An Act of Love Read Online Free

station along the way and risk a possible fleecing,
Randy decided to endure the heat and humidity and wait until she
arrived in Cambridge to have the car checked out.
    She had no problem following her parents' directions to
Linda's house, and at two forty-five pulled up to a fairly new
two-family house with brown siding and white shutters. She spent the
next twenty minutes looking for a parking space because the small
driveway belonging to the house was illegally blocked by a beaten-up
van. Then a car pulled out around the corner and Randy quickly edged
into the space.
    The outer door to the building was unlocked so she went
inside. There was a door at the rear of the downstairs hall that opened
into the tenant's apartment, while a flight of steps to the left led up
to Linda's half of the house.
    Randy was two steps from the top of the stairs when she
heard the outer door open and then slam shut behind her. She turned
just as a breathless Linda came charging up behind her.
    "I'm so glad you just got here. I got Mrs. Siskin's note
but I had to go run an errand," her sister explained, giving her a hug.
"And then I got stuck in the most miserable traffic along the river and
now some jerk is blocking my driveway." She fished out her key and
opened the door.
    The apartment was in total chaos. Wallpaper had been
partially removed from four of the five rooms. The only furnishings
were a bridge table and two chairs in the dinette and a pair of
twin-sized mattresses and box springs in one bedroom. A black and white
television set sat on the kitchen counter and cartons were stacked up
everywhere. Linda, never terribly interested in housekeeping, had left
dirty laundry scattered all over the bathroom floor.
    After a quick inspection Randy asked weakly, "What
happened to your furniture from Dallas?"
    "It reminded me of Brett." Linda wrinkled her nose as she
uttered her ex-husband's name. Brett Franck was an oil millionaire
twice Linda's age. He had held his beautiful young wife's interest for
even less time than her first husband, a Harvard instructor whom she'd
married at twenty-one and divorced four years later.
    "Besides," Linda went on, "it's been fun shopping for new
things. I've had a great time since I got here last week—all
I've done is buy, besides seeing my friends, that is. It's terrific to
see you again, Randy. I'm glad we'll be spending some time together,
even in
this
." Her hand circled the living room
where they stood.
    It was obvious to Randy that Linda assumed she'd be
staying for more than a day or two. "I'm only staying till
tomorrow—or Thursday at the latest," she said.
    Linda looked totally deflated. "Only two nights? But we
haven't seen each other since Christmas, and we barely had a chance to
talk then. I thought you would stay a few weeks. We've grown so far
apart since I married Brett and you went to California—I
thought we could catch up."
    Linda seemed so genuinely upset that Randy felt terribly
guilty. "I'll come back later in the summer," she promised. "I'm going
to move back to New York for at least a few months and try working for
C & D. But I made plans to go up to New Hampshire with a friend
from college and her sister—their family has a cabin up
there."
    For the first time since Randy's arrival Linda really
looked at her sister, and what she saw distressed her. "I thought you
loved acting," she said. "How come you're thinking of giving it up?"
    Randy shrugged. "It isn't as much fun as I thought it
would be."
    "Really?" Linda studied Randy for an additional five
seconds. "You've lost a lot of weight."
    Randy started to explain about the movie role she'd been
dieting for, but her voice trailed off as Linda's dubious look deepened
into disbelief. "It's a long story," she finally said, her voice
slightly husky.
    Linda put a comforting arm around Randy's shoulders. "It
always is, with men," she murmured. "You can tell me about it over
dinner, but right now I need to go to the supermarket. Keep me