Page 8 of The Summerhouse (The Summerhouse 1)

“You’re prettier than this,” Ellie said, frowning as she closed the portfolio. She wasn’t going to say so, but they were a spectacularly boring set of photos.

Madison just shrugged and looked ahead to where Ira was still stamping people’s papers.

While they sat there, Ellie became aware of people looking at them. They would come in the entrance door, do a double take, look away, then look back again. Or they’d just plain stop and stare until someone jostled them and made them come out of their stupor and move.

“I’m beginning to feel like I should charge people for looking at you two.”

“‘Two?’” Leslie asked, looking at Ellie in astonishment. “I think you mean three.”

“Right,” Ellie said sarcastically. “I must look like a gnome between you two.” Now that Ellie was growing just a tiny bit used to the beauty of Madison, she realized that there was a calmness about the young woman that made her feel good.

“Don’t you realize what that little man has done?” Madison asked.

“Who?” Leslie asked.

“You mean Ira?” Ellie asked.

“Yes, him.” Ira glanced up just as Madison looked at him, and for a moment he paused, his hand raised mid-stamp. “He put us here so he could look at us.”

Ellie gave a little laugh. “You two for sure, but not me.” She expected the two of them to agree, but they didn’t.

Madison looked down at Ellie in that cool way that Ellie was already becoming used to. “But you’re lovely. Sort of like Goldie Hawn, that kind of soft, adorable loveliness.”

Ellie blinked for a moment. Having grown up with four older brothers, she hadn’t received many compliments in her life. Mostly her brothers had told her she was a pest and to go away or they’d make her sorry. “Me?” she finally said. Madison just looked at her, so Ellie turned to Leslie.

“I believe the saying is, Cute as a speckled puppy,” Leslie said, smiling.

; “Hmmm,” Ellie said, thinking about this. “But cute doesn’t last. Can you imagine what Goldie Hawn will look like when she’s fifty?”

Madison was looking at Ira again. “My guess is that he’s going to keep us here awhile. And I’ll bet that he stations women here every day.”

Ellie started to say something, but at that moment Ira motioned for her to come forward. He was holding up three driver’s licenses. In a way, Ellie was glad that Madison was wrong, but she felt some regret that she couldn’t spend more time with these women. She knew no one in New York, and she was beginning to feel a kinship with these women, as all of them were starting a new life.

And, besides, she would really like to hear Leslie’s story about leaving a man at the altar. If she loved anything in the world, it was a good story. Ellie felt that Madison’s story was written on her face, but obviously, Leslie had worked long and hard to get that body of hers.

Ellie was the first to get up. “I’ll get them,” she said, then went to the cage, took all three licenses from Ira, then turned back to the bench. Leslie had a sweater over her arm and a huge black cloth bag, in preparation for leaving with her new license. But Madison hadn’t moved an inch, just sat there looking at Ellie.

“Here we go,” Ellie said as she looked down at the licenses. The one on top was Madison’s. Even her driver’s license photo was gorgeous.

But as she handed it to her, Madison said, “Check it.”

“What?”

“Check the license. Make sure it says what it should.”

“Okay,” Ellie said slowly, looking at Madison as though she were a bit off her rocker. “Madison Aimes, born October the ninth, 1960. We have the same birthday.”

“I have the same birthday too, but not the same last name,” Leslie said. “Aimes is my name.”

At that Ellie looked down at the licenses and saw that the three names were mixed up. Hers said, “Ellie Appleby,” and Leslie’s read, “Leslie Abbott.”

Ellie looked at Madison with wide eyes. “How did you know?”

Madison shrugged. “Happens to me all the time. Any delay, any excuse to keep you there,” she said, then looked away.

Ellie gave a glance to Leslie, then took the licenses back to Ira. At least he didn’t pretend to be sorry for the mistake he’d made. “I guess you three will just have to wait a little bit longer, won’t you?” he said with a smile. “Right there on that bench. And you better not leave the building in case I need to ask any of you any questions.”