Chapter Twenty-Nine

Several hours after stealing Elise's new identity from Perry's apartment, Brent pushed open the door of the Giardino di Ade restaurant and stood for a moment in the atmospheric gloom. Not seeing who he was looking for, he went to the bar; a black marble affair, lit by candles in red globes. Brent settled himself onto a stool and ordered a glass of Chianti. He was sipping his wine and ignoring the inexplicable glower of a fat, tuxedoed man at the other end of the bar when the woman he was waiting for walked in the door. He set down his glass and went to meet her.

"Brent, so good to see you." The elegantly dressed woman reached out both hands to take his.

Brent pulled her close in a quick embrace then took a step back, taking in her sallow skin, unlined face and smooth blonde hair. She was dressed in black and pearls, and Brent nodded approvingly. "You look great Selene. Still the prettiest girl in the Little Sisters, and still the best dressed."

"And you're still the worst flatterer I ever met." Selene took Brent by the arm. "I'm sorry I'm late. I hate to keep people waiting, but I ran into some delays."

"Oh?"

Selene shrugged. "I'm a married woman, you know. But let's not talk about depressing things."

The hostess led them to a corner table by a window overlooking a garden of creeping vegetation and pale statuary. Selene barely glanced at her menu before craning her neck for a waiter. After a moment a young man in a white uniform approached. Selene started to order a glass of Chianti, but Brent stopped her and ordered a bottle instead. After the waiter left he said, "So how have you been? I wasn't kidding that you still look as pretty as our college days."

Selene ducked her head but appeared pleased. "I manage okay."

"You make it sound like things aren't what they could be."

"Are they for anyone?"

"Such cynicism." He took her hand and squeezed it, causing her rings to bite into her flesh. "I appreciate you meeting me like this on such short notice."

"It's my pleasure." Selene pulled her hand away. "I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the house. Getting to see an old friend in the bargain is a treat, although knowing you, I'm sure you have other motives besides just wanting my company for a few hours."

"I hope I'm not just an excuse to get out of the house."

One of Selene's eyebrows went up. "You're not arguing with my assertion that you have ulterior motives. Why am I not surprised?"

Before Brent could answer, the waiter appeared at their table and set glasses in front of them both. He presented the wine and uncorked it with practiced ease. After he poured them each a glass, Brent turned back to Selene. "What have you been doing with yourself? I don't think we've corresponded more than once or twice since your wedding."

"I've been doing what all trophy wives do: shopping, charity balls, facials at the salon...don't tell me there's other things I could be doing with my college education."

"I can't think of any better way to use a psychology degree."

"Well, I can." Selene sighed. "Being an old man's doll pays the bills, though, and keeps me in designer labels."

"If that's what you want."

Selene reached for her wineglass. "Let's not talk about me. I'm always interested to hear what my ex-boyfriends are up to, especially when they call me out of the blue. You must have a favor to ask."

Brent looked up as a busboy set bread and herbed olive oil in front of them. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I know you so well? You're right, though. It's gauche for old friends to jump straight into shop talk. Why don't you tell me what brings you to St. Argent? I heard you moved."

Brent reached for a piece of bread. "You know my father had a few companies."

"Who could forget? You were always the guy with the fat wallet, thanks to Daddy."

"There were plenty of guys who had it better than me. My education wasn't for show; it was so I could work."

"And do you work?"

"Of course. It's not a daddy's boy job, either. I'm expected to pull my weight."

"I'm sure you are," Selene said with a disbelieving smile.

"In fact, I'm probably going to be out of a job as of tomorrow. I walked out."

Selene shook her head. "So typical. You had a lot of anger toward your father. It sounds like you still do."

Brent reached for his wine. "You've got it all wrong, but why shouldn't I be angry at him? He used to beat the crap out of me."

"A lot of us were treated like accessories, and when we didn't measure up..."

Brent shrugged. "The toys were good, at any rate."

"Guilty parents give the best presents," she agreed.

They both sipped their wine in silence for a few minutes. "So if you didn't walk away from your job to spite your father, what's this all about? And why are you in St. Argent?"

"Remember Elise Riddissee?"

Selene frowned. "Your little ballerina friend? Something of a charity case, as I recall."

"She had to earn her own money, but she never needed any handouts."

"Other than jobs." Selene played with the stem of her glass. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"She was working for me in Troy as a graphic illustrator."

"Still looking for handouts, I see."

Brent ignored Selene's cattiness. "She left her husband two days ago. He and I are here trying to find her."

Selene's eyes narrowed. "Why does this concern you? Don't tell me you want to become a detective now."

"I'm learning how to be a detective, but I'm not very good at it. Every time we get close, she slips away."

"That doesn't tell me why you're involved in the first place."

"I think she might be pregnant with my child." Brent picked up his bread and began tearing it into pieces.

Selene drained the rest of her Chianti and allowed Brent to refill her glass before speaking. "I guess that's a pretty good reason. The husband doesn't mind having you along?"

"He minds," Brent admitted. "But I think he realizes we're more likely to find her by working together than at cross-purposes."

"What a noble guy."

The waiter reappeared at their table. "Are you ready to order?"

A guilty expression flitted across Brent's face and he reached for the menu. "Can you come back in five minutes?"

"How about an appetizer while you decide? Some baked mozzarella, perhaps? Calamari?"

"How about the portabella mushrooms?" Selene said.

The waiter hurried away to place the order.

"So." Selene glanced at the menu, then set it aside. "Tell me about this saint that your little friend is married to, and how you managed to steal her away from him."

"Joe's an artist," Brent explained. "You've probably heard of him. He does those religious statues you find in a lot of the churches around here and some of the other cities around the state. He does other things, too, but he's got a national reputation for angels and things like that."

Selene nodded. "Appropriate work for a saint. He sounds pretty different from the guy she was seeing when she used to come to some of your parties. Wasn't he in some two-bit thrash band?"

Brent waved a hand, as if trying to dismiss that particular memory. "Joe isn't much like your typical artist. To meet him, you'd think he was just an ordinary guy; a plumber or construction worker maybe. But then you see his woodwork and it's like a revelation. Hard to believe such beautiful things can come from the hands of someone so..."

"Common?"

"Maybe I would've called him that a few months ago, but now I'm not so sure."

Selene picked up a slice of bread and dunked it in the olive oil. "So how did Elise end up with you?"

Brent sighed. "She'd been working for me for nearly a year. During most of that time she was friendly, but professional. Then about six months ago she started working late when I worked late, came in early when I came in early, made up excuses to spend time alone with me. She even volunteered for a project she hated because she knew it was one I was personally involved in."

"Sounds like trouble."

"It was, but I never stopped wanting her just because I married someone else. We never seemed to catch each other between relationships. That's the only thing that stopped me then, you know."

"No, I didn't know. I always thought it was because she didn't care for you that way." Selene reached for her wine. "Not much seemed to stop you seeing any of the other girls at school, even while you were supposedly involved with me."

Brent's face reddened. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Selene shredded a piece of bread into crumbs. "I got over that long ago."

Brent opened his mouth to speak, but the waiter arrived with their appetizers, and set the plates in front of them. "Would you like to order your entrees now?"

Brent gestured for Selene to order first. Selene ordered a salmon dish, and Brent pointed to the first pasta entrée on the list without bothering to read the description. After the waiter went away, Brent turned back to her. "You know, of all the women I've known, you're the one I most regret having treated badly."

Selene rolled her eyes. "We've been doing just fine without your famous flattery." She brushed a few bread crumbs off her lap. "Let's stick to your story, okay? Why do you think this girl started coming on to you all of a sudden? Doesn't make any sense to me." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you sure you weren't hitting on her? That seems a more likely scenario."

Brent rubbed his forehead. "There have been so many times I deserved the shit people gave me for the way I collected other people's girlfriends, but for once I'm completely innocent, and everyone acts like it's just another falsehood."

Selene reached for the Chianti bottle. "Karma is a bitch."

Brent opened his eyes. "Do you believe me? Just this once?"

"I'm trying, but I can't imagine why this girl would go doing such a thing. You don't think maybe her husband fooled around on her and she was trying to get even?"

Brent shook his head. "If it was any other man, I'd say you were probably right. But Joe? No way."

"Any chance she could've been seeing someone else? Someone who dumped her, so she was looking for an easy conquest to gratify her ego?"

Brent started to shake his head, but stopped and considered. While he was thinking, the waiter stopped by again. He picked up the bottle of Ruffino to top off their glasses, but found it empty. Before he could ask the obvious question, Brent waved a hand for him to bring another. After he was gone, Brent frowned again. "Elise was always a bit of a runaround," he said, picking up where he left off. "That's one of the things I liked about her back in school. She was like me."

"Maybe she's more like you than you realize."

"I don't even want to consider that possibility." Brent cut his portabella into pieces and pushed them around his plate. "Besides, it's not like she needs another man. Joe is completely devoted to her. She's his whole world." He put down his fork and leaned across the table. "Do you know that even after Joe found out about us, he still forgave her? Elise didn't lack for love, and she knew it."

Selene was smiling now. "There's your answer. A woman doesn't want to feel like a goddess."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying love isn't about being put on a pedestal. It's about friendship, not worship." Selene waved a hand. "Look at me. My husband would do anything I asked; go anywhere, buy me anything, but that doesn't keep me faithful."

"I didn't know you were having an affair," Brent said.

Selene laughed. "Not one affair. Many." She took another sip of wine. "Not all at the same time, of course. One after the other."

"But why? I mean, if your husband is so good to you..."

"Come on, Brent, he's old. I want a man who knows how to have a good time and who can satisfy me in bed. I want--"

"I get the picture. Spare me the details."

Selene's lips curled down in a smirk. "For a man who got another man's wife pregnant, you sure are squeamish on the subject of affairs. Kind of hypocritical, don't you think? Do I detect some guilt?"

Brent pretended sudden interest in his food. "None of us is perfect, and besides, you're talking about a different scenario entirely."

Selene gave a skeptical smile. "Am I really?"

"Yes. Joe isn't some old guy. He's older than her, but not like that ancient consul you married. Elise always said the sex with Joe was fine, when she could tear him away from his work."

"Well, this is starting to fit together, don't you think? When a man is working all the time, a woman gets lonely."

"How could she get lonely? She was in the same studio with him. She was his model."

"She was his muse, but it sounds like she wasn't his companion. Being an object of worship can be fun for awhile, but in the long run, it's cold comfort to a woman who wants real love."