“I put her off. We spent some time talking about the business and then I hightailed it back down here to you.”
“And that’s all you did with Ellen? Just talk?”
“I sure didn’t jump in the sack with her if that’s what you mean! Relax, Babe. No reason to be jealous. There’s no way in hell I could get it up for Ellen.”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe one way,” Johnny answered. “It might work if I put a bag over her head and pretended she was you.”
Ellen stifled a gasp. Not only was Johnny lying, now she knew why he’d turned off the lights on his way back to bed. That two-timing bastard hadn’t made love to her at all. He’d pretended she was Vanessa!
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Johnny Day!” Vanessa sounded angry. “Ellen’s a nice person and she can’t help the way she looks. I think it’s time for you to be honest with her.”
“I should tell her she doesn’t turn me on?”
“No, that’d only hurt her feelings. You should say something like . . . uh . . .” Vanessa began to giggle. “That you really want to, but you’ve got a terrible disease and you don’t want her to get it.”
“Oh, sure. Or maybe I could tell her I got it shot off in the war.”
“Don’t be silly. Anyone who looks at you can tell that. . . never mind. Just think of a real good excuse that won’t hurt poor Ellen’s feelings.”
“Like what?”
“You could say that you respect her too much to treat her like a casual romp in the hay. Ellen’s innocent enough to go for that, and it’ll make her feel good besides.”
“You’re really a good friend to her, aren’t you?” Johnny sounded surprised.
“Of course I am and I’ll scratch your eyes out if you ever touch her. There’s no way I want you to get all hot and bothered thinking about me and then waste it all on Ellen!”
Ellen came back to the present with a sigh, brushed away a tear that was rolling down her cheek, and straightened a little in her chair. When Johnny had come to see her the next morning, she’d gone into her speech before he could open his mouth. She’d told him that she knew he respected her too much to treat her like a casual romp in the hay. And wouldn’t it be wiser to keep their relationship on a platonic level? Johnny had blinked twice and exclaimed that she’d taken the words right out of his mouth. Vanessa’s words, but he didn’t know that she knew. She wasn’t about to admit that she’d hidden in his bedroom like an eager, blushing bride only to overhear his conversation in the shower with Vanessa. Then, after he’d left, she’d thrown every one of his CDs down the incinerator chute. It was a childish gesture and it hadn’t made her feel any better, but at least it was appropriately symbolic.
During the next few months, she’d been friendly and businesslike despite her breaking heart, and when she couldn’t stand the strain for one moment longer, she’d consulted Rachael and dissolved their partnership.
Even though she was no longer involved with Johnny in any way, his betrayal still hurt. Ellen knew it was partially her fault. She’d tried to be something she wasn’t. An expensive hairdo, makeup applied by an expert, and a designer gown could camouflage the package, but nothing could change the contents. And as she became accustomed to being alone, she admitted that it was a considerable relief not to have to worry about how she looked and what she said. Now she was just plain Ellen, and if people didn’t like her, that was too bad.
Of course she’d missed the hours she’d spent with Johnny, so to compensate, she had poured all her energy into running her mannequin business. Ellen knew her products were good, but orders were slow and her expenses were much higher than she’d figured on. She knew it took time for a small business to show a profit, but she was barely at the break-even point and she was running herself ragged, trying to handle everything on her own.
One morning she’d run into Jack St. James and when he’d casually asked how her business was doing, she’d burst into tears. It was just too much for one person to handle alone, she was losing money every time she turned around, and she wished she’d stayed in Minnesota and never tried to go into business for herself. After a couple of astute questions, Jack had told her she needed a business manager and recommended his friend, Walker Browning. Walker had spent the first two weeks examining the books and he’d discovered that Johnny had contracted with several firms who were bleeding off Ellen’s profits. Their shipping charges were ridiculously high and the company they used was only minimally responsible for damages. Walker had found another carrier who guaranteed all losses at a much lower tariff, and Ellen had agreed to switch the moment their contract ran out. They were also changing warehouses as soon as their lease was up. Vegas Dolls had been paying through the nose for a prime location they didn’t need.
When Walker had handed her his set of recommendations, Ellen had been astounded. She knew nothing about business, and obviously, Johnny hadn’t either. If she followed Walker’s plan, her running expenses would be cut by more than a third!
Next, Walker had concentrated on generating new business. He’d persuaded Ellen to ship out a free sample mannequin to several chains of clothing stores and every one of them had placed an order for more.
There was the sound of a key in the lock. Walker looked startled to see her sitting there.
“Ellen! I never expected you to wake up. You all right?”
Ellen nodded. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep, that’s all. Where were you?”
“Up in the spa, enjoying the view.”
Walker smiled his contagious smile. He seemed honestly glad to see her awake and Ellen couldn’t help but smile back. She couldn’t thank Jack enough for sending her Walker. He didn’t mind working long hours and seemed just as excited as she was when they came up with a good model, even suggesting some new features of his own. He never pried into her personal life and he’d caught on to her moods so quickly it amazed her. If she didn’t want to talk, he did his share of the work in silence. If she was in the mood for conversation, he treated her to stories of growing up in Chicago that had her in stitches. She knew he liked her and she didn’t have to be on her guard.
“Tell me about it, Walker.” Ellen tucked her knees up and the blanket slipped down a little. She saw her image in the mirror over the fireplace and smiled again. Here she was in her blue flannel granny gown, the bunny slippers on her feet, alone in her living room with a man and not even the slightest bit embarrassed. Perhaps if Johnny had truly been her friend, things might have worked out better between them.
Walker sat down on the couch. “It was spectacular, Ellen. You know those little crystal balls you find in the stores at Christmas, the ones with the winter scenes and the snowflakes?”
Ellen nodded.
“Up at the spa with the dome overhead and the snow falling outside, I felt like I was trapped inside one of those crystal balls. It was a strange feeling. I was all alone, but I wasn’t alone because some big hand up there was shaking the ball to make the snow swirl. That sounds pretty crazy, doesn’t it?”
“Nope.” Ellen shook her head. “I wish I’d been there.”
“It’s not too late. Why don’t you go put on your suit and we’ll sit in the Jacuzzi with the lights out. Then I can show you what I mean.”
Ellen began to smile. Her former coworkers at Garfield Elementary would have had a collective fit if they thought she was even considering such a thing. She was glad she didn’t have to worry about proper behavior for a teacher anymore.
“Come on, Ellen. I really want you to see it. It’s the chance of a lifetime.”
Ellen smiled and got up. She turned at the doorway with a smile. “It’s really strange, Walker. Somehow, you’ve plugged into my fantasy. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of hiding inside the little crystal ball my mother had on the mantel. Now here I am, over thirty years old, and I’m finally going to do it.”