around her waist and hugging her.
"You don't make me nervous," she said.
"But you didn't know it was me."
"You always do that," she said, putting a piece of smoked ham in her mouth. "You want Poupon on this?"
"You should've put on an apron," he answered, taking one out of a drawer. "Yes, and just plain cheddar. None of the smoked."
"I like the smoked stuff." She ducked her head as he looped the top of the apron over it and tied it behind her waist.
Haydon stepped over to the refrigerator and got out a jar of olives and a cucumber. With a paring knife he sliced the cucumber into thin strips and put several on each of the two plates that Nina had laid out.
"Are you going to work at home this afternoon or at the studio?" he asked, dishing up olives for each of them.
"At the studio," Nina said. She put romaine lettuce on each sandwich, and then slices of tomato. "It's just too much trouble," she said, cutting the sandwiches. "I'm past the sketching stages on these. I'll need the parallel bar, all that."
"Which plans are these?" Haydon was opening a bottle of white burgundy.
"The courtyards for LoeffLer and Mancini."
"Have I seen those?" He poured some for each of them in bistro glasses.
"Yes, you've seen them." Nina picked up her plate and a glass, paused and kissed him, and went into the sunroom overlooking the terrace. Haydon followed her, put his things on the glass table beside hers, and looked out the windows to the lawn and the small lime grove.
"I haven't been down to the greenhouse in three days," he said. "I need to check the humidity system. Pablo said it was all right last night."
"If he said it was all right, why do you have to check it?"
He ate a cucumber strip and continued to look outside. "I didn't check on Cinco before I left this morning, either." Haydon missed seeing the old collie lying in the shade on the terrace.
"Sit down, Stuart," Nina said. "Eat."
They ate silently for a few minutes, and then Nina said, "What did Dr. Boren say about Cinco last night?"
"He's just getting too old. The summers are too hard on him."
"Is he in any pain?"
"Boren doesn't think so. Just worn out. Said it wouldn't hurt him to sleep so much. Said he might as well."
Haydon sipped his wine.
"So. How was your morning?" Nina changed the subject. It hadn't been a good time to ask about Cinco.
"Spent most of it watching an autopsy."
"Great."
"Well, this turned out to be an interesting one."
"Great."
Haydon grinned. "You asked."
Nina smiled back. "You would think I'd learn." She chewed an olive and raised her glass. "Here's to you, handsome."
"You want to change the subject?"
"Please."
"Where's Gabriela?"
"You don't listen," Nina said, shaking her head and taking another bite of her sandwich.
Haydon looked at her. "Well?"
"Ramona Salazar took her out to do some last-minute shopping."
"That's right," Haydon said. "I forgot. Has she gotten her passport renewed?"
"I did."
"Has she gotten her flight ticket yet? I heard some of the flights were being canceled because of the trouble down there." "I did."
Gabriela Sauceda had begun working for Haydon's parents when she was a young girl and they were living in Mexico City. She had moved to Houston with them a year before Stuart was born, and Haydon had never known the home without her. When his parents died, he and Nina had moved into the family home. There was never any question that Gabriela, who had never married, would stay on. Haydon's father, Webster had been a beneficent patron from the beginning, helping her gain her American citizenship and seeing to it that she had substantial financial security beyond her position with them. Every summer she was given a month off to visit her family in Mexico City, and over the years the Haydons' lives had become intertwined with the Saucedas as Webster, and then Stuart himself, had helped a string of Gabriela's nieces and nephews come to the States to attend a variety of universities.
Gabriela saved little of her salary for
"You don't make me nervous," she said.
"But you didn't know it was me."
"You always do that," she said, putting a piece of smoked ham in her mouth. "You want Poupon on this?"
"You should've put on an apron," he answered, taking one out of a drawer. "Yes, and just plain cheddar. None of the smoked."
"I like the smoked stuff." She ducked her head as he looped the top of the apron over it and tied it behind her waist.
Haydon stepped over to the refrigerator and got out a jar of olives and a cucumber. With a paring knife he sliced the cucumber into thin strips and put several on each of the two plates that Nina had laid out.
"Are you going to work at home this afternoon or at the studio?" he asked, dishing up olives for each of them.
"At the studio," Nina said. She put romaine lettuce on each sandwich, and then slices of tomato. "It's just too much trouble," she said, cutting the sandwiches. "I'm past the sketching stages on these. I'll need the parallel bar, all that."
"Which plans are these?" Haydon was opening a bottle of white burgundy.
"The courtyards for LoeffLer and Mancini."
"Have I seen those?" He poured some for each of them in bistro glasses.
"Yes, you've seen them." Nina picked up her plate and a glass, paused and kissed him, and went into the sunroom overlooking the terrace. Haydon followed her, put his things on the glass table beside hers, and looked out the windows to the lawn and the small lime grove.
"I haven't been down to the greenhouse in three days," he said. "I need to check the humidity system. Pablo said it was all right last night."
"If he said it was all right, why do you have to check it?"
He ate a cucumber strip and continued to look outside. "I didn't check on Cinco before I left this morning, either." Haydon missed seeing the old collie lying in the shade on the terrace.
"Sit down, Stuart," Nina said. "Eat."
They ate silently for a few minutes, and then Nina said, "What did Dr. Boren say about Cinco last night?"
"He's just getting too old. The summers are too hard on him."
"Is he in any pain?"
"Boren doesn't think so. Just worn out. Said it wouldn't hurt him to sleep so much. Said he might as well."
Haydon sipped his wine.
"So. How was your morning?" Nina changed the subject. It hadn't been a good time to ask about Cinco.
"Spent most of it watching an autopsy."
"Great."
"Well, this turned out to be an interesting one."
"Great."
Haydon grinned. "You asked."
Nina smiled back. "You would think I'd learn." She chewed an olive and raised her glass. "Here's to you, handsome."
"You want to change the subject?"
"Please."
"Where's Gabriela?"
"You don't listen," Nina said, shaking her head and taking another bite of her sandwich.
Haydon looked at her. "Well?"
"Ramona Salazar took her out to do some last-minute shopping."
"That's right," Haydon said. "I forgot. Has she gotten her passport renewed?"
"I did."
"Has she gotten her flight ticket yet? I heard some of the flights were being canceled because of the trouble down there." "I did."
Gabriela Sauceda had begun working for Haydon's parents when she was a young girl and they were living in Mexico City. She had moved to Houston with them a year before Stuart was born, and Haydon had never known the home without her. When his parents died, he and Nina had moved into the family home. There was never any question that Gabriela, who had never married, would stay on. Haydon's father, Webster had been a beneficent patron from the beginning, helping her gain her American citizenship and seeing to it that she had substantial financial security beyond her position with them. Every summer she was given a month off to visit her family in Mexico City, and over the years the Haydons' lives had become intertwined with the Saucedas as Webster, and then Stuart himself, had helped a string of Gabriela's nieces and nephews come to the States to attend a variety of universities.
Gabriela saved little of her salary for
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