Sixteen-year-old Katya Spivak is out for a walk on the gracious streets of Bayhead Harbor with her two summer babysitting charges when shes approached by silver-haired, elegant Marcus Kidder. At first, his interest in her seems harmless, even pleasant; like his name, a sort of gentle joke. His beautiful home, the childrens books that hes written, his classical music, the marvelous art in his study, his lavish presents to her: Mr. Kidders life couldnt be more different from Katyas drab working-class existence back home in South Jersey, or more enticing. But by degrees, almost imperceptibly, something changes, and posing for Mr. Kidders new painting isnt the light-hearted endeavor it once was. What does he really want from her? And how far will he go to get it? .
