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"Here you go, honey Why don’t you sit down?"

"I’lass Penny offered and wondered how to take it as she had one hand holding the bundle of filthy clothes, and the other clutched on the towel

"Oh, are those your dirty clothes? Just give those to me I’ll toss them in Ford’s machine for you"

"Oh, no, don’t-"

"It’s no trouble" Penny pulled thelass into Cilla’s hand "Daddy, why don’t you show Cilla the pictures? We were going to drop by to do just that," Penny continued frooodness! Youher eyes to the ceiling, Cilla moved closer to the counter as Charlie opened the photo albuot she earing only a towel and edged closer "I haven’t seen these before"

"My personal collection," he told her with a wistful ser under a picture "That’s the first one I ever took of her"

Janet sat on the steps of the veranda, leaning back, relaxed and sarees and a plaid shirt

"She looks so happy At ho around with theot word I took pictures and asked if I’d cooing on And she let me take some of her Here she is with the kids That’d be your ht, alongside her doomed brother "They’re all so beautiful, aren’t they? It aled through Janet, looking golden and glorious astride a palo and kicking her feet in the pond Janet alone, Janet with others At parties at the farm With the famous, and the everyday

"You never sold any of these?"

"That’s just ed "If I sold theave her copies of ones she wanted, especially"

"I think I ht have seen a couple of these My mother has boxes and boxes of photos I’m not sure I’ve seen all of them The camera loved her Oh, this! It’s my favorite so far"

Janet leaned in the open doorway of the farmhouse, head cocked, arms folded She wore simple dark trousers and a white shirt Her feet were bare, her hair loose Flowers spilled out of pots on the veranda, and a puppy curled sleeping at the top of the steps

"She bought the puppy from the Clintons" Penny stepped beside her father, rested a hand on his shoulder "Your stepmama’s people"

"Yes, she told ," Charlie murmured

"You need to make copies for Cilla, Daddy Fauess I could"

"Granddad’s going to make copies for Cilla," Penny announced as Ford walked in with Cilla’s bag "He has the negatives"

"I could scan theo" Ford passed the bag to Cilla

"Thanks" Sensing Charlie’s hesitation, Cilla eased back "They’re wonderful photographs I’d love to look through the rest, but I have to get to the hospital I’ "Downstairs"

"You look more like her than your mother," Charlie said when Cilla reached the door "It’s in the eyes"

And in his lived such sadness Cilla said nothing, only slipped quickly downstairs

CILLA DID a mental happy dance as the first tiles were laid in the new h kicks through the first run of subway tiles in ould be her n, retro cool Deco, added just the right zing Stan, the tile guy, glanced over his shoulder "Cilla, you gotta get the AC up"

"We’re working on it By the end of the week, I proht Just as the bed she’d ordered had to be delivered Steve couldn’t recuperate in a stea in the closet in the ht, if everything stayed on schedule, she’d have two completed baths, the third, fourth and the powder room on the way She’d be ready for Sheetrock up in her attic office suite, the replastering should be about wrapped Then Dobby could start work on the ceiling medallions Well, he could start once she’d settled on a design

She ran through projections while she checked her level, adjusted, shot in nails

And in a feeeks, she’d take the contractor’s exam But she didn’t want to think about it Didn’t want to think if she didn’t make it, she’d have to ask one of her own subs for a job by the end of the year If she didn’t make it, she couldn’t afford to buy that sweet little property down the road in the Village that she kneould make an excellent and profitable flip

If she didn’t ht she was at her quota already

Positive thinking, she reminded herself That’s what Ford would say No har

"Gonnawith a nod of approval "Gonna kick exa her tools, she started out to check on the progress of her exterior office stairs with a quick peek at the tile work on the way She joined the carpenter crew as the painters, working on her new scaffolding, added the first strokes of red to the barn

The air ss, and salvaged ones Roses, hydrangeas, spirea and old-fashioned weigela, and beds of hopeful new perennials, eager annuals already blooht, ress Tear-out tiht of Charlie’s photo albuet her camera to docuh on scaffolding Shanna in shorts and a bright pink T-shirt and ball cap working with Brian on a low, dry stone garden wall The bones of her stairs, the half-finished back veranda And around front, the completed one

For aon the ja back," Cilla said softly

Turning, she saw Ford and Spock walking down the drive

The dog trotted up to her, leaned on her legs, then sat back to look up at her, all love and cheer She rubbed, petted, kissed his nose

"Brought you a present" Ford handed her one of the two Cokes he carried "I swung in to see Steve He tellshi" Like the faret the AC up, and I’ve got a bed co his skull fractured in a construction zone Do you hear that?" Ford asked, tapping his ear

Cilla shrugged off the buzzing, the banging, the whirl of drills "To people like me and Steve, that’s chamber music"

"I’ll have to take your word for it But he could bunk at ital cable"

She took a long drink, watching hiht I pity anyone without digital cable"

"I bet But you’re not going to take on my ex-husband He’ll need to be Who’s this?" she wondered as a black Lexus turned cautiously into her drive

"City car," Ford co city"

"I don’t knoho Crap"

Ford lifted his brows as men exited from both sides of the car "Friends of yours?"

"No But the driver’s my mother’s Number Five"

"Cilla!" Mario, handsome as sin, Italian style, in Prada loafers and Arraceful forward motion was spoiled when he stopped, then sidestepped around the sniffing Spock

The sunglasses hid his eyes, but she suspected they were dark and sparkling Tanned, panther lean, dark hair flowing, he crossed to her, caught her in an enthusiastic embrace and kissed her cheeks "Look at you! So fit, so co here, Mario?"

"A little surprise Cilla, this is Ken Corbert, one of our producers Ken, Cilla McGowan, hter"

"It’s a real pleasure" Ken, sed black hair, pu fan So" He scanned the farm "This is the place"

"It’s my place," she said coolly "Ford, Mario and Ken I’ress"

"So I see" Mario’s smile never dimmed "And hear"

"Spock, say hello," Ford ordered-after his dog had finished with the tires "He wants to shake," Ford explained, "todubiously as he put the tips of his thuer on the offered paw

Spock didn’t appear to be iave Spock’s paw the saiven Cilla’s

"Lovely country," Mario continued "Just lovely We drove down fros Such scenery! Your mother sends her love," he added "She would have come, but you kno difficult it is for her The memories here"

"She’s in New York?"

"A quick trip We barely have tis, media But Ken and I must steal you away, a late lunch, an early drink Where can we take you?"

"Nowhere, but thanks I’"

"Didn’t I tell you?" Mario let out a hearty laugh while Spock squatted on his haunches and stared at hi woman So many talents You can spare an hour, cara"

"I really can’t Especially if this is about perfor in Mom’s show I told her I wasn’t interested"

"We’re here to persuade you that you are Perhaps you’d excuse us," Mario said to Ford

"No, he won’t" Cilla pointed at Ford "You won’t"

"I guess I won’t"

Irritation tightened Mario’sthe dog with some trepidation "You have a chance to ether You saw Celine perfor Janet onstage with you and Bedelia One extraordinary performance, live"

"Mario-"

"I understand you’re reluctant to coh I can tell you-as will Ken-what that wouldand prouarantee sellouts in every venue Then the cable special, the CD, the DVD The foreignWe may be able to work a deal to attach a second CD, a special package, for you, solo In fact, Mario and I were kicking around ideas for videos there And you’re right, Mario, shooting here would add punch"

"You’ve been busy, haven’t you?" Cilla’s voice was as soft, and asyour time No I’m sorry, Ken, I don’t believe Marioto be persuaded or revived or pro to producers, promoters, advertisers about er I don’t have an agent or a er I run the sho And this is what I do Houses I do houses Enjoy the scenery on the way back"

She knew Mario would come after her Even as she turned on her heel to stride away, she heard hiht the extra yokel he put in his voice

"Spock, stay So y’all drove down from New York City?"

"Cilla Cara Let me-"

"Touch ry?" There was puzzled sorrow in his voice "This is an insanely rich opportunity I’led with te "You may actually believe that on some level I can look after , you were ed Otherwise you’d be a ht be a major star today if I’d had the talent and the aptitude Listen to what I’ to you: I don’t want to be a major star I don’t want to perform I don’t want that kind of work I don’t want that kind of life I’m happy here, Mario, if that etting happy ho I am"

"Cilla, your mother needs you"

"And here it coust

"She has her heart set And the backers will do so much more with this addition She’s so-"

"I can’t do it, Mario And I won’t I’ a hard-ass I can’t It’s not in me You should have talked to ht him And you should listen to me when I say no I’m not Dilly I don’t bullshit, I don’t play And she’s already used up all her guilt points withthis for her"

His face, his voice, held nothing but sadness now "You’re very hard, Cilla"

"Okay"

"She’s your ht Which hter Maybe, this time-this one time-she could think about what I need, about what I want" She held up a hand "Believeelse, you’ll only h Tell her I said knock the And I ot"

He shook his head as achild He walked away in his excellent shoes, and got into the big city car with Ken to drive away

Ford wandered over, stared off at the barn while Spock rubbed hi to look good"

"Yeah You’re not going to ask what that was about?"

"I got the gist They want, you don’t They pushed, you didn’t budge They pissed you off, which is fine But in the end it made you sad And that’s not So I don’t care about theood going on that barn"

It ood to have around, Ford" She leaned down, ruffled Spock "Both of you Back in LA, I’d have paid several hundred dollars for this kind of therapy"

"We’ll bill you Meanwhile, why don’t you shohat’s going on around here today?"

"Let’s go bug the tile guy It’s my favorite so far" She took Ford’s hand and walked into the house