19 July - Monday morning
The weekend was uneventful for the most part - rather lazy, in fact. I didn't get much paperwork done, but then I hadn't expected to with Miss Maggie at hand. The penthouse had a private pool - unfortunately, I lost track of time and got burned in places I care not to mention. She, on the other hand, seemed to derive great amusement from my predicament.
Maggie's speeches went well - abundant applause. She introduced me with much aplomb to her "gentleman admirer" - she was right - he's a toad. One look down at his bald head froze him out. We saw him later in the casino with a lady that looked like she had stepped from the pages of "Hustler". Maggie assured me that his companion probably rented by the minute.
When she drops into that West Texan persona, Maggie annoys the hell out of me, but I end up laughing every time. I should know by now that when the drawl appears a bombshell is sure to drop - or to use Maggie's wording - a "road apple". The problem is that, despite my fluency in English, these regional dialects sometimes escape me. Only after a moment's hesitation do I catch the "road apple", so I'm always suffering from an embarrassing delayed reaction, which she then "makes hay" of. After all, it's not as if I'm slow or particularly literal minded.
Only one untoward incident occurred - a paparazzo snapped our picture at an awkward moment. Perhaps, it was a slow night and he had only a single photo left on his roll. Hopefully, nothing will come of it.
~~~
The window seems to have miraculously healed itself - an act of divine intervention? I wonder who the guardian angel was. Dominick said no one on the staff knows, which means it had to have been done yesterday afternoon, when all were off. I doubt Philip did it himself - at least not alone - too tidy a job. Julia would be quite capable. But can it be that Nick is the handyman? I'm certain he could easily do it, but would he help Philip? Perhaps, I am missing signals of a change in the relationship circle. I hope I am. The more enmeshed Nick becomes with the team, the harder it will be for him to leave - and the more likely he will find reasons to stay - no matter his feelings about me.
I just wish I knew the root of these feelings. I don't remember any overt resentment when the Major died. We were not around each other that much - only on special occasions. If it's just me as an authority figure, how did he ever make it through the military, let alone the SEALs?
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