in control.
Carrying it all to the sitting room, she saw that Paul had started the fire, and it had somehow changed the room, as if anticipating the way she was feeling. Paul’s face was glowing in the flames, and though she was quiet, she knew he could sense her presence. He turned around to say something, but when he saw Adrienne, no words came out of his mouth. All he could do was stare at her.
“Too much?” she finally asked.
Paul shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. “No… not at all. You look… beautiful.”
Adrienne gave a shy smile. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, a voice from long ago.
They continued to stare at each other until Adrienne finally lifted the bottle slightly. “Would you like some wine?” she asked. “I know you have coffee, but with the storm, I thought it might be nice.”
Paul cleared his throat. “That sounds great. Would you like me to open the bottle?”
“Unless you like bits of cork in your wine, you’d better. I never did get the hang of those things.”
When Paul rose from his chair, she handed the corkscrew to him. He opened the bottle with a series of quick movements, and Adrienne held both glasses as he poured. He set the bottle on the table and took his glass as they sat in the rockers. She noticed they were closer together than they had been the day before.
Adrienne took a sip of wine, then lowered the glass, pleased with everything: the way she looked and felt, the taste of the wine, the room itself. The flickering fire made shadows dance around them. Rain was sheeting itself against the walls.
“This is lovely,” she said. “I’m glad you made a fire.”
In the warming air, Paul caught a trace of the perfume she was wearing, and he shifted in his chair. “I was still cold after being outside,” he said. “It seems to take a little longer every year for me to warm up.”
“Even with all that exercise? And here I thought you were holding back the ravages of time.”
He laughed softly. “I wish.”
“You seem to be doing okay.”
“You don’t see me in the mornings.”
“But don’t you run then?”
“Before that, I mean. When I first get out of bed, I can barely move. I hobble like an old man. All that running has taken its toll over the years.”
As they moved their rockers back and forth, he could see the reflection of the fire flickering in her eyes.
“Have you heard from your kids today?” he asked, trying not to stare at Adrienne too obviously.
She nodded. “They called this morning while you were out. They’re getting ready for their ski trip, but wanted to touch base before they go. They’re heading to Snowshoe, West Virginia, this weekend. They’ve been looking forward to that for a couple of months now.”
“Sounds like they’ll have fun.”
“Yeah, Jack’s good for that. Whenever they go to visit, he always has fun things planned, as if life with him would be nothing but one big party.” She paused. “But that’s okay. He’s missing out on a lot of things, too, and I wouldn’t trade places with him. You can’t get these years back.”
“I know,” he murmured. “Believe me, I know.”
She winced. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that….”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. Even though you weren’t talking about me, I know I’ve missed more than I can hope to recover. But at least I’m trying to do something about it now. I just hope it works out.”
“It will.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. I think you’re the kind of person who accomplishes just about everything you set out to do.”
“It’s not that easy this time.”
“Why not?”
“Mark and I aren’t on very good terms these days. Actually, we’re not on any terms. We haven’t said more than a few words to each other in years.”
She looked at him, not sure what to say. “I didn’t realize it was that long,” she finally offered.
“How would you? It’s not something I’m proud to admit.”
“What are you going to say to him? At first, I mean?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at her. “Any suggestions? You seem to have a pretty good handle on the parent thing.”
“Not really. I guess I’d have to know what the problem is first.”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got all day if you want to talk about it.”
Paul took a drink, as if summoning his resolve. Then, over the next half hour, and to the accompaniment of