Reflected in You(38)

Monica Stanton was a stunning woman, the kind of classic beauty you couldn't help but stare at because you couldn't believe anyone could be that perfect.


Plus, the royal purple hue of the wingback she'd elected to sit in was an amazing backdrop for her golden hair and blue eyes.For her part, my mom was delighted by Megumi's fashion sense.


While my wardrobe choices leaned more toward traditional and ready-to- wear, Megumi favored unique combinations and color, much like the decor of the trendy cafe near Rockefeller Center my mom had taken us to.


The place reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, with its gilt and jewel- toned velvets used on uniquely shaped furniture.


The chaise Megumi was perched on had an exaggerated curved back, while my mother's wingback had gargoyles for feet.


"I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with him," Megumi went on.


"I was looking, let me tell you.


I mean a guy that great shouldn't be slumming it with blind dates."


"Hardly slumming it," my mom protested.


"I'm sure he's wondering how he lucked out with you."


"Thanks!" Megumi grinned at me.


"He was seriously hot.


Not Gideon Cross hot, but hot all the same."


"How is Gideon, by the way?" I didn't take my mom's question lightly.


She was aware that Gideon knew about the abuse I'd suffered as a child, and she'd taken the news hard.


It was her greatest shame that she hadn't known what was going on under her own roof, and her guilt was enormous, as well as entirely undeserved.


She hadn't known because I'd hidden it.


Nathan had made me fear what he'd do if I ever told anyone.


Still, my mother was anxious about Gideon's knowing.


I hoped that she'd soon come to realize that Gideon didn't hold it against her any more than I did.


"He's working hard," I answered.


"You know how it is.


I've taken up a lot of his time since we hooked up, and I think he's paying for it now."


"You're worth it."


I took a large gulp of my water when I felt the nearly overwhelming urge to tell her that my dad was coming to visit.


She'd be an ally in convincing him of Gideon's affection for me, but that was a selfish reason to say anything.


I had no idea how she would react to Victor's being in New York, but it was highly possible she'd be distressed, and that would make everyone's life hell.


Whatever her reasons, she preferred to have no contact with him whatsoever.


I couldn't ignore how she'd managed to avoid seeing or talking to him since I'd become old enough to communicate with him directly.


"I saw a picture of Cary on the side of a bus yesterday," she said.


"Really?" I sat up straighter.


"Where?" "On Broadway.


A jeans ad, I think it was."


"I saw one, too," Megumi said.


"Not that I paid any attention to what he was wearing.


That man is fine."


The conversation made me smile.


My mother was adept at admiring men.


It was one of the many reasons they adored her - she made them feel good.


Megumi was more than her match in the guy-appreciation department.


"He's been getting recognized on the street," I said, glad that in this case we were talking about an ad and not a tabloid candid with me.


The gossips thought it was so juicy that Gideon Cross's girlfriend lived with a sexy male model.


"Of course," my mom said, with a slight note of chastisement.


"You didn't doubt he would eventually?" "I'd hoped," I qualified.


"For his sake.


It's a sad fact that male models don't make as much or work as often as the women do."


Although I'd expected Cary would break through somehow.


Emotionally, he couldn't afford not to.


He'd learned to put so much value on his looks that I didn't think he could allow himself to fail.


It was one of my deepest fears that his career choice would come back to haunt him in ways neither of us could bear.


My mother took a delicate sip of her Pellegrino.


The cafe specialized in cacao-laced menu items, but she was careful not to waste her daily calorie allotment on one meal.


I was less cautious.


I'd ordered a soup and sandwich combination plus a dessert that was going to cost me at least an extra hour on the treadmill later.


I excused the indulgence with a mental reminder that I was on my period, which was a carte blanche chocolate zone in my opinion.


"So," Monica smiled at Megumi, "will you be seeing your blind date again?" "I hope so."


"Darling, don't leave it to chance!" As my mom started doling out her wisdom in regard to managing men, I sat back and enjoyed the show.