Free The Lady and Her Doctor by Evelyn Piper Page A

under his nose so he could smell it. “It’s dumb, but I don’t want Bud to know I touch up my hair a little.”
    He closed his closet door, shoving her back away from it.
    â€œI won’t go near your closet if it’s so private. I thought you just kept clothes there. In the future, I won’t go near it. You can put away your own clean socks and B.V.D.’s if that suits you better, Milt.” She smiled at him. “I don’t poke my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
    â€œDon’t you? Oh, boy!” But he was in a good humor. “Okay to come in?” He followed her to the bathroom.
    â€œSure, come in, Milt.”
    She had wrapped absorbent cotton around the rattail of his comb, he saw, but he should worry now about the way nothing was sacred to Jenny. “Oh, don’t you poke your nose where it doesn’t concern you!”
    She laid his comb down on the sink and faced him. “I gather she told you I went there this morning.”
    â€œYou gathered right, goosie, goosie, gather! Whither don’t you wather! But you gathered wrong if you thought you were throwing a monkey wrench into the works this time. You gathered wrong if you thought if you went over there and made a poor mouth Sloane would have nothing to do with me!”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œSloane. Sloane Folsom.”
    â€œSloane!”
    â€œIt’s a very high-class name, in case you don’t know. Sloane Krop to be!”
    Her face became red. Jenny had parted her hair to touch it up. Milt could see her scalp turning bright pink, like an infant about to cry, he thought.
    â€œMilt—I saw her. Sure I went to see her because I had to make sure it was like I suspected. You suddenly paying attention to her this way, since the day I broke it up with the Parker kid. Aw, Milt, you told me yourself—a nothing, a mouse, a born old maid. You said that yourself. You said she never had a word to say for herself. And now I saw her, Milt—I saw for myself she’s not for you, Milt. It’s crazy. It’s just rebound, Milt, that’s all. She’s not your type girl. It’s all on account of what I did with the Parker kid, rebound and revenge on me!”
    Milton smiled, picked up his comb, pulled the damp cotton off the rattail and flushed it down the toilet.
    â€œWhy do you want to cut off your nose to spite my face, Milt? Hair pulled back, no make-up. I know what you like, Milt! Not like the little Parker kid—And don’t think for a minute this one is weak and helpless just because she never has a word to say for herself. Maybe the reason she isn’t married is men aren’t fooled so easy.”
    â€œI can handle her.”
    â€œSo you say.”
    â€œWithout any help from you.”
    â€œMilt! Don’t act as if I was your enemy.”
    â€œI only said stay out of my hair. I can get along without your help. I don’t want your help.”
    â€œIt’s nuts to marry her.”
    â€œIt’s nuts she should marry me is more like it.”
    â€œWho are you telling that to? I saw her, Milt. Who do you think she is, the Venus de Milo?”
    â€œI think she is Sloane Folsom, that’s who I think.”
    â€œPlease think it over, Milt. Please don’t rush into this.”
    â€œThis is so sudden, you mean, Jenny? That’s for the bride to say. I’m not asking you to marry me.”
    â€œDon’t be so fresh!” She began to cry and turned away. The peroxide was running down her forehead so she turned to the sink and began mopping it up with absorbent cotton, getting herself under control. “I’m glad we got the double Hide-a-Bed, Milt.” (I told you so!) “That’s one good thing, I’m glad I wouldn’t listen to you with your single, single! I’ll put Bud’s things in with mine and she can have Bud’s closet. Your wife. If you’d rather, you two can have Bud’s room