Family Jewels

19

Stone and Ed shook hands and hugged, while Bob helped Ed’s man with the luggage. “Good flight?” Ed asked as they walked into the house.

“Perfect. The winds were easy on me.” Stone looked ahead into the living room. “Uh-oh,” he said. Bob was standing stock-still in the middle of the room, cautiously regarding a nearly identical Labrador retriever.

“That’s Earl,” Ed said. “Let them sort it out.”

Some sniffing and circling took place, then Earl found a ball, showed it to Bob, and let it bounce from his mouth.

“They’re fast friends now,” Ed said. “Earl doesn’t usually share his ball with visitors.”

“Where’s Susannah?” Stone asked.

“She’s picking up someone at the airport.”

“And what was it you wanted to show me?”

“All in good time.”

Two other couples came into the room; one pair was Nicky and Vanessa Chalmers, the other he didn’t know.

“I understand you and the Chalmerses have met,” Ed said. “These other folks are Carlos and Candela Munoz, from San Antonio.”

Everyone shook hands. “Nicky is my newest client,” Stone said.

“And he’s one of my oldest,” Ed replied. “I defended his company against a lawsuit the first year I practiced, and we had a favorable outcome.”

“Stone,” Nicky said, “you didn’t think I hired you without a reference, did you?”

“I’m glad you chose Ed for that,” Stone replied.

Ed’s man, Juan, came back into the room and took drink orders, and everybody took a seat while he served them. The two dogs rolled happily on the floor.

Stone heard a car door slam outside, and Susannah and a slightly younger and even more beautiful version of her came into the house. Susannah hugged Stone. “This is my little sister, Gala,” she said. They shook hands, and she sat down next to Stone and ordered a drink. Stone could not take his eyes off Gala.

Ed passed by and whispered to Stone, “That’s what I wanted to show you.”

“Where do you hail from?” Stone asked Gala.

“Interesting question,” she said. “I’m not sure. I’ve been living in Los Angeles the past few years, but I gave up the house there in a divorce. I got the Santa Fe house, and I’ve been redoing it, but I haven’t decided yet if this is home.”

“You could do worse,” Stone said.

“I have done worse,” she said, laughing. “I understand you live all over the place.”

“I can’t deny that, but I’m based in New York. I just keep getting offered houses I can’t refuse. In my defense, I did sell one this year.”

“You’re a lawyer, I understand. How do you get any work done?”

“It’s amazing how much work you can get done with a phone, a fax machine, and a computer. There seems to be less and less demand for face-to-face meetings, and even those can be done with the computer. What do you do?”

“I’m a screenwriter,” she said.

“How many face-to-face meetings do you have a year?”

“Not many,” she said. “I’m proof of your point, and my work is portable, so I can live wherever I like.” She nodded toward the two dogs. “Which one of those is yours?” she asked.

“Tell you the truth, I’m not sure. Oh, the one with the red collar is Bob, who flew out here with me. He’s a good crew.”

“What’s a good crew?”

“One who doesn’t complain about my flying.”

“Bob doesn’t look like the complaining sort,” she said.

“Not so far.”

“Have you known each other long?”

“Almost a week.”

“So you didn’t raise him from a pup?”

“No, I was visiting a client in East Hampton last weekend, and Bob seemed to prefer me to her. After I drove away, I found him in my backseat.”

“I heard that,” Nicky said. “I was there, and I can confirm it. Bob took to Stone immediately — the rest of us might have been chopped liver.”

“Including the lady next door,” Vanessa said.

“You don’t want to know about that,” Stone said to Gala. “Not before dinner anyway.”

“I’ll remind myself to ask after dinner,” she said.

“At your own risk.”

They talked for another half hour, then Juan called them to dinner. Stone found himself seated next to Gala, and he didn’t argue about it.

Later in the evening they had coffee in Ed’s study.

“Are you staying with the Eagles?” Stone asked Gala.

“No, I’m staying at my own place, in Tesuque village.”

“Can I give you a lift home later?”

“That won’t be necessary, I have my own car. You were kind enough to drive it from the airport for me.”

“I didn’t know,” Stone said. “Why was it at the airport?”

“I was in L.A., so the dealer delivered it to the airport. I flew into Albuquerque, and Susannah picked me up.”

“Where was it delivered from?”

“Broomfield, between Denver and Boulder. It’s the closest dealer.”

“You’re going to love the car,” Stone said.

“I’m sorry you can’t drive me home,” she said. “We’ll have to think of another excuse to get you to my house.”

“I don’t need an excuse.”

“Then why don’t you come to lunch tomorrow?”

“I can’t think of an excuse not to,” he replied.