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blouse. Then she brushed her hair into its usual sleek knot at the nape of her neck. When she was finished applying a few light touches of makeup she glanced in the mirror and was relieved to see her normal, serene, decorous, unexciting self staring back at her.
    She listened intently for the sound of voices from the kitchen. The conversation between Ryerson and Debby sounded casual and even rather friendly, as far as she could tell. Whatever had ended between her sister and A. C. Ryerson certainly had not warranted the label grand passion. Both parties were relieved it was over, just as Ryerson had said.
    When she walked back into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, the room was full of the fragrance of scrambled eggs and toast. Ryerson was doing the cooking. He appeared to have made himself at home with her stove and refrigerator. One would think he’d been waking up under her roof for years, Virginia thought. The idea did not bother her nearly as much as it should have. She turned to her sister, who was sitting at the table, sipping coffee. Debby no longer looked worried about Ryerson’s presence in the cottage. Her lovely eyes were alight with a familiar mischief.
    „Ryerson says he told you about the big week end,“ Debby said amiably.
    „I understand you called off the weekend with your usual flair, Debby. You must have known you’d put Mom and Dad in a tizzy.“
    „I didn’t think they’d see the note,“ Debby said, wrinkling her pert nose. „It was meant for Ryerson.“
    „Then you should have made certain it wasn’t delivered to my office while your father was there,“
    Ryerson told her bluntly.
    „Why did you open it in front of him?“ Debby shot back.
    „I didn’t. My secretary did. She didn’t know it was a personal matter. Poor Mrs. Clemens was so astonished that she dropped it. Your father picked it up and handed it to me. But not before he saw your name and glanced at it. He had a right to ask what the hell was going on. I told him.“
    „Oh, Lord.“ Debby shook her head. „So that’s why you felt obliged to track me down? My parents made a fuss?“
    „They were worried about you,“ Ryerson said.
    „Where did you stay last night?“ Virginia asked.
    „With a friend in Bellevue. But I couldn’t stay more than a night with her, and I wanted to be out of touch for a couple of days. I knew Mom and Dad were going to be upset when they found out I was no longer seeing Ryerson. I wanted to give the heat a chance to die down. They’ve been hoping for wedding bells, you know.“
    „I know,“ Virginia said.
    „I came here this morning because I thought you would be out of town for a few more days. Hope you don’t mind if I hang around a bit.“
    It was Ryerson who answered. He was dishing up the scrambled eggs. „Virginia might not mind, but I do. You can take off right after breakfast.“
    Debby glared at him. „Why should I do that?“
    „Because I don’t want you underfoot while I get to know Ginny,“ he retorted calmly, carrying the plates over to the table. „It’s tough for a man to get over a broken heart when the old girlfriend is making a nuisance of herself. I’ve got plans and they don’t include you.“
    Virginia’s fingers shook slightly as she took her plate. Her gaze leaped to Ryerson’s, and she found his silvery eyes smiling at her.
    „For Pete’s sake,“ Debby complained, „aren’t you even going to mourn our lost, dead love for a few days?“
    „At my age one doesn’t waste time mourning the kind of romance you and I had.“ Ryerson sat down and poured catsup over his eggs. „As soon as I realized my hearing had not been permanently damaged from heavy-metal music, I was on the road to recovery. Eat your eggs and leave, Deb.“
    „I’ve known you for over a month, and I didn’t even realize you could cook,“ Debby grumbled. She dug into her eggs with gusto.
    „Which tells us a great deal about our relationship, doesn’t it?“
    „True. But I think