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Hadley seemed a little blue at Christmasti a lot of happy shrieks and kisses (and the wrath of his grandmother and Mrs J) They saw a show, stayed in a nice hotel (though not in a suite this ti his arh she paused fully in front of Tiffany’s, Jack didn’t take the bait; he’d already bought her soed this trip He wasn’t about to break the budget just for a turquoise box She didn’t seem to mind, and took his hand as they walked down Fifth Avenue

When they got back home, she seemed happier The bumps in the road seemed to have smoothed out

Then, in February, Jack stopped by the post office, which was one of Hadley’s jobs She had clearly defined ideas about what husbands should do and ives should It was a husband’s job to empty the trash and clean up Lazarus’s victims (and Princess Anastasia’s hairballs); it was a wife’s job to make the bed and pick movies Husband shoveled the snow and scraped cars; ent to the post office

But Honor was expecting a package, and she asked hi by He checked his own post office box while he was there

Inside were three envelopes--one from MasterCard, two froe, since he only had one credit card, an A to use cash whenever possible

With a cold feeling in his stomach, he went out to his truck and opened the envelopes, his breath frosting the air

One bill was for 6,00801, one for 8,77215, and one for 4,53398

Almost twenty thousand dollars At 24 percent interest, no less

The charges went back as far as Octoberwell after he and Hadley had the talk about the red-soled shoes that cost so much They were from stores that Jack knew only by reputation Tiffany’she reood a sport she hen they didn’t stop in at Christmastiht herself a little so Henri Bendel Neiman Marcus Chanel, Coach, Prada, Armani

Als

Jack found that he eating

After the flights back and forth fro fiveand a dia for the rehearsal dinner for seventy-five peopleafter the lavish honeymoon, the new couch, after Christht for the housethey simply couldn’t afford this Jack had never wanted for rand he just didn’t have sitting around

Worse than theto him for months

Jaw locked hard, Jack drove ho into space, idly stirring sugar into her tea "Oh, hey, baby!" she said when he ca home so early?"

He put the bills on the table in front of her "Explain," he said tightly

She was calive her that Stroked Princess Anastasia and said that, yes, she ed," she shouldn’t have kept that fro had always been a hobby She liked nice things; he knew that She believed in buying quality No need for him to have kittens

He hed and coht there in their closet, soalore Seven new black dresses, each of which looked identical to the last Four leather jackets Five winter coats More makeup than she could use in years Special soaps and loves Perfuht-ounce bottle of bubble bath that cost 179 "I thought Faith ly

"It’s February"

"So? I like to shop all through the year"

"Hadley, we can’t afford this!" he barked, and she folded her arms and stared at hiy side, but that wasn’t hoas raised Where I come from, a o into debt?"

"Fine I did a little retail therapy"

"Maybe you should try the regular kind"

"That was uncalled for," she said "You have no idea how lonely it is for !"

"People ork for a living generally work all day long, Hadley"

"Well, you ht you were--" She stopped abruptly

"You thought I hat?"

Rich That’s what she’d thought And he’d always thought he was--he paid his bills, owned a hoht a new truck every 125,000 miles, didn’t have debt (until now) and put a s

But he wasn’t rich Not by Hadley’s standards, anyway