For His Little Girl

of the new and the familiar was driving you crazy.

But she solved the problem by yawning and heading for the door, pausing only to give your hand a squeeze-a squeeze, for Pete's sake! The last time a girl squeezed your hand you'd been on the back porch, with Mom breathing loudly behind the kitchen door, just in case you thought you were going to get away with anything. You didn't then, and you knew you weren't going to now.

So you played it cool, jumping to your feet and saying heartily, 'Right, right. Big day tomorrow. Need plenty of sleep.''

Then you realized you were babbling and made yourself shut up.

Just to turn the knife a little she looked back to smile, and there was something in that smile you'd never seen before, a shadowed quality, that only made her more mysterious. When she went on to her room, you stayed where you were, not daring to move until the silence told you she'd gone to bed.

And then you went and had a cold, cold shower.

In the early hours of the morning Pippa crept into the front room. The curtains were drawn back from the huge window so that she had a glorious view of the ocean, almost still in the dawn light. She sat down by the phone, and called Frank in England. He answered so quickly that Pippa knew he'd been sitting by it.

'Just to let you know we landed safely,' she said cheerfully.

'Does Luke know you're there?'

'Yes, he greeted us with open arms. Josie was thrilled.'

'Pippa-'

'It's true, so you can take that disbelieving note out of your voice.'

'The important thing is, how are you feeling?'

'Pretty good. The flight left me a bit tired-'

'You're lucky it didn't kill you. Do you realize what a state your heart's in?'

'Of course. The doctor laid it on the line. Why do you think I'm here? Because I know there are things I must do while there's time.'

'And what happens if you collapse out there? Have you thought of Josie?'

'This is all for Josie's sake. It was important for Luke to know her.'

'I don't see why. He's never taken any interest in her until now. You know Elly and I were against this trip, for your sake as much as hers.'

'I can't talk now,' Pippa said quickly. 'Luke's coming back.'

'Which hotel are you in?'

'We're staying with him.'

There was a silence from the other end, before Frank said sharply, 'I see. Goodbye.'

Pippa hung up. She hadn't really heard Luke. She'd invented the excuse to end the call because she didn't want to go over old ground. Conversations with Frank were always fraught because neither of them could say what was really in their mind.

Frank couldn't say, If you die I want Josie to fill the place of the child Elly and I never had, and I'm afraid of Luke in case he tries to claim her.

And Pippa couldn't say, You're a kind man but limited. You'll teach Josie the sensible things, but I want her to know the crazy ones, too-the things that only her true father can teach her.

She smiled ruefully and went on in her head, talking perhaps to Frank and perhaps to herself.

He's not a solid, upright citizen. He's tricky, unreliable and unscrupulous. He does what suits him and tap dances his way out of it afterward. But he's warm and sweet, funny and charming, and he carries magic with him wherever he goes. He's a taker and a user, but he gives back so much that it works out a fair bargain in the end.

The light was growing stronger over the sea. She sat gazing at it, thrilled by the beauty of the sight.

I'm glad, she thought, yes, I really am glad that I didn't make him marry me all those years ago. Nature designed him to be a lover, not a husband.

She'd had a bad moment when she'd thought he was about to admit to an old infidelity. She shouldn't care now, but she did. Those few months still lived as the brightest, loveliest time of her life. Whatever the Luke of today was like, the Luke of yesterday had been all hers. And if she had lost that belief, her heart would have broken as cruelly today as it would have done then.

She was awakened early by Josie, eager to be up and doing. 'Come on Mommy, Daddy says when we've had breakfast he'll take me to the beach and teach me to bodysurf. Please hurry.'

'Surfing isn't my style, darling. You and Daddy go, and I'll have a nice, long lie in.'

'Shall I bring you some coffee?'

'Nope, I'm going right back to sleep. Have a nice time.' Pippa burrowed down in bed and pulled the clothes over her head.

She had come prepared with a dozen little excuses for conserving her energy. Luckily this one worked, for she heard Josie creep out of the room, and half an hour later the two of them left the house. She slipped out and went to watch through the window as they crossed the Strand to the beach, dropped their outer clothes on the sand and raced, hand in hand, to the water. She tried to keep them in sight but they grew too small and were soon lost among the other bathers.

She made herself some tea before indulging in a nice, long bath. Feeling good, she dressed in dark-blue slacks and a white top, with just a twinge of regret for the delights of Rodeo Drive that she'd dismissed so firmly. But she didn't really regret her decision to stick to her independence.

As she was making a salad, a shadow appeared on the glass of the back door, and she heard a knock. Pippa opened the door and found herself regretting her decision by the cartload.

A vision of money and beauty stood outside. She was in her mid-twenties and so lovely that Pippa nearly stared. But there was more to her effect than beauty. Claudia Lomax Benton had been wealthy all her life. Her clothes were created by top designers. she traveled with her own hairdresser, and the sheen of money lay on her like a glow. Suddenly Pippa's clothes felt as though she'd rescued them from a garbage dump.

'Hello,' said the vision. 'I'm Claudia,' she said. 'Is Luke here?'

'No, he's on the beach,' Pippa said, standing back to let her enter. 'I'm Pippa Davis.'

Claudia enveloped Pippa in a scented embrace. 'I've been longing to meet you. Everyone's talking about you.'

She didn't define everyone. This wasn't the moment for Claudia to mention Dominique, who'd called her with a garbled tale of a schemer who'd gotten her claws into Luke.

The child isn't even his, the model had wailed. Anyone can see that, but poor Luke is completely taken in.

And Claudia had said, Don't be a fool, Dominique. Luke never does anything that doesn't suit Luke. I adore him, but I'm wise to him.

'Talking about me?' Pippa echoed.

'You and Josie. Is she on the beach with him?'

'Yes, he's teaching her to bodysurf.' Pippa was filled with a sinking dismay. This wasn't a vulgar popsie like Dominique. This was oil wells and Car-tier and class and utter self-confidence.

'I thought he might turn out to be on the beach,' Claudia said, pulling at the buttons of her simple blue linen dress. 'So I came prepared.' She tossed the dress aside, revealing a black one-piece. 'Come on, let's go and join them.'

That was what money did for you, made it possible for you to walk in on a stranger, scoop them up and take them swimming. Protests died on

Pippa's lips, and before she knew it, she'd donned her own costume and was crossing the road with Claudia.

Her dark-crimson one-piece was beautiful against her hair and warm skin, but against the glorious Claudia she felt like a dowdy schoolgirl. Then she forgot to be self-conscious in the pleasure of seeing Josie shrieking with excitement as her father taught her the secrets of riding the big waves that came rolling onto the beach. She had obviously taken to it, because Pippa could hear her cry, 'Again, Daddy, again!' And Luke grinned, proud of her style and intrepidity.

'Is that your daughter?'' Claudia asked, her eyes on them.