Pretense (50 page)

Still red in the face, Delancey pulled out her sketchbook. She opened to the first page and hoped it would be one of her better works. It wasn't, but she wasn't given a chance to change the page. The gray-haired lecturer had reached for the pad.

"You are good," he said softly, and even turned to the next page and the next. "Very good." Smiling, he returned Delancey's sketchbook to her and handed her a Chicago Art Institute brochure.

"Just include any of the drawings I just saw. If your grades match your artwork, you'll get in."

"I'm at Mills right now."

The older man nodded. "They have an excellent art program, but I will go out on a limb and say we can offer you more. You will not fail at Mills, not in any way, but I naturally believe that Chicago is the place you should be." His smile warmly encompassed the three of them. "I must go now."

The other girls began speaking as soon as the lecturer walked away, but Delancey's face was buried in the brochure. She could hardly believe he found her artwork acceptable. A moment of panic filled her. Maybe to recruit students he said

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something similar to everyone, but that didn't make sense. According to the brochure, he still taught. If he lured her there under false pretenses, he would have to face her.

She accepted a ride back to campus with the other girls, but when she got to her room found that Lovisa had left her a note to call Kyle. She ignored it and phoned her parents.

"Jack," she asked after a few minutes, "is there any chance you can come and get me? I want to come home and talk to you guys."

"Sure I can," he agreed as he always did. "Your mom ran to the grocery store, so as soon as she comes back, I'll tell her. If something comes up, I'll let you know. If not, look for us about noon."

"Thanks, Jack."

"D.J., are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but I'm thinking about changing schools and want your opinion."

"Okay," Jack said calmly. This was not the first time she'd talked about this, so he wasn't too surprised. And although they were pleased with Mills, he was more than willing to hear her out.

As he'd hoped, Marrell accompanied him, and they had Delancey with them just a few hours later. The conversation didn't wait until they arrived back at the apartment but started as soon as Delancey got into the car and thrust the brochure at her mother.

"How sudden is this?" Jack wanted to know.

"Very sudden, but I feel better about this than I have about any of the other schools I've considered."

"Why must you leave Mills at all?" Marrell asked.

"I don't have to, but I've been feeling down about my work lately. Then this morning, really on a whim, I attended a lecture by Mr. Fortier. He's listed right in the brochure, and I'm just so excited."

Marrell firmly believed that Delancey needed to be leading with her head and not her heart and said so.

"I am, Mom. The year is over in just a few weeks, and now is the time to get going on another school. I'm not a quitter, so if I get there and hate it, well, I'll stick it out. But I want to try these things now when I'm young."

Marrell smiled. She made it sound as though her life would be over when she got older.

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"Besides, I need to put some space between Kyle and me."

Marrell turned to look at her daughter.

"I know, Mom," Delancey shot in, "that's not a reason to go across the country to school. But he's getting rather persistent."

"As in marriage?"

Delancey's eyes widened. "No, he hasn't said that. He just wants to be with me all the time, and I'm feeling smothered. I never see my friends, and I haven't seen you guys in weeks. How's your ankle, Jack?"

"It feels good. The doctor was pleased at how fast it mended."

"Does it hurt to walk on the stairs?"

"It did for a few weeks, but not much now-just the occasional twinge. I'm riding my bike for exercise, and when I do that, I don't feel anything."

"Good. What's for dinner, Mom?"

"We were going to grill hamburgers. Sound good?"

"Yes," Delancey said fervently, and a moment later she'd settled in the back and gone to sleep.

"I think she should do this," Jack told Marrell much later that day. Delancey had called some friends and gone out for the evening, but before she left they had talked at length, her ideas and reasons sounding quite sane. The school's cost was lower, which was nice, but it was more the Chicago school's reputation that made Jack think it would work.

"It's so far," Marrell said, voicing her first thought.

"It is, but if that's the only thing holding you back, we can't try to talk Delancey out of it."

"Are you concerned about this thing with Kyle?"

"Not from Delancey's standpoint. By her own admission she doesn't want to settle down. I worry about his feelings and whether she's been careless with his heart."

"Do you think she would do that?"

"Intentionally, no, but she's a fun, beautiful girl, and I can see how he would be very drawn to her. Not to mention that if they're at all physical, she's giving him all sorts of ideas."

"The last time I asked her, which was months ago," Marrell said with regret, "they weren't."

"Let's hope she's kept her head over that."

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"Let me see that brochure again." Marrell took it from Jack's hand and read.

"It's the same as we've talked about with both girls, Marrell- they're searching and believing that they'll find what they want outside of Christ. You and I both know better, but before they see it, we need to let them grope their way along. If I felt that Delancey would be in danger or come to any harm, I would be shouting my objections from the rooftops, but other than the distance, I can't find a thing wrong with the plan.

"The very idea that she keeps coming up with other colleges to attend worries me about her finishing college anywhere. She wouldn't be the first student to move around and change majors several times. It looks as though all her credits will transfer, but who knows what she may find in Chicago?"

"It's such a big city."

"Marrell," Jack said patiently, "we live in San Francisco."

Marrell nodded. San Francisco wasn't as big, but Jack had a point.

"So you think she should apply?"

"If she wants to. If she wants us to tell her what to do, I don't think we should, but if she wants to do this, I think we should stand behind her. You heard what I said to her about her spiritual state. Maybe one of us will feel there's more we can say about that, but for now, I think we should let her do as she wants."

Marrell nodded. "Are we ready to have her come home for the whole summer?"

Jack smiled. "Ready or not, she'll be here in less than two weeks."

Delancey didn't come in the door until almost 2:00 a.m., waking up both her parents. Jack made sure she was all right but then knew that almost-19 or not, they were going to have to have some rules for the summer.

Arlington

"The editor from children's division, Tom Magy, wants to see you."

Mackenzie heard the sound of Paxton's voice but couldn't answer. She was at work, but even if a call for a national disaster had come through at that moment, she couldn't have responded.

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"Mackenzie, did you hear me?"

"Yes. What does that mean?"

"It means he's interested."

"Honestly, Pax, I mean, they don't talk with you if they're rejecting it, do they?"

"No, they don't have time for that. He'd like to see you as soon as possible."

Mackenzie's mind raced. "I'm not off until the weekend. Is that too late?"

"I can check with him. He knows you work full-time. I would like to see you before you talk with him, so when can you and I get together?"

"Anytime." She came back to life.

"Come to my place tonight. Jodi and I will feed you dinner, and then you and I need to talk business."

"All right. Pax?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what he's going to say to me?"

"Not exactly, so you and I will talk over the possibilities. Then I'll give you some instructions."

"Okay. Oh, I've got to get off here. What time tonight?"

"Seven o'clock."

"See you then."

She was off the phone a moment later, taking the papers that Captain Engel was handing her. She thanked her lucky stars that the documents were routine. She wouldn't have survived otherwise. A glance at the clock told her it wasn't even lunchtime. Mackenzie began to type, bringing the files she needed up on her screen and adding the new information. At the same time she asked herself how she would make it until seven o'clock that night.

"I've thought it over, and I'm not going to go over the possibilities with you," Paxton began.

"But I want you to," Mackenzie argued with him. She had satall the way through dinner and was not going to be put off now

"Mackenzie, that's not what you need to know right now."

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"Just humor me, Pax. Just tell me what
might
happen. I won't get my hopes up, but this is all so new that I feel like a kid on her first day of school."

"Come on, Paxton," Jodi encouraged from the edge of the room where she was making coffee for the three of them, "tell her what you think."

Paxton exchanged a look with the woman he loved and turned back to Mackenzie. Mackenzie was more beautiful than Jodi, but not the soul mate to him that his girlfriend was. Every so often he dreamed of Mackenzie, but her youth and inexperience right now made him feel like a big brother. Feeling all at once tender toward her, he capitulated.

"I wouldn't be asking to see an author unless I thought the book was publishable."

"The whole book-not just the artwork?"

"Mackenzie, I'm just telling you how I would handle this, but something tells me that if he only wanted the artwork, he would have told me that he needed to talk to you so he could get Delancey's number."

"I can't believe it."

"Well, there's nothing to believe yet, because I don't know what he wants. But at least he didn't return it and say, 'Thanks but no thanks.'"

Mackenzie could only stare into space. Jodi came in and set a mug of coffee down in front of her, but she didn't even notice. She wanted to jump and dance; she wanted to shout and sing; but mostly she wanted to call her sister.

You've made it this far, Mic, don't blow it now. You don't know what this man is going to say. You could call D.J., get her hopes up, and find out Saturday that they want to ruin the book. Delancey would never stand for that.

Mackenzie was repeating all of this to herself as she sat outside of Tom Magy's office on Saturday morning. She and Paxton had gone over everything from how to dress to what to do with her face.

Remember, Mackenzie,
he had said with a smile.
Remember that soldier's face you gave me the night we met? You just do that with Tom. Don't even act excited. Just listen, ask a few questions, but remember that I can explain the contract to you. Whatever

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you do, don't sign anything! Come and see me the minute you're done and tell me what happened.

Mackenzie mentally reviewed his instructions even as she adjusted her knee-length navy blue skirt for the tenth time. Her blouse was white and her jewelry, dark red. She looked as American as apple pie.

"Mackenzie Bishop?" A tall man was beside her before she heard his steps. His dark brown hair was cut in the latest style, longer on top and short on the sides. His hazel eyes didn't seem to miss a thing. He was younger than Mackenzie expected.

"Yes." Mackenzie stood.

He put out his hand. "I'm Tom Magy. None of the secretaries are in today, so you'll have to make do with me."

Mackenzie smiled easily but was feeling anything but relaxed as he shook her hand and led her into his office.

"I like the book," Tom told her as soon as they both took seats in front of the desk. Mackenzie had expected him to sit across from her, but his style was more casual. She was also glad that he skipped all the small talk.

"Okay." Mackenzie had no idea how to reply and so left it with her one-word answer.

"In fact," he continued smoothly, thinking that he liked the fact that she didn't fidget or chatter on, "I'd like to publish it. I've even prepared a contract for you and your sister."

Mackenzie could only stare as he handed her a stack of papers. She could feel her hands grow damp.

"I would like some changes," Tom went on. Mackenzie came crashing back to earth.

"Changes? In the artwork?"

"No," he shocked her by saying, "and I shouldn't have even said changes. What I really want is more words. Not many more," he rushed to add, "but I think the story needs a little more filling in. Is that possible?"