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"You're still his whole life. Willow. It is so important he develop other relationships. Coming out of his depression. His difficulties. he resembles a young teenage boy doting on the first warm and pretty face he encounters. I suppose it's similar to a schoolboy's crush on his teacher. I don't think it's anything terribly serious. but I would do what I can to get him meeting other people."
"He's working hard again. He's done some new pictures. and Thatcher brought them to a friend of his who thinks he might sell them in Europe."
"Really? Well, there you go. Get him involved more in the art world. Maybe he'll meet people that way," Professor Fuentes suggested. "And encourage him to do what he said he would--take a course or two on art here."
I repeated Professor Fuentes's ideas to Thatcher, who then asked Linden to go with him the next time he was invited to a gallery exhibition,
"You should see the work of other artists. Linden. You'll get more inspiration."
"Thatcher's right. Linden," I said.
"Are you going. too?"
"I have to do some studying," I said. eyeing Thatcher, "but Thatcher is going."
"I've got work to do myself." Linden said.
"Oh, come on, old man, you can spare an hour or so. You'll see. It will give you encouragement because you'll see how much better an artist you are.
"I'm not an old man," Linden snapped.
"Just an expression. Linden. Nothing nasty intended. What do you say?"
"You should go. Linden." I urged.
All right," he relented. But I don't want to waste the whole day."
Later, when they returned. Thatcher told me Linden had stood in a corner most of the time, "looking like he just dared anyone to say hello.
"I introduced him to some attractive young women, but he wouldn't give them the time of day. Maybe he needs hormone shots, the youngest man on 'in-tn. something like that," he joked.
"It's not funny. Thatcher. I'm worried about it now. and I don't want Mother to worry."
"Okay, okay. I'll dig up some female companionship for him." "I'm not asking you to do that."
"I know, but what kind of brother-in-law would I be if I didn't make sure he got his rocks off once in a while?"
"Thatcher!"
He laughed and went off. However. I had to wonder if he wasn't right. Maybe a female
relationship, no matter how short and sweet, was what Linden really needed. On the other hand_. I thought, why was it men thought of sex the same way they thought of an aspirin?
The time I was spending with Linden, attending social events, shopping, eating dinner, or simply taking long walks on the beach, even with Mother along, was, to my surprise, becoming the subject of some nasty gossip. The second surprise was how it was all being spread. I wouldn't have known if I wasn't invited to another luncheon of the Club d'Amour. I should have realized they had good reason to beg for my attendance.
We didn't meet at Club Florette again. This time we all gathered at a popular Palm Beach restaurant and sat in the rear, as far away from everyone else as we could. That was Manons arrangement, I was still very interested in them from a purely scientific point of view. I had told Professor Fuentes about them and he agreed that they were intriguing.
The luncheon began with chat about fashions, the latest Palm Beach charity event, people they had all just seen, and some of the latest party jokes that were being circulated. Finally, Manon turned to me and said. "There is something we've all heard and we thought you should know."
"Oh?"
My heart began to tick like a Geiger counter over radioactive material. Everyone's eyes were on me, waiting to see my reaction to whatever Manon was about to reveal.
"We all have good reason to say that your sister-in-law is making innuendos about you and your half brother. She's been complaining about all the time you spend with Linden, and she's left the impression that it isn't all brotherly and sisterly."
"What? Whitney is telling people things like that?"
"Absolutely and without a doubt," Liana said. "Our sources are the most reliable in Palm Beach."
