But I'll be here first thing tomorrow.'And then she was gone, leaving him standing in his kitchen, the scent of her perfume in the air. Rich sighed, h...ading for his bedroom to get ready for his business dinner. *The cool air from the refrigerator as Rich opened the door and retrieved a beer was a welcome relief from the mid-summer, California night. Twisting off the lid, he stood under the ceiling vent as the air conditioning started, sending a blast of cold air over his body. The cool floor. Althea had just taken delivery of the weekly grocery supply. They did iton line.Candy told Ms. Vanderbilt and the others we were going shopping. In thecar on the way to a nearby mall Candy said that she was going to get somelingerie for herself and also some more for me.Candy was driving the Volvo and we arrived at the mall. I loved walkingin the mall with Candy. I suppose to other people we looked like motherand son enjoying shopping. I loved it. I was so happy and content.Candy could. ’ After dinner I suggested some hanky panky. ‘Let me get an idea of how much work I have to do and we can use it as a break later,’ said Jeff. ‘How romantic.’ He didn’t answer, breaking out his books instead. He was a study in concentration. The only break he took in moving from book to book was to surf on the computer for something that, well, I don’t know what he was looking for. By 10:30 I was pretty sure he had forgotten about me, so I reminded him. ‘Ready to take a break?’ He turned to me. ” He shrugged. “Hit the gym. Stick to a diet. Earn it.”I didn’t reply.Hypnos sighed again and then nodded. “I understand. You need a bit of time to process all of this.”A snort of laughter was my only response. You think?“I’ll be around,” he said, and, reaching into his pocket, pulled out a slim, black flip phone. “Call me,” he said, setting it gently on the tile countertop. Then, he turned and pushed aside the shower curtain, stepping into the shower and then pulling it closed behind him. “A.