remembered what Ian had said last night.
“We’ll have one child in two years, then another two years later, and another two years after that …”
Something dawned on her.
That was exactly the schedule Tia and Bernard had stuck to at the beginning of their marriage—three children within the first six years. In that future reality London would not only have a mirror-image family, she’d have the same kids’ toys, the same sink full of dishes, the same …
Everything!
London felt her own future life becoming monotonous already as Tia herded her children out of the guest room and pulled the door shut again.
Something her sister had just said echoed through London’s mind.
“You can’t go escaping all over the world for the rest of your life.”
But for the first time, it occurred to London—traveling was not escape, at least not for her.
For me, it’s life itself.
“Yes,” she said to Lapham. “Oh, yes. Thank you. I will take that job.”
CHAPTER FOUR
London was dashing through JFK Airport when her phone rang.
Oh, please, let this be Ian, she thought as she took the phone out of her bag.
She’d been trying to reach him ever since she’d gotten off the phone with Jeremy Lapham this morning. But she knew he’d been out earlier today golfing with a client, and he never let himself be disturbed on the links. Although she didn’t look forward to this conversation, she definitely didn’t want to leave the country without resolving things with him.
She took the call, and sure enough, it was Ian.
“Ian, hi,” she said breathlessly.
“Hello, London.”
“Um … I’ve been thinking about your ‘merger’ and …”
“And?”
London was just picking her carry-on bags up after they’d passed through the metal detector.
“Like I said last night, I’m touched,” she said. “But …”
A silence fell between them.
“I got an offer this morning,” she said. “The CEO of Epoch World Cruise Lines called me and offered me … well, a job I just couldn’t turn down.”
She heard a grunt of impatience in Ian’s voice.
“More traveling?” he asked sternly.
The question took her aback. Of course, the answer was yes—but it was also so much more than that. This job was important to her in ways she didn’t know how to begin to explain to him.
“It’s something different from what I’ve been doing,” she said. “It’s a river tour boat that’s setting out on a trip on the Danube. The trip starts tomorrow in Budapest. And I won’t be just a hostess anymore. I’ll be the social director for the whole tour.”
Another silence fell.
He’s not impressed, she thought.
At the same time she wondered—why should he be? Those job titles—hostess and social director—didn’t mean a thing to him.
“Where does this leave us?” Ian asked.
London was gasping as she rushed through the concourse toward her departure gate.
“Ian, I’m … I’m afraid I’m just not ready for your—‘merger.’ I’m not saying I’ll feel that way forever. Maybe after a couple more years of—”
“The deal is off,” Ian interrupted.
Huh? London almost said aloud.
“I gave you my best offer,” Ian added. “Now that offer is withdrawn. I’m afraid this matter is no longer up for negotiation.”
London was dumbfounded.
Up for negotiation?
She certainly hadn’t made that assumption …
Or did I?
Maybe she’d been too vague. Maybe he’d thought she was only stalling.
Or bargaining.
Meanwhile, Ian sounded almost spookily businesslike, and yet somehow very polite at the same time.
“I hope you understand, London. It’s just that I’m a very busy man and I’m not sitting still. The train has left the station, so to speak—and you’ve missed it. I wish you the best, though, and I’ll harbor no hard feelings.”
“I—I’m glad to hear that,” London said.
“I hope you don’t regret this decision,” Ian added. “Forgive me for saying so, but I don’t think it sounds especially wise. But then, it’s your choice, not mine. And I wish you good travels—although Hungary sounds like a very depressing place to me.”
“Thank you for … understanding,” London said.
They both said goodbye and ended the call.
London suddenly found herself breathing easier, as if some sort of load had been lifted. She felt unexpectedly relieved.
Although she’d told Ian that her choice might not be permanent, she realized now that she really couldn’t ever live her sister’s life, much less with someone as … it took a moment for the right word to come to her.
Someone as managerial as Ian.
It was hard to imagine that, just this morning, she’d still been struggling with whether to accept Ian’s “merger.”
In fact, maybe if Jeremy Lapham had actually fired her instead of offering her such a