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“No, you’re not.” Kent’s face creased in pain for a moment and then he said, “I’ll get the partnership papers drawn up this afternoon.”

  “Works for me,” Nick said. Then he turned to Tess. “Stop harassing my biggest client.”

  “Back off, Jamieson,” Welch said. “I didn’t hire you to protect me from her.”

  “You’ll change your mind,” Nick said. “She’s stubborn as hell.”

  “I’m getting married,” Gina said suddenly, amazement dawning in her voice.

  “I’m not,” Tess said.

  “Yes, you are,” Nick said. “The only person more stubborn than you is me. Besides, I just made partner, so now I can give this marriage thing all my attention.”

  “Don’t bet on it,” Tess said.

  Welch looked at both of them and laughed.

  Tess transferred her attention back to him. “I want to talk to you.” She pulled him to one side, away from everyone else.

  “If you’re going to yell at me about the book, forget it,” Welch said. “I like it the way it is.”

  Tess put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “That book is crap, Lanny.”

  Welch closed his eyes and then, after a moment, he opened them and grinned at her. “Twenty-eight years and it seems like yesterday. Damn, I’ve missed you.”

  “What?” Tess’s surprise made her scowl disappear. “You’re not paying attention here. I just insulted you.”

  “Twenty-eight years ago I was stuck in that commune, trying to figure out why everything suddenly sounded so damn stupid,” Welch said to her. “There was Daniel, strutting around like an Old Testament prophet, and he sure as hell sounded like he knew what he was talking about. And Elise.” A smile eased onto Welch’s face. “Your mother was something else, Tessie. Feminism and free love. Hell of a woman, Elise.”

  Tess blinked, and Welch returned to earth.

  “But I just couldn’t buy it anymore,” he told her. “All that antiauthority-peace-and-love stuff. It sounded pretty, but I knew it wasn’t working, knew it wouldn’t work. It was all starting to sound like such garbage, but everybody there believed it, and hell, I was twenty-six. What did I know?”

  “You knew everything,” Tess said, startled. “I thought you were God.”

  “And then one day,” Welch said, “I was sitting off by myself, trying to figure out why I was so damn uneasy, and you showed up with your hair sticking up and a black eye. You said, ‘This turn-the-other-cheek stuff is crap, Lanny,’ just like you did now, and I knew you were right. You were the only one in the whole damn place who had a clue.”

  “And that’s when you taught me how to pick my fights,” Tess said, remembering. Suddenly there was a lump in her throat. “And then you left me.” She was horrified to hear her voice quiver.

  Welch looked startled by the emotion in her voice. “I had to,” he said. “You showed me the way out.”

  “I did?” Tess swallowed the lump in her throat. “No. No, you just got bored and left.”

  “No,” Welch said. “I got smart and left. The only thing I regret about leaving is not taking you with me.”

  “Oh, hell.” Tess closed her eyes. “Oh, damn, I wish you had.”

  Welch snorted. “Yeah. Your mom wouldn’t have batted an eye if I’d kidnapped you. Sure.”

  “She probably wouldn’t have noticed,” Tess said. “I can’t believe you left because of something I said.”

  “You were a touchstone, Tessie,” Welch said. “I always knew whether something was true once I’d floated it by you.”

  “I was eight,” Tess said, dumbfounded.

  “Yeah, and you were still smarter than everybody around you,” Welch said. “That’s why I went after Jamieson. I wanted to hear you laugh at that damn book with me. Validation.” He snorted at her in contempt. “I thought you would have caught on by now, but I was wrong. I should never have left you with your parents. They screwed you up good.”

  “No, they didn’t.” Tess glared at him and then relented. “Okay, let’s try this again. Your book isn’t crap. It’s just too simplistic.”

  “I’m not rewriting that book,” Welch said. “I’m tired of writing. I’m going into politics.”

  “Oh, there’s a surprise.” Tess put her hands on her hips and frowned at him, and he grinned back at her. “Knock it off,” she said. “I’m not eight, so stop patronizing me. Here’s the deal.”

  “There is no deal,” Welch said.

  “You rethink that book and make it balanced—”

  “It’s satire, damn it. It’s not supposed to be balanced,” Welch snapped.

  “—and I’ll campaign for you.”

  “What?”

  Tess grinned at Welch’s stunned expression. “Well, somebody’s got to look out for you, and obviously Henderson can’t watch you all the time. You ate steak last night. You need me, Lanny. Fix that book, and I’ll help keep you from becoming the Jesse Helms of Kentucky.”

  Welch looked dumbfounded.

  “I’m your touchstone, Lanny,” Tess said. “You said so yourself. We did all right together that summer. And I’m telling you straight on this, that book is too biased. Satire or not, it’s mean, Lanny. You’ve got to fix it.”

  “No,” Welch said, but his voice was thoughtful.

  “Come on, Lanny,” Tess said. “Think how much fun we can have in politics. And I’ve learned a lot about schmoozing from Nick. I can be a real asset. You need me. And I’ll have plenty of time since I’m not teaching at Decker now. I’ll need my afternoons to work at the Foundation, but my weekends are yours.”

  “Jamieson might have something to say about that,” Welch grumped. “And you know damn well you’ve got the Decker job.”

  “I think I’d rather be in politics.”

  “No,” Welch said. “God, no. I insist you take the Decker job.”

  “What about the book?” Tess said, and Welch closed his eyes for a moment in defeat.

  “We’ll talk about it,” he said finally, and Tess leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

  “I love you, Lanny,” she said. “I’m really glad you found me again. And from now on, I’m going to take care of you.”

  “Oh, God, no,” Welch said again.

  “CHRISTINE, RENT A CHURCH,” Nick said without taking his eyes off Tess as she harangued Welch. “I’m getting married in two weeks.”

  “It’s going to take you longer than that to talk her into it.” Christine picked up her steno pad. “Make it six weeks.”

  “Let’s make this expensive.” Nick folded his arms and, ignoring Christine, watched Tess argue with Welch. “Might as well make it a big wedding and invite society. Should be good for the firm.”

  “Tess will want a small wedding.” Christine made notes as she spoke. “Out of your house, not a church.”

  “Fancy caterers,” Nick said. “Champagne fountains. The works.”

  “Tess likes Chinese,” Christine said. “Rice wine. Fortune cookies.”

  “And an orchestra.”

  “It won’t fit in your house. Maybe a classical trio.” Christine looked at Tess. “No. Tess would prefer jazz.”

  Nick watched Tess’s rear suddenly curve as she bent to kiss Welch on the cheek. “Order a wedding dress, too. A tight one. No hoopskirts.”

  “Tess will want to find her own.” Christine thought for a moment and made another note. “There’s a vintage-clothing store on Twelfth Street.”

  Nick suddenly transferred his attention back to his secretary. “Did you get all that?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Christine said serenely. “You can rely on me.”

  Nick shot her a suspicious glance, but when she gazed back at him without expression, he turned his eyes back to Tess.

  “This is going to be a great wedding,” he said.

  Epilogue

  Six weeks later, when the orchestra was finally gone from the poolside, Tess wandered through her house in the white crepe wedding dress she’d found at the vintage-clo