Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Brockmann

Author:Suzanne Brockmann [Brockmann, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-553-90662-2
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 1997-10-26T04:00:00+00:00

NINE

“I CAN’T BELIEVE you didn’t tell me!”

“It didn’t come up.”

Pres lowered his voice, aware of the sound of music drifting downstairs from Zander’s room. “Zander’s going to be totally deaf in less than ten years, and it didn’t come up?”

“It’s not as if we’ve had that many conversations,” Molly pointed out. “And it’s not something I usually mention upon introduction: Hi, how are you, I’m Molly Cassidy and this is my son, Alexander, who’s hearing-impaired with a degenerative condition that will render him profoundly deaf sometime within the next decade.”

Pres closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just … I wish you had told me.”

“There’s a chance the degeneration will halt,” Molly said, lifting her chin. “It’s not likely, but there have been other cases where—”

“What are the odds of that happening?”

She looked away from him. “Slim to none.”

“And still you hope.” There was such wonder in his voice.

“Of course I hope.” Molly looked up at him, but had to look away again. The sad gentleness in his eyes was too much to bear. She cleared her throat, trying not to cry. “And even though I hope, we prepare for the worst.”

Pres moved toward her, and she stepped back, away from the dangerous lure of his arms. He shouldn’t have come here, screeching to a stop in the driveway as if he’d driven from the resort like a bat out of hell. A news van had followed him, and Molly knew they had gotten it all on tape—the way he’d run to the front door and pounded until she’d opened it.

If they wanted the news media to believe there was nothing between them, this wasn’t the way to do it.

He shouldn’t have come here, and above all else, he shouldn’t take her in his arms and kiss her. She knew far too well that once they started, she wouldn’t want to stop.

“I want to buy Zander a music collection,” Pres told her. “I want to take him over to the mainland and have him pick out all the CDs he wants. All the Mozart and what’s-his-name …?”

“Alan Menken.”

“Right. And anything else he wants. The Beatles. Garth Brooks. Coolio. Anything.”

But Molly was shaking her head. “That’s too much. We couldn’t accept that kind of gift.”

“Why not?” He was standing there looking at her, wearing an expensive-looking turquoise polo shirt and beige shorts that had been hand-tailored to fit him disgustingly well. He was wearing that watch of his that had probably cost more than her used car. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t accept his gift. He honestly didn’t get it.

“It’s too much,” Molly explained. “He’s ten years old, Pres. He wouldn’t pick out just one or two CDs. He’d pick out two hundred. More.”

“But that’s the idea. Let him have what he wants. Hell, I’ll buy him two thousand if he wants ’em.”

“You’re talking about spending tens of thousands of dollars!”

“So?”

“So? That’s insane!”

“No, it’s not. Molly, in ten years it’ll be too late. Let me buy the CDs for him now.

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