things, and this seems a good time."
"But you paid for the whole week!" she protested. "You can't do that. Th-this is business."
"I wouldn't mind having some brandy around for the evenings and a bit of a choice in liqueurs.. .or a nice dry sherry. Use the extra for that sort of thing." He and Rae—the boy was still happily perched high off the ground on Leo's shoulders—turned to go.
"Wait...wait a minute. What exactly do you want me to get?"
"Go horsey, go!" Rae was becoming impatient. "Go, go!"
"I'll leave that up to you." Leo said over his shoulder. "You've been batting a thousand so far."
"But Leo—"
"Phone, mummy. Auntie Jill! Mummy, phone !"
Arianne stared at Rae aghast, and just as her eyes dropped to gauge Leo's reaction, the telephone in the living room rang. Nobody moved for an instant, and then Rae giggled happily.
"Auntie Jill!" he chirped.
Leo's voice was hushed. "Well, what do you know!"
Arianne brushed past him and ran down the hall to answer the third ring. She would have given anything to have been able to say casually, "Oh, hi Orly!"
"Hello, Jill," she had to say, instead. Leo was watching her from the hall.
Jill asked her to baby-sit that evening since she'd only just decided to take Don up on his invitation to the fall dance. She would bring Erin and Lucy over at seven, she said, and was it all right for the kids to spend the night, the usual arrangement when they baby-sat for each other. Rather than jostling the children out of their sleep only to go several hundred yards, they always delayed returning them until the following morning.
"Of course it's all right. Mm-hm, seven's fine. Okay, bye." Reluctantly Arianne turned to face Leo, and as soon as she did he started slowly toward her.
'' This is why you didn't want me here?'' It was hardly a question.
Arianne said nothing for a minute, but stuck out her chin and dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans in an unknowingly defensive pose. "So what about it!"
He stopped, eyeing her in some surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it decisively again and stood looking at her with a puzzled frown.
"Well?" she snapped, unsettled by the keenness of his intrigued gaze. "What do you have to say? Isn't it fascinating? Isn't it strange? Oh, my God, she's a psychic? Why isn't she on television?"
"No." A lopsided smile slightly lifted one corner of his mouth. "But I'll keep your secret if you'll keep mine."
Her relief was tremendous. It was so overwhelming she felt as if imaginary stuffing had just been pulled out of her. She was trembling from the fear of discovery, from the horror of having people point their accusing fingers, from the pain of their frightened rejection of her—just when she'd at last become comfortable in the small town. And now, she had to shield not only herself but an innocent baby boy who had no idea how different he really was.
"Hey." Leo stopped in front of her. Rae, still on his shoulders, was finding this adult conversation rather gripping. "Hey, Arianne..." Leo protested, dismayed by her bent head. One of his hands rose and a fingertip gently but very firmly raised her chin.
A tear fell from the dark lashes, and after a second's hesitation he brushed it away.
"It's all right," he said softly.1 'Your secret is safe with me. But.. .it's going to be hard to keep it a secret." He didn't have to add, "because of Rae." She knew very well how difficult it was going to be to explain to the child that most of the time he would have to hide a part of himself that was as natural as breathing.
"Arianne, it's a gift—"
"It's a curse!" she returned bitterly.
In silence he studied her, perhaps waiting for her to say more.
But she took a deep steadying breath, determined not to say another word. "Oh, dammit!" she quavered, instead. "I was so hoping he didn't have it!"
"Could his father help? Where's his father?"
Arianne shook her head. "We're divorced."
"For how long?" Leo frowned.
"Well...two
"But you paid for the whole week!" she protested. "You can't do that. Th-this is business."
"I wouldn't mind having some brandy around for the evenings and a bit of a choice in liqueurs.. .or a nice dry sherry. Use the extra for that sort of thing." He and Rae—the boy was still happily perched high off the ground on Leo's shoulders—turned to go.
"Wait...wait a minute. What exactly do you want me to get?"
"Go horsey, go!" Rae was becoming impatient. "Go, go!"
"I'll leave that up to you." Leo said over his shoulder. "You've been batting a thousand so far."
"But Leo—"
"Phone, mummy. Auntie Jill! Mummy, phone !"
Arianne stared at Rae aghast, and just as her eyes dropped to gauge Leo's reaction, the telephone in the living room rang. Nobody moved for an instant, and then Rae giggled happily.
"Auntie Jill!" he chirped.
Leo's voice was hushed. "Well, what do you know!"
Arianne brushed past him and ran down the hall to answer the third ring. She would have given anything to have been able to say casually, "Oh, hi Orly!"
"Hello, Jill," she had to say, instead. Leo was watching her from the hall.
Jill asked her to baby-sit that evening since she'd only just decided to take Don up on his invitation to the fall dance. She would bring Erin and Lucy over at seven, she said, and was it all right for the kids to spend the night, the usual arrangement when they baby-sat for each other. Rather than jostling the children out of their sleep only to go several hundred yards, they always delayed returning them until the following morning.
"Of course it's all right. Mm-hm, seven's fine. Okay, bye." Reluctantly Arianne turned to face Leo, and as soon as she did he started slowly toward her.
'' This is why you didn't want me here?'' It was hardly a question.
Arianne said nothing for a minute, but stuck out her chin and dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans in an unknowingly defensive pose. "So what about it!"
He stopped, eyeing her in some surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it decisively again and stood looking at her with a puzzled frown.
"Well?" she snapped, unsettled by the keenness of his intrigued gaze. "What do you have to say? Isn't it fascinating? Isn't it strange? Oh, my God, she's a psychic? Why isn't she on television?"
"No." A lopsided smile slightly lifted one corner of his mouth. "But I'll keep your secret if you'll keep mine."
Her relief was tremendous. It was so overwhelming she felt as if imaginary stuffing had just been pulled out of her. She was trembling from the fear of discovery, from the horror of having people point their accusing fingers, from the pain of their frightened rejection of her—just when she'd at last become comfortable in the small town. And now, she had to shield not only herself but an innocent baby boy who had no idea how different he really was.
"Hey." Leo stopped in front of her. Rae, still on his shoulders, was finding this adult conversation rather gripping. "Hey, Arianne..." Leo protested, dismayed by her bent head. One of his hands rose and a fingertip gently but very firmly raised her chin.
A tear fell from the dark lashes, and after a second's hesitation he brushed it away.
"It's all right," he said softly.1 'Your secret is safe with me. But.. .it's going to be hard to keep it a secret." He didn't have to add, "because of Rae." She knew very well how difficult it was going to be to explain to the child that most of the time he would have to hide a part of himself that was as natural as breathing.
"Arianne, it's a gift—"
"It's a curse!" she returned bitterly.
In silence he studied her, perhaps waiting for her to say more.
But she took a deep steadying breath, determined not to say another word. "Oh, dammit!" she quavered, instead. "I was so hoping he didn't have it!"
"Could his father help? Where's his father?"
Arianne shook her head. "We're divorced."
"For how long?" Leo frowned.
"Well...two
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