"Gerald," he said, interrupting the man at exactly the right moment, keeping his head very still and pretending to be trying not to move his lips. At the same time, he gazed furtively across the room toward a bank of ferns that hid the bar from the dining area. "Don't move!"
Gerald froze, though he became slightly bug-eyed. "What is it?" he whispered, staring at Ross.
"She's done it again, hasn't she?" Ross said in a cloak- and-dagger parody of a snarl, sending a piercing glance across the room at the same time.
"Who?" Gerald began to turn to see what Ross was looking at. He always took everyone seriously, so he be lieved Ross from the start.
"Don't move, you fool!" Ross grabbed the lapel of his suit coat. "Pamela, of course. Your ex-wife. I just saw the guy. I saw his camera. She's hired a detective to tail you again, hasn't she?"
Gerald paled. "Oh, my God!"
"Don't worry old pal." Ross rose and patted his friend's shoulder. "Come on with me. I'll get you out of here, and then I'll cover for you."
"Would you, Ross? I appreciate it." Gerald came along readily enough, forgetting all about Charity, who sat where she was, looking puzzled. Ross threw her an apologetic glance, then led Gerald away. They'd gone halfway to the door of the restaurant before Gerald began to frown.
"Wait a minute," he whispered loudly. "I'm not doing anything wrong. I just had dinner with the Hendersons."
"Sure you did," Ross said sympathetically, nudging him toward the door. "But what will that look like when the pictures are developed? Have you thought of that? An gles are everything. Pamela will claim it's an orgy."
Gerald looked worried. "You've got a point there. She always did make a mountain out of a molehill."
"Exactly." Ross propelled him toward the door again. "Now you just take off. I've seen the guy. I'll cut him off and see if I can't do something about that camera while I'm at it. Okay?"
"Okay." Gerald sounded just a bit uncertain, but he turned to go. "And, hey buddy, you're a real pal, you know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean, Gerald." Ross's smile was more relieved than affectionate. "Just get out of here."
"Right." He disappeared into the gathering gloom of the evening.
Ross's shoulders sagged, and he ran a hand through his thick hair. That had been a close one. All afternoon he'd seen people he knew everywhere they went, but he'd man aged to steer Charity clear of them.
He'd had to trick Gerald to get rid of him, but he hardly regretted that. Gerald and his ex-wife were always playing games of this sort, almost as if they couldn't bear to live together but couldn't bear to be totally separated, either. So they'd found a common ground to fight over.