Rose laughed and continued the massage. It had become an unspoken ritual between them. Ronnie would groan about her feet and she would immediately offer to rub them. They would spend hours on the couch like that, Rose sitting in the reclined position with her legs straight out and Ronnie lying across the length of the couch with her feet being pampered. The younger woman only paid a passing glance at the television as her attention focused on the soft flesh beneath her fingers.


Rose took special pleasure in rubbing Ronnie’s feet. With the exception of cuddling at night it was the only physical contact they generally shared. She could not explain why, but it made her smile to hear the hedonistic groans coming from her friend’s lips in reaction to her fingers. With all the stress over the audit and Tommy not speaking to anyone but his mother, the massages were one of the few things that brought a smile to Ronnie’s face, and that smile was something Rose tried to see at every opportunity.


She looked down and studied the foot before her. Baby smooth skin gave way to the slightest callus at the widest part of the heel. She let her fingertips glide over the softness from toe to ankle before moving her thumbs back down below to knead out the tightness. Rose pressed with a little more force than usual and was rewarded with a moan that teetered on the edge of sensual. She repeated the motion but only received a lesser version of the desired sound. Undaunted, she released Ronnie’s foot and pulled the other one in her grasp. “You know, when I get out of these casts I’ll give you a backrub you won’t forget.”


“Mmmm…” A slow, sexy smile crossed Ronnie’s lips and she opened one eye lazily. “You’re too good to be wasted in an office job. I think I’ll change your position to Chief Masseuse.”


“Uh huh…do I get a raise with that new title?”


“You keep touching me like that and I’ll pay you whatever you want.” Ronnie’s eyes closed again as Rose’s fingers pressed in all the right places.


“I’ll remember that,” the younger woman replied, her mind traveling to thoughts of having Ronnie’s strong back beneath her fingers in the future.Her fingers stopped moving and she shook her head to clear the unusual thought. Yes, she enjoyed touching Ronnie, but that? She gave a short laugh and concentrated on what she was doing.


“What’s so funny?” Ronnie asked, opening one eye and looking down at her friend.


“Oh, nothing…just something on Home Improvement. He really is a menace around tools, isn’t he?”


“Hm?”“Uh, yeah.” She sensed there was more to it than Rose was letting on. She thought only briefly about saying something but the rubbing started again and Ronnie closed her eyes, surrendering to the gentle touch. They stayed in that position for the next hour, both silently enjoying what began as a massage and turned into a light caresses. The blissful and peaceful scene was shattered a moment later when the phone rang.


“Damn.” Ronnie reluctantly sat up. “If it’s one of those MCI people again I’m going to kill them.” Her toes felt cold where only seconds before they had been held in Rose’s soft, warm hands. She padded out to the kitchen and picked up the phone. “Cartwright Residence.” She began walking back into the living room, phone in hand, when she stopped. “When did that happen? Well, did they catch anyone?” She stepped into Rose’s view. “Is that the one on Central? Yeah, I’ll meet you there in a half an hour. Okay, bye Susan.” She hung up the phone and shook her head.


“Ronnie?”


“Unbelievable.” She sank onto the couch and let out a long breath. “Someone broke into the office tonight.”


“Oh no. I hope no one was hurt.”


“Susan didn’t say anything about that. The police caught the guy, though.” Ronnie had to smile inwardly.It was yet another example of the little things about Rose she found so endearing. “I have to meet Susan at the police station. They caught one of the robbers.” She reluctantly stood up.

“Let’s get you back in your room before I go.” She helped Rose back into her chair and soon had the young woman settled into bed. “I’d better get going,” she said as she looked down into soft green eyes and had an irrepressible urge to hug her. Ah, the hell with it. She leaned in quickly and wrapped her long arms around Rose’s shoulders. “I’ll call you if I’m going to be late.” She smiled when she felt her squeeze returned.


“Be careful. It’s been snowing,” the young woman said once they separated.


“I will.”



* * *

Ronnie made it to the police station first and spoke with the night sergeant who directed her to one of the detectives. She returned to the lobby several minutes later, seething with anger at the information the officer had given her.


Susan and Jack came down the hallway, shaking snow off their coats. “I went down to the office. You wouldn’t believe it. They’ve got that yellow tape up and your office looks like a bulldozer went through it,” the redhead said as she hung her coat up on the nearby rack. “It looks like they were trying to get into the safe.”


“He was,” Ronnie replied coolly. “I guess it’s a good thing I changed the combination last week, huh?” To her sister’s confused look, she nodded and continued. “That’s right, Susan. Go ahead and guess who broke into the offices and tried to steal from us, from our FAMILY!” Her raised voice drew the attention of several nearby officers, forcing Ronnie to speak through clenched teeth in an attempt to keep her anger in check. “The prodigal son is down in the lockup now. Probably being fingerprinted and introduced to his new husband for the next five to ten years.” She made no attempt to hide the anger in her tone.


“You mean Tommy…?” Susan shook her head. “No, that’s impossible.”


“You’re right, Susan.” Clenching her fists in disbelief, she continued sarcastically. “The strung out junkie down in lockup, he just looks like Tommy and carries his wallet around with him. ”

“But…maybe he just went back to get something. You changed all the locks, maybe he set the alarm off accidentally?” She looked to her husband for support, but saw only the truth reflected back.


“Sweetheart, I think your sister is right this time. You were there, you saw the office.” He gave Ronnie an apologetic look. “I’ve heard drugs can make people do all sorts of things, even steal from their own relatives.”


“Well that’s real enlightening, Jack. Are you just now realizing Tommy has a drug problem?”


“Ronnie, just because you’re upset doesn’t mean you can take it out on Jack. After all, it’s not his fault.”


“No Susan, it’s not Jack’s fault Tommy’s in jail, it’s Tommy’s, and I think we should leave his ass there until he straightens up.”


“What?” The redhead stood between her sister and husband. “You can’t honestly be thinking about leaving him here…in jail?”


“Why the hell not? He broke into the office, tried to break into the safe. Susan, if we keep coddling him…”


“I’m not coddling him. I’m just saying you can’t leave him in jail overnight.”


“Oh, well, thanks for explaining the difference,” Ronnie scoffed, turning away and rubbing her face in exasperation. “Susan…” She kept her back to her younger sister. “Tommy has a drug problem. First it was stealing money from the real estate projects then it was forging loans. Now he’s committing robbery to try and get money for his habit. I think it’s time for some tough love.” She turned to see streaks in her sister’s makeup from the tears that were starting to fall. “Look, maybe this is the best thing for him. A few days to get those drugs out of his system and he’ll be good as new.”


Susan shook her head adamantly. “No. It’s two days before Christmas. I can’t let my younger brother, my ONLY brother, spend Christmas in jail, I just can’t.” She looked up at her husband.

“Can’t you do something?”


“I’m a tax attorney, Honey. If he was being arrested for cheating on his taxes, then yes I could help him. I’m not really versed in criminal law.”


Susan tapped her finger to her chin, unwilling to give up. “I’ve got it!” Her eyes grew wide.

“We’ll refuse to press charges. No crime, no jail.”


“That would be fine except for one little detail.” Ronnie held her forefinger and thumb slightly apart. “It seems Hercules in there decided that he didn’t want to go willingly with the cops. He bit one of them.” She wiggled her fingers together as if wiping away her sister’s idea.


“What about bail? We can get him out on bail, can’t we?”


“Susan, it’s better to leave him in there, don’t you understand? He needs help, help he won’t get if he’s allowed to roam the streets.”


“Ronnie, I know you two haven’t always gotten along and I know he’s jealous of you, but how can you be so petty that you would let your own brother spend Christmas in jail?”


A bald man strode into the station, his briefcase in one hand and his cellular phone in the other.

“I came as soon as I got the call.” It was Richard Jenkins, the family lawyer who did little more than fix their parking tickets in exchange for his huge annual retainer. “I’ve been on the phone with the ADA for the last half hour.”


“Who called you?” Ronnie asked.


“Why, your mother did, of course. Tommy couldn’t remember my number.”


“You mean Tommy called her?” She turned away from them and cursed silently.There was one last hope. “What about biting the cop?”


“All taken care of.” Jenkins smiled proudly. “He only tore through the guy’s shirt and didn’t touch his skin so we were able to bargain it down to restitution and community service to be served after the new year.” He opened his briefcase and put the phone away. “If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll be back in a few minutes with your brother.” He nodded at Jack. “Good to see you again.”


“Likewise, Richard.”


Ronnie had enough. She fished her coat off the rack and roughly tossed it on. “Where are you going?” Susan asked.


“I don’t feel like sticking around to celebrate.” She looked down to see that in her haste she had misbuttoned her coat. “I’m telling you, Susan. Letting him out like this is a big mistake.” She gave up on the buttons and angrily tugged the belt around her waist. “What he needs is rehab, not a get out of jail free card.”


“Maybe what he needs is to know that his family loves him and supports him,” Susan snapped back. “How do you think he felt to find out his own sister had him locked out of the family business?”


“How did you feel when you heard the result of the audit? You enjoy watching your annual dividends go into Tommy’s pocket?” Susan opened her mouth to protest, then closed it, realizing her sister was right.


“Maybe it will work out, Ronnie. Maybe this is what he needed to get himself back on track.”


“Don’t get your hopes up, Susan. I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”




Too angry to return straight home, Ronnie drove around the streets of Albany for over an hour. She returned home to a dark house. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she slipped into the room and began to get undressed in the dark. “I’m awake,” Rose said as she switched on the lamp.


“I was trying to be quiet.”


“I was waiting up for you. How did it go?”


“Not well.” She turned her back and removed her shirt. “It seems our burglar is none other than my baby brother.”


“Tommy?”


“Nice way to treat his family, don’t you think?” She pulled the T-shirt over her head and turned around to find Rose had put the bed in an upright position.She slipped under the covers and adjusted her pillows. “I didn’t bother going down to see the damage first hand. I have enough of a headache.” She brought her fingers to her temples.