Envy(18)

“The champagne fizz of a honeymoon doesn’t last forever, Maris.”

“I know that. It’s just…” She trailed off, then sighed. “Maybe I’m too much a romantic.”

“Don’t blame yourself for this stall. It doesn’t have to be anyone’s fault. Marriages go through periods like this. Even good marriages. Dry spells, if you will.”

“I know. I just hope he isn’t getting tired of me. We’re coming up on our two-year anniversary. That’s got to be some kind of record for him.”

“You knew his record when you married him,” he reminded her gently. “He had a solid reputation as a ladies’ man.”

“Which I accepted because I loved him. Because I had been in love with him since I read The Vanquished.”

“And out of all those women, Noah returned your love and chose to marry you.”

She smiled wistfully, then shook her head with self-deprecation. “You’re right, Dad. He did. Chalk this up to hormones. I’m feeling neglected. That’s all.”

“And I must assume some of the blame for that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve vested Noah with an enormous amount of responsibility. He’s doing not only his job, which, God knows, is demanding enough, but he’s begun taking up the slack for me as well. I’ve slowed down, forcing him to accelerate. I’ve suggested that he hire someone to shoulder some of his duties.”

“He has difficulty delegating.”

“Which is why I should have insisted that he bring someone else on board. I’ll make a point to see that he does. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to go away together for a few days. Bermuda, perhaps. Get some sun. Drink too many tropical drinks. Spend a lot of time in bed.”

She smiled at his candor, but it was a sad smile. He’d said practically those same words last year when he’d packed them off to Aruba for a long weekend. They’d gone in the hope of returning pregnant. Although they’d made every effort to conceive and had enjoyed trying, they hadn’t been successful. Maris had been greatly disappointed. Maybe that’s when she and Noah had started drifting apart, though the rift had only recently become noticeable.

Daniel sensed that he’d touched on a topic best forgotten, or at least left closed for the present. “Take some time away together, Maris,” he urged. “Away from the pressures of the office, the zaniness of the city. Give yourselves a chance to get back on track.”

Although she wouldn’t say this to Daniel, she didn’t share his confidence that spending time in bed would solve their problem and set things right. Their disagreement this morning had ended with sex, but she wouldn’t call it intimacy. To her it had felt that they were doing what was most expedient to end the quarrel, that they had taken the easy way out. Their bodies had gone through the familiar motions, but their hearts weren’t in it.

Noah had defused her with flattery, which, in hindsight, seemed ingratiating and patronizing. She’d been genuinely angry, which wasn’t an ideal time to be told how beautiful she was. Falling into bed together had been a graceful way to end an argument that neither had wanted to have. She hadn’t wanted to accuse him further, and he hadn’t wanted to address her accusations, so they’d made love instead. The implications of all that were deeply troubling.

For Daniel’s benefit, she pretended to think over his suggestion of a tropical vacation, then said, “Actually, Dad, I was thinking of going away by myself for a while.”

“Another good option. To the country?”

Frequently, when the city became too claustrophobic, she went to their house in rural western Massachusetts and spent long weekends catching up on paperwork and reading manuscripts. In the Berkshires, without the constant interruptions imposed on her in the office, she could concentrate and accomplish much in a relatively short period of time. It was natural for Daniel to assume that she would choose their country house for her retreat.

But she shook her head. “I think I’ll go to Georgia.”


* * *


Noah took it with equanimity. “I’m all for your getting away for a few days,” he told her when she announced her intention to take a trip south. “A change of scenery will do you good. But what in heaven’s name is in Georgia? A new spa?”

“An author.”

“You’ll be working? The whole point of taking a few days off is to relax, isn’t it?”

“Remember the prologue I told you about yesterday?”

“The one from the slush pile?”

She ignored the skeptical slant of his grin. “I had difficulty locating the author but finally did.”

“Difficulty?”

“Long story, and we’ve got that meeting in ten minutes. Suffice it to say he’s not your routine writer trying to get published.”

“In what way is he different?”

“Recalcitrant. Rude. And unenlightened. He doesn’t realize how good his writing is. He’s going to need some stroking, possibly some coaching, and a great deal of coaxing. I think a face-to-face meeting will yield more than telephone calls and faxes.”

Noah was listening with only one ear. He was shuffling through a stack of telephone messages that his assistant had discreetly carried in and laid in front of him before slipping out. Then, checking his wristwatch, he stood up and began gathering materials off his desk for the upcoming meeting. “I’m sorry, darling, but a continuation of this conversation will have to wait. This meeting won’t keep. When do you plan to leave?”