"Then we picked up some takeout Chinese and brought it back to eat with Chris," she finished, then added, "Speaking of Chris, Katie, he's not taking this broken leg thing at all well. He's terribly depressed and whiney. Or, has he always been whiney?"
"Oh, who cares about Chris!" her cousin exclaimed impatiently. "Tell me what else you and Bastien did."
"Katie!" Terri gave a laugh.
"Oh, you know what I mean. He'll be fine. And men are always whiney when they're injured or hurt. Now, tell me what else you did Sunday."
"Well, that was about it. We ate Chinese food in, and watched some rented movies. It was nice and relaxing. Bastien's a charming host."
"Yes, he can be charming." The grin in Kate's voice was obvious. "Where is he now?"
"In the Argeneau offices."
"No, he isn't," Kate said promptly. "I called there first and there was no answer. Even his secretary, Meredith, isn't in. But then, she won't arrive for another hour, I don't think."
"He must be on his way back up here," Terri decided. "He only went down to leave Meredith some instructions for the day. We're going to the museum."
"What?" Kate cried. "On a workday?"
"When I got up this morning, he said he'd had a business meeting scheduled for the day, but that the key attendee had canceled and rescheduled, so he thought he'd go to the museum. He invited me to go with him," she explained, twisting the phone cord around her finger. Her news was followed by yet another muffled conversation at the other end of the phone, but this time the hand or whatever Kate was using to cover the phone, must have slipped, because Terri heard Lucern grunt and say what sounded like "… he's probably the key attendee who canceled." Then the phone was covered properly, and Terri couldn't make out the rest.
Letting the cord unravel from her finger, she shifted onto her side on the bed and ran her free hand over the comforter beneath her, the same that had covered her when she'd awoken Saturday morning. Terri had recognized it from Bastien's bed in the master suite, and knew he must have carried her to bed and covered her with it. He hadn't asked for it back yet, and she hadn't thought to return it. In truth, she was rather reluctant to do so. It smelled so good.
Smiling, she buried her nose in the material and inhaled the scent clinging to it. The duvet still smelled of Bastien, a smell she liked. Terri decided she'd have to ask him what cologne he wore. Perhaps she'd buy it as a gift for someone someday.
"Terri?"
"Yes." She shifted and sat up guiltily on the bed, embarrassed despite the fact that Kate couldn't possibly see what she was doing.
"You're very lucky. Bastien is a wonderful man. Smart, hardworking, nice, and a perfect gentleman, he'll—"
"Kate," Terri interrupted. "We're going to the museum. It isn't necessarily a date. The man's just being a good host until you get back."
"Uh-huh." Her cousin didn't sound convinced. "Have fun. I know you will. And tell him hello from us. We'll call again in the next couple of days to see how the romance is progressing."
"There's no romance to progress!" Terri protested. But she was speaking to dead air. Kate had already hung up the phone. Terri stared at the receiver in her hand with dismay. Good Lord, she thought faintly, had Kate and Lucern lost their minds? She and Bastien were just going to the museum, but to those two that was apparently the equivalent of a romance. Jeez, she hoped the guy didn't ever ask her out on a real date. Kate and Lucern would consider them as good as married.
Shaking her head, Terri replaced the receiver and pushed herself off the bed. She had to get dressed and fix her hair. She was supposed to be ready to go in fifteen minutes.
"Oh, look!"
Bastien smiled as Terri rushed to the next exhibit: a work in enamel, silver, silver-gilt, and gold.
" 'A Reliquary of the True Cross (Staurotheke), late eighth, early ninth century Byzantine,' " she read aloud as he caught up to her. She stepped back, tilting her head first left, then right, and squinted before pronouncing, "It's really ugly, huh? Looks kind of Picasso-ish to me."
Bastien glanced at the piece and nodded. He had to agree, it did look rather Picasso-ish. Not that Terri saw him nod; she'd already noticed the next exhibit in the room and rushed off with another "Oh, look!"
Chuckling softly, Bastien followed. The next piece was a small house-shaped box seven or eight inches tall, and just about as wide.
" 'Bursa Reliquary, early 900s, North Italian, Bone, copper-gilt, wood,'" she read to him, then sighed. As she peered at it, this time she didn't step back, but leaned closer and walked slowly around its glass case. "Look at the detail," she said with awe as she came around to the front. "I can't believe they were able to do such delicate work back then. It must have taken someone forever to make this."