Parker was ready to go back to school and so was Sheena.
They were not speaking to each other, and Parker refused to
talk to either Ray or Larkin. Christmas dinner was strained.
Before he left to go back to LSU, Larkin cornered him. "You
don't have to talk, just listen. You're acting just like Ray."
"Did you see the mink from Alex?"
"Yes. Inappropriate, I agree."
"He proposed."
"She
didn't
accept. Robert proposed to me. I didn't accept.
Do you love her?"
"That's not the point."
She took Parker by the shoulders. "Yes, it is. Lose your
pride before you lose the girl."
"Too late."
"I doubt it."
"I'm still mad."
Larkin's redhead wagged in frustration. "You're most
Angry tears stung Parker's eyes. Larkin tiptoed and kissed
him on the forehead. "I still love you."
Parker couldn't talk.
When Parker got back to school, he had a new roommate.
Dexter was in San Francisco with Pike and sent Parker a
wedding invitation and a letter that said he was in the process
of becoming Dixie Hilton, along with a couple of photos of the
transformation stages. Dex said he didn't send them via email
because he didn't want to chance a hacker. That comment made
Parker chuckle. Dex said Pike was happy with the decision for
he loved Dex whatever his gender.
During the first break of the spring semester, Parker
attended the wedding. Dexter had legally become Dixie and
looked like a "Dixie" although there was a great deal yet to be
done. His doctor simply said the Marchants should have raised
Dixie all along because he had more female components in is
physiology than male. Mr. Marchant acknowledged he made
the wrong choice at the child's birth because he already had
two daughters and selfishly wanted a son. He apologized for
having made the child's life miserable, and all was forgiven, at
least on the surface. Time would heal more wounds. Father and
daughter were beginning a new relationship. Jonas Marchant
loved the child he had and supported Dixie's choice.
Dixie and Pike's wedding was a simple civil affair. The
bride wore a tailored skirt and blazer that made an impressive
statement of femininity and was attended by her two sisters. It
appeared that Pike's family was less supportive. None of them
were there; so, from some sense of loyalty to his friend, Parker
stood beside Pike as witness to the occasion.
After the ceremony, Parker whispered to Pike, "Hurt her"—
He cut his eyes to his former roommate—"and I'll hunt you
down."
To Dixie, he said, "Call if you ever need a friend."
Parker's new roommate, Barrett Daniels, was a transfer
student from community college. He was colored darkly and
about the same size as Parker, and he was straight. He had no
desire to join a fraternity and was very serious about his degree
in economics. His girlfriend was at Tulane in nursing. He and
Parker got along, but there was no real effort to develop a
friendship. They simply coexisted for a semester before Parker
planned to move into the fraternity house.
Loraine snagged Parker as he walked to class one spring
morning. "Hey! You haven't even called."
"Busy."
"Down in the dumps I'd say."
"That, too."
"Missing Sheena or Dex?"
"Ha, ha." He hefted his backpack higher on his shoulder.
"Wanna talk?"
"Let's see. Um. No."
"Whoa! You're bad off."
"Okay." They stopped walking and Parker let his backpack
hit the ground. Students bustled around them on both sides
headed to scholarly destinations. "Barrett is no fun. I liked Dex,
who is now Dixie, and married to Pike, a hell of a lot better.
Barrett is so uptight I think he might bust open at any second.
A comedy and popcorn with Dex would be relaxing. I'm
carrying eighteen hours and studying my butt off. My
girlfriend, who is not even speaking to me now, got a mink and
a marriage proposal from Alex. What else would you like to
know?"
"Feel like making out to get your mind off Sheena?"
"No!" he shouted.
Several passersby turned toward them at the outburst.
"Damn, Parker! Fly to Boston and punch the jerk in the
mouth."
Parker laughed a little.
Loraine coaxed, "Seriously, how about a movie and some
popcorn? Nothing else. Just friends."
Parker nodded. "Friday. I have a lot of studying during the
week."
"Okay. I'll call you Friday afternoon."
"Fine."
For the rest of that year and part of the next, Parker went
out with Loraine and several other girls on a very superficial
basis.
Sheena got back to Boston after Christmas break and had
roses waiting for her. She sighed. Alex was tenacious. Chelsea
was already back and dusting the room when Sheena brought
in her roses.
"Alex?" she asked.
"Yes. I think Parker and I broke up."
"What happened?"
"We had a fight."
Chelsea put the feather duster and Endust in a plastic
storage unit with three drawers. "Still love him?"
"Yes."
"Call him."
"No."
"What was the fight about?"
"My mink mostly. I think." She shrugged. "I don't really
know." Sheena arranged the flowers on her desk.
"He was jealous?" asked Chelsea.
"Yeah."
"Have the two of you slept together?" Chelsea sat at the
foot of her bed.
"No. We agreed to wait for marriage."
"Has he?"
"Had sex?"
"Yeah."
Sheena lifted one shoulder. "Not unless he has since I saw
him. We agreed to wait."
"For each other?" Her voice held a note of dismay.
"Yes."
"I can't imagine any of the guys I know not screwing
anything with a vagina."
Sheena frowned at the vulgarity.
Unfazed, Chelsea went on, "Sounds like one hell of a guy
to me."
"He is." Sheena sank onto her bed.
"Then why are you seeing Alex?" demanded Chelsea.
"He's a nice guy."
"He's a spoiled rich shithead who's used to getting what he
wants."
"I want Parker to call
me
."
"Stubborn."
"Yeah, I am."
The phone rang, but it was neither Parker nor Alex. It was
Tony Zumbro. Sheena went bowling.
For the next year Sheena went out with both Tony and
Alex. Alex stepped back to give her space and to bide his time.
He calculated when the time would be right to strike again,
when Sheena would be most vulnerable. Since she could not go
home for the next Thanksgiving and needed to be with
someone who cared about her, Alex made his move. He invited
Sheena to Vermont for Thanksgiving. She went.
Sheena was accustomed to lovely homes, but the
Burlington home was not a house. It was an estate. The house
itself had twenty-five bedrooms and numerous other rooms.
They had a fully stocked stable, tennis courts, a heated
swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course just for fun when
guests came, and a hundred acres that was undeveloped where
Alex said he had actually hunted moose. They had live-in
servants in a wing of the house separate from the main house.
It did not count as part of the twenty-five bedrooms. Most of
the servants had their own families living on the premises.
Most of the servants' area consisted of apartments with two to
four bedrooms. Alex's playmates before he had gone to
boarding school had been the servants' children.
Anedra Burlington, tall and stout with sandy hair and eyes
like Alex's, was distant and remote and very proper. She met
Sheena with immediate disapproval. Sheena was not good
enough for her only child. The coolness went deeper. Sheena
actually shivered and recalled the frigid fog and rain when Mia
Godchaux had first arrived in Eau Boueuse. This chill went to
her bones.
Winston Burlington was the same size as his wife. The hair
he had left around the back of his head from ear to ear was
white, and he had mischievous blue eyes that reminded Sheena
of Parker. He was cordial and pleasant. He showed Sheena
around the estate on his golf cart and chatted amiably.
"So, you're from the Deep South, Miss Johnson?" he asked.
"Call me Sheena, please."
He nodded and smiled. "Sheena."
"About as deep as you can go without getting into the Gulf
of Mexico—Eau Boueuse, Louisiana."
"Yes, Alex told me that you knew Robert's former college
roommate's family."
"Yes. I dated Parker Reynolds, Ray's son."
The cart topped a small hill to show the wooded area was
already barren. "What is your major at Harvard?"
"Pre-med. I'm considering physical therapy to start."
"Honorable. Tell me about your family."
"My dad is vice president in charge of construction with
Bertram and Gautier, an architectural firm."
"Oh," he interrupted. "Raiford Gautier?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"He has quite a reputation even in Yankee country." He
smiled. "So, your father works for
that
firm. I'm sorry I
interrupted. Go on."
"Okay. Daddy's a veteran of the Gulf War. His name is
Terry. My mom, Carol, is an executive assistant to the mayor
of Eau Boueuse. I have three younger siblings, Tasha, fourteen;
Townes, thirteen; and Wesley, ten. Everybody asks if Tasha
and Townes are twins. They're so close I guess because Mom
and Dad were so far apart for so long."
"That's sweet."
"I'm not spoiled. I've had to share a lot." She pulled the
mink more tightly about her as the wind whistled through the
naked branches and stung any exposed skin.
"I guess Alex is a little spoiled," admitted Mr. Burlington.
"Only children usually are."
He stopped the golf cart near the lake where a sailboat was
moored. A flock of geese headed south honked overhead. "He's
Anedra's only child. I have two others in London."
"Oh, Alex never told me."
"They're a good bit older than he is. They're not close."
"Was your first wife British?"
"Yes. We have two girls. I fly to London a couple of times
a year to get together. Alex has been a few times. Anedra does
not go with me."
Sheena looked out over the water. "Mrs. Burlington doesn't
like me."
"Why would you say that, dear?"
"Sorry. It's the way she looks at me."
"She's hyper-critical. Ignore her. Alex does." The man
chuckled.
"Well, she can relax. Alex and I are only friends."
"Are you sure?"
"I've told him that."
"Hmm. He's older than you. He's wife hunting."
"I'm not ready for marriage."
"I appreciate that." Mr. Burlington looked at the darkening
gray sky. "Dinner will be ready soon, and you're freezing." He
took his guest back to the house.
No one else came for the Thanksgiving meal, and there was
no real joy shared at the table. Though a fire blazed in the
dining room fireplace, the air held a perceptible chill.
After dinner, Anedra made a point of getting Sheena alone
as the girl browsed books in the library, a warmer, cozier room.
The second Anedra entered, the temperature plummeted.
"What do you want from Alex?" she demanded.
"Nothing. We're friends. That's it," answered Sheena in
defensive mode.
"Are you even on the social register?"
"Social register?"
"Yes."
"Am I a debutant?" She shelved the book she had in her
hand and noticed her fingernails turning purple.
"I suppose that may be what they still call it in the
South
."
Sheena cringed at the condescension in her hostess's voice,
and then answered, "No. I am Sheena Johnson, honor graduate,
college student, Christian, fool. Mrs. Burlington, I have no
intention of marrying your son. If I had ever considered it, you
made me change my mind. Having you for a mother-in-law
would be Hell on Earth." She left the older woman to stare
after her and wonder at her mind-set.
Sheena found Alex and demanded to be taken back to
Harvard. On the drive, Alex took her hand and kissed her
fingers. "What did Mother say to you?"
"She made it quite clear that I'm not good enough for you."
"It's not her decision."
"You're right. It's mine." She pulled her hand free. "But I
doubt you would go against your mother."
"Will you marry me? I still have the ring."
Sheena sighed. "I don't love you like that, Alex."
"Are you still pining for Parker?"
"I love him."
"Get over him. Grow up and move on. I won't wait
forever."
Sheena scowled at Alex. Her mind became clear.
I don't
want him to wait at all.
When they got to her dorm, she got out
and grabbed her bags from the trunk without waiting for Alex.
"Sheena?"
"Listen to me. We don't work. I do not want to see you
again. Good-bye, Alex."
Chimes reverberated as someone came to the door of the
Reynolds's home during Larkin's annual Christmas tree
trimming party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Courtney
answered the door. "Yes?"
"May I speak with Parker Reynolds, please?" asked a
strange man.
"Sure." Courtney yelled, "Parker! Somebody wants to see
you."
Parker came to the door holding the mistletoe he was about
to hang for Larkin. "Court, you're being rude. May I help you?"
he asked the man.
"I'm Alex Burlington."
"Oh. Well, please, come in." He indicated entrance with his
hand.
"No. I can be rude, too. I want Sheena. Let her go."
"Does she want you?"
"I can make her want me."
"Can you?" A small smirk played around Parker's lips. "Mr.
Burlington, Sheena and I haven't spoken in a year. So, why are
you standing on my porch?"
"To get you out of her life once and for all. I can give her
the world. What can you give her?"
"Love." He fingered the mistletoe. "You've already
overstayed your welcome. Good-bye."
Parker closed the door in Alex's face and turned around to
bump into his father. "What are you gonna do about it?" asked
Ray.
"We're having a party."
"You can leave."
"And go where? Boston? Harvard?"
"Exactly. Raif can have you on a charter flight in an hour.
Let's hope our Mr. Burlington is flying commercial even if it
is
first-class. Do you wanna go?"
"Yes." He plopped the mistletoe in his father's hand.
The front-desk attendant in Sheena's dorm buzzed her
room. "Miss Johnson, you have a male visitor, but he's not a
regular student. You'll have to come to the lobby to meet him."
Chelsea shook her head. "He doesn't give up, does he?"
"I told him I didn't want to see him."
"Guess you're gonna have to say it again. Want me to come