipping gesture across her lips. She craned her neck in my direction even though I was seated on the sofa closest to her. "Okay, sure," she said. "Good. Now... Drew has the same shade of sandy brown hair he has always had, and no, he has not dyed it," I added after seeing her lips about to frame a question. As I spoke, I ticked each item off my fingers. "Let's see... what else? Yes. He has the same slate grey eyes- no contacts. He is still tal
ZORA'S POV "Oh," Kathy cried. "Where have you been all my life?" I turned away from the clothes I had been staring at and looked in Katherine's direction. She had been referring to a dress -a red one- which she took out of the rack, handling it gently as though it was made of glass. The electric blue dress I had selected and told her she looked stunning in, was lying abandoned, draped over the shoulder of a mannequin in the corner. She looked up, saw me staring, and beckoned to me. "Feel the texture of the material," she said, taking my hand and placing it on the gown. "It almost seems to caress your skin, doesn't it?" "It is not about the feel of the material," I argued, holding the dress up to get a better look. "It is about the fitting. Do you really think this will er- fit you?" "Of course. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was made for me. But just to satisfy your curiosity, I will go and change into the beauty." She draped the gown over her arm, went to the changing room,
ELLIOT'S POV As soon as we walked through the doors of the boutique, Sharon was at my side in a flash. Just as I was recovering from the surprise of how fast she had moved, her hands crept into mine and held on tightly. She smiled at an elderly couple who were about to leave. She beamed at the receptionist as she swung our hands. She looked around, seeking an audience that would witness her pitiful efforts at painting a picture of marital bliss. I forcibly jerked my hand away from her grip as we approached the counter. Her smile slipped just a little bit. The receptionist eyed us with interest as we approached. She appeared to lose interest in the other customers she had been attending to. She looked star-struck, and I could tell that she knew who I was before she even said my name. "Mr Garrett, Mrs Garrett," she said. "It's nice to have you shop with us. We have a selection of-" "I will take it from here," interjected a man who was dressed in the blue shirt the staff of the bo
ZORA'S POV "I miss you too," I replied, after listening to Derek tell me how much he missed me. I sighed. "You know what, Derek? I am willing to bet anything that you don't miss me half as much as I miss you." "Don't even go there. Ask Katherine. I must have talked her ear off because I was always talking about you. She probably got tired of my bugging her, so she went to be with you in New York." We laughed at that. Derek went on laughing for a long time after I had stopped. It was then I noticed that there had been a tinge of excitement in his voice ever since we had been having this phone conversation. Derek was always happy to hear from me, but I got a feeling that there was something else getting him all pumped up. He said something that I didn't quite catch. "I did not quite get that," I said. "I am sorry." "Oh, are you working now? Maybe I should-" "No, I was just woolgathering and I was also wondering when you were planning to tell me the good news." "How did you know?
ZORA'S POV "What the hell is this?" Katherine yelled, looking at me with a mixture of shock and disgust, a look I hoped not to see on her face again. It was not that I did not deserve it though. I called myself seven kinds of a fool not only for having those pictures on my phone, but for forgetting something as elementary as deleting them when I was done viewing them, or before giving the phone to someone else. Not able to look Katherine in the face, I lowered my gaze. "Zora, I am talking to you, goddammit! Can you explain what exactly this is?" Katherine's voice grew louder and more shrill with every word she uttered. I was beginning to get scared that her raised voice would wake the twins up. What would I tell those inquisitive kids of mine if they should walk in on us? "Please, calm down," I pleaded. I pressed a finger to my lips. "Keep your voice down a little. The kids- you will wake them up." Katherine, who was about to speak, made a great effort and swallowed her words