He chuckled softly. “Seeing you in that outfit, I can't imagine you doing anything except maybe going to the opera.”

“Not exactly, love.” She grinned at him. “I have to do the laundry tonight. This is all make-believe.”

“You could have fooled me.” He laughed softly, still somewhat in awe of her looks. And as he gazed at her Vanessa came scampering back to show her the lollipop one of the saleswomen had given her.

“And now we're going out for ice cream!” She looked happily at Teddy.

“I know all about it. Have a good time, you two.” It was an odd feeling, watching them leave hand in hand. She always felt so terribly responsible for Vanessa, as though there were no one who could ever take her place, but as she watched the child with her uncle, she suddenly felt as though she could relax. If something had happened to her at that very moment, Vanessa would have been safe and well cared for. Just knowing that took a thousand-pound weight off her back.

That night the three of them cooked spaghetti, and Teddy read Vanessa stories in bed, while Serena cleaned up. She wore slacks and a black turtleneck sweater, her hair wound high on her head, and she looked very different from the magical creature who had worn the lilac taffeta ballgown only that afternoon, as Teddy mentioned with a grin when she came in and told them that it was time to turn off the lights.

“You know, I was serious last night when I asked you about your modeling.” He looked at her intently as she finished up in the kitchen and he munched a handful of grapes. “You have the makings of a great model, Serena. I don't know a damn thing about the business, but I know what you look like, and there's nothing like it in this country. I bought some magazines when I was out with Vanessa today.” He pulled them out of a bag on one of the kitchen chairs and showed her, flipping through them. “Look at that … baby, there's no one like you.”

“Maybe they like it like that.” She refused to take him seriously. “Look, Teddy.” She looked almost amused at his faith in her. “I got lucky, I got a job here at the store, they use me a lot because they need me and I look all right in their clothes. But this is a small town, this is not like New York, or where there's a lot of competition. If I went to New York, they'd probably laugh in my face.”

“Do you want to try it?” He looked intrigued at the idea, and Serena shrugged.

“I don't know. I have to think about it.” But her eyes had begun to light up, and men she looked at Teddy seriously for a moment. “I don't want you to pay my way to New York though.”

“Why not?”

“I don't take charity.”

“How about justice?” He looked annoyed. “I'm living off your money, you know.”

“How do you figure that?”

“If my brother had had enough sense to make a will, you'd have got his money and none of this would even be an issue. Instead, thanks to my charming mother, it reverted to his brothers. I got half of Brad's money, Serena, and in truth it belongs to you.”

She shook her head firmly. “If it belongs to anyone, then maybe Vanessa.” Her eyes lifted to his. “So when you make a will, perhaps one day …”She hated to say the words, but he nodded.

“I did that before I went to Korea, because you were so damn stubborn you didn't take anything from me.”

“I'm not your responsibility, Teddy.”

He looked at her soberly. “I wish to hell you were.” But she didn't answer. There was no question of that. She would never have accepted anything from him.

She was independent now, and intent on taking care of herself and her own. “Why don't you ever let me help you?”

Her eyes were serious as she answered. “Because I have to take care of myself and Vanessa, there's no one else who's going to be there for us all the time, Teddy. You have your own life. You don't owe us anything. Nothing. The only person I ever counted on was Brad, and now that's over, he's gone.”

“And you don't think that anyone will ever take his place?” It hurt him to ask her the question, especially after what had happened between them the night before.

“I don't know.” And then she sighed softly. “But I do know one thing, and that is that no matter how much I may love you or need you, Teddy, I will never let myself be dependent on you.”

“But why? Brad would have wanted you to.”

“He knew me better than that, scrubbing floors in my parents' palazzo. Besides, I made a deal with your mother.”

Teddy's eyes were instantly angry. “A deal that cost her nothing and has cost you three years of hard work.”

“I don't mind that. It's been for Vanessa.”

“And what about you? Don't you have a right to more than that?”

“If I want more, I'll get it for myself.”

He sighed then. “You don't suppose you'll ever get smart and marry me, will you?”

“No.” She smiled gently at him. “Besides, I tore one Fullerton away from his family”—her eyes clouded as she said it—”I couldn't do that to you too.” And it was unlikely that Margaret Fullerton would ever let her. She'd see Serena dead first. And Serena knew it.

“You know, what my mother has done to you makes me sick, Serena.” His face was sad and serious as he spoke to her.

“It doesn't matter anymore.”

“Yes, it does, who are you kidding? And one day it could matter a lot to Vanessa.”

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. And then Serena looked at him with worried eyes. “If I go to New York, do you think she'll come after me?”

“What do you mean?” He looked shocked.

“I'm not sure. Drive me away somehow, hurt my career if she can … do you think she would?”

He wanted to say no, but as he thought of it he wasn't certain.

“I wouldn't let that happen.”

“You have your own life, and God only knows how she'd do it.”

“She's not that powerful, for chrissake.”

“Isn't she?” Serena looked at him pointedly, knowing full well just how vengeful his mother was.

And softly Teddy whispered. “I wish to hell she weren't.” But she was. They both knew she was.





34

“Better than that, I'll call you. And I'll come out to visit you both as soon as I can get away.”