Page 12 of The Summer House

That realization made her uncomfortable so she plopped down on one of the chairs and shifted to a more neutral topic.

“Cassie needs a vacation as much as I do,” she said.

Rick sat next to her. She gazed at him. The man was sure easy on the eyes.

“Why? Is she all right?”

Mandy waved a hand. “She was engaged. One day she came home from work early and found Mr. Right in bed with her roommate. It was pretty horrible.”

Rick frowned. “How’s she handling it?”

“Better than I would. She’s been in Arizona for a while. She quit her job and is moving back to L.A. She’s joining me my last two weeks at the house and we’re committed to some serious recreation. You know, reading trashy novels, eating plenty of chocolate, going to the latest chick flicks.”

“Sounds like fun.” He practically winced as he spoke.

“You’re not much of a liar, are you?”

“No. I’ve never been good at that.”

It was, she considered, yet another quality to put in the plus column.

“I haven’t seen Cassie since the wedding,” he said. “I remember you and I would double-date with her when we visited here.”

Mandy nodded. Back when they’d all been a lot younger. “She went to college here while I went up north.”

Stanford, she thought. Where her father had gone. Where she’d met Rick. “I remember thinking it was so cool how we got together. That it would make a good story when we were old.”

“I ran into you. Literally.”

“I know. I thought it was cute.”

He frowned. “I was a klutz.”

“You were charming and very into your work. I liked that.”

“At first.”

She sighed. “Yeah. At first.” She didn’t want to think about that. Instead she turned her attention to the house rising up behind them. “This place is huge. Does it echo when you walk around?”

His frown faded. “Sometimes. I’m thinking of hiring some people to stay here with me. To make the place more lived in.”

“If I worked closer, I’d volunteer. It’s beautiful.”

“Come on. I’ll give you the nickel tour.”

He started to stand up, then fell back into his seat with an exasperated shake of his head. “Excuse me,” he said, and pulled a small pager out of his pocket. He read the screen. The frown returned. “I have to make a quick call to the office. Give me a second.”

After pulling a tiny cell phone from his pocket, he hit a single button and leaned back in his chair. “Benson,” he said curtly.

He listened for a minute, then glanced at his watch. “I’m not making the meeting, Clara. You’ll have to reschedule it.” He looked at Mandy and winked. “No. I’m not coming back to the office today. Please reschedule everything for me.”

He held the phone away from his ear. Mandy could hear someone talking very fast. Rick waited it out.

“You’re right. I should have called. Uh-huh. Yes. You can punish me when next you see me. Talk to you later.”

With that he pushed another button and tucked the small cell phone back into his shirt pocket.

Mandy sprang to her feet. “I’ve been keeping you.”

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