Free A Very Good Life by Lynn Steward

finally pay off.
    Meanwhile, Nina continued to list her itinerary, citing the exotic items from the other side of the world that she would deliver to Ira and Dawn for B. Altman’s own version of Retailing as Theater.
    Andrew laughed at the use of the word “theater.” “B. Altman will have
plenty
of theater on Monday,” he said, “when Estée Lauder arrives to secure a prime location in the new cosmetic department. I was told on Friday that she intends to bring along her husband Joseph as well as her sons, Leonard and Ronald, to make sure she gets exactly what she wants.”
    Nina laughed loudly. “Oh, she’ll get what she wants all right. She’s a determined woman.” She glanced sideways at Dana. “And we know what a determined woman can accomplish, don’t we?”
    “Yes, we do,” Dana replied. In Nina’s presence, the restrictions imposed by Bea and Helen seemed almost trivial. Dana had experienced a single setback, but Nina was a reminder of what real determination and enthusiasm could accomplish.
    “Her reputation precedes her,” Andrew said. “Ira already told me to give Ms. Lauder whatever she wants.”
    “Sounds like a done deal,” Dana said.
    “That’s why there’s going to be a little drama on Monday,” Andrew said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “The space she wants has already been promised to Charles of the Ritz.”
    “My money’s on Estée Lauder,” Nina proclaimed, pressing down on the accelerator. She smiled broadly and glanced at Andrew in the rearview mirror. “Anyone care to bet against me?”
    “Not today or any other day, Nina!” he said.
    • • •
    Rows of trees extended far into the distance at the Winterberry Christmas Tree Farm. Andrew and Dana began strolling leisurely through the green, full Douglas and Fraser firs. Horses and sheep grazed in a distant rolling pasture, giving the farm a lovely bucolic atmosphere. Dana thought she would love to spend weekends in the country chasing after one or two McGarry offspring.
    “Remember the size of my Beetle’s roof,” Nina reminded them. “Don’t make me haul back a sequoia. I’m going to browse in a section over on the right while you two poke around. I smell something delicious!”
    “I don’t think there’s
anything
Nina can’t find,” Andrew remarked.
    Ignoring Andrew’s comment, Dana slapped her forehead. “We should have rented a Lincoln . I guess we’ll have to settle for a smaller tree. Oh well.”
    “How tall are your ceilings?” Andrew asked. “If I recall, they’re ten feet.”
    “Eleven. I’ll just add more garland on the mantel. The tree doesn’t have to be the focal point of the living room this year.” She shrugged and walked on.
    Andrew touched Dana’s arm, halting her progress as she continued down a row of Douglas firs. “Okay, Dana, what’s on your mind? You’re going to settle on a smaller tree, and Brett’s working as usual. And yet you’ve been beaming all morning.”
    “Have I?”
    Andrew nodded and then stepped back, his eyes round as quarters. “Hey, are you pregnant?”
    Dana laughed. “No, silly. But maybe it’s in the offing.”
    Andrew stopped dead in his tracks. “Maybe the fresh air has gone to my head, but something’s different. You’re thinking of having a baby? I can read your mind from across the store or across Manhattan. Tell me what’s going on.”
    Dana related the conversation over dinner at Cheshire Cheese, Brett’s caring demeanor, and the possibility that they might be buying a weekend home in Bedford.
    “Sounds like a sea change is occurring in the McGarry household.” Andrew put his arm around Dana’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “I hope things work out. Lord knows you deserve it. And to think I might become Uncle Andrew one day soon.”
    Andrew didn’t believe for a second that Brett had changed, but he wasn’t going to spoil his friend’s ebullient mood. He made a mental note to observe Dana’s husband closely at