in you that you can never fill. You want me and everyone else. And they’re all so willing and desperate to have you because of who you are and what you have. I actually loved you for who you really are, or who you used to be. And I don’t like playing second fiddle, or tenth fiddle, or whatever fiddle I am in your busy life. So no, I’m not staying, and I need to think about what I’m going to do now. You can give the alligator bag to Marlene. It’ll knock her socks off. I assume she’ll be back on board as soon as I leave.” She closed her bags then, and went to see the captain. She told him she needed a car and driver and a flight out of Nice that evening, most likely to Paris, or any city where she could connect to San Francisco.
“You’re leaving us, Madam?”
“I have to get back to my children,” she said quietly, and he told her he would get on it immediately. She waited on deck, and he came back to her ten minutes later.
“I’m afraid it’s not ideal,” he said apologetically. “There’s an eleven P.M. flight to Paris, which will get you there an hour later. And an eight A.M. flight from Paris to San Francisco. You’ll have an eight hour layover at the Paris airport. And you’ll have to leave immediately to get to Nice in time for your flight.”
“That’s fine. I’m packed.”
“I’ll have a driver at the dock in five minutes, and I’ll have the boys get the tender ready,” he assured her. It was embarrassing talking to him, knowing clearly now that Zack brought his other women on the boat.
She went back downstairs to see Zack, and noticed that he had gotten the lipstick off his neck.
“I’m leaving,” she said coldly to mask the overwhelming hurt she felt, and the disappointment.
“You won’t stay?” He looked at her mournfully. She shook her head. “Don’t leave me, Ruby. I swear, I won’t be an idiot again. I get carried away sometimes. You’re right. Women throw themselves at me.”
“And you catch them.” She smiled sadly at him. She got her handbag out of their cabin then. Her suitcase was already gone. She walked down the stairs to where the tender was waiting, got in, and looked up as they pulled away. Zack was standing at the railing, watching her, and she wasn’t sure in the twilight, but she thought he was crying. She looked away then, and as they sliced through the water at full speed on their fastest tender, she was sure that Marlene would be back on the boat to console him before she got to Nice. Ruby didn’t know if she was going to leave Zack or not, and divorce him, but whether she did or not, whatever she did now, the marriage was over. If she stayed, they would be married in name only. It was a lot for her to give up at twenty-six.
Chapter 19
When Zack came back to San Francisco from the boat, a week later, he checked their bedroom as soon as he arrived, and saw that Ruby wasn’t there. It had the orderly look the room had when she was away. He checked her closets, and her clothes were still there. The children’s rooms were empty, and he asked the maid if Mrs. Katz was away, and felt foolish doing so. She hadn’t called him or left him any messages since she left the boat, and he hadn’t the courage to call her.
“I think they’re at Lake Tahoe, sir.” He didn’t call her there either. Ruby had been right of course. He’d had Marlene move onto the boat the night Ruby left. He couldn’t help himself. It was always so tempting, and he thought he’d get away with it. And most of the time, he did. He hated being alone. He couldn’t stand it. It was agony for him. He needed a woman with him at all times to love him. He knew now that it had been a mistake marrying Ruby, marrying anyone. He loved her, but he wanted to have fun too, which to him meant lots of women, not just one. And the older he got, the more he enjoyed the women who flocked to him and adored him. Ruby was wrong. They did fill the void, even if only for a short time. But he loved their children, and so did she.