CHAPTER 1
It was after midnight and snowing. The lights of the restaurant in the small town on Long Island turned off and Gus the proprietor embraced his night manager and wished Mrs Glade Banks well.
"Once again I ask," said Gus. "Where will you relocate?"
"I've told you. I'll decide when I go to the airport tomorrow."
"You're burying your past, aren't you?"
"Yes. Goodbye Gus."
Glade walked off, her footsteps punching through new snow that had began falling almost four hours ago and now it was just after 1:00. At present and for a long time there had been little joy in her life. She intended changing that.
Next morning Glade entered the terminal and heard an elderly couple ask a security guy which way to catch a flight to Los Angeles. The officer pointed the couple to a woman in a United Airlines uniform.
An hour later Glade, now calling herself Miss, dropping the title Mrs, boarded a near-full flight and left for LA, burying her past. She'd moved into the town on Long Island eighteen months earlier and four months later married Mark Glade who owned a vehicle-servicing center. Mark was now serving time for bigamy, Glade's marriage being nothing more than memories and a scrap of worthless paper. She'd been left virtually broke and worked at Gus Little's restaurant seven days a week until she'd saved $10,000, often working double shifts. After her bank balance exceeded her target Glade felt financially secure enough to move away to begin a new life.
The attractive 27-year old carried her coat, blinking in the bright LA sunlight, and fished out sunglasses.
"Jules?"
Well, that was an original pickup line Glade thought. She replied politely no, that was not her name.
"I'm supposed to meet Jules Johnston, my new personal assistant from New York. She is tall and blonde."
"Well good luck," Glade said.
The kind-faced guy of 50-something smiled and said thank you.
Minutes later the guy walked by escorting a tall blonde. He swung back and said, "Miss, may we drop you off in the city?"
"Well..."
"No strings attached. I'm just been polite. After all you could have said go away you creep."
"Indeed but then I was reared to be polite. Thank you, I accept your offer."
Glade, of course, had no idea she'd just met her next husband, Frank Guthrie Codd, a millionaire insurance broker.
"I'm Glade Banks."
"Glade, what a pretty name. I'm Frank Codd and this is my niece I haven't seen in almost ten years, Jules Johnstone."
"Hi Jules, how did you find your uncle?"
She laughed and said she did what her mother had suggested and looked for an overweight guy in a striped suit and diagonally striped tie looking for someone."
"It worked." said Mr Codd. "Call me Frank girls." He escorted them to a black Mercedes car in a no-parking zone and tipped the official standing beside it.
"Sit in the back together girls. Jules you said you were nervous about coming to LA and knowing only me, and then only vaguely, and a handful of relatives. Well you now know Glade who is your age."
"I'm twenty-seven," said Jules.
"Ditto," laughed Glade. "I'm the victim of a bigamist and have fled the shame and the snow of New York to begin a new life."
"Oh my dear," Frank said. "What a damn shame."
"Yes," Jules said, "How horrible for you. Where are you staying?"
"I'll find somewhere. I went to the airport this morning not knowing where I would go but thought something would come up. When I entered the terminal I heard someone asking directions for the flight to Los Angeles so thought something had come up."
"Oh how brave of you. I could never do that," Jules said.
"Is this guy in prison?"
"Yes Frank, with another eighteen months to go."
"Glade, may I invite you to stay with us for a while until you find your feet? There is a permanent house keeper and a cook so you won't feel alone and I'm sure Jules would appreciate the company."
"Oh yes, please accept Glade."
Glade moved in and stayed in that house for eight years.
A month after arriving at Codd Mansion as Frank called it, Jules was invited away for a weekend and for the first time Glade went out alone with Frank. He termed it 'an auspicious occasion'.
It was certainly astonishing for Glade because over the table at his club Frank picked up Glade's hand and declared he'd fallen head over heels in love with her.
"Please don't call me a stupid old fool."
"No, never would I do that Frank. I admire you. You are courteous, generous and even-tempered. I cannot fault you but I don't love you -- how can I? We barely know one another."
"We see each other every day. You have grown on me Glade. You are beautiful and charming. I watch the way you move. When I run my eyes over your body I have that woman's complaint, hot flushes."
Glade giggled and said that was lust. "So this is about sex?"
"Yes but more than that. I have fallen in love with you."
"You are confusing desire for love Frank. Well if you must know I do admire you, so if you'd like a night of sex well so would I. It has been some time for me and I rather like it."
"Two nights -- Jules is also away tomorrow night."
Glade smiled and said, "Down boy. Don't get too keen."
On the way home Glade asked, "This must stop after tomorrow night. I don't wish Jules to know about this."
"She already knows."
"Frank, that is impossible. Nothing has happened yet."
"I've confided my feelings about you to Jules when she said she'd be away this weekend. She said then what a perfect opportunity for me to make my pitch. She said you like me."
"I would have preferred had you not said anything to Jules."
"Well I'm glad I did. I would have been too nervous to make the pitch without her support."
"Oh Frank."
"Oh Glade."
"No I meant oh Frank, should we be doing this?"
"Of course we should -- boy or rather old man likes girl. Girl can tolerate old man and is spiritually lonely. So they merge."
"Oh what a lovely way of putting it. Frank, we have been drinking. We may end up disappointed."
"Oh yeah," Frank said, turning to make sure Glade saw his leer.
The first thing Jules said after greetings were exchanged on Sunday evening was, "Did you two make it to bed?"
"Y-yes," Glade said bravely and Frank looked at her admiringly.
"Nice one uncle. I'd like you two to sleep together every night. You'll be good together. Who knows, it may lead to bigger things."
Well it certainly gave Glade a new life. She was introduced to Frank's business and social friends including friends of his wife who'd died during medical misadventure two years earlier.
Two months later Frank married Glade at a civil wedding attending by 120 guests including the parents of Jules who was chief bridesmaid.
The couple insisted Jules stay on living at the house and she agreed. Frank worked into the evening whereas she left the office at 5:30 so she and Glade would then go shopping or to the beach or take in an early film. If they went to the theatre they always went as a threesome and then that because a foursome when Jules found a university lecturer in anthropology called Mark Sloan.
Sadly, six months after the wedding Frank collapsed and died running up the stairs of his office.
After grief-stricken Glade regained her composure she drove Jules to the airport. Jules had been dumped by Mark and so decided to return home.
"Why don't you come back with me?" Jules pleaded yet again.
As expected she received the same answer, "No, my life is here now. I am giving you a gift I can easily afford and you are to accept it without any fuss. You befriended me on my first day in this city and as a result of that I got my confidence back and then landed well and truly on my feet."
Jules looked at the check for $500,000. "You shouldn't have."
"Well I have so shut up darling."
Half an hour later at security they cried into their final farewell and pledged to stay in touch.
Glade tipped the official and drove off from the VIP area feeling she was beginning yet another life. She parked as soon as she could outside of the airport and wept, feeling alone again. Well it was now up to her, wasn't it? She nodded and dried her eyes.
* * *
Glade's attorney had estimated she would be worth between $70-$75 million after probate. A partner had already purchased Frank's majority stockholding in the business. Glade was so sad that Frank had been addicted to making his fortune and had been loathed to spend time enjoying it on world travel and being in pursuit of other things. It was also sad he'd not been able to father children. She accepted he liked nothing better than being engaged in the pursuit of legitimately taking money off other people and that of course is how fortunes are assembled.
The first task facing Glade after the funeral was to appoint a person to act as her business and social secretary. Glade interviewed eight people that the agency had short-listed for her and chose an elderly widow who lived close by. It was a perfect arrangement because during mutual downtime Mrs Guy, Olga the young cook and Mrs Monk the housekeeper played cards and drank red wine.
Glade regarded that appointment, her first independent business decision, as perfect. She established a bank account from which Mrs Monk had authority to draw $20,000 a month to allocate to worthy causes from begging letters that came in. Should those letters dry up Mrs Monk had authority to allocate available funds to the charity or charities of her choice.
Genuine suitors or charlatans had been calling from two days after the funeral but Glade found her own men, usually at the club where widows were eligible to continue their husband's membership. She took up tennis lessons and swimming lessons at the club and was attracted to the athletic tennis coach, as were many women. His name was Rodney Beamish and he was took an interest because he'd never heard of a woman called Glade and when she laughed he caught the eye twinkle and then when she came out for the first lesson and he saw her great legs he focused, oh how he focused. Two days later he called Glade.
"I can't stop thinking of you. Complain to management if you wish."
"Why would I want to do that? I'm flattered you have noticed me."
"You are?"
"Yes, I'm looking for a male to stay the night. Drop around if you are interested."
"When?"
"Why waste time, tonight. I was told you were not currently in a relationship."
"Correct, so you checked up on me?"
"Yes but didn't know what to do next."
"When you came out in your outfit I thought wow."
"You must think that about a lot of women clients?"
"I do, but when you bent over to pick up a ball I thought oh momma mia."
