Anything You Can Do(11)
I've kissed the requisite number of frogs, she read, so where is Prince Charming? PC is tall (even without the crown), intelligent, and easy on the eyes. His Cinderella is slim, five feet two when not wearing her glass slippers, dark hair and eyes. She'd love to go to the ball or even the local Burger King with the real PC or a reasonable facsimile thereof. No lawyers need apply.
Bailey wondered briefly what her chances were of finding and burning every copy of the paper before Paula got herself in trouble.
Slipping on an old swimsuit and half a bottle of sunscreen to avoid the freckles that had been the bane of her younger years, she headed for the pool to find her friends and her dog and see how much trouble they were in already.
As she rounded the building and approached the pool, she saw Gordon and Paula lying stretched out full length, almost visibly turning brown in the warm sun. Beside them, Samantha lay on her back in Austin Travers' lap, looking up at him with adoring brown eyes while he scratched her stomach.
For an instant she panicked. What was he doing there? Gordon could at least have given her a little warning, a chance to get prepared. Squaring her shoulders and wishing she had on a business suit rather than a swimsuit, she opened the gate and strode determinedly toward them.
Austin could feel himself unwinding as he soaked up the warm sun, enjoyed the undemanding companionship of Paula and Gordon, and stroked Samantha's soft, fuzzy stomach. Anxious to get out of the tiny apartment where he'd been staying, he'd agreed to come along with Gordon and help Paula move some boxes upstairs to Bailey's condo.
He stopped scratching Samantha's stomach just to make her raise one little paw toward his hand, silently urging him to keep moving. But this time she stopped, paw half-raised, rolled to her feet, and dashed out of his lap.
He made a futile grab for her leash then looked up to see Bailey gliding toward him. The faded black swimsuit she wore emphasized her translucent skin and hugged her streamlined curves. Smiling broadly, she stooped to catch the little dog in midair.
The sight brought out the usual mixed feelings he'd come to associate with Bailey. On the one hand, he wanted to touch her porcelain skin, see if it really was as smooth as it looked. On the other hand, he felt the need to stand up before her and prepare for battle.
Choosing a third option, he employed the smile that showed his molars. "Bailey! How nice you look."
Gordon and Paula opened their eyes and sat up. Bailey looked at everyone then turned her gaze back to him. "Why, thank you, Austin. How kind of you to say so."
"Bailey, have a beer," Gordon offered, opening an ice chest. "Anybody else ready for another?"
"I saw your ad," Bailey said to Paula, accepting the can and settling herself into their midst, folding her long legs under her sleek body.
"What do you think?" Paula asked. "I wrote it kind of fast so I could get it in this edition."
"Oh, it was well written. You always were very articulate."
"Quite creative, I thought," Gordon added. "I told her she ought to try for a career as a writer, but—" he shrugged and rolled his eyes "—you know how dedicated she is to being a legal secretary."
Paula pressed her cold beer against Gordon's back, eliciting a brief shriek. Everyone laughed, but a loud silence followed. Soft laps of water against the side of the pool and muted music from someone's radio sounded clearly through that silence.
Austin was trying to decide if perhaps he ought to leave since Bailey hadn't invited him, and it was, after all, her place, when she turned to him. Her hundred watt smile set every nerve in his body to jangling in excitement and apprehension.
"You will stay for pizza this evening, won't you? Or do you have plans?"
How tactful. Straight out of a textbook on manners.
He could match that. "Thank you," he said. "I'd love to stay."
"Good deal," Gordon approved. "You can carry the pizza, and Samantha'll probably let you rub her tummy some more."
Paula reached over to stroke the fuzzy head as Samantha looked up at the mention of her name. "She took an immediate liking to him," she informed Bailey. "Jumped into his arms the minute he walked through the gate."
Everyone smiled. Gordon and Paula smeared on more suntan oil and stretched out.
Austin reached over and scratched behind Samantha's ears, accidentally brushing Bailey's hand in the process. Her skin was smooth and firm and warm.
"We always had big dogs," he said, jerking back, pretending he hadn't noticed the contact.