Free What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell Page B

crossed to the vanity. "Business.”
    “Tom is thinking of buying this hotel and he wants me in on the deal." Joe rolled out the words like a red carpet. He waited for Mom's reaction.
    "What do you know about hotels?" Mom asked. "This is practically the first one you've ever stayed in."
    "Tom knows. And I know business. We talked it all out today. We don't think we have much competition. Plus we've got a pretty good idea of what a swanky little hotel down here is like. We're thinking maybe a dress shop in the lobby — that would be right up your alley, Bev. Let's keep it on the Q.T., though. Tom hasn't even told Arlene yet. And you don't want to get the word out there until you're set. You don't want the competition to find out and grab your deal."
    "Yeah, the hordes are gathering." Mom began to powder her face. "And where's the money going to come from?"
    "That's the beauty of it. I don't have to put up a cent right away, see. Tom can swing the price, he says. And then, down the road, I can buy my half out, bit by bit. After the stores sell and I get the money out of them, I pay off the debt load."
    "How do you know the stores will sell?"
    "They're a great investment!"
    "You said you were overextended —"
    Overextended.
I realized that I'd heard that word before, back home, in boring conversations I wasn't supposed to be listening to.
    "The new store in Brooklyn is in a dead location — how was I to know? The guy was a cheat who sold me that lease. What is this with the roadblocks?"
    "I'm just trying to dope it out, Joe. What's the catch?"
    "No catch. Look, I'm sick of selling appliances."
    "Already? You said it was your ticket to being a millionaire."
    "There's more than one road. This place is busting to develop. I'm sick of Queens — I've lived there all my life. Look at all the servicemen here, getting a taste of sunshine and orange juice. You think they want to head back home after this? Come on, sweetheart. Can't you see us here?"
    "Big plans," Mom said. She was looking in the mirror, but she wasn't looking at herself, she was looking at the reflection of the window, out into the still strong sun of a tropical evening. It was like she already was bored with it, bored with this whole bright change that Joe was giving her.
    She married a guy who delivered soda and pumped gas for a living and now he owned three stores. We'd been scroungers, too, all our lives, saving up for new shoes, sewing ruffles on the hems of my dresses when they got too short to wear. Now here we were sitting in a suite in Palm Beach. All because of Joe. So why wasn't she trusting his smarts?
    Florida. Could Joe be serious? I tried on the idea. It meant leaving Margie and my school. I was surprised to find that it wouldn't break my heart. Margie would cry crocodile tears, send me two letters about how much she missed me, and then I'd never hear from her again.
    I didn't know how I knew that, but I suddenly knew it was true.
    People like to start fresh, Mom had told Peter. Everybody wants that sometime. Even when you're my age. Maybe
especially
if you're my age.
    Peter's father had business interests in Miami, he'd said. And he seemed at loose ends. What if Peter moved here, too?
    For one long moment, it all seemed possible. Now I was looking at Mom with as much concentration as Joe was.
    Mom stood up and went to the closet. She picked out her white dress, the one with the full skirt embroidered in black and red thread with flowers. She held it out. "Here, Evie. This will look sweet on you."
    "Really?"
    I held the dress in my arms and hurried into my room to put it on. I could hear Joe through the door. I stayed close. I didn't want to miss a word.
    "A little faith might be nice from my own wife. Maybe you just have a problem catching up. The war is over, I did my bit, and now there's money to be made. I'm not going back to what I was."
    I pulled the dress over my head. I zipped it up myself the way I'd seen Mom do, squirming to get it up from