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“I don’t know,” Celia answered as she turned off the tap water. “Depends on what you’re after. Scary? Funny? Outrageous?”

“I suppose,” Kelsey responded, “that Lady Love ought to show up in something a little outrageous, probably a little sexy.”

“A little sexy?”

“Okay, okay, a lot sexy!”

Celia nodded. “We can do that. What about Mitch?”

“I have no idea,” Kelsey said. “He doesn’t want anything too flamboyant, so I guess my Adam and Eve idea with suitably placed fig leaves is out.”

Kelsey loaded up two plates with salad and fresh vinaigrette, grated some Italian cheese and handed one plate to Celia. Pouring two glasses of Chablis, she offered one to her guest and sat down with her at the kitchen table.

Celia took a few bites of her salad. “I can picture Adam and Eve. Hmm, do they make fig leaves big enough?”

Kelsey feigned indignation. “Celia, I’m not that big!”

“I didn’t mean for you,” Celia replied, dangling her fork off the end of her fingers and giving Kelsey a sly look.

Kelsey caught her drift and laughed. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t know about that.”

“But you’d like to,” Celia insisted.

“No comment,” Kelsey said, turning her attention to her dinner to avoid dwelling on the picture Celia’s words brought to mind.

They both looked up when they heard a loud banging coming from the front door of the brownstone. “Do you know if Fred was expecting someone?” Kelsey asked.

“No, but maybe he or Mitch forgot their keys.”

“Could be,” Kelsey said, dropping her napkin. As she quickly descended the wooden stairs to the foyer, the knock continued in an almost imperious repetition. Kelsey paused to look through the peephole.

“Oh, great.” She sighed aloud when she recognized the blonde who had been in Mitch’s apartment that night Kelsey had burst in. She hadn’t seen the woman around since, and had begun to hope Mitch wasn’t dating her after all. Kelsey contemplated going back upstairs and not answering, but her good manners won out and she opened the door.

“Well, thank you so much,” the woman said in a brisk voice. “I’ve been knocking for five minutes, and it’s very chilly out here.”

She tried to push past Kelsey to enter the brownstone, but Kelsey blocked her. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Mitch,” the blonde said.

“He’s not here.”

“Well, when will he be back?” The woman was obviously annoyed at being kept standing on the doorstep.

“I have no idea. We don’t exactly keep track of each other’s comings and goings.”

The woman eyed her again, and Kelsey almost wished she’d bothered with a little more makeup and hadn’t pulled her hair into a ponytail while making dinner. This statuesque blonde reeked money, looking every bit as lovely as she had the last time she’d been over. Her knee-length coat was obviously cashmere, and she carried a Gucci bag. Her hair was perfectly in place, and her makeup impeccable.

“Give him this, please,” she said, shoving something toward Kelsey with one leather-glove-clad hand. “It’s his invitation to the Halloween ball. Tell him I am counting on him to come, Kelly.”

“It’s Kelsey.”

“Of course.” The woman offered her an insincere smile. “Kelsey, Mitch’s friend’s sister. He has, of course, told me all about how your family was so kind to him. And how he felt so obligated to rent you a room here to repay them.”

Obligated? Mitch felt obligated? Kelsey began to see red. Just then Mitch’s car swung up the driveway, and the blonde glanced over her shoulder and smiled in relief. They watched him park his car and start toward the house. Some imp of mischief made Kelsey say, “He’s here now, and you can offer the ticket, but I don’t think he needs it.”

“Oh?” the woman asked, raising her eyebrow imperiously. “Why do you say that?”

“Mitch has a date for the ball. He’s going with me. And I’ve already got tickets.”

“You’re not serious!”

“About what?” Mitch asked as he walked up the two steps to the front door of the brownstone.

Amanda turned to him and shrilly announced, “Your little ‘pseudo-sister’ here claims