Delaney silently agreed that most everyone in Truly loved to gossip—including Gwen—but she didnt think the Shaws were singled out any more than others. Juicy gossip got attention, but as always, her mother overestimated her importance in the food chain. “Okay, Ill think about it. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her brows.

“I hope you do, and for goodness sake, stay away from Nick Allegrezza.

Three million dollars , she told herself. I can do this for three million .

“Whats wrong with you? Are you sick?

“Its just a headache. She took a deep breath and dropped her hands. “I have to go.

“Are you sure? Cant you just stay for tort? I bought it at the Bakery Basket over on Sixth.

Delaney declined and started down the hall to Henrys office. She bid Max good night, then grabbed her coat and shoved her arms into the sleeves.

Her mother pushed Delaneys hands out of the way and buttoned it for her as if she were five again. “I love you, and I worry about you in that little apartment downtown. Delaney opened her mouth to argue, but Gwen put a restraining finger to her lips. “I know you dont want to move back here now, but I just want you to know that if you change your mind, Id love to have you.

Just when Delaney was convinced her mother was Mommy Dearest, the woman changed. It had always been that way. “Ill keep that in mind, Delaney said, hurrying out the door before things changed back again.

Gwen stared at the closed door and sighed. She didnt understand Delaney. Not at all.

She didnt understand why her daughter insisted on living in that horrid little apartment when she didnt have to. She didnt understand why someone whod been given so much opportunity had rejected it all for the life of a wandering beautician . And she couldnt help but be a little disappointed in her, too.

Henry had wanted to give Delaney everything, and shed thrown it away. All shed had to do was let him guide her, but Delaney had wanted her freedom. As far as Gwen was concerned, freedom was overrated. It didnt feed you or your child, and it didnt take away the fear that gripped your stomach in the middle of the night. Some women could take care of themselves just fine, but Gwen wasnt one of those women. She needed and wanted a man to take care of her.

The first night shed met Henry Shaw, shed known he was just the man for her. Forceful and rich. Shed been shampooing wigs and styling hair on the heads of Las Vegas showgirls, and shed hated it. After one of the shows, Henry had come to the dressing room of his latest girlfriend and hed left with Gwen. Hed looked so handsome and so classy. A week later, she married him.

Shed loved Henry Shaw, but more than shed ever loved him, shed been grateful. With his help, she lived the life shed always dreamed. With Henry, the hardest decision she ever had to make was what to serve for dinner and which club to join. Gwen turned and headed down the hall toward Henrys office. Of course thered been a tradeoff for all the privileges. Henry had wanted a legitimate child, and when she didnt conceive, he blamed her. After years of trying, shed finally convinced him to see a fertility specialist, and just as Gwen had suspected, Henry was virtually infertile. He had a very low sperm count, and of the few he did have, most of those were deformed and sluggish. The diagnosis had insulted and enraged Henry, and hed wanted to make love all the time just to prove the doctors all wrong. Hed been so bullheaded and so sure he could conceive a child. Of course the doctors hadnt been wrong. Theyd had sex all the time, even when she hadnt felt like it. But it had never been real bad, and the payback had been worth it. People looked up to her in the community, and she had a life filled with beautiful things.

And then a few years ago, he gave up on the idea of having a child with her. Nick had moved back to town and Henry turned his attention to the child he already had. Gwen didnt like Nick. She didnt like that whole family, but she had been grateful when Henry had finally turned his obsession toward his son.

When Gwen entered the room, she found Max standing behind Henrys desk looking at a few documents sitting on the desk. He looked up and a smile creased the corners of his blue eyes. Silver was just beginning to turn the hair at his temples, and not for the first time lately, she wondered what it would be like to be touched by a man who was closer to her own age. A man as handsome as Max.

“Is Delaney gone? he asked as he walked around the desk toward her.

“She just left. I worry about her. Shes so aimless, so irresponsible. I dont think shell ever grow up.

“Dont worry. Shes a bright girl.

“Yes, but shes almost thirty. Shell—

Max brushed his index finger across her lips and cheek and silenced her words. “I dont want to talk about Delaney. Shes a grown woman. Youve done your job, now you need to step back and think about something else.

Gwens gaze narrowed. Max didnt know what he was talking about. Delaney needed her mothers guidance. Shed lived like a gypsy much too long. “How can you say that? Shes my daughter. How can I possibly not think about her?

“Think about me instead, he said as he dipped his head and softly kissed her mouth.

At first, the lips pressed to hers felt foreign. She couldnt even remember a time when a man other than Henry had kissed her. Max opened his mouth over hers, and she felt the first tentative stroke of his tongue. Pleasure swept across her flesh, and her heart seemed to triple its beat. Shed wanted to know what it felt like to be touched by Max, and now she knew. It felt better than shed imagined.

On the way home from her mothers, Delaney stopped at the Value Rite Drug for a bottle of Tylenol, a four-pack of toilet paper, and a packet of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. She threw in two boxes of tampons because they were on sale, then she stopped at the magazine rack. She picked up a slick publication that reeked of perfume and promised to reveal “The Secrets of Men. She flipped through the pages and tossed it in the cart, planning to read it in the bathtub when she got home. In aisle four she threw in a scented candle, and when she headed down aisle five toward the checkout, she practically ran over Helen Markham.

Helen looked tired, and by the hate glaring from her eyes, shed obviously heard the latest.

Delaney almost felt sorry for her. Helens life couldnt be easy, and Delaney figured she had two choices: make her old enemy squirm, or let her off the hook. “I hope you dont believe the gossip about me and Tommy, she said. “Its not true.

“Stay away from my husband. He doesnt want you coming on to him anymore.

So much for trying to be nice. “I never came on to Tommy.

“Youve always been jealous of me. Always, and now you think you can take my husband, but it wont work.

“I dont want your husband, she said, excruciatingly aware of the two boxes of tampons in her cart, like one wouldnt be enough.

“Youve wanted him since we were in high school. You never could stand that he chose me.

Delaneys gaze swept the contents of Helens cart. A bottle of Robitusson, tweezers, a jumbo pack of Stay-free, and a box of Correctol. Delaney smiled, feeling a slight advantage. Feminine hygiene and laxative. “He only chose you because I wouldnt sleep with him, and you know it. Everyone knew it then, and everyone knows it now. If you hadnt acted like a Sealy Posturepedic, he wouldnt have gone to bed with you.

“Youre pathetic, Delaney Shaw. You always have been. Now you think you can come back, take away my husband and my business.

“I told you I dont want Tommy. She pointed her finger at Helen and leaned forward. “But watch out because I am going to take your business. Her smile conveyed a smugness she didnt feel as she pushed her cart past Helen toward the front of the store. So much for ending the hair war. She was going to kick Helens butt.