The Darlings Read Online Free PDF

in the lobbies, awaiting the delivery of their dinners. In their offices, the deals that would make tomorrow’s papers were being negotiated; large sums of money were changing hands; wealth was being created. It was reassuring to see the lights still on.
    They walked quietly together for a few blocks, their feet falling in rhythm on the sidewalk. “Your mom did a great job tonight, I thought,” Paul said, after a time. “Good crowd.”
    â€œShe really did. It was so hard this year, with everything that’s going on. It was strange, didn’t you think, to have so many people missing?” Merrill shivered involuntarily, pulling her fur tight to her body.
    â€œI certainly noticed Mack not being there.”
    â€œYou know who else wasn’t there? Morty. I was surprised. He was supposed to be at Mom and Dad’s table.”
    â€œHe probably got stuck at work. It’s been rocky lately. RCM’s had a lot of redemption requests.”
    â€œHe’s spending Thanksgiving with us,” Merrill said softly. She drew to a stop on the corner as the light began to flash Don’t Walk. “I worry about him sometimes. Julianne is apparently off skiing with her friends in Aspen.” She raised her eyebrows disapprovingly. “Can you imagine us not spending Thanksgiving together? I mean, for God’s sake. It’s a family holiday. She should at least pretend to enjoy her husband’s company.”
    â€œWell, I suppose second marriages can be different.” Paul said, as diplomatically as possible. An image of Julianne in a white bikini and mesh sarong popped into his mind, which he tried to dismiss. This happened anytime anyone mentioned Julianne; it was what she was wearing the first time Paul met her. Julianne had a tight body but she was still just a little too old for most of her wardrobe. Her hair was thick and slightly too orange and when she smiled, Paul got a distinct sense that someone was about to be conned out of something.
    â€œWe have such a good thing, you and me,” he said. “I’m so lucky.”
    Merrill laughed. “I’m no trophy wife, that’s for sure.”
    â€œYou’re my only wife,” he said. “Only one I’ll ever have.”
    She smiled. Before the light changed, she drew close to him, her lips lingering at his ear. “I’m the lucky one,” she whispered.
    As they passed the Delphic headquarters, Paul looked up at his office. The Seagram Building was a colossal steel structure that shimmered bronze, even at night. At the time it was built, it was the most expensive skyscraper in the world. The solidness of it gave Paul a strange sense of confidence, as though the weight of the building assured him that his job would be there in the morning.
I’m still here
, he thought to himself, pulling his wife closer.
    â€œHere’s where I leave you,” Merrill said, when they reached the corner of Sixty-second Street.
    Paul pulled her in for a quick kiss. Their lips lingered on each other’s, soft and familiar. She tasted like chocolate cake, and he could smell the faint trace of champagne on her breath. “Please come home soon,” he said. “I miss my wife.”
    Merrill smiled. “I will,” she said, and kissed him again on the cheek. “Just one drink, I promise.”
    His eyes followed her. Just before she turned the corner, she looked back at him and gave him a little wave. The collar of her coat was up, obscuring her elegant, slender neck from view. He loved that neck. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out her BlackBerry and held it up to her ear as she disappeared into the night air.
    As Paul made his way uptown, the offices gave way to residential buildings. The sidewalks grew quiet, populated only by couples walking their dogs or coming home from a late dinner. The temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up, ruffling the awnings overhead and the