The soft peal of the telephone did not disturb Veronica’s mercifully even breathing. Regan hurried to answer it. Who would possibly be calling? Surely not Luke or Nora. Livingston? “Hello.” Regan realized she sounded nervous.

A crackling sound filled her ear. “Hold on, please, from New York.” Do operators purposely sound like Lily Tomlin? Regan wondered.

“Regan,” a voice boomed. “How was the reunion? I hear Athena put in an appearance.”

“JEFF.” Regan laughed reluctantly. “I gather Kit filled you in.”

“I talked to her last night. I had called New Jersey expecting to find you keening for your father’s clients at Reilly’s Remains.” His tone changed, became solicitous. “How are you doing? From what Kit tells me, you’ve taken on quite a job.”

Veronica’s breathing was changing to a short-long-short wheeze. Through the open door to the sun deck, Regan eyed her apprehensively. “For one thing, I’m sitting here drinking Dom Perignon.”

“Save some for me.”

“Too late. The bottle’s upside down in the ice bucket. What are you doing in New York?”

“I’m here for a couple of weeks working on a film.”

“Oh, anything good?” Regan asked.

“It’s an action film. I play a burglar who turns out to have a heart of gold.” Jeff paused and then added, “It’ll probably go straight to video.”

“I’ll be looking for it on the Disney Channel,” Regan chuckled. As she gave him the details of their expected docking time and place, she visualized Jeff, the slight frown of concentration that creased his forehead, the thick dark brown hair, the hazel eyes, the mustache that he was always shaving off and growing back, the six-foot-three linebacker build. No question about it. He was a hunk. “Okay then. I’ll see you Saturday,” Regan said, feeling a welcome boost. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Jeff said.

“Me too.”

Veronica bobbed up just as Regan replaced the receiver. “My dear, you should have called me. Who was that?”

“A friend I’ll be seeing in New York.”

“A man, I hope?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“I’m so glad. Regan, dear, you must be quite special to him if he phoned you all the way from New York.”

“Believe me, Veronica, that doesn’t necessarily mean a thing. I’ve had guys call me from halfway around the world who didn’t call when they got home. Sometimes I think long distance is even better than being there.”

“Where are their manners?” Veronica sighed. “I guess they threw away the mold when dear Gilbert entered this sphere. Well, let’s be off to the psychic and see if she has any favorable predictions for our loving, yearning psyches.”

Regan felt the chicken salad rise in her throat.

Chapter 28