Splintered Heart (40 page)

"You look like twenty, you look younger now than when I met you. Don't you want to come with me to our room, we can clean up tomorrow?"

Marian hesitated.

"Just to rest in my arms for old times sake, we don't have to talk about the future. We can just gossip about our guests." He picked up the package Jeanna had delivered. 
"Don't forget this, Marian."

She took the package from him. "You go ahead, dear. I need to be by myself, I'll join you in a little while."

Marian opened the package. It was a box, inside it another smaller box, wrappings, paper filler and finally — the saucer.

She chuckled. Ferris had bought it. Where and with whom she was going to be celebrating next year's birthday was still hanging in the air, unclear, undecided, but yes, yes indeed — the hostess had her demitasse set ready!

Marian put the saucer in the dishwasher, and hummed as her fingers moved through the chores of tidying, cleaning, and organizing things for tomorrow. It was a delightful tune, a turn of the century roadway that the notes in her mind were creating. It wasn't paved or smooth but it seemed to be leading her on a marvelous mysterious excursion to somewhere ahead, beyond the next hill.

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