Cedar Woman (187 page)

“
Is t
h
is it t
h
en,
Le
n
a
?
”
Sonny
qu
e
sti
on
e
d
.

Filled
with
j
o
y
,
and
t
h
e fulfi
l
lm
e
nt
o
f
h
is
l
o
v
e
a
n
d
lo
ng
i
ng
for
t
h
is g
lo
r
io
us wo
m
an, S
on
n
y
wo
u
l
d have
g
i
ven
h
er
t
h
e
T
a
j
M
a
h
al
i
f
he
c
o
u
ld
.

“
So
nn
y
,
it
is perfect!
I
can
see
e
x
actly
h
o
w
it
will
b
e laid
ou
t,
I
can
h
ear t
h
e
m
u
sic, see t
h
e
p
e
o
p
le.
It’s
j
u
st how
I e
nv
i
sio
n
ed
it!

Le
n
a
tur
n
ed
to
t
h
e
real
estate
a
g
e
n
t waiti
n
g
p
atie
n
tly
at
t
h
e
e
n
tra
n
ce to
t
h
e
b
u
il
d
in
g
.

Ga
y
le
was
a
s
l
end
e
r wo
m
an
in
h
e
r
e
a
rly 7
0s
.
S
m
oke
y
,
al
m
o
st bla
c
k eyes
peered wisely
at
the
wor
l
d
un
d
er a
cap
of
d
a
r
k
,
b
ro
wn hai
r
. S
t
and
i
ng
at
a
b
out
t
h
e
sa
m
e
hei
g
ht
as
Len
a
,
she
j
o
k
e
d
i
n
a
r
i
ch,
T
e
xan

accent,
“
It’s
good to
be
a
b
le
t
o
look eye
to
ey
e with
s
o
m
eone
ov
e
r
12!”

“
Gayle, t
h
is is it.
T
h
ank y
o
u
so
m
u
ch
for fin
d
ing
t
h
is l
o
vely
bu
il
d
i
n
g.”

“
You’re wel
c
ome.
I knew the
m
inute I saw it c
o
m
e
up in the MLS t
h
at
is
was
p
e
rfect
f
o
r w
h
at
y
ou
t
o
ld
m
e
y
ou need
e
d
.”
S
m
iling,
she o
f
fer
e
d
her h
an
d
to
S
o
n
n
y
a
n
d t
h
en L
e
na.

“
W
h
at
are
y
o
u
go
i
n
g
to
call
it,
t
h
e
n
?
”
Gayle
qu
e
rie
d
,
h
a
p
p
y
with
h
er

clie
n
t’s
e
n
t
hu
s
ia
s
m
a
n
d
h
er
s
u
ccess
i
n
f
i
n
d
ing
ju
st
t
h
e
rig
h
t
b
u
il
d
in
g
. Le
n
a
re
tu
r
n
e
d
h
er
s
m
i
l
e a
n
d
a
n
sw
e
r
e
d
:

“
Cedar
Wo
m
an.”

So
nn
y
s
t
o
o
d
at
t
h
e
e
n
tra
n
ce of
t
h
e
resta
u
rant,
all
o
wing
h
im
s
e
lf
t
h
e pleasure
of savor
i
ng the
s
p
ace
b
e
fore
hi
m
.

Spaci
o
u
s
an
d
air
y
,
its
b
u
f
f
-
c
ol
o
red walls
soar
i
ng
t
o
a
h
i
gh
ceili
n
g
p
ai
n
ted
in
the
sa
m
e
a
m
b
er-li
k
e
c
o
lor,
t
h
e
r
oo
m was
warm
a
n
d
i
nv
iting. Glowing with
go
l
d
en
li
gh
t,
bec
k
o
n
ing o
n
e
t
o
c
o
m
e
i
n
,
to
rela
x
,
to
enj
o
y, t
h
e e
n
tire space pr
o
m
ised
go
o
d fo
o
d
,
g
ood
t
i
m
es a
n
d g
o
od m
e
m
o
ries.

Wal
k
i
n
g
t
o
a s
m
all
station wh
e
re
t
h
e
h
o
s
t
ess
wo
uld gr
e
et
arriv
i
ng gu
e
sts,
a
n
d
es
c
o
rt
t
h
em into
the
din
i
ng
roo
m
,
Sonny placed
his
l
e
ft
elbow upon its
polished
s
u
rface
an
d
continu
e
d
t
o
c
onte
m
plate
the
spac
i
ous
are
a
.