Read Online What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jennifer Crusie
Tags: Contemporary
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openmouthed at Stormy. But it still hurt, which was dumb because she didn't care who Mitch stared at.
"I'm sorry." Mae moved past Mitch to meet her. "We didn't know you were here, or we'd never have barged in on you. Are you all right?"
Stormy sniffed. There were beautiful bluish shadows under her eyes, and her mouth turned down at the corners. "Yes. It's all right that you're here. I don't live here anymore. Nobody lives here anymore." Her face crumpled and she began to cry, and Mae put her arms around her and led her to the couch.
"I'm sorry, honey." She looked back over her shoulder at Mitch, who was evidently frozen by the combination of beauty and tears. "Get her a drink of water, will you?"
"Sure." Mitch blundered past them, trying a closet door before he found the door to the kitchen, only to return with a glass of water. He looked at the weeping Stormy with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"Go away," Mae told him.
"Right," he said, and she heard him climbing the stairs a moment later.
"I'm sorry," Stormy said when she was all cried out. She straightened her head from Mae's shoulder, and Mae watched with envy as all the pinkness from her crying jag faded into rose-blushed cheeks.
"Have you been alone all this time?"
"Yes." Stormy sniffed. "I've been mostly at my new place, but I come by everyday, just to say goodbye." Her face crumpled again.
Mae patted her on the back as Stormy's head hit her shoulder again. "I'm sorry, Stormy. I should have called you. I just didn't think."
"That's okay." Stormy's voice was muffled in Mae's shoulder.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Stormy pulled back a little and looked at her wistfully. "Maybe we could have lunch sometime. Like we were friends, sort of."
"Lunch?'' Mae nodded, a little confused but grateful to have found something that cheered her up. "Sure. This weekend, maybe?" Friday was the memorial. There was no way she was taking Stormy to lunch before the memorial.
"Saturday." Stormy beamed at her, and Mae blinked again at how beautiful she was and how volatile. In anyone else, the mood change would have been a sign of mental instability. In Stormy, it was childlike and enchanting. And Armand had planned to leave her to go to Barbara Ross? "I'd like that," Stormy finished. "Lunch. Saturday would be good. At the Levee. I like the Levee."
"Oh, me, too." Mae did a quick calculation to see if she had enough money to cover lunch at the Levee. Paying Mitch had tapped her out. Maybe if she sold the Mercedes.
"Why are you here?"
Mae started, but Stormy's voice was still friendly. "Uh, I..." Telling Stormy that she'd hired a detective to find Armand's murderer was probably not going to be a good move at this point. "I'm looking for something."
"Who's the guy?"
Mae blinked at her again.
"The guy you came with. He's cute." Stormy wrinkled her nose in pixie appreciation.
"Cute?" Mae stared at her. "Mitch?"
Stormy nodded. "Like a teddy bear. Is he yours?"
"Uh, no. I hired him."
"For what?"
Mae spoke slowly, taken aback by Stormy's sudden focus. "To find Armand's diary. We thought it might be here."
Mitch's voice broke in from the doorway. "Well, it isn't."
Stormy turned to him and smiled. "I know. All his things are packed up. Harold came and took some of them."
"The diary isn't in the box that Harold brought home," Mae told her. "Is there someplace here he might have hidden it?"
Stormy shook her head, her ringlets dancing in the sunlight. "No. There's no place like that here." She held out her hand to Mitch. "I'm Stormy."
He came forward and took it. "Hi, I'm Mitch. Can you think of anybody who might have wanted to kill Armand?"
"Kill him?" Stormy's voice sounded stunned, and Mae mentally kicked Mitch around Greater Riverbend.
"He died of a heart attack. I was there. We were making love and he died. In my arms." She started to cry again on the last words, and then she collapsed back onto Mae's shoulder.
Mae glared up at Mitch, but he just stood there,
"I'm sorry." Mae moved past Mitch to meet her. "We didn't know you were here, or we'd never have barged in on you. Are you all right?"
Stormy sniffed. There were beautiful bluish shadows under her eyes, and her mouth turned down at the corners. "Yes. It's all right that you're here. I don't live here anymore. Nobody lives here anymore." Her face crumpled and she began to cry, and Mae put her arms around her and led her to the couch.
"I'm sorry, honey." She looked back over her shoulder at Mitch, who was evidently frozen by the combination of beauty and tears. "Get her a drink of water, will you?"
"Sure." Mitch blundered past them, trying a closet door before he found the door to the kitchen, only to return with a glass of water. He looked at the weeping Stormy with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"Go away," Mae told him.
"Right," he said, and she heard him climbing the stairs a moment later.
"I'm sorry," Stormy said when she was all cried out. She straightened her head from Mae's shoulder, and Mae watched with envy as all the pinkness from her crying jag faded into rose-blushed cheeks.
"Have you been alone all this time?"
"Yes." Stormy sniffed. "I've been mostly at my new place, but I come by everyday, just to say goodbye." Her face crumpled again.
Mae patted her on the back as Stormy's head hit her shoulder again. "I'm sorry, Stormy. I should have called you. I just didn't think."
"That's okay." Stormy's voice was muffled in Mae's shoulder.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Stormy pulled back a little and looked at her wistfully. "Maybe we could have lunch sometime. Like we were friends, sort of."
"Lunch?'' Mae nodded, a little confused but grateful to have found something that cheered her up. "Sure. This weekend, maybe?" Friday was the memorial. There was no way she was taking Stormy to lunch before the memorial.
"Saturday." Stormy beamed at her, and Mae blinked again at how beautiful she was and how volatile. In anyone else, the mood change would have been a sign of mental instability. In Stormy, it was childlike and enchanting. And Armand had planned to leave her to go to Barbara Ross? "I'd like that," Stormy finished. "Lunch. Saturday would be good. At the Levee. I like the Levee."
"Oh, me, too." Mae did a quick calculation to see if she had enough money to cover lunch at the Levee. Paying Mitch had tapped her out. Maybe if she sold the Mercedes.
"Why are you here?"
Mae started, but Stormy's voice was still friendly. "Uh, I..." Telling Stormy that she'd hired a detective to find Armand's murderer was probably not going to be a good move at this point. "I'm looking for something."
"Who's the guy?"
Mae blinked at her again.
"The guy you came with. He's cute." Stormy wrinkled her nose in pixie appreciation.
"Cute?" Mae stared at her. "Mitch?"
Stormy nodded. "Like a teddy bear. Is he yours?"
"Uh, no. I hired him."
"For what?"
Mae spoke slowly, taken aback by Stormy's sudden focus. "To find Armand's diary. We thought it might be here."
Mitch's voice broke in from the doorway. "Well, it isn't."
Stormy turned to him and smiled. "I know. All his things are packed up. Harold came and took some of them."
"The diary isn't in the box that Harold brought home," Mae told her. "Is there someplace here he might have hidden it?"
Stormy shook her head, her ringlets dancing in the sunlight. "No. There's no place like that here." She held out her hand to Mitch. "I'm Stormy."
He came forward and took it. "Hi, I'm Mitch. Can you think of anybody who might have wanted to kill Armand?"
"Kill him?" Stormy's voice sounded stunned, and Mae mentally kicked Mitch around Greater Riverbend.
"He died of a heart attack. I was there. We were making love and he died. In my arms." She started to cry again on the last words, and then she collapsed back onto Mae's shoulder.
Mae glared up at Mitch, but he just stood there,
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