'Thanks.' They exchanged appraising glances before Justine stepped over the threshold.
The woman's dressed as if she's just stepped off a yacht, Jackie thought nastily. In Hyannis Port. At the beginning of the season. Justine's tall, softly curved body was set off nicely by white slacks and a boat-necked silk T-shirt in crimson. She'd added a quietly elegant necklace of twisted gold links and discreetly stylish matching earrings. Her hair had been left down to wave gently on her shoulders, scooped back at the temples by two mother-of-pearl combs.
She was perfect. Perfectly lovely, perfectly groomed, perfectly mannerly. Jackie was glad she could hate her.
'I hope I'm not disturbing you____________________' Justine began.
'Not at all.' Jackie gestured toward the living room. 'Make yourself at home.'
'Thanks.' Justine wandered in, then set her envelope bag on a small table. The bag matched her open-toed white snakeskin pumps. 'You must be Jacqueline, Fred's cousin.'
'I must be.'
'I'm Justine Chesterfield. An old friend of Nathan's.'
'I recognized your voice.' Ingrained manners had Jackie offering a hand. As their fingers touched briefly, a smile hovered around Justine's mouth. Unfortunately for Jackie, the smile was friendly and entirely too appealing.
'And I yours. According to Nathan, Fred's as devious as he is charming.'
'More so, believe me.' So this was the kind of woman Nathan preferred. Quietly polished, quietly stylish, quietly stunning. Trying not to sigh, Jackie played hostess. 'Can I get you something? A cold drink, some coffee?'
'I'd love something cold, if you wouldn't mind.'
'All right, have a seat. I'll just be a minute.'
Jackie muttered to herself the entire time she fixed lemonade and arranged shortbread cookies on Nathan's depression-glass platter. It rarely occurred to her to think how she looked when she planned on staying in. But she would have picked today to wear her most comfortable and most ragged pair of cutoffs, with a baggy athletic-style T-shirt in garish green-and-yellow stripes. There was a small fortune in gold and gems on her fingers, and her feet were bare. The Sizzling Cerise on her toes had begun to chip.
The hell with that, she thought, and made one vague and futile attempt to finger-comb her hair. She'd let Ms. Sleek-and-Stylish have her say.
She was sure that Sarah would have been just as gracious to Carlotta, but she had a feeling that Sarah was a much nicer person than Jacqueline R. MacNamara. Determined to give Nathan nothing to snarl about, she lifted the tray and started back to her guest. Nathan's guest.
The sunlight and the strong masculine colors of the room were certainly flattering to Justine. It didn't help to admit it, but Jackie was nothing if not honest.
'This is awfully nice of you,' Justine began as she took a seat. 'Actually, I was hoping we'd have a chance to talk. Are you very busy? Nathan told me you were working on a book.'
'He did?' It was surprise more than a desire to chat that had Jackie sitting. She hadn't thought Nathan even remembered she was writing, much less that he would tell someone else about it. And Justine was the second person, after Mrs. Grange, who hadn't smirked when she'd spoken of her writing.
'Yes, he said you were writing a novel and that you were very dedicated and disciplined about your work. Nathan's a big believer in discipline.'
'So I've noticed.' Jackie discovered she didn't mind sipping a glass of lemonade after all. Justine had just handed her the perfect route to make her excuses and disappear back upstairs. After a second sip, Jackie decided to tour around it. 'As it turns out, I was just taking a break when you rang the bell.'
'That's lucky.' Justine chose a cookie and nibbled. Her scent was very sophisticated, not opulent but rich and feminine. Jackie noticed that her nails were long, rounded and painted a pale rose. She wore only one ring, a stunning opal surrounded by diamonds. 'I suppose I should apologize first.'
Jackie left off her study long enough to lift a brow. 'Apologize?'
'For the mix-up here between you and Nathan.' Justine noticed with a little stab of envy that Jackie's skin was free of cosmetics and as clear as spring-water. 'It was I who talked Nathan into letting Fred move in while he was away in Europe. It seemed like such a perfect solution at the time, as Nathan was concerned about leaving his house empty for that length of time and Fred seemed to be at loose ends.'
'Fred's always at loose ends,' Jackie said over the rim of her glass. She looked at Justine with a trace of sympathy. Fred's charm might not have swayed Mrs. Grange, but the housekeeper was the exception to the rule. 'He also has a way of making you believe he can spin straw into gold. As long as you're paying for the straw.'
'So I understand.' Appreciation for the analogy showed in Justine's eyes. 'I feel, well… a little guilty that Fred absconded with your money under false pretenses.'
'No need.' Jackie took a healthy bite out of a cookie. 'I've known Fred all my life. If anyone should have seen through him, I should have. In any case,' she added with what she thought was a wonderfully cool smile, 'Nathan and I have come to a satisfactory arrangement.'
'So he said.' Justine took another sip of lemonade, watching Jackie over the rim. 'Apparently you're a first- class cook.'
'Yes.' She didn't believe in denying the truth, but she wondered what else Nathan had felt obligated to tell Justine. If they were going to fight, she thought restlessly, why didn't they just get on with it?
'I've never been able to put two ingredients together and have either one come out recognizable. Did you really study in Paris?'
'Which time?' Despite herself, Jackie smiled. She hadn't wanted to like Justine. True, the woman was very cool and very polished, but there was something kind in her eyes. Kindness, no matter what the package, always drew her in.
Justine smiled in return, and the restraint between them lowered by another few degrees. 'Miss MacNamara-Jacqueline-may I be frank?'
'Things usually get done faster that way.'
'You're not at all what I expected.'
Jackie sat back, tucking up her legs Indian-style. 'What did you expect?'
'I always thought when Nathan became besotted about someone she'd be very sleek and self-contained. Possibly boring.'
The lemonade that was halfway down Jackie's throat had to be swallowed in a hard gulp. 'Back up. Did you say Nathan was besotted?'
'A wreck. Didn't you know?'
'He hides it well,' Jackie murmured.
'Well, it was perfectly obvious to me last night.' The heat in Jackie's eyes came instantly and automatically. 'We've never been anything but friends, by the way.' Justine gave a small shrug. 'If I were in your position, I'd appreciate someone making that clear to me.'
The heat simmered a moment longer, then snuffed itself out. She didn't often feel like a fool, but she was willing to accept it when she did. 'I do appreciate it- your telling me, and the fact that you've never been anything but friends. Would you mind if I asked you why?'
'I've wondered myself.' With the ease of a woman who never gained an ounce, Justine took another cookie. 'The timing's never been quite right. I'm not independent.' This was said with another shrug. 'I enjoy being married, being part of a couple, so I end up doing it quite a bit. I was married when I met Nathan. Then, after my first divorce, we were in different parts of the country. It's continued to work out about the same way for close to a decade. In any case, it's enough to say that I was always involved with someone else and Nathan was always involved with his work. For his own reasons, he prefers things that way.'
Jackie wanted to ask why, suspected that Justine might have some of the answers. But she couldn't go that far. If what she had with Nathan was going to work, the explanations would have to come from him. 'I appreciate you telling me. I suppose I should tell you that you're not what I expected, either.'
'And what did you expect?'
'A calculating adventuress with icicles on her heart and designs on my man. I spent most of last night detesting you.' When Justine's lips curved at the description, Jackie was very glad she'd refrained from giving
