Page 108 of Analysing Her Assets

She was pale, nervous, and absolutely stunning. This was the red dress but amplified. The rich deep-sea blue hugged her body. Her velvety skin looked flawless, creamy, radiant against the lush fabric.

“I invited him,” Tally told Tamar, who grabbed her sister’s elbow. They exchanged a silent communication. Tamar smiled her beautiful smile. Not at him, at her sister, but she was smiling.

“Ilan, he’s her boyfriend. We should leave them alone.” Tally let go of her sister. She told this to an olive-skinned man who scrutinized him closely.

Tamar turned to him, the ghost of her smile still on her lips. His fingers itched to touch her, to plant a kiss on the dip of her clavicle, to sniff the top of her head. Most of all, he wished he could hold her strongly and tell her all would be well.

“Right.” Ilan apparently ran the show. “You have five minutes, Tamar. Don’t touch her,” he ordered Gideon. “She should smell only of herself. Danny might sense, even unconsciously, that another man touched her.”

“Okay.” He would have agreed to anything.

The room emptied, and he was alone with Tamar. Who, despite her sister’s declaration, wasn’t his girlfriend.

“How is your father?”

“He’s going to be okay. I’m going back to the hospital after this. But the doctors say if he stays stable, he’ll be discharged soon.”

“You’re beautiful,” he added with feeling.

“This dress, Danny will think I want to...” Tamar started.

“To what? To seduce him?” He stepped close to her, and she took a sharp breath, but didn’t move away. His arm muscles ached from restraining, but he didn’t touch her. “Danny would be flattered that you’re trying to seduce him. Maybe he’ll even enjoy rebuffing you.”

“I wish he would rebuff me,” Tamar agreed, and Gideon chuckled. He forgot the last time he smiled, and within minutes she made him chuckle.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Berdiplast. I should have,” Tamar blurted.

“No, I mean yes, you should have talked to me. But I’m not mad at you anymore. And my father claims there was no share manipulation, neither by him nor by Doron, and I believe him,” Gideon said. Young Doron had come by the hospital to see Yehoshua and apologize to Gideon about bolting when the losses amounted. He was a good boy, but a spineless one.

“You sure?”

He nodded. “I love you, Tamar. I’m sorry for doubting you. I’ll be there for you, always, I promise. You don’t have to say it back to me. Just tell me you’ll give me a second chance.”

“Okay. I mean yes,” she said. Her lips and cheeks were so pale it was frightening.

Ilan barged in.

“Okay, Tamar, time’s up.”

Gideon followed Tamar to the dark living room. Tally handed Tamar a binocular. Gideon grabbed another one from next to where the IT man sat.

The lights in the apartment across the street were on. Danny, bare chested, wearing only a towel around his waist, walked into his kitchen, opened his fridge, and poured himself a glass of wine. The towel slipped off. There was a scuffle next to the telescope. Marina shouldered Aviad and looked through.

“Whatever he is, he isn’t ugly.” Marina chuckled. “He is on his phone,” she added.

Tamar’s phone chirped. Her hand was steady, she was such a badass, when she showed it to Ilan and Gideon.

Hi, I’m home. W4u.

In the taxi. The PI texted from Tamar’s phone.

“We’re right here watching over you. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Ilan said.

“Okay,” Tamar said and without another word, she turned decisively and left.

The darkened apartment echoed to the sounds of Tamar’s clicking heels, cars’ engines humming, dogs’ barking. Then a loud screech sounded.

“What was that?” Ilan asked, and then there was total silence. Gideon froze, his ears strained, his eyes looking for Tamar in the street.

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