David looked up and noticed that Amber had a slight smile on her face. Her eyes were on Theo's hands, one of which was actually resting on a big black spatter. Her gaze rose to the woman's face and she cleared her throat, obviously relishing the moment when she'd inform Theo that she was touching a seventy-year-old bloodstain.
"Are you ready to see the second floor, kiddo?" David asked, giving her the eye.
"Sure," she said, giving him a shrug that meant I'll get her later.
"We didn't see quite everything down here," Theo said as they headed back to the sweeping central staircase, "but there will be plenty of time tomorrow, won't there?" She put one hand on the ornate banister and the other over David's elbow, unaware of Amber's glare.
Or ignoring it. Troubled, David watched his daughter walk ahead of him up the staircase. Beside him, Theo was going on about the new roof, but he barely heard her because he was thinking about how possessive Amber had become. He supposed it resulted from all the time they spent as a family of two, though for the time that Melanie had lived with them, Amber never exhibited much jealousy. He wondered what it was about Theo that set it off so strongly and hoped that, whatever it was, he could nip it in the bud because he was thinking that he might like to see more of her.
As Theo snuggled her hand more securely about his elbow, he realized that one of the reasons Amber disliked the woman had to be her habit of touching people. His daughter wasn't used to that kind of familiarity. Neither was he, for that matter. Some sort of West Coast thing, he told himself. Amber even had a snide name for it that he couldn't recall. The sweet flower scent suddenly rose again, stronger, more familiar and exciting than ever.
"You smell that, Dad?" Amber asked as they reached the landing.
"Yeah." Relieved that she had picked up the fragrance too, he gently extricated himself from Theo's grasp. The air here felt cool and thick. "What's it smell like to you, kiddo?"
"Flowers. Jungle flowers."
"Do you smell it, Theo?"
"Yes, David, I do now," she said slowly. "That's what you were smelling when you asked about my perfume downstairs, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"It reminds me of night-blooming jasmine."
"You never noticed it before?" he persisted.
"No… but I haven't been here at night before, either. That's the only time the flowers have fragrance." She smiled at him as if he were a small child. "That's why they call it night-blooming jasmine, David. It's delicious, isn't it?"
Sweet and citrusy at the same time, the scent cloyed in his nostrils, so heavy now that the air seemed weighted by it . And suddenly he remembered where he'd smelled it before. Two summers ago, during his first book tour, he'd stayed in a ground floor suite at the Rolling Sands Resort in Palm Springs. Melanie had flown in, surprising him with a chilled bottle of Mumms and a scandalous lack of underwear. They'd spent the evening in his Jacuzzi, soaking and drinking champagne.
After a while, a sweet fragrance began to rise from the yellow flowers coating the bushes that edged the private patio. Back inside, they left the sliding door open, despite the desert heat, and made love, slept, made love again. It was a night of hedonism and excess and the exotic flowers' perfume had been part of it . The scent of the jasmine had faded with the dawn, and he'd forgotten it until now. No wonder Melanie was on his mind.
"David?"
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Theo stared at him quizzically. "Are you all right?"
"Maybe somebody left the windows open to air out the paint smell," Amber suggested.
"Are any windows open, Theo?" he asked.
"I don't think so. You can only smell night jasmine on very warm summer nights. It's summer, but it's certainly not warm." She glanced around apprehensively. "Perhaps Mrs. Willard used some air freshener…"
"Maybe it's just ghosts," Amber said.
The fragrance dissipated as quickly as it had materialized, and David turned
"Are you ready to see the second floor, kiddo?" David asked, giving her the eye.
"Sure," she said, giving him a shrug that meant I'll get her later.
"We didn't see quite everything down here," Theo said as they headed back to the sweeping central staircase, "but there will be plenty of time tomorrow, won't there?" She put one hand on the ornate banister and the other over David's elbow, unaware of Amber's glare.
Or ignoring it. Troubled, David watched his daughter walk ahead of him up the staircase. Beside him, Theo was going on about the new roof, but he barely heard her because he was thinking about how possessive Amber had become. He supposed it resulted from all the time they spent as a family of two, though for the time that Melanie had lived with them, Amber never exhibited much jealousy. He wondered what it was about Theo that set it off so strongly and hoped that, whatever it was, he could nip it in the bud because he was thinking that he might like to see more of her.
As Theo snuggled her hand more securely about his elbow, he realized that one of the reasons Amber disliked the woman had to be her habit of touching people. His daughter wasn't used to that kind of familiarity. Neither was he, for that matter. Some sort of West Coast thing, he told himself. Amber even had a snide name for it that he couldn't recall. The sweet flower scent suddenly rose again, stronger, more familiar and exciting than ever.
"You smell that, Dad?" Amber asked as they reached the landing.
"Yeah." Relieved that she had picked up the fragrance too, he gently extricated himself from Theo's grasp. The air here felt cool and thick. "What's it smell like to you, kiddo?"
"Flowers. Jungle flowers."
"Do you smell it, Theo?"
"Yes, David, I do now," she said slowly. "That's what you were smelling when you asked about my perfume downstairs, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"It reminds me of night-blooming jasmine."
"You never noticed it before?" he persisted.
"No… but I haven't been here at night before, either. That's the only time the flowers have fragrance." She smiled at him as if he were a small child. "That's why they call it night-blooming jasmine, David. It's delicious, isn't it?"
Sweet and citrusy at the same time, the scent cloyed in his nostrils, so heavy now that the air seemed weighted by it . And suddenly he remembered where he'd smelled it before. Two summers ago, during his first book tour, he'd stayed in a ground floor suite at the Rolling Sands Resort in Palm Springs. Melanie had flown in, surprising him with a chilled bottle of Mumms and a scandalous lack of underwear. They'd spent the evening in his Jacuzzi, soaking and drinking champagne.
After a while, a sweet fragrance began to rise from the yellow flowers coating the bushes that edged the private patio. Back inside, they left the sliding door open, despite the desert heat, and made love, slept, made love again. It was a night of hedonism and excess and the exotic flowers' perfume had been part of it . The scent of the jasmine had faded with the dawn, and he'd forgotten it until now. No wonder Melanie was on his mind.
"David?"
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Theo stared at him quizzically. "Are you all right?"
"Maybe somebody left the windows open to air out the paint smell," Amber suggested.
"Are any windows open, Theo?" he asked.
"I don't think so. You can only smell night jasmine on very warm summer nights. It's summer, but it's certainly not warm." She glanced around apprehensively. "Perhaps Mrs. Willard used some air freshener…"
"Maybe it's just ghosts," Amber said.
The fragrance dissipated as quickly as it had materialized, and David turned
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