Irresistible Forces (12 page)

“She's very striking,” Meredith commented, and very beautiful. It said something about the kind of women he was attracted to. It was hard not to be somewhat dazzled by her looks, and from everything Cal had said, she was obviously smart too. It was the important things, like values, and compassion and integrity, which she seemed to lack, from what Cal had told her.

“She was a model as a kid. I think it kind of went to her head. She liked all the attention, and the money, but she knew it couldn't last. So she built something for herself that would. She's actually a very fine attorney, and she loves that whole entertainment world. She adores all her little movie stars, I think she lives vicariously through them. And they're all crazy about her. Maybe that's why she's not as interested in her own kids. Her clients are her children, and she gets all her strokes from them.”

“Kind of like me,” Meredith grinned. “My clients are my kids. Like you. I get everything all set up, and then I send you out into the world to make lots of money and be a big success.” He laughed at the comparison and shook his head.

“I think it's a little more than that. But what do you get out of it, Meredith, other than the obvious?” They both knew she would make a lot of money on his deal, but he also knew she did it for more than that. She loved what she did. And she was brilliant at it. In the months he had worked with her, and particularly lately, he had been enormously impressed by her.

“I love what I do,” she said in answer to his question. “And it's true in a way, my clients are my kids. I don't need children. I get everything I need from them and Steve.”

“It's not the same thing, I promise. You're missing out on something important,” he glanced across the room then at the table where Charlotte sat, “so is she. She never understood what she was missing. And in her case, it's a real crime. At least you haven't had children, you're not hurting anyone by your decision, except maybe yourself, or Steve. In her case, she's not only missing out, but she's cheating our children out of having a real mother.”

“Maybe it's time for you to remarry,” she said bravely, “not only for your sake, but for the kids’ sake.”

“Great. And then what? Let them live through a divorce again? At least last time most of them were too young to understand what was happening. Mary Ellen was six, and it was heartbreaking for her, but Julie and Andy were four and not quite two. It was a lot easier for them. Next time it wouldn't be. They're older now. Old enough to be hurt by it.”

“What makes you think you'd get divorced next time, Cal? Don't you think you learned something last time?”

“Yeah, not to get married,” he laughed, but it wasn't a sound of humor, but of bitterness and remembered pain, “and not to trust, and not to be as stupid next time. Charlotte started her business in London on the settlement she got from me.”

“Lucky for her.”

“I thought so,” he said, as he signaled for the check. “Besides,” he said with a look of amusement, “my kids wouldn't let me marry again. I think they're pretty clear that they want me to themselves now.”

“That's not fair, and it's not good for them, or you.”

“It's very good for me. They're like three little guardian angels, who keep me from making a fool of myself, or doing something stupid.”

“You're too smart to be that cynical, Cal, or that cowardly.” She was speaking to him as a friend, and he knew it.

“Why are you trying to sell me marriage?” He was intrigued by her persistence.

“Because I think it's a great thing. Best thing I ever did.”

“Then you're very lucky,” he smiled warmly at her, and seemed to relax again, “and so is Steve. Come on, kiddo, let's go dance.” He took her hand, and led her out of the restaurant, without a glance back in his ex-wife's direction. For him, it was a closed book, and Meredith was relieved when they were back on the street. She had sensed his tension, and his pain over running into Charlotte. He clearly had no warm feelings about her, no matter how many children they'd had together.

They chatted easily on the way to Annabel's, in the chauffeured Daimler he'd hired at the hotel. And Meredith loved it when they got to Annabel's. He ordered champagne for both of them, and led her out to the dance floor, and it was an hour later when they came back to their table. She was having a great time with him. He was a wonderful dancer, and fun to be with. And she was sorry for him that in some ways he was still so bitter. He had been badly wounded, but in every other way, he was an immensely appealing man, and she thought he deserved more than he was willing to allow himself to have. Somehow, his work and children did not seem enough for a man like him, although she didn't know what else he had in his life. In all the time they'd been traveling together, he had never mentioned a girlfriend or a companion, or a woman in his life, and she couldn't help wondering what he did for fun, other than work, and go dancing with his investment banker.

They stayed at Annabel's until two o'clock in the morning, and then went back to Claridge's. They were laughing and happy and tired and relaxed. And without a thought of anything more than friendship, she could have easily danced with him all night. He held her comfortably in his arms, dancing slow or fast, moving perfectly with her, but still never out of line, and never too close. She wasn't uncomfortable with him for an instant. In fact, she felt even closer to him than before. And seeing Charlotte at Harry's Bar, and his reaction to her, had been an intriguing glimpse into his past for her.

“What's on the agenda for tomorrow?” he asked as he left her at the door to her hotel room.

“I thought I'd do some shopping. I love the antique shops here.”

“So do I,” he said easily. “Mind if I come with you?”

“Of course not.” But she remembered the treasures she'd seen in his house. “You may want to go to some fancier places than I do. I was just going to browse a little.”

“I can't think of anything I'd like better,” he said comfortably, and then added, “I had a great time tonight. You're wonderful company, Meredith.” Maybe, but she certainly wasn't as sophisticated or as striking as his ex-wife. Charlotte was a whole other breed, and she wondered if in comparison, Callan found her a little dull. She was far more conservative than his ex-wife. But also a great deal more real.

“I had a good time too. Thank you, Cal. Dinner was terrific, and I loved dancing. I never get to go dancing with Steve. He's always either too tired, or at work, and I've come to the conclusion over the years, that most surgeons just can't dance. This was fun. Thank you,” she said warmly, and meant it.

“I'll come to New York and take you dancing anytime. We can be the new Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, dancing partners and good friends.” She laughed at the comparison, and after she said good night to him, she closed the door to her room. She was tired, but she had had a great time, and when she glanced at the phone, she saw that the message light was on. And when she called in for her messages, they told her Steve had called three times, but she was tired and decided to call him in the morning.

She tossed her dress on a chair, kicked off her shoes, brushed her teeth, put on her nightgown, and went straight to bed.

And she was still asleep at eight o'clock the next morning when the phone rang. It was Steve.

“Where were you all night?” He sounded annoyed this time.

“I told you I was going out with Cal.” She was half asleep, and she yawned.

“What time did you get in? Four
A.M.?”

“No. Two. We went to Harry's for dinner, and then to Annabel's afterward for drinks.” She had no secrets from him. She had always intended to tell him about Annabel's, she just didn't want to worry him beforehand.

“Did you dance with him?”

“No. But I danced with several waiters and the maitre d’. Of course I danced with him, silly. It was no big deal.”

“Maybe it is to me.” He sounded like a petulant child and she was mildly amused. He knew better than to worry about her with another man. Even if they had gone dancing.

“Well, it shouldn't be. It was a perfectly respectable evening. We even ran into his ex-wife.”

“That must have been fun. Anyway, I'm sorry if I'm being stupid. I just miss you, and I don't think I like you traveling around with another man.”

“I'll only take female clients from now on, I promise. I'll be sure to let them know at the firm.”

“All right, all right, so I'm a jerk. But I love you, and you're too goddamn beautiful to be traveling all over the world with handsome single guys.”

“He's a perfect gentleman, baby, I promise.” She was awake then, and sorry that he was upset about it. It was one thing to tease him a little, and another if he was genuinely worried. Making each other intentionally jealous was a game neither of them had ever played. “We won't go dancing again, I promise. It was just a one-time thing because we're both stuck here for the weekend, and we've been working so damn hard. I think we wanted to celebrate our success, but he really is harmless, and we're just good friends. You'll like him.”

“All right, I'm sorry, Merrie. I trust you. Do whatever you want. What are you doing today?”

“Nothing much. Some shopping. I asked the concierge to get me theater tickets.” The theater was so good in London, she always went when she was there. “I'm leaving for Geneva tomorrow night, and then we'll be back at work.”

“I'm just glad you'll be home soon.” He sounded antsy and worried, and she was sorry about it. She hadn't meant to upset him. He was far too decent to deserve that.

“He keeps trying to talk me into having kids.”

“Hopefully not his.” Steve sounded mildly worried again and she laughed.

“No, yours. He keeps telling me how lucky we are. I think he was pretty badly burned by his ex-wife. He's been divorced for eight years, and I think he's still one of the walking wounded. You should see his ex-wife, she's gorgeous, but a real piece of work. She lives here. She left him with the kids, and took off with her partner.”

“Nice woman. I'll have to take a look at this guy sometime.”

“He's short, fat, ugly, and has warts.”

“Yeah, and looks like Gary Cooper. I remember that part. I don't remember Gary Cooper having warts.”

“Maybe you never looked that close.”

“Well, don't you look that close either. Come home soon, baby, I miss you.” It was odd but he seemed totally unnerved by Callan Dow, which was unusual for him. Most of the time, he was unconcerned about the men with whom she did business. But for some reason, this time seemed different. Maybe he had read too much about him. The newspapers always made Callan sound glamorous and dashing and like a financial wizard. He was all of those things, but like everyone else, he was human. And Meredith was very much in love with her husband.

“What are you up to today?”

“I don't know. I'm off as of nine this morning. It's three now. But it's so boring when you're not here to play with.”

“I'll be home next week, and we can play all weekend.”

“I can't wait to see you.” He was lonelier than usual, and for some reason, he seemed restless to her. Maybe he really was jealous and unnerved by her traveling around with Callan. She was almost sorry she'd told him they'd gone dancing, but she never lied to him. And he knew that about her. “Have fun shopping today. Call me when you get back to the hotel.”

“I will,” she promised, and she meant it. But as it turned out, she and Callan dragged around the shops until six o'clock, and then rushed back to change for dinner and the theater.

They went to Rule's, and sat upstairs in a private room, and then dashed off to see a new production of
Romeo and Juliet
, and thoroughly enjoyed it. They went to Mark's Club, which he was a member of, for drinks afterward, and by the time she got home, she was too tired to call him.

She called Steve on Sunday afternoon before she left for Heathrow, but he was out, and she tried again when she got to Geneva, but by then he was working. So she gave up and had dinner with Callan and Charlie McIntosh, went to bed early, and the next morning they made their presentation to the Swiss investors. Charlie was in a much better mood than he'd been, and was actually civil to Meredith after the meeting. And Callan was pleased to see it.

And at four o'clock, they were on a plane to Paris, and all three were surprisingly congenial on the trip, which led Meredith to hope that Charlie had finally begun to understand the wisdom of what they were doing. And his benevolence toward her had been considerably enhanced by two martinis on the flight to Paris.

They were at the Ritz by dinnertime, and before Meredith could say a word, Callan informed her that he had made reservations at the Tour d'Argent for them. Charlie had other plans, and she put on the only other dinner dress she'd brought, a pale green silk the color of her eyes, and when she appeared in the bar at the Ritz, a number of heads turned, and Callan beamed at her.

“You look smashing, Meredith!” he said, without hesitation.

“Thank you.”

Dinner was predictably fabulous, and they spent most of the evening talking business, despite the sumptuous meal and the elegant surroundings. She wanted to prepare him for their presentation in the morning. The French weren't always easy, but news of their offering had already reached the important French investors, and they were as anxious to get on Callan's bandwagon as everyone else. Meredith didn't think they'd have any problems with the French.

The car brought them back to the hotel, and she and Callan walked slowly around the Place Vendôme, to get some air. It was mid-September by then, and a beautiful, balmy evening. And as they walked back to the hotel, she felt chilly in the thin dress, and Callan put his jacket over her shoulders. It smelled of his cologne, and they looked like a happy couple as they chatted and laughed and glanced into the jewelers’ windows. It had been a very pleasant evening. And after their presentation the next day, they were spending one last night in Paris, and then flying back to New York early on Wednesday, in time for their final meeting with her partners, about the pricing of the stock. The stock would be traded the next day, the syndicate would dissolve as soon as all the stock was sold, and his work with Meredith would be over. He seemed to feel almost nostalgic about it as they walked slowly back to the hotel across the most elegant square in Paris.