Eye of Flame by Pamela Sargent Read Free Book Online Page B

strands of silver stood out against her auburn hair. She had gained almost fifteen pounds since high school, but her face had stayed youthful; the light made her seem ten years older.
    Tad had insisted that she was still beautiful to him. He might be waiting for her now, below the terrace; she wanted to be with him, to hear his reassuring words. She forced the thought of him from her mind.
     
    Patti’s house was a wooden structure with large, glassy windows overlooking the sloping road. Stone walls separated the house from its neighbors; a stocky, dark-skinned man was toiling in Patti’s tiny flower garden. Jacqueline parked, then climbed the steps leading to the side door.
    Patti led her to the patio out back; Dena and Louise were sitting by the pool. Dena stood up, smoothed down her shorts, then handed a glass of wine to Jacqueline. “Tried to call you,” Dena said. “Hope you’ve seen some of the sights. When you live out here, you turn into a tour guide for visitors.”
    “I would have called,” Louise said, “but—” She smiled and lowered her eyelids. “I thought Bob had vaccinated me against serious relationships, but there’s someone—”
    Dena sat down again. “Do tell.”
    “Oh no. This is something special. I don’t want to ruin it. You’ll find out soon enough.”
    The weather had grown warm. Jacqueline set down her glass, then shrugged out of her jacket. In the daylight, Louise’s face seemed puffier; her chin sagged a little, and her breasts drooped slightly under her red halter. Dena brushed her black hair from her face; Jacqueline thought she saw some gray, then noticed a small, bulging vein on one of Dena’s tanned legs. Even Patti looked a bit older; her cheeks sagged just a little. Jacqueline felt a guilty pleasure, quickly suppressed, at seeing that the others were not quite so ageless after all.
     
    They talked about high school days, real estate, and men. Dena and her millionaire had parted company, but she did not seem all that unhappy about it. Louise mocked her ex-husband, while Patti enumerated Joe’s various faults. Louise remained sober enough to drive them to a restaurant in her Mercedes; there they giggled and recited old high school cheers over margaritas. Yet somehow, to Jacqueline, their joviality seemed forced. They all lapsed into awkward silences before rushing to fill them with words; Dena seemed distracted, while Louise kept staring into space.
    Jacqueline had expected the two to linger at Patti’s house after dinner, but both women seemed in a hurry to get home. “We should get together this week,” Patti said as Dena got into her Jaguar. “I’ll call you—maybe we can meet at your place, or Louise’s.” Dena nodded, then followed Louise’s Mercedes down the street.
    “I’m really beat,” Jacqueline said. “Good thing I don’t have far to drive. Anyway, Joe should be home soon.”
    “I have to talk to you.” Patti hurried up the steps; Jacqueline followed her into the house. Patti turned on a light and crossed the living room to the wide window, keeping her back to Jacqueline.
    “What is it, Patti?” Jacqueline sat down on one end of the modular couch. “Is something wrong between you and Joe? You were being pretty hard on him this afternoon.”
    “I’m having an affair.”
    This was a surprise. “Is it just a passing thing, or is it serious?”
    “At first it was just curiosity. I’ve never been unfaithful to Joe before. You know how it is. The spark goes out, you fall into a routine, you want something different. But I think I’m really in love this time.” Patti continued to stare out the window. “I can tell you. I don’t think I could say it to Dena or Louise. I’m sleeping with Tad Braun.”
    Jacqueline struggled for control, grateful that Patti could not see her face. The pain of Tad’s betrayal was sharp. “How long?” she managed to ask.
    “You must know—just since that night we saw him. He came here the very next day,