“I like cold floors,” I said.
“You shouldn’t make your wife walk on them.”
“I’ll teach her how to wear shoes. I think she has some.”
“There are only a few rooms with the flagstones,” Katie said.
“We’ll have rugs.”
“There aren’t enough cabinets in the kitchen, either.”
We were standing among the dozens of them. “There are plenty,” Katie said. “And there’s a whole pantry, too.”
“It’s not a pantry,” I said.
“What?” Katie opened the door. The room was about six by ten with two walls of shelves and two of floor- to-ceiling cabinets, with a plain wood floor and no windows. “Of course it is.”
“No it isn’t.”
“He wouldn’t know,” Francine said.
“No,” I said. “It’s the mother-in-law suite.” I leaned my elbow on one of the hard shelves. “This is where she sleeps. And why do you think the door locks from the outside? There’s even room for more than one.”
Katie only rolled her eyes, but Francine couldn’t resist snapping back.
“I wouldn’t put it past you to have another wife tucked away somewhere. What were you doing over the weekend, anyway?”
I ignored her again. “Are you sure you like it?” I said to Katie.
“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. There was no doubt she thought so.
“Well…” I put just a little doubt in my voice.
“What? Is it too much?” Would the candy be snatched from her hand?
“I told you,” Francine said. “He can’t afford it.”
I ignored her again. Katie had my complete attention. “It’s yours, babe. I bought it this morning.”
Oh, what a gratifying reaction. Her mouth fell open, and she leaped onto me with a hug as big as the house. Francine smiled, too, but tried to hide it.
All it takes to create happiness is money.
14
Tuesday morning, and even if Katie was no longer occupied with looking for a house, moving would be a much more consuming task. Would we just bag up our few belongings, load them on the mule, and haul them to the new homestead?
“Jason, I don’t know if any of this furniture will work in the new house. Mother and I have been discussing it. The living room suite would just be swallowed in that great room. And the table has been all right for a French Provincial dining room, but it would be completely out of place on that flagstone floor.”
Completely. She could make do, of course, but I could feel her pain.
“It’s okay, Katie. I want the house to be right. Of course you can get new furniture.”
“Thank you, Jason.” She gave me a sweet hug. Was she starting to take seven-digit checks for granted? Or maybe the task of furnishing all those acres of rooms was weighing heavily on her mind. Fortunately, she was not easily daunted.
Three days passed, and by Friday of my second week I was settling into a routine. There had been no distant thunder from the governor’s mansion, Fred and I were back on speaking terms, and Eric had behaved for a whole week. I’d behaved for a whole week. Was there anything really wrong with this life?
The day of the move had been set, three weeks hence, although we’d really be camping there until the rest of the furniture had been delivered. Much more money was flowing out of the bank account, and I decided it would be necessary to economize. I’d have to not buy another house for at least a month.
“How’s Angela?” I asked Katie that night at dinner.
“Life is very hard for her.”
“How so?”
“Loneliness. She has nothing to live for.”
She was just sitting in that house every day? “What could she be living for?” I asked. Not that I wanted to know. Any reason Angela had to live would probably have the opposite effect on me.
“I’ve been thinking. Could she do anything for your foundation?”
“Surely.” Nathan would be back from Africa on Sunday. What could be done? “I wonder if she would be on the board?”
“Maybe. I’ll ask her.”
“Should I ask her?”
Katie shook her head. “She’s still offended from when you ransacked Melvin’s office.”
“I didn’t ransack it! I took papers that were business related.”
“She said you left it a mess.”
“Of course I didn’t.” And then I knew. “I was there Thursday a week ago. When did she actually look in the office?”
“I don’t know. We talked about it Tuesday at lunch.”
What should I say to Katie? Apparently the governor had sent a messier team to Melvin’s office than he had sent to mine.
“I’ll apologize to her. I really didn’t mean to. I’ll call after dinner.”
“Maybe you should.”
After Angela’s maid answered, it was five minutes before she came to the phone, which gave me a long time to think.
“Yes?” came her little purr.
“Angela, this is Jason.” Which she knew.
“Yes?” Exactly the same.
“I wanted to ask you to do something for me.” That was the best I could come up with in five minutes.
“I’m not sure I’d be able to, Jason.”
“I guess it would really be more for Melvin.” Take that.
“What would that be?” If a marshmallow could talk, that’s what it would sound like.
“I’d like for you to be on the board of the Boyer Foundation.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t the word, just the vowel sound, drawn out, like a marshmallow being stepped on, real slowly. “Oh. I don’t know if I could.”
“I’m sure you could. You could be his voice on the board. You must understand his vision for the foundation better than anyone.”
“Well, I don’t know. What does Mr. Kern say?”
“He’s still out of the country. But he’ll be back tomorrow, and I’m sure he’ll agree.”
“I really don’t think I could.”
“You should, Angela. The foundation doesn’t have Melvin anymore. It needs you.”
“I really don’t know.”
“Please think about it.”
“Maybe I will. Good-bye now.” I don’t like cats, and this is why. I decided to say nothing about the office.
“Good-bye, Angela.”
The phone rang as soon as I had hung up.
“Hello, Pamela,” I said.
“Hello, Jason. I’m calling to tell you your office is ready downtown.”
“Thank you. Is there any furniture in it?”
“There were some things in storage. Let me know if you want it different.”
“When will you move in?” I asked her.
