An American Love Story Read Online Free Page B

follow it and be yours forever. What works on a dog will work on a man. Or kill him.” She giggled. “And don’t strain it. Actually, it tastes very good.”
    But in the end, Laura didn’t dare. She didn’t want to cast a spell suitable for dogs on Clay. She would wait.
    The offer came in when Nina was nine months old. Clay arrived home only half an hour late, with two bottles of chilled champagne. He and Laura sat in front of the fireplace and he opened one. “I have the chance I’ve been waiting for,” he said, his face glowing with excitement. He had never looked more handsome.“You know Artists Alliance International owes a lot to me. I’ve brought in a great deal of money. But now it’s time for me to think of myself—of us —and move on. You remember I told you that the main television shows are on film now and coming out of Hollywood. This is the time of golden opportunity. And that’s with the networks, on the creative end. You know that’s what I’ve always loved. I’ve just been given an offer from RBS to be their West Coast head of drama development. I’ve taken it.”
    He poured them both glasses of champagne, handed her one, and touched his glass to hers. “To the future,” he said.
    “To the future,” she murmured, excited but a little frightened and confused at the quick and unexpected turn of events. “Do you mean we’d live in California …?”
    “I’ll take a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel until I get my bearings,” Clay said. “I’ll get over the hectic part at the beginning, and then you’ll come out and see if you like it. Meanwhile, I’ll come in to see you and Nina all the time.”
    Laura sipped her champagne. She thought of them together, building a new life, striking out on a new frontier. “I guess we have to sell the apartment,” she said. Despite her excitement she felt a sharp pang of disappointment that their beautiful apartment would be gone before they’d even begun to realize their plans for it.
    “Sell it?” Clay said. “Of course not. I’ll never sell this apartment; it’s our home.”
    “But you said …”
    “Honey, those jobs are here today and gone tomorrow. I could be fired in six months. This place is our roots. I’ll keep it until I’m broke.” He smiled at her. “But you know I’ll never be broke.”
    “No, you never will,” Laura said. “You’ll always be the wonder boy with the magic touch. That’s what they called you the night I met you.”
    “Golden boy,” he corrected her. “I remember everything about that night. The minute I saw you I knew I had to have you. And I do have you now, and you have me.”
    They made love that night, fiercely, tenderly, and Laura thoughtafterward that for Clay at least, success was the only aphrodisiac that worked. “Send for me soon,” she whispered against his lips.
    “I will,” he whispered back.
    But he didn’t, for months and months. He called every morning and night, saying he missed her, and he flew in for five days every month, but his New York days were filled with meetings and she only saw him at night when he was exhausted. He missed Nina’s first birthday because he had to be in L.A. on a project, and although he arrived three weeks later with a teddy bear from F.A.O. Schwarz bigger than his daughter was, an un-birthday party just wasn’t the same. Edward had already given Nina the identical bear, when Tanya and Edward substituted at the real birthday party, and Laura felt sad and guilty for Clay because he meant so well and he hadn’t been the first.
    So Nina would feel surrounded by protection, Laura set the two toy bears in chairs at a child’s tea table; father bear and godfather bear. She missed Clay so much her throat hurt all the time, even though she was busy every moment, losing the rest of the weight she had gained, taking extra ballet classes, arranging just in case for Nina’s future nursery school, finding things for the apartment. She told herself it