Nine Lives - Danielle Steel Page 0,55
“I trust you,” she said simply. He had never forced her before, and wouldn’t now. She didn’t trust herself quite as much, but she thought they understood each other. She didn’t want a relationship with him, but they had a good time together, and they were both alone. She was well aware that it would be depressing now with Aden gone and the house empty. She had meant to sign up for some art history classes at the Museum of Contemporary Art, but hadn’t done it yet. Floating around on the boat with him sounded immensely appealing, and she was feeling mellow about it. Being at home without Aden now was going to be hard.
“I’d invite you to bring Aden, but you said he’s going skiing.”
“Yeah, he left today. He’ll be in Vermont till school starts in three weeks. Although if he knew you were inviting him, he’d probably ditch them and run. He’s dying to meet you.”
“I’d like to meet him too,” Paul said, and had said it to her before. He knew how much Aden meant to her. He was her entire life now, and had been half of it before. “So what do you think?”
“Can I sleep on it?” She didn’t want to do something impulsive and regret it later, and he had been careful to keep his distance and respect her boundaries since she’d seen him in London. She thought she could trust him on the boat, and it would be a lot nicer spending New Year’s on a yacht in the Caribbean than in Lake Forest alone, shoveling out her driveway so she could go to the store.
She thought about it that night, and the offer was so tempting, it was hard to resist. Maybe they really could be friends. She hated to lose sight of him completely because she didn’t want to date him. He seemed willing to accept the ground rules, and it was nice of him to offer. She called him the next morning and accepted, and he sounded delighted.
“How soon can you come?” he asked, sounding like a boy. “I can send the plane for you tonight, if you can come that soon.”
“How about tomorrow? I’ve got some loose ends here.”
“Perfect. Why don’t you plan to be at O’Hare at ten? I can arrange a car for you if you want,” he offered, and she smiled.
“I can manage that myself, but thank you. If I hang around you long enough, I’ll become totally spoiled and helpless.”
“I don’t think there’s any risk of that.” He laughed. “You wouldn’t let that happen.”
“I’d try not to.” She didn’t want to depend on anyone. It was hard enough getting used to Brad being gone. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t transfer that dependence to anyone else. She wanted to stand on her own two feet, and Paul respected her for it. She had always been a plucky girl, and had grown up to be a brave woman. She had proven it in the last year, since her husband’s death.
She thought about his invitation again that night, questioning if she’d done the right thing, but she trusted him and they liked talking to each other. If it turned out to be a mistake, she’d come home. And Paul was seriously hampered now with six broken ribs. What harm could come of it? She sent both Helen and Aden a text, telling them that she was leaving for a few days, and they could reach her on her cell. They didn’t need to know who she was with, or where, and she didn’t tell them.
* * *
—
The plane was waiting for her at ten a.m. the next day at O’Hare as promised. She had already traveled on it from Nice to London, so, although she was grateful for the luxurious treat, she wasn’t startled by it this time. The captain and both flight attendants, one male, one female, greeted her politely when she came on board.
They had long-range capabilities, so they flew directly to Antigua. The purser from the Lady Luck was waiting for her at the airport in Antigua with a van. They whisked her through customs, and she arrived on the boat shortly after, looking happy and relaxed in jeans and sneakers. The more she thought of it, the more she decided that this had been a great idea, and a generous invitation. Paul beamed when he saw her. He moved stiffly but came forward rapidly to hug her when he saw