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One
OBLIVIOUS TO THE SPECTACULAR VIEW BEYOND THE GLASS wall of the Houston high-rise that housed the offices of Foster’s Beautiful Living azine, Diana Foster paced in front of her desk with a telephone cradled between her shoulder and ear
“Still no answer at the house?” asked Kristin Nordstroazine
Diana shook her head and hung the phone up, already reaching into the credenza behind her desk for her handbag “Everyone is probably out in the garden, reinventing ,” she joked “Did you ever notice,” she continued with a rueful sreen linen jacket tri news, the people you want to share it with are never where you can reach them?”
“Well, how about if you tell ly
Diana paused in the act of s wrinkles from her white skirt and flashed the other woman a smile, but she had to look up to do it At thirty-two, Kristin o years older than Diana and a full six feet tall, with the fair skin and blue eyes of her Nordic ancestors She was also conscientious, energetic, and detail-oriented, three traits that made her an ideal member of the production department
“Okay, you’ve got it I’ve just decided to shoot sos” issue on location in Newport, Rhode Island The opportunity dropped intoto put us under treood to pass up In fact, if you’re available I’d like to send you to Newport a week before the wedding to help our crew Mike MacNeil and Corey will arrive a few days later You can ith the to need an extra pair of hands, and it will give you an opportunity to find out what it’s like to work on location, under pressure, in difficult conditions How does that strike you?”
“Like a bolt of lightning,” she said, her face illuo on location with Corey’s creport shoud provide a gorgeous setting for the layout,” she said as Diana started for the door “Diana, before you go, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done You’re a joy to ith-“
Diana waved off her grattitude with a s the house If anyone answers, tell thereat news, but I want Corey there to hear it”
“I will And when you see Corey, please tell her I’m excited about the chance to ith her” She paused, a funny, uncertain smile on her face “Diana, does Corey realize howRyan?”
“Take my advice and don’t ets accosted all the tiers who refuse to believe her when she tells theht unpleasant because they think she’s trying to trick them”
The telephone rang, interrupting them, and Kristin reached across the desk to answer it “It’s Corey,” she said, holding the receiver toward Diana “She’s on the car phone”
“Thank heaven!” Diana said as she hurried forward and took the phone “Corey, I’ve been trying to reach you allWhere have you been?”
Corey registered the excitement in her sister’s voice, but at the moe pickup truck as detere into a space on the expressway that was already occupied by Corey’s car “I was at the printer’s all e lanes and let hie “pin stripe” eundy car “I wasn’t happy with soot for the barbecue layout for the next issue, and I brought him some different ones”
“Don’t worry about that issue, it’ll be fine I have soreat news Can you meet me at the house in twenty minutes? I’d like to tell everyone at once”
“Did I just hear you say not to worry about an issue?” Corey teased, amused and surprised by this inusual attitude of opti in the rearview ed lanes so that she could take the exit for River Oaks, rather than continuing to the office as she’d originally intended “I’ for the house, but I insist on some sort of hint now”
“Okay, here goes: What would you say if I told you an unbelievable opportunity for the “Perfect Weddings” issue just fell into my lap! The mother of the bride, who is clearly anxious to further bolster her social status, wants us to feature her daughter’s wedding in Beautiful Living If we are willing to do that, she is willing to guarantee us that it will be done in authentic “Foster Style,” under our supervision, and she is willing to pay whatever that costs, as well as all travel expenses for our staff”
Forpossible locations and thee and feature in that issue, but so far they’d discarded all of theht they were too expensive or because Corey thought they were artistically unacceptable Diana bore the full burden for all Foster Enterprises’ financial raphic layouts that appeared in Forter’s publications was Corey’s “It sounds good froet standpoint, but what about the location? What sort of setting would we have?”
“Brace yourself,” Diana said
In the car, Corey smiled with helpless anticipation “I’m braced Tell me”
“The wedding is to take place on the lawn of the bride’s uncle’s hoe’, built in 1895, cos, fabulous plasterwork… and undoubtedly hundreds of other little architectural goodies, you could include in our next coffee-table book – you know,” she said, “those big, fancy, beautiful books that you turn out in your spare time?”
“Don’t keep“Where’s the house?”
“Are your ready for this?”
“I think so”
“Newport, Rhode Island”
“Oh, rapher’sscenic shots with fabulous yachts floating on sparkling blue water in the background
“The bride’s rounds and then calledshe let slip, I got the funny feeling he ot, she promised to provide us with six local people who’ll work under our supervision That should enable us to put some special touches in a few of the raph All materials and freelance labor are at their expense, of course, and our people will have private rooms at the house The hotels are already booked for the season, and you’ll all need to work late anyway, so that’s a practical solution Also, they have servants and they’ll have houseguests, so staying there to make certain no one tampers with our handiwork becomes a necessity”
“No problem, for an opportunity like this, I would work and sleep in Bluebeard’s house”
Diana’s voice lost a little of its happy confidence “Yes, but can you do that in Spencer Addison’s house?”
Corey’s reply was instinctive and instantaenous “I’d prefer Bluebeard”
“I know”
“Let’s find another wedding to feature”
“Let’s talk about it when you get home”
Two
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BY THE THIME COREY TURNED OFF INWOOD DRIVE AND ONTO the long, treelined driveway that led to the house, she already knew she was going to go to Newport Diana undoubtedly knew it too Whatever either of theood of the faood of Foster Enterprises, they would do Somehow, that had always been understood between them
Corey’s o to Newport, because they were the creators of as now popularly called the “Foster Style” It was a concept that Corey and Diana had ed to showcase and azine and a variety of books, but it was still a joint faard the chance to see Spencer again as a delightful side benefit rather than a repugnant drawback, but then he hadn’t hurt them the way he’d hurt Corey
Diana’s car was already parked in front of the house, a sprawling Georgian-style mansion that served as the faround” for many of the ularly in Foster’s Beautiful Living
Corey turned off the ignition and looked up at the house that she and Diana had helped to protect and preserve So many momentous events in her life were linked to this place, she thought as she leaned her head against the headrest, deliberately postponing going inside, where she would have to listen to a discussion of the Newport wedding She had been thirteen and standing in the foyer when she had met Diana for the first time, and she’d met Spencer Addison a year later on the back lahe she attended her first grown-up party
And here, in this house, she had learned to love and respect Robert Foster, a broad-shouldered giant of a entle heart and brilliantValley, when he bought thecompany where she worked as a secretary, and the rest had seemed like a fairy tale Entranced by Mary Britton’s lovely face and warm smile, the Houston ht in town and decided that sa that Mary was the woman for him
The following nigh, he appeared at Corey’s grandparents’ house, where she and her an a ind courtship that included the entire close-knit little fa with an arifts for everyone, and he stayed until the early hours of theto the entire fa in the backyard with his arm around Mary’s shoulders
Within teeks, he’d befriended Corey, soothed all of her grandparent’s possible objections to the s, then he whisked his new bride and her daughter for Valley into his private plane A few hours lather, he laughingly carried first Mary and then Corey over the threshold of his Houston home, and they had lived there ever since