"That man knows everything that's to know," Nina said with a chuckle.
Before Ashley might answer, her cell rang, and, pulling it from the pocket of her slacks, she flipped it open. "This is Ashley," she said.
"Hey, wife," she heard Ryan's voice. "I got your message yesterday. Sorry I couldn't get back to you. I had to take care of the problem personally, Ash. You aren't upset, are you? I really apologize for the harpies."
Ashley moved from the shop floor into her office as he was talking. Now she sat down at her desk. "Yes, I was upset," she said. "But I got over it. What the hell is the matter with those women, Ryan? A private investigator? What do they think you married, anyway? I don't know whether to laugh or get mad."
"Well, first off, they're sure the marriage isn't legal. And they're sure you're nothing more than a gold digger out for my money, and I'm too dumb to realize it," he said. "Flattering, huh? But what do I know? I only took a nice little restoration shop and morphed it into a multimillion-dollar business."
"How did they find me?" Ashley wanted to know.
"Kathleen is married to a cop. Well, actually he isn't a beat cop anymore. He's up there in the police hierarchy. He used some contacts of his to track you down, at my sister's urging. Kevin is actually a decent guy. Not too bright, but decent."
"That is a serious violation of my privacy and my rights," Ashley said angrily.
"Look, I spent all day yesterday visiting each of my sisters personally. And I went downtown to One Police Plaza and spoke with Kevin. I had him call Judge Palmer, and we got him to fax a copy of our marriage license to Kevin. I told my brother-in-law that I would be visiting all my sisters with the copy, and he was to talk with the other brothers-in-law, and tell them that if their wives tried any more nonsense, our next step would be legal."
"And?" Ashley said.
"Kevin took care of the guys, and I took care of my sisters. They aren't happy about the fact that I'm married, but they're stuck with it," Ryan said. "Ash, I apologize. I never thought they would go crazy-crazy. I didn't realize how out of touch with reality the thought of getting their hands on all that money would make them." He sounded very embarrassed, and for a moment she felt sorry for him.
"Right now I'm not certain I want to meet them," she told him candidly.
"I don't blame you," he responded.
"But I'll do the October thing for your mom's sake. Not a whole weekend, like I was planning, though, Ryan. If your sisters were counting on grabbing your money that much, then they aren't going to have calmed down in a month. They might never calm down over this, and while that's their problem, I don't want to have to put up with it. I'm good to a point," Ashley told him.
"I understand," he said.
"We'll invite them for the day, and make it easy for them by hiring a stretch limo to bring them out and take them home," Ashley said.
"Let's do it Saturday, so we have the rest of that long weekend just for us," he suggested. "Now, don't let this go to your head, but I missed you last night." His voice was warmer than it had been previously.
She smiled. "Yeah, me too," Ashley admitted. "Do you have to stay away until Thursday night?"
"Yeah, I have to, baby. I lost a whole day yesterday running uptown, downtown, and into suburbia dealing with the harpies. And then I had to stop and tell Frankie what went down, and go see Ma, and tell her everything was all right. I didn't get to my office until late afternoon. That's why I didn't call you. I worked until almost one this morning, and then I just crashed where I was. I haven't even gone back to my apartment yet to change my clothing. I'll do that later, as I have clients coming in from Europe. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
"I'm fine, Ryan. I'm tough, and I don't collapse too easily," Ashley told him. "Anything special you'd like for dinner tomorrow night? And incidentally, what time do you think you'll be home?"»
"Steak," he said with male predictability. "I'll try to get there by eight."
"I'll see you then," she said.
"Say hello to the girls for me," he teased her, and then he asked mischievously, "Are you blushing, Ash?"
"Bite me!" she shot back, and she heard his laughter as she flipped her cell shut. She was blushing. She didn't need a mirror to feel the warmth flooding her cheeks. And her nipples were tingling with the thought of his mouth on them. Damn! What was the matter with her? She had always enjoyed good sex, but now her mind was consumed with it, despite her evening on the Channel. The fantasy wasn't enough. She wanted reality. She wanted her sexy husband, a man she hadn't even known three months ago. Tonight she would try the B fantasy. Maybe being dominated by Rurik would ease her.
"Oh, no!" she heard Nina's voice exclaim.
Ashley got up and went back out into the shop. "What's the matter?"
"Elegance sent the wrong size for Jerry's girlfriend's gift. They sent a six instead of a sixteen," Nina said irritably. "And you know how long it always takes to get an order from them, Ashley. Her birthday is early in October."
"You know what to do," Ashley said. "Call. Get tough, but remind them we have two new shops opening this autumn, and I can't do business with a firm that's unreliable," she said. "Listen, can you handle the shop alone for awhile?"
"Are you all right?" Nina asked, her voice concerned.
"I just need to take a ride," Ashley told her.
"You miss him, huh?" Nina cocked an eyebrow.
Ashley sighed. "Yeah. Who would have thunk it?"
"Are you falling in love with him? Wouldn't that be nice," Nina remarked.
"I don't know. Maybe. If he loved me back, but he's as wrapped up in his business as I am in mine," Ashley said.
"You're not so wrapped up now," Nina noted.
"But he is," Ashley said.
Nina watched the younger woman as she left the shop and climbed into her Solstice. The car's top was down today. It pulled out of the back parking lot with a small roar. Nina knew exactly where Ashley would go. She'd drive up to the Egret Pointe Overlook, park, and sit looking at the bay until she had sorted out whatever it was she needed to sort out in her head. Nina picked up the phone and dialed Elegance.
The sky above her was crystal blue as Ashley drove out of the village and up the coast road. The sun was bright, the; air clean. She could feel autumn coming, and it was her favorite season of the year. She pulled into the overlook and parked, her bumper just an inch from the stone wall. There was one nice-sized sailboat crossing the bay below, but with Labor Day over and done there wouldn't be too many boats out on the weekday water until next summer. The weekends would be busy for a while, but then it would be empty but for migrating whales and the seals.
Nina's question had really touched a nerve. Was she falling in love with Ryan? And if she was, how was she going to keep it from him? Because of course she would have to keep it from him. They had married for practical reasons. Yet their marriage might last. He said he wanted it to last. And the sex was beyond great. It was true that they had a great deal in common with each other. And the sex was incredible, she thought again. But there was no cause for her to go falling in love with her husband and messing things up. She wasn't going to push him to the wall, like his older sisters did. She was going to be a good friend, wife, and lover. And if it ended maybe they could remain friends.
So why was she thinking about babies? She had always assumed she would have kids when she got married. But this wasn't that kind of marriage. Yet she had been thinking about babies ever since that first night. A plump, roly-poly infant with dark curls and big brown eyes. A boy. He wanted a boy. She could almost hear a baby giggle. "What the hell is the matter with me?" Ashley asked herself out loud. Above her a gull squawked noisily. It had to be her biological clock, she decided. She was going to be thirty-four in December, and that clock was ticking louder with each passing day. She needed chocolate. Chocolate always calmed her when she found herself filled with irrational thoughts like this. With a deep sigh she turned the car's engine on and, backing out of the overlook, headed to the village. It was a workday, not a holiday.