The Desert Rose Read Online Free PDF Page B

come you’re such a dreamer?”
    Harmony didn’t know, you were or you weren’t so far as that went, the prune remark was nothing but typical Bonventre, he was known throughout Nevada for his horrible comparisons. Personally Harmony thought Madonna had a great ass, considering she had to be pushing sixty, though Bonventre would naturally be the last person to give her any credit.
    “For a man who’s not exactly the best-looking I ever saw he certainly feels free to criticize,” Harmony said.
    “Well, he’s in the body business, that’s the way he describes it,” Pepper said. “It’s his show, there’s no reason he should have people in it who look bad.”
    “I don’t want to argue with you, Pepper, I’ve known Bonventre a lot longer than you have,” Harmony said, sitting down at the table to have her coffee.
    “That doesn’t mean you know all about him,” Pepper remarked, stretching out her leg and curling her toes.
    “It wouldn’t kill him to say something nice to Madonna,” Harmony said.
    “He just came by to see my lesson, Momma,” Pepper said, standing up and stretching. Even when she was being catty, it was hard not to be proud that your child was so beautiful, she had a nice little bust and basically looked wonderful, even just in the T-shirt.
    The peacocks knew Harmony was there and were pecking impatiently at the back screen, they wanted their breakfast too.
    “Of course Bonventre’s not handsome enough for you, we all know what terrific taste in men you have,” Pepper said.
    “Why’d he come to your lesson?” Harmony asked. Bonventre was not one to drop in on ballet classes unless he had something in mind.
    Pepper shrugged. “Wants me to audition,” she said.
    “Au di tion?” Harmony said. “Audition for what?”
    “To be Monique’s understudy,” Pepper said, setting her plate in the sink.
    Harmony was so stunned by that one that she left her coffee and got up and walked right out the back door, not even noticing the peacocks. All of a sudden she had too many different feelings working in her to even try to sort them out. She had known Bonventre for over twenty years, he was her boss, she saw him every day, what did he mean by trying to audition her daughter to be Monique’s understudy without even saying a word about it to her? As if it were none of her business?
    Harmony went and stood by the back fence, feeling more anger than anything. Bonventre just never stopped, the very first words he had said to her the day she met him had been a lie. He claimed to be a producer when in fact he was just one of Didier’s assistants, he didn’t even care if you found out about his lies five seconds later, he wouldjust look you in the eye and pretend you couldn’t understand plain English or something. And if there was the slightest ground for criticizing someone for physical flaws Bonventre would spot it instantly. For two years after she had had Pepper he told her practically every day that her breasts didn’t match anymore, it was true they didn’t one hundred percent but even Gary who had a good eye for such things said it was something you would only notice if you happened to be looking from a very peculiar angle, like you would have to be in the light booth or somewhere to even notice, it was just Bonventre reminding you that if you worked for him your body was his to condemn.
    While Harmony was standing by the back fence trying not to feel so upset she noticed the tow truck down the road, at least Wendell had come. She started to go back and tell Pepper but before she could Pepper came out the door, she was wearing jeans and a black blouse and had her books and was off down the road without saying goodbye. Of course she had to hurry if she wanted to catch a ride, Wendell was such an expert at towing the Buick that he could latch onto it in about half a minute, but it didn’t help Harmony’s confusion that Pepper had left before she could ask a few questions about Bonventre,