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.His assistant rose, clearly hiding his troubled expression.With his long familiarity with the young man, Harry could almost recite his list of worries.It made him second-guess his decision.What had happened to giving conservative advice? What on earth had gotten into him? Had he completely lost his business acumen? “It’s okay, Todd,” he said as much to reassure himself as Todd both.“Though we appreciate the conservative take on matters.”“You’re quite welcome.” Todd gave him another penetrating gaze.“I hope I helped.”After Todd left, Norbert detailed his dream purchase with rapture in his voice.For his part, Harry began to doubt.He wondered whether he’d completely lost the very thing he’d prided himself on most.Lost his killer instinct.Lost his reputation as a wise old owl.Why on earth was he advising his richest client to throw his money away?Norbert chattered on, clearly excited and happy, and Harry nodded and smiled and cursed himself for a fool.Ginnie had returned his money unexpectedly.That wasn’t a valid reason to become sentimental.Not when his clients’ savings were on the line.He opened his mouth to tell Norbert he’d made a mistake, that he couldn’t possibly allow such an irresponsible investment.But Norbert sat all the way forward on the edge of his seat, as excited as a schoolboy as he talked over the winery project.Harry closed his mouth.He wouldn’t crush Norbert’s dreams, even if they cost the man his entire life savings.He couldn’t.Ginnie had changed him.Harry sat back in his leather office chair and listened to his client.Though he heard himself responding professionally to Norbert’s questions, Harry was appalled.He didn’t recognize himself anymore.That night, Harry went down to his basement, flipped on the light and tried not to look at the bare workbench where Ginnie had worked.He went straight to his workout equipment and threw himself at the machines with a vengeance.He did three sets of twelve reps just to get warmed up.Then he did another, more aggressive, circuit.He counted.Aloud.But this time, his numbers didn’t help him.His numbers weren’t helping him much at all lately, he realized.He counted more loudly, frustrated, flexing and pushing until his muscles felt hot and exhausted.Still Ginnie lingered in his mind.Despairing that he’d ever get rid of her image and her influence, he threw himself into another circuit, flinging his body against the resistance.He didn’t usually work out so hard, and he found himself gasping for breath before long.Maybe if he fatigued his body, his mind would tire of its fixation as well.Maybe he could forget about Ginnie.Something gave in his arm, with a sharp, rubber-band-snap of pain.He yelled, held his arm.He moved it with a grimace.It wasn’t too sprained.Harry sat, breathing hard, waiting for the pain to subside.At least the one in his arm would eventually go away.He wasn’t so sure about the one in his heart.Ginnie peeked through the curtains at the audience.For such a large auditorium, there wasn’t much noise.Then she saw the children in the semi-darkness and smiled.A feeling of pride welled up in her.Their expressions were wide-eyed, opened-mouthed and totally thrilled.The adults seemed riveted too.Sure, some of them fidgeted, and some of the kids did too.But the faces of the children in the auditorium proved the story felt utterly real and immediate.Her show was a success.Again.The puppet shows were a much-needed source of satisfaction in a post-Harry world.In the weeks since he’d tossed her out of his house and out of his life, she’d flung herself into puppet theater as if her sanity depended on it.As perhaps it did.Without Harry’s brand of magic coloring her life, puppetry felt like all she had.Theater was magic.There was something about the community experience, the dark, the mystery, the shared adventure with audience members.Together everyone agreed to take a voyage into another world.Ginnie concluded with her always-popular The Magic Show, where the puppets tried to out-do each other with the best magic trick ever.This time The Fat Lady puppet won with her trick of blowing bubbles out of her ears.Ginnie bowed the puppets in response to the applause and, when they were safely offstage, announced a question-and-answer period after a short break.It pleased everyone, adults and children alike, to have her as puppet master take questions from children about the art of puppetry.She put her puppets away, pleased with the night’s success.“Hello, Ginnie.”The deep, masculine voice made her jump, before she realized it wasn’t the voice she wanted.She turned to see who had snuck up behind stage to surprise her.Tailored suit, ash-brown eyebrows over liquid chocolate eyes, soft wavy blond hair, chest and shoulders to die for.If she hadn’t already been shot down dead by Harry, she might have been interested.But he looked younger than Harry, a baby in comparison, though his steady gaze reflected a strange soulfulness that intrigued her.Not as worldly or experienced as Harry, she thought.He did have the same clean-cut, banker-guy clothes.“Todd,” he introduced himself when she only stared [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]