Cherry Orphan

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Robert made the most of the warm feelings throughout dinner. Just having Calley smiling at him as though she meant it softened the admission of defeat. Colleen, too, observed him with renewed respect instead of the awkward sideways glances and small shakes of the head that signaled disapproval—making him wonder if perhaps surrender was the better part of valor after all.

Tony Scott departed around nine-thirty. He'd return to the house by 8:00 A.M. the following day and begin setting up his duties with Robert before his new boss left for the office. The busiest selling season for classic cars fast approached and Robert's family time would once again be spread extremely thin. He shook hands with Robert, sealing their deal, while Calley held her father around the waist with both hands.

Likewise Sonia clung to her mom. By a miraculous change of heart, the looming bitter confrontation had been totally averted.

"Bye, Tony." Colleen smiled and waved at the driver.

He clambered into the wicked noisemaker and made a thumbs-up sign before hitting the starter and scaring off every vestige of wildlife inside a ten-mile radius.

As the rapping exhaust sound diminished Robert disentangled himself from Calley. "You and Sonia go entertain James. I want to talk with your mom in private... if that's okay, Colleen?"

"Sure, Bob. If you still have some of that nice brandy around?"

James lingered in the background. No one noticed his quietness at dinner. He seemed like a quiet boy at the best of times.

The study door closed and Robert began pouring his prize Napoleon into two sizeable snifters. With his rage set aside, he began to notice small things again.

Things like the provocative and sinuous way Colleen moved inside her clothes. Like the blood red of her glossy lipstick. Like the subtle outline of her underwear beneath the tight Angora dress. It had been almost six years since he'd feasted on these pleasures. And now, in the subdued lighting of his study, he finally began to wonder why.

Like sleeping beauty, had the idiot suddenly awakened?

He handed her the glass and she settled into the soft leather loveseat like a cat settles into its basket. "You surprised the hell out of me tonight, do you know that?" she purred.

"I think I surprised the hell out of myself. Where in God's name did it all go so horribly wrong? Calley felt miserable in England and I couldn't see it. She needs family like she needs air. I never saw her as a fragile girl, but she is."

Colleen took a sip. "We left them alone too much and now we're paying for it. I don't worry too much about Sonia. She's got her head screwed on tight. You're right though, inside Calley's still a little girl, only now she has the face and body of a beauty queen. It's scary how stunning she looks. Don't tell me you haven't noticed, Bob."

He thudded down into the leather recliner, tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "I had to send her away, Colleen. She was scaring the living hell out of me. How could that raving beauty of a young woman be our little baby?"

"It happens. We're not the first parents that had to deal with it. We're just the first parents to screw it up so badly."

"Thanks, I needed that."

"I'm not going to rake over old history, Bob. I made a stupid mistake. Things fell apart and we ended up like this. It's not what I wanted—not for us and certainly not for the girls."