wait," Ron said.
"Yeah," Kerry said. "We can wait."
Ron set his stack of presents in a sofa and settled down next to them. Kerry followed suit on the sofa opposite Ron.
"It won't take them long to open their presents," Ron said. "You could consider it a study break."
Kathryn knew she wouldn't get anything done until Ron had handed out his presents. "I'll tell Ruby to bring the girls down."
"She's got to come, too," Ron said. "I brought something for her."
"Why would you buy Ruby a present?" Kathryn's surprise caused her to ask before she realized it was a rude question.
"Because she answered the phone when I called. Somebody had to tell me the girls' names and help me figure out what to give them. You can stop standing there with your mouth open. You have a beautiful mouth, but I like it better when you smile."
Kathryn closed her mouth, too stunned to smile.
"While you're trying to remember how to smile," Ron said, "you can open your present."
"You shouldn't have bought me anything," Kathryn said. She was afraid her surprise was clear to both Ron and Kerry. Her pleasure was, too.
"I couldn't bring something for Ruby and not for you," Ron said.
Kathryn worried what Kerry was thinking. She'd always remained above gossip. If he started telling people Ron was giving her gifts, they could get the wrong idea.
"They're not terribly imaginative," Ron said. "I didn't have much time, and airport shops never have a good selection."
Kathryn didn't patronize airport shops - they never had anything she wanted and charged twice as much as she'd have paid elsewhere - but she had no doubt Ron would have had them fly anything in that was out of stock.
"I'll get the girls," she said.
It took a little convincing to talk Ruby into leaving her kitchen long enough to accept her gift, but the girls came tumbling down the stairs as if they were responding to a four-alarm fire.
"Don't you say a word about your father," she whispered to Kerry. "We'll figure out something later."
She needn't have worried. The moment Lisette saw Kerry, she started babbling happily. Kerry couldn't have gotten a word in if he'd tried.
"Your father brought something for everybody," Kathryn said to Cynthia. "That was very thoughtful of him."
Cynthia appeared unexcited by the stacks of presents. "Why?"
"Ask him."
"He'll probably say it was rude to give me a present without bringing something for everyone else. Like he would even remember me."
"Leigh remembered you when you didn't think she would. Don't you think your father has an even better reason?"
Kathryn wondered whether Cynthia was afraid to believe her father had truly thought of her. She couldn't be too critical of Cynthia. She had never believed her father had thought of her when he came home from trips bearing presents, even when they came from stores in the cities he'd visited. It was obvious to Kathryn his secretary had ordered them.
"The other girls can't open their presents until you do. If you don't hurry, Lisette will explode."
Julia was pleased, Betsy petrified. Ruby Collias didn't appear able to decide whether to disapprove or just accept her present and go back to her kitchen.
"You have to open your presents, too," Lisette said to Kathryn. "We all want to know what you got."
"You can start with this one," Ron said, handing her a small but rather heavy package. He'd gotten two presents for each of them.
All of the girls received necklaces with their birthstones as pendants. Naturally Lisette's would be a diamond. She squealed with delight, jumped up and gave Ron an impetuous hug and kiss.
"You don't have to hug me," Ron said to the other girls. "Just open your other gift."
"Miss Roper hasn't opened hers," Lisette said.
Kathryn knew she couldn't accept anything as extravagant as a birthstone pendant from Ron. Her birthstone was a ruby. She held her breath as she tore off the paper and opened the box.
"They're little pictures," Lisette said, obviously disappointed.
"They're coasters for the living room," Ron said. "Now I'll have someplace to set my glass of water."
Even as Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief, she felt her internal tension level rise. The pendants were probably handled by someone in his office, but Ron had obviously picked her gift out himself. It didn't matter that it was worth only a few dollars as opposed to a few thousand; it meant more because he'd chosen it.
"Maybe you'll get something better next time," Lisette whispered.
Kathryn knew it would be impossible to explain why her coasters were