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someone was thinking of her interests. Vhy ever would you think thatv she asked in a voice that was a little too high to sound nonchalant. Derek made a deliberate, ninety-degree turn of his head and angled his chin to study her. There was suddenly something very personal in his expression, and his voice was oddly intimate. ' day I went to your place, I got the feeling that you would have talked with me if it hadn't been for your husband. You got nervous when you looked Page 13
    Barbara Delinsky - Commitments
    at your watch and saw the time. What would have happened if held come home and found us talking?'-' would have called the president of your network, as he'd threatened.' ' think he would have done more than that/ Derek pressed. ' think he would have given you hell for entertaining me. Forget the fact that I weaseled my way in. Forget the fact that you refused to be interviewed. I think he would have hit the roof. He doesn't want anyone to know there's something wrong with his son, does hev She hesitated for the space of a heartbeat. J didn't say that.' ', but there's never been any kind of public acknowledgment, and your husband's been profiled in the papers a whole lot lately.' 42
    of our son has nothing to do with career.' t directly. But Nicholas Stone's name carries He could raise a hell of a lot of money for research if he wanted to go to bat publicly for a had to struggle not to squirm. She agreed what Derek said. She'd said nearly identical to her husband. She wanted to tell Derek that I. as contributed privately to ihe cause, but she It ... because he didn't. He refused to believe there was a cause. He preferred to pretend that was simply a late bloomer, but he carefully hid, child from the world. r k had been right about that. But Sabrina It get herself to say so, so she answered his ' in the most general terms. ' gives to ty.1 rek wasn't settling for general terms.
    "They say t charity begins at home. Tell me. Does your band take his turn walking Nicky when he criesp hesitated a second too long. ' has." 4But not often. How about patterning - I assume Ive given it a shotv brina had to hand it to him. it might have been a and a half since he'd done his story, and he'd bably been working on half a dozen others at the e, but he remembered what he'd learned. The oponents of patterning felt that if you brought the dd's hand to his mouth at the appropriate time and r the appropriate purpose over and over and over ain, the child would eventually take the hint. Nicky dn't. But that wasn't what Derek had asked. ''ve tried patterning,' she answered. ' your husband helped? ' does what he can, but between sixty-hour workweeks and frequent traveling, he's just not around all that much., Derek didn't look at all surprised. ' institutionalization - how does he feel about thatv A tiny muscle twitched beneath her left eye. ' has to give it more thought.' Which was an evasive answer if ever there was one. Nicholas didn't give institutionalization any thought because he refused to admit that his son was seriously impaired. He seemed content to have Nicky stay home with Sabrina - where no one could see the child and judge him retarded. Unfortunately, that left Sabrina with the full brunt of Nicky's care and the burden of silence. The strain of it was enormous. just thinking about it strung her out tight. R . g her teeth over her lip, she tried to divert herself by glancing around the room, but that was every bit as depressing. A couple had risen and were saying good-bye with an embrace whose fervor was nearly indecent. ''ve seen recent photos of your husband in the papers/ Derek said. Sabrina tried to avert her gaze from the couple, but kept returning to them. She kept waiting for them to pull apart - either that, or go up in flames. They showed no sign of self-consciousness. Derek seemed oblivious. The guards were indulgent. Was she the only one embarrassed? She cleared her throat. ' company has pulled off several coups., ' looked