Still Life by Joy Fielding

Author:Joy Fielding
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780385672061
Publisher: Seal Books
Published: 2009-02-26T23:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

“Can I get you anything, Mr. Marshall?” Patsy was asking. “I can have the housekeeper put on a fresh pot of coffee before she leaves.”

“How about something a little stronger?”

“You name it.”

“A gin and tonic sounds pretty good right about now.”

“Then a gin and tonic it shall be.”

“Why don’t you fix yourself a glass as well?”

“Really?”

“It’s been a hectic day. I think we both deserve a break.”

“Thank you, Mr. Marshall. I’ll be right back.”

“Patsy …”

“Yes, Mr. Marshall?”

“Didn’t we agree to dispense with the formalities? I insist you call me Warren.”

A satisfied sigh. “I’ll be right back, Warren.”

“The gin’s in the cabinet beside the bar,” Warren called after her. “And there should be lots of tonic in the fridge.”

“I’ll find it,” Patsy called back, her footsteps retreating down the stairs.

“How about you, sweetheart?” Warren asked, a solicitous hand brushing across Casey’s forehead. “I wish there was something I could get for you. Are you okay? Do you even know where you are?”

Casey felt her heart quicken at her husband’s touch, the way it always had. Except before, it had been desire that had fueled its pace. Now it was fear.

“You must be exhausted,” he continued. “All that moving. All that jostling around. Quite a busy day for you. But you’re as snug as a bug in a rug now. Isn’t that what they say? I hope you like your new bed. It looks comfortable enough. It certainly should be—it cost a small fortune. I let the delivery guys take away the old bed. I figured we wouldn’t need it anymore. It was always a little girly for my taste anyway. And once you’re all better, we can start house hunting again. Then we’ll just buy everything new. You’ll be able to have everything exactly the way you want it. Lots of bright colors and animal prints. How does that sound?”

Sounds wonderful, Casey thought, wondering why her husband was being so nice to her. Was someone else there?

“I’ve moved into the master bedroom,” he continued. “I know you never liked that room, but it obviously doesn’t have the same memories for me that it has for you, so I just transferred my stuff into there, temporarily.”

You’ve moved into my parents’ bedroom?

“I don’t think your dad would mind too much. And I thought you should have your own space. I’d just be in the way in here. I’ve positioned your bed so that it looks out the back window, and if you stretch your neck just a bit, you can actually see the creek behind the weeping willow. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. Probably if you want to see the creek, you might actually have to get out of bed. So that’s something to aspire to. Can you hear me, Casey? Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I hear you. I don’t understand anything.

She was home. That much she understood. In the lilac-and-white bedroom that had been hers since she was in her late teens, the same room she and Warren had been sharing since the day they’d moved back here.

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