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Stone Barrington slowly opened his eyes and stared blearily at the pattern of ht above hiht Then it caht was reflected off the water

He sat up and rubbed his eyes The night before had been the stuff of bad dreahtirlfriend, Arrington Carter, had not shown up for the flight She was supposed to coazine office where she had beenwith an editor, but she had not arrived

Stone had found a phone and had tracked down Arrington, still at The New Yorker

“Hello?” she said

Stone glanced at his watch “I guess you’re not going to make the plane,” he said “It leaves in twenty minutes”

“Stone, I’ed at the tere?”

He tried to keep his voice calm “No, I didn’t”

“Everything has exploded here I took the proposal for the profile on Vance Calder to Tina Brown, and she went for it instantly Turns out she had tried and tried to do a piece with Vance when she was at Vanity Fair, and he would never cooperate”

“That’s wonderful,” he said tonelessly “I’m happy for you”

“Look, darling, Vance is coot to introduce hi around it”

“I see,” he replied

“Don’t worry, I’o ahead to St Marks, take delivery of the boat, put in soloriously drunk I’ll be there by ht”

“All right,” he said

“Oh,” she sighed, “I’ry I know you can see what a break this is for me Vance hasn’t sat still for an in-depth interview forfor the anticipated increase in newsstand sales”

“That’s great,” he said, lad for her “I’ll ht, then”

“Oh, don’t do that; just sit tight, and I’ll grab a cab” She lowered her voice “And when I get there, sweetie, try and be well rested, because I’s a whole lot; you read me?”

“I read you loud and clear I’d better run; they’ve alot the boat for ten days; don’t waste any more”

“I really a to make it up to you in the best possible way, Stone,” she said “Bye-bye”

“Bye” Stone hung up the phone and ran for his plane Moments later, he had settled into a comfortable leather seat and had in his hand a ru-anticipated winter holiday As the big jet taxied out to the runway he looked out theand saw that it had started to snow Good Why have a tropical holiday if you can’t gloat?

Vance Calder was, arguably, Hollywood’s premier male star, often called the new Cary Grant, and he had played an iton’s lives already She had been in Calder’s coossip coluh Stone had been struck by her beauty and had found her marvelous company, he had not bothered to call her, because he hadn’t believed for a irl away froton had called him Vance, she had explained, was no more than an acquaintance hen he was in New York, liked to have a pretty girl to squire around, especially at dinners like the one at Amanda Dart’s apartment, which she would feature in her column