Free Now and Forever by Danielle Steel Page A

rapes ... I mean, writes!" The women found it hilarious, and even Zina and Kat had to laugh. Jessica laughed through tears in her eyes.
    "My husband used to be that way too--before he took up golf." The second woman found the interlude delightful and settled on two skirts and a blouse while the first woman went back to the slacks.
    It was a long day, but it saved her from talking to Zina and Kat. It was almost five before they sat down for a round of hot coffee.
    "Jess, is everything okay now?"
    "Much better. We had a few problems, but everything will be worked out by tomorrow." At least then he'd be home, and they could work it out together. Just so he came home!
    "We were worried as hell about you. I'm glad everything's fine." Zina seemed satisfied, but Katsuko continued to search Jessie's eyes. Something didn't sit right.
    "You look like shit, Jessica Clarke."
    "Flattery, flattery. It's just this grim suit" She looked around, wondering if she should change into something from the shop's fall line just to pick up her sagging spirits. But it was late, and she was tired, and she didn't have the energy to get into or out of anything. It would only be another ten or fifteen minutes before Zina locked the doors for the night.
    Jessica stood up, stretched, and was aware of the ache in her back and neck from the long crazy night she'd spent on the floor. Not to mention the tension of the day. She was arching her back gingerly, trying to ease out the kinks, when a woman walked into the boutique. Jessie, Kat, and Zina quickly glanced at each other, deciding who would stand up and be helpful, but it was Jessie who turned toward the woman with a smile. The woman looked pleasant, and it did Jessie good to deal with the clients. It kept her mind off herself.
    "May I help you?"
    "Do you mind if I browse? I heard about the boutique from a friend, and you have some lovely things in the window."
    "Thank you. Let me know if you need any help."
    Jessica and the woman exchanged an easy smile, and the customer began to look through the sportswear. She was elegant, somewhere in her mid- to late thirties, maybe even forty, but it was hard to tell. She wore a trim, simple black pantsuit, a cream linen blouse, a small bright scarf at her neck, and a healthy amount of obviously expensive gold jewelry--a handsome bracelet, a nice chain, several very solid looking rings--and a striking pair of onyx-diamond earrings that had caught Jessie's attention when she'd walked into the shop. The woman spelled money. But her face showed warmth, and something else--as though she enjoyed the pretty things she was wearing, but understood that there were other things in her life that mattered more.
    Jessie watched her as she moved from rack to rack. She looked content, happy. And she had a kind of grace that made her easy to watch. The face was young, the hair ash blond streaked with gray. In an odd way she reminded Jessie of a Siamese cat, particularly the pale china blue of her eyes. Something about her made you want to know more.
    "Did you have anything special in mind? We have some new things in the back." The woman smiled at Jessie and shrugged.
    "I should be shot for this, but what about that suede coat over there? Have you got it in an eight?" She looked guilty, like a small child buying more bubble gum than she was supposed to, but she also looked as though she were having a good time. And as though she could afford one hell of a lot of bubble gum, or anything else.
    "I'll take a look." Jessica disappeared into the stockroom, wondering if they did have the coat in a smaller size.
    They didn't But they had a similar one that sold for forty dollars more. Jessica removed the price tag and took the coat out to the woman. It was a warm cinnamon color with a soft clinging shape. It was actually a better-looking coat than the first one, and the woman noticed that instantly.
    "Damn. I was hoping I'd hate it."
    "It's a hard coat to hate. And it looks well on