“No, it isn't,” Jimmy said wisely. “The guy's a shell. Nothing he says means anything. It's all about beauty and bullshit. And look at the women he gets. Thirty years from now, do you want a bimbo in a thong serving you breakfast, or a real person you can talk to?”
“Can I take a minute to think that over?” Mark said, and they both laughed.
“Yeah, okay, it's probably fun for a while, but then what? It would drive me insane.” Maggie had been such a whole person. Smart, real, beautiful, fun, sexy. She had been everything he'd ever wanted. The last thing Jimmy wanted was a bimbo. And all Mark wanted was Janet. But on the surface, Cooper Winslow looked like he had all his bases covered. Even Jimmy had to admit he was impressive. “Actually, he can keep the woman with the tits. Given a choice, I want the loafers. They were terrific.”
“You keep the loafers. I'll take the bimbo. Thank God, he didn't mention my encounter with her in his kitchen this morning,” Mark said with a look of relief.
“I knew that was what you were thinking.” Jimmy laughed at him. He liked Mark. He was a nice guy, and he had decent values. Jimmy had enjoyed talking to him, and the prospect of their friendship. It was off to an interesting beginning, and he felt so sorry for him. He could easily relate to the trauma he'd been through, particularly missing his kids. “Well, now we've met him. He looks like a movie star, doesn't he?” Jimmy said, thinking back on the brief meeting. “I wonder who presses his clothes? Mine have been wrinkled since I left home. Mag wouldn't iron anything. She said it was against her religion.” She had been a staunch Roman Catholic, and a vehement feminist. The first time he'd asked her to do a load of laundry, she damn near hit him.
“I've been taking everything including my underwear to the dry cleaner,” Mark admitted willingly. “I ran out of shirts last week, and had to buy six new ones. Housekeeping isn't my forte. I've been paying Paloma to do a little cleaning for me. Maybe if you ask her, she'd do it for you too.” She had been incredibly kind to him. And she seemed not only willing and capable, but intelligent and wise. He'd talked at length about his kids with her, and everything she'd said had been sympathetic and sensible. He respected her a great deal.
“I'm okay,” Jimmy added with a smile. “I'm a real artist with a vacuum and a bottle of Windex. Maggie didn't do that either.” Mark didn't want to ask what she did do. She'd obviously had enough virtues for Jimmy to be crazy about her. And later that afternoon, Jimmy told him they'd met at Harvard. She was obviously a very bright young woman.
“Janet and I met in law school. But she never practiced. She got pregnant as soon as we got married, and she stayed home with the kids.”
“That's why we hadn't had kids yet. Maggie was always torn between giving up her career, and staying home with children. She was very Irish that way. She thought mothers should stay home with their babies. I figured we'd work it out sooner or later.” What he hadn't figured on was what had happened instead.
They went back to talking about Coop again after a while, and at six o'clock, Jimmy went back to the gatehouse. He had promised to meet friends for dinner. He invited Mark to come along, but Mark said he was going to shuffle some papers. He had more reading to do about new tax laws. But when they went their separate ways, they both decided it had been a good weekend. They had each made a new friend, and they were happy in their new homes. And they were both amused at having met Cooper Winslow. He hadn't disappointed either of them. Coop was everything he was said to be. The perfect Hollywood legend.
Jimmy and Mark promised to get together for dinner one night the following week. And as Jimmy walked up the path to the gatehouse, Mark walked into the guest wing, and smiled to himself again, thinking of his morning coffee, and the woman who had handed it to him. Lucky, lucky Cooper Winslow.
“Where are you?” he asked, smiling at the sound of her voice. It still seemed strange not to see her face every morning.
“In Hawaii,” she said proudly. She was using her married name every chance she got, and even though it felt strange, she loved it, and was sorry now she hadn't done it sooner. Being married to Ted was like a dream.
“How plebeian,” Coop teased her. “I still think you should ditch him and come back. We can have the marriage annulled in a minute.”
“Don't you dare! I like being a respectable, married woman.” Far more than she had ever thought she would.
“Liz, I'm disappointed in you, I thought you had more character than that. You and I were the last holdouts. This leaves only me.”
