The Shadow and the Rose

  Chapter 6

  “She had rented one of the luxury vacation houses on Lake Chatuge for the winter,” he said. “That night she was throwing a holiday party for a bunch of her friends. She had arranged with Dr. Aysgarth for some seniors to act as wait staff—passing trays, refilling glasses, you know.

  “I’d heard of her, of course. And I’d seen the pictures. I couldn’t imagine anyone could really be that beautiful in real life, but I was dying to find out. So I bribed one of the seniors to let me take his place at her party. I rode over on the Ninja—it was a guilt present from my parents’ divorce—and I was so nervous that when I pulled in and saw her standing in the doorway, I wiped out. I didn’t break anything, but when some of the guys got me out from under the bike I was a mess.” He paused, as if nerving himself to go on. “So she took me to her room to help me get cleaned up.”

  Joy made a disbelieving sound, and he glanced over and gave her a twisted smile. “Yeah, I know. It seems obvious now. But I was so naive I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought I had screwed up big time and was going to get chewed out and sent packing.”

  “But that wasn’t what happened,” said Joy, trying to keep her voice neutral.

  “No,” he said. “That wasn’t what happened.”