Lost and Found - Danielle Steel Page 0,30

years before. She had sensed even then that they wanted different things in life. She wanted people and real relationships, he wanted money and power, and was fiercely ambitious and materialistic.

She checked out of the hotel very early and, just for the fun of it, she decided to visit the Harvard campus in Cambridge. She got there an hour after the sun came up on a beautiful day. She had seen it before, and it always impressed and moved her, thinking of the great minds that had been educated there. She took a few pictures with her phone, with the sunlight washing over the campus, and put them on Instagram. She walked around for a while, thinking how lucky the students were to go to school at such an extraordinary institution, and then she got in her car and followed the GPS directions to head for Chicago. She had a long trip ahead of her and wanted to drive straight through.

She called Penny once she was on the highway, to check in, as soon as Penny got to work.

“How’s everything at home?” She had only left the day before, but it already felt as though she had been gone for longer.

“Quiet, except for Deanna. She called to talk to you yesterday. She didn’t believe that I don’t know where you are.”

“What did she want? Same thing?”

“Of course, to badger you for her benefit.”

“She’ll get tired of it.” Maddie had noticed missed calls from her too, and didn’t intend to respond. She knew why she was calling. “Anything else?”

“No. How are you? I just saw your photo of Harvard on Instagram. How long are you staying in Boston?”

“I’ve already left. I did what I came here to do. I saw an old friend. Now I’m heading west.”

“All the way west?”

“Maybe. I’ll see. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Thanks for checking in. I worry about you,” Penny said gently.

“You don’t need to. I’m fine. I’ll call you in a few days.” She was looking forward to Chicago, she had always liked the city, although she didn’t know it well. She felt a little strange being on this journey, to see the men she had once loved. She wasn’t hoping to start anything with them, she just wanted to spend a little time with each of them to validate her own earlier decisions. In Bob’s case, one dinner had been enough to tell her what she needed to know. She had done the right thing. And if she hadn’t? She had no idea what she would have done then. This was a form of free fall for her. She felt as though she had leapt out of a plane and was floating slowly toward the earth, blown by the wind. She had no idea where she would land. She just knew she needed to do this.

She hung up after a few minutes on the phone with Penny and enjoyed the driving. It was relaxing, and she didn’t mind that she had a long way to go. She needed the time to think.

* * *

—

It was noon in New York when Deanna called her brother, and nine in the morning in California. A busy time of day for him. She’d been with fit models all morning for the new collection, and had a break. Ben took the call immediately, afraid that something had happened to their mother, another fall or something worse. Deanna had put him on edge with her text message about the broken ankle, and he wasn’t sure what to expect next.

“Did you see Mom’s pic on Instagram this morning?” were her opening words.

“No, I didn’t. I was at the gym, and then I came to work. What did she post on it?” He didn’t follow it regularly, but he had it in order to keep current when he was in the mood. Laura followed several people diligently, but she hadn’t said anything to him. Though she didn’t usually follow his mother. She followed movie stars and socialites.

“I’ve been trying to reach her since yesterday, and Penny is being mysterious. She claims she doesn’t know where she is.”

“Maybe it’s true. Maybe she’s away somewhere, shooting an important subject, like a politician or something.”

“Bullshit, Penny knows her every move, and Mom’s not returning my calls.”

“Did you have a fight with her?” He was always suspicious of his sister’s side of any story. She usually left out a vital piece of information and played innocent, which wasn’t the whole truth.

“Of course not.” She