Free What You Wish For by Fern Michaels

her mind it isn’t forever.”
    â€œI feel the same way,” Artie said.
    â€œNow why did I know you were going to say that,” Isabel grumbled. “I’m having it framed.”
    â€œI guess you were just talking to hear yourself.” Artie grinned.
    â€œThere’s something about Helen Ward that got to me. Maybe it was the middle-of-the-night call, although I’ve had hundreds of those.”
    â€œIt was the dog, Izzie. The dog and Helen. You can’t stand it when someone harms an animal any more than I can. They’re both going to be fine. You could have told her who you were. Not that it would have made a difference,” Gerry said.
    â€œShe has talent. I don’t think we should waste that talent. She told Mona she wants to design lingerie and possibly sell it on-line. She doesn’t have any start-up capital other than the money we’ve put in her bank account. I . . . I wanted to . . . ask if you two would approve of the foundation making a small loan to her to start up this fledgling enterprise. That way she could stay home with Lucie.”
    â€œIt always comes back to the dog. Sure,” Gerry said.
    â€œIt’s okay with me,” Artie said.
    â€œShe’s a hard worker. I could tell that right off. She knows how to clean a house, and she knows how to garden. She’s smart, too. That husband just beat her into the ground until she was afraid to do anything but breathe. Good, five thousand should do it. I’ll have the lawyers draw up the papers.”
    â€œFive thousand isn’t going to get her past the post office, Izz. She’s also going to need a better computer than the one you gave her. I’ll build her one and ship it out next week. You okay with that?”
    â€œTen thousand and the computer,” Isabel said.
    â€œFifteen is more realistic,” Artie said.
    â€œThen it’s fifteen,” Isabel said smartly.
    â€œSo that’s what this command breakfast was all about,” Gerry said.
    â€œFor God’s sake, Izz, you could have done this without us.”
    â€œYes, I could have, but when you’re dealing with a human life, no one wants to take sole responsibility. I make mistakes, too, as you well know. I guess . . . I want her to survive. She doesn’t know that black world out there, but she’s going to be learning really quickly. I just want to make it a little easier for her.”
    â€œAny scuttlebutt on the husband, Artie?” Gerry asked.
    â€œTo my knowledge, no one has seen or heard from him. No one has called ComStar for a reference. You know those damn headhunters; they’re forever calling. Not a peep out of any of them. Legal said we had to give him severance, and the check cleared yesterday. Other than that, I know nothing.”
    â€œNothing is better than something,” Isabel said, as her index finger traced the outline of the little dog on the sketch Helen had left for her.
    â€œIf you need me, call,” Artie said. “I’ll need the address so I can ship the computer. I’ll put my people on it as soon as I get back to the office.”
    â€œThanks, Artie.”
    â€œFor you, Izz, anything. You know that.”
    â€œI could use some help later this afternoon if you can spare the time, Izz,” Gerry said.
    â€œI’ll be there. Any new pups?”
    â€œSix.”
    â€œDo you have homes for them?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œThen they’re mine,” Isabel said.
    Gerry laughed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
    Isabel smiled. It was wonderful to have friends.

6
    Helen turned off the eleven o’clock news, satisfied that all was right in the world. At least for the moment. “Come on, Lucie, time to go on-line.”
    The little dog scampered over to the small dining area that was now Helen’s in-home office. A brand-new ComStar computer and printer took up almost the entire table. The shelves on both walls,