The Affair - Danielle Steel Page 0,80
their families. My oldest sister, the foodie, has dogs instead of children.” He laughed.
“Smart girl.”
“I take it you’re not crazy about kids.” She was intrigued by that. He made occasional negative comments about children and marriage.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he said, pensive for a moment as their food arrived. “I’ve just never wanted any.” He wasn’t a warm, cozy person, but he was obviously very smart, which she did find appealing. He was so quick in his responses and thought processes. “I grew up in a scientific household. My father was a research scientist and worked for a big pharmaceutical company in Texas. My mother was a doctor. They wanted me to be a doctor too, but I’ve always been attracted to business. I find investments fascinating. I love entrepreneurial ventures. What does your ex-husband do, or shouldn’t I ask?” It jolted her when he called Nicolas her ex-husband, but she realized she had to get used to it, since he was going to be.
“He’s a writer, a novelist.” Gregory was intrigued by that.
“That must have been interesting. Bestsellers?”
She nodded. “He’s very well known here. It’s a pretty dull story otherwise. Several of his books have been made into movies. He had an affair with the star on his last one. The usual tabloid trash. They’re having a baby in a couple of weeks.”
He winced when she said it. “Wow, I bet that hurt. You filed for divorce, I assume.”
“I’m working on it. I just started the process. It took me a few months to catch my breath.”
“I’m sorry, Nadia. That must have been nasty to live through. My last divorce was small potatoes compared to that, although finding her getting it on with my trainer wasn’t a happy moment for me either. I moved out that night. I gave her the apartment. You can see why I’m not too keen on marriage. You do get over it, but it leaves scars.” She nodded, well aware that hers were still raw, even if she was feeling better.
“People have affairs here all the time. It’s the one part of French life I’ve never adapted to. I don’t see the point of being married and cheating.”
“How are your kids doing?”
“We’re getting through it. It’s an adjustment. And they’re not too happy about the baby. It’s a boy, which will be a big deal for my husband, since he’s French.”
“It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer,” he said gently, and touched her hand. When he did, it surprised her and she looked across the table at him, and smiled.
“Thank you. It’s been hard, and the whole thing was a shock. I couldn’t have gotten through it without my sisters. They wanted him burned at the stake. I still have to deal with him. He’s my children’s father.”
“That’s another reason not to have kids. It ties you to the bad spouses forever. I’d rather cut my losses and run. All I lost in the divorce, other than money, was a dog. I miss him, but he’s happy with her. I can always get another dog. I might get one here.” He didn’t seem emotionally tied to anyone or anything.
He was so different from the men she knew, so unattached and unencumbered, and he seemed to like his life that way. She wondered if he got lonely but didn’t know him well enough to ask, and he was a client after all.
“Do you have brothers and sisters?” she asked, wanting to know more about him too.
“No, I’m an only child.”
“So is my husband, and one of my nephews. It’s very different. My nephew is very adult for his age, he’s never around kids except in school.”
“That’s how it was for me too. I liked it. I thought other kids were silly. In retrospect, I think I never really had a childhood. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. It gave me a head start as an adult. I didn’t waste a lot of time on beer bongs and frat parties. I was already an adult when I got to college.” He certainly was one now. She realized that that was what was different about him. He wasn’t playful, and there wasn’t a boyish side of him, despite his good looks. He was an adult through and through. In a way, she felt sorry for him and wondered what he did for fun. He was so disciplined and focused on his work. Every meeting had a purpose, even their lunch. It was