A Special Man by Billie Green Read Free Book Online

reached out to comfort Maribel, but the older woman backed away. "They won't punish you, Maribel. They only want you to be comfortable. Don't you think you should let someone know where you are? They might be worried."
    "I've been trying to tell her that," Virgie said, leaning against the wall as though the whole thing were annoying, "but she's nutty as a fruitcake. She thinks they'll send her to bed without supper."
    Maribel nodded. "They will. They'll starve me until I rot. And they'll take Debbie away from me and she'll die without me." She smoothed back the doll's matted hair.
    Just then, Ginny rounded the corner. Her hair was awry as usual and she panted with exertion. "Maribel, there you are. Guess what I have for you?"
    "You're going to tie me down," Maribel said in resignation.
    "Not today, dear. The cook made those special cookies you like so much."
    "The ones with lemon icing?" Suddenly Maribel was a little girl who had been promised a treat, a treat that she knew she didn't deserve.
    "That's right. Come on, let's get some."
    "Evelyn can't have any," Maribel said as Ginny guided her away. "She's been bad. We could give her share to Debbie. And I won't sit next to Mr. Avery; he tries to look under Debbie's dress."
    "Mr. Avery has tried that a few times with me, too," Virgie said.
    Amanda laughed as Virgie walked away, but the encounter disturbed her. Maribel had Sutherland's Complex. Danny had Sutherland's Complex. How could the difference between them be so enormous? Maribel was a fractious, whining tattletale. Danny was open and loving in the extreme.
    Sometimes it scared Amanda. His openness made him so vulnerable. She simply couldn't bear the thought of his being hurt.
    On the open side of the employees' wing, the garden extended clear to the woods. It was on the edge of the woods that she had arranged to meet Danny. As she made her way through the tame, brightly colored bushes, a frown marred her features. She had never felt the weight of a friendship before. Relationships had always been casual things to Amanda. Only now was she finding it to be a responsibility as well as a joy.
    Suddenly, she saw him waiting beside a bush. When he heard her footsteps, he turned and his face lit up. All the brightness in her world was contained in the smile that shaped his strong lips. Amanda was enveloped by it. She felt her pulse quicken when he extended his hands to her.
    As she caught them both in hers, she heard him whisper, "Mandy."
    Why should that single word bring tears to her eyes? she wondered. Inhaling slowly, she smiled. "Have I kept you waiting?"
    "I don't mind. While I wait I can think about seeing you. It makes my time with you longer." He pulled at her hand. "Come and look. I found a nest. The eggs are gone, but... but come see how the bird made it."
    He held the nest up for her to examine. "Isn't it beautiful?" he said, his voice soft and husky.
    Amanda touched the small nest. The intricacy of it was amazing. "And I bet this didn't even come with instructions," she said.
    He laughed as she knew he would. Together they began to walk through the woods until they came to a spot on the bank of a clear stream. The sun filtered through the trees in golden threads. Soft, curly ferns grew along the edges of the water, making it a setting for a fantasy. It was Amanda's favorite spot among all the beauties of Greenleigh.
    "One day..." she said softly as she sat beneath a towering oak, her knees drawn to her chest. "One day a unicorn is going to peep out from behind those ferns." She leaned back against the rough bark and smiled. "He'll be a world-weary unicorn, his tail ragtag, his horn scarred from fighting eons of morally upright unicorns. And he won't particularly care for virgins or perfection. And he'll be just exactly right for you and me, Danny."
    Amanda never knew how much Danny understood, but he always, as he did now, kept his eyes on her face while she talked, as though he would memorize each of her features,