"Kim Wilkins - The Autumn Castle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilkins Kim)

"Here, here," she said, trying to shove a lit cigarette in Christine's mouth.

"No, really. I'll be sick."

"You're the luckiest girl in the world," Gerda said, reaching for her drink and missing by at least six
inches. "Oops."

"Yeah, I know." Christine and Gerda had had this conversation before. Gerda had a big crush on Jude,
but then, Gerda had a big crush on every second man she met.
"He's so beautiful. Why couldn't he turn up on my doorstep?" Then Gerda laughed, because that was
exactly how Christine had met Jude. He had been sitting on the stairs in front of her West Twenty-third
Street home, trying to read a badly drawn map directing him to a gallery party.

"Don't despair. You and Garth might work things out," Christine said.

Garth was Gerda's husband back in Stockholm. He had refused to come with her to Berlin. Gerda was
shaking her head. "No, never. You just keep your eye on Jude, Miss Starlight. I'll steal him the first
opportunity I get."

"You'd better not. I don't know where I'd find another one just like him."

Gerda waved her hand dismissively. "Impossible, of course. He'd never look at another woman."

Christine knew this was true. Her silly jealousies had so often been directed at a paintbrush, never at a
person. But it was nice to hear someone else say it. "Do you think so?"

"Darling, he's always got his hands all over you. He never lets you out of his sight. It's damn frustrating.
Look at my tits, they're wonderfulтАФnot like your tiny little thingsтАФbut he's never looked at them once."

Christine laughed loudly, then said, "Well, thank you for being so reassuring. You know, he's so
gorgeous, and with the age difference and allтАж"

Gerda scoffed. "Three years? It's nothing. He's twenty-eight, not eighteen. But don't worryтАж if I ever
see another woman making a move on him, I'll do everything in my power to keep her away. Lie, cheat,
steal, whatever."

"That's very sweet," Christine said, giving her a squeeze.

Gerda lit another cigarette. "So, what's up with you lately, Miss Starlight? You seem a bit blue. It's not
just the pain in your back, is it?"

Christine shook her head, her eyes darting off to locate Jude. He was on the other side of the room, a
cigarette jammed between his lips, drawing a shape in the air with his hands for Sparky, who laughed
enormously.

"What's it all about? Not Jude?"

"No, not Jude." Christine shrugged. "Autumn, I guess. Gray skies, winter coming."

"Bullshit. It's more than that."