time together and when to leave each other alone. When she was busy getting ready for the Vogue shoot, he was in the room he used on the fourth floor, editing his book. It was almost as if they had lived there forever. It felt that way now. And they seemed to have found the perfect rhythm, in harmony with each other.
He had been upstairs working on his book one evening, and he came downstairs to find Maddie, to see if she wanted something to eat. He couldn’t find her in her bedroom or her office. He heard noises in the studio and stuck his head in to see what she was up to. The Vogue shoot was in two days and she wanted everything to be perfect. She attended to every detail herself. He gasped when he saw her. She was perched at the top of a ladder adjusting a light that was at the wrong angle for the shot she wanted to start with. It had been bugging her all day.
She glanced over and saw him and looked sheepish as he crossed the studio in long strides to stand next to her and hold the ladder.
“I thought we had an agreement. You’re not supposed to be up there.”
“They didn’t get it right today. It was driving me crazy.”
“Why didn’t you call me to help you?”
“You were working.” She hated to interrupt him when he was writing. They respected each other’s work habits, which was part of why they got along so well. Maddie never felt crowded or invaded by him. And he had the peace and private space he needed in the room upstairs.
“That’s not a good excuse. Do you know what Deanna will do if you fall off a ladder again?”
“Yeah, she’ll put me in assisted living with an alarm around my neck.” She grinned at him.
“And kill me first. Can we make a deal? No more ladders unless I’m standing next to you to catch you.”
“I promise,” she said as she hopped down next to him. Her ankle was fine, and all the effects of the bombing had healed. It had been a month since she got back.
“Why is it that I don’t believe you? You’re a menace,” he said, trying to look stern. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t. I’m good at it. I’ve only fallen off a ladder once. And that was lucky. If I hadn’t, I would never have run away, driven across the country, and met you in Big Sur. It all started when I fell off the ladder.” She smiled at him so innocently that he couldn’t be angry at her.
“You’ve got me now. Let’s not do it again.”
She was looking forward to spending two weeks in Big Sur with him. She liked having two coasts and two homes for them to go back and forth between for a change of scene. Their lives had meshed incredibly well, better than either of them had expected. And she planned to see Ben and Milagra when she was there.
She went back upstairs with him then, after he put the ladder away, the light was at the right angle now. They had dinner in the kitchen, and he told her about what he had written that day. She loved hearing about his work. And he was fascinated by hers. The piece in The New York Times Magazine had come out by then and been well received. The photographs were extraordinary, including the ones she’d taken of the bombing as she fled.
* * *
—
The Vogue shoot went smoothly, she got great shots of the actress, and the editors were pleased. Two days later, they were on a plane to San Francisco. They were going to stay at The Fairmont that night. They were having dinner with Ben and Laura and their children, and going to Big Sur the next day. There was no sign left of the bombing. Maddie felt fine again and her grandchildren were thrilled to see her and William. He was great with them. They reminded him of Theo. Laura hugged Maddie and said in an emotional voice, “We’re so grateful you’re okay.”
“So am I.” She realized now, more than ever, how fortunate she had been, in so many ways.
They had a noisy, lively dinner with the children, sat and talked among the adults for a while afterwards, and then went back to the hotel. They wanted to get an early start the next day. William hadn’t