Envy(26)

Noah separated himself from the others and came toward her, grinning from ear to ear. He embraced her tightly, then soundly kissed her mouth. “Happy anniversary, darling.”

“B-but our anniversary isn’t until—”

“I know when it is. But you always catch on to my attempted surprises. This year I thought I’d get the jump on you. Judging by your reaction, I’d say I was successful.” He looked beyond her shoulder and addressed the locksmith. “You were terrific.”

As it turned out, he was an actor hired to play the role. “You had me convinced that I was about to catch my cheating husband,” Maris told him.

“Happy anniversary, Mrs. Reed,” he said in a voice that resonated with the Queen’s English. It was explained to her later that his most notable role was Falstaff. Now he reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Enjoy your special evening.”

“Don’t go. Stay and enjoy the party.” She prevailed upon him, and he accepted her invitation.

“It’s okay, isn’t it?” she asked Noah when the actor joined the other guests in line at the buffet.

“Whatever makes you happy, darling.”

“Whose apartment is this?”

“That part of his dialogue was true. It’s mine.”

“It really is?”

“Whose did you think it was?”

“I—”

“You need some champagne.”

“But Noah—”

“You’ll get a full explanation later. I promise.”

After seeing to it that she had a brimming flute of bubbly, he maneuvered her through the crowd to greet their guests, which included most of the editorial staff of Matherly Press. Many remarked on how difficult it had been to keep the secret. One confessed to almost asking her what she was going to wear. “Noah would have killed me if I’d spoiled the surprise.”

“And look what I turned out in,” Maris groaned. “A wrinkled business suit and a shiny face. I didn’t know I was coming to a party.”

“I would kill to look like you on your worst day,” the woman said.

Among the guests were also a handful of local authors with whom Maris worked, and friends whose careers were in other areas entirely, including an anesthesiologist and her husband who taught chemistry at NYU, a stockbroker, and a movie producer who had turned one of the books Maris had edited into a gripping feature film.

Then the crowd parted to reveal Daniel. He was seated with one hand resting on the engraved silver head of his cane while the other was saluting her with a glass of champagne.

“Dad!”

“Anniversary wishes a few weeks early, sweetheart.”

“I can’t believe you were in on this!” She bent down to kiss his cheek, which glowed with a champagne flush. “You gave nothing away this morning.”

“Which was hard, considering the topic of our conversation.” His meaningful look reminded her of the marital concerns she had shared with him.

Feeling her own cheeks grow warm with embarrassment, she said softly, “This explains why Noah has been distracted lately. I feel like a fool now.”

“Don’t,” Daniel ordered, his brows lowering sternly. “A fool is someone who ignores warning signs.”

She kissed him again quickly before being pulled away to mingle. Noah had done an outstanding job, not only of putting over the surprise, but of planning a wonderful party. The chef of her favorite restaurant had prepared the food and was on hand to see that it was properly served. Champagne was poured liberally. The music got louder as the evening progressed, and, although it was a weeknight, guests stayed late. Eventually, however, they said their good nights.

Daniel was the last to leave. “Age has its benefits,” he told Maris and Noah at the door. “Not many, mind you, but a few. One is that you can get tipsy on a weeknight and sleep late in the morning because there’s nowhere you absolutely must be.”

Maris hugged him exuberantly. “I love you, Dad. And I learn something new about you every day.”

“For instance?”

“That you’re damn good at keeping secrets.”

“Watch your language, young lady, or I’ll have Maxine wash your mouth out with soap.”

“It wouldn’t be for the first time,” she said with a laugh. After another hug, she asked Daniel if he could manage the stairs all right.

“I got up here, didn’t I?” he growled querulously.

“Sorry I asked.” Even so, she motioned for Noah to accompany Daniel down. “Is a car waiting to take him home?”

“It’s at the curb,” Noah assured her. “I’ve already checked.”

“Good. Dad, remember I’ll have my cell phone with me in Georgia. I told Maxine to call—”

“And she will, the old busybody. Get me out of here, Noah. Please. Before Maris decides I’m ready for adult diapers.”

Noah guided him down the hallway toward the staircase. “I’ll be right back, darling,” he called to Maris. “I haven’t given you your present yet.”

“There’s more?”

“Just wait. And no snooping!”

Now that the apartment was empty of guests, she could see it well for the first time. Tall windows on the far wall of the living room overlooked the rooftop garden on the next building. The “stuff” was nice, but not as pricy as the “locksmith” had implied. There were pictures on the walls, and an area rug beneath the seating arrangement of chairs and sofas, but the emphasis was on functionality and comfort.