“Could I join you there too?” he asked cautiously. “I have the time. Would it be an intrusion?”
“Not at all. I’ll be busy in the daytime, but we could go out at night.”
“I want to hop over to England for an afternoon. I’d love it if you’d come with me, you could meet Theo.”
“That could work,” she said pensively. “The trouble with my schedule is that it can change at a moment’s notice. As long as you don’t mind that, you can come with me for most of what I do,” or at least some of the trips. She liked the idea of being in Paris with him, and Hong Kong, if it worked. “The subjects and magazines I work with flush my plans down the toilet regularly, which is why I don’t have any personal ones as a rule. I keep myself free for work.” But now she wanted to be with him too. It would be a juggling act for sure.
“I’ll book a flight to Hong Kong, and if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine. And I can book Paris too.” She gave him the dates and he jotted them down. “That’s going to be very soon,” he said, sounding pleased, if it happened. It was in a week, which wasn’t long at all.
“Where do you stay in Hong Kong?”
“The Peninsula.”
“I always stay there too.”
“I’ve agreed to separate rooms, but separate hotels might be a bit much.” She laughed at what he said. “Where should I book in Paris?”
“The Ritz.” She stayed in the best hotels whenever she could and billed them to the client. It made up for all the times she had to ride on muleback into the mountains, or sleep in a tent or the back of a truck in a war zone with missiles exploding around them. There were two extreme sides to her work. She wasn’t going to take William on dangerous missions with her, just the fun ones. Paris was sure to be that. And it would be nice to meet his son. They had a lot of good times in store, and probably some adventures that would be less so, but William was delighted that she was letting him come with her. It really was a dream come true, for both of them.
She thought about Deanna again after they hung up, and how far she had come in only three weeks. With her husband’s and brother’s help, she had backed down, and Maddie was safe from her for now, until the next time. With Deanna you never knew. Maybe something had really changed. If so, it would be an enormous relief, and she had made great strides today. Maddie sent her a text, thanking her, and saying how much it meant to her. There had been tears when they hugged. Deanna was a child who thought she had lost her mother for three weeks. It had been a frightening feeling, and she hadn’t recovered from it yet. She had never thought that her mother would have been capable of cutting her off and ignoring her as she had. But the lesson seemed to have been learned. Penny was still stunned by Deanna’s change of attitude when she left that night. She appeared to have been defanged. Maddie and Penny both just hoped the fangs wouldn’t grow back.
Chapter 15
Maddie’s appointment to get her cast removed went smoothly. She had healed faster than expected. The cast came off, and the skin on her ankle looked white and had the texture of a raisin, all puckered and wrinkled. An X-ray showed that the bone had mended completely. She had full use of her leg now but the ankle was still stiff and they gave her exercises to strengthen it. They told her to be slightly careful with it, so she wouldn’t break it again. But the pin should help strengthen it.
Forty-five minutes later, she was back in her office with two shoes on for the first time in six weeks. She had a phone conference with Vogue at ten about the December issue. They selected a famous actress for it, and Maddie couldn’t wait to shoot her. It was going to be a rare treat and privilege.
After the call, Maddie rushed out and bought matching dresses for Sean and Becky’s twins, and two pink teddy bears.
She left for Shanghai the following week to do a sitting with an important businessman. He owned several art galleries and had a significant art collection himself. He was a serious, very conservative subject. He spoke perfect English and Maddie enjoyed the shoot, and talking with him.
She spent the week in Shanghai, and boarded the plane to Hong Kong, wildly nervous, and excited about seeing William. She had only seen him in Big Sur and San Francisco, and now they would be halfway around the world together. She wondered if it would feel different. They had asked for rooms side by side if possible, or at least on the same floor. Traveling together would be an interesting test, to see if they got along. He knew Hong Kong well since he’d lived there for several years as a boy, when his father worked there. Maddie had had shoots in Hong Kong many times and loved it. Going to terrific places was one of the perks of her job, and even more so if she could go with him.
They were planning to stay for five days and then fly to Paris, without stopping in New York. The New Delhi and Pakistan trips had been rescheduled for later. It had all worked out. The gods were smiling on them and had since they’d met.
The Peninsula had sent a Rolls to the airport for her. When she checked in, they told her that William had already arrived. He had checked in two hours before she did. She called his room when she got to her own, and he was out. When she called his cellphone he didn’t answer. It gave her a chance to unpack, take a bath, and change. She had just put a red linen dress on with a white linen jacket, when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it, and he stood there smiling at her, looking devastatingly handsome in gray slacks and a blazer, an impeccable blue shirt, and a tie.
“Wow!” she said when she saw him and he swept her into his arms and kissed her. Her room had a spectacular view, and when she saw his, she thought it was even better. He had taken a large suite, right next door to hers, as they’d requested.
“Are you exhausted?” he asked her. She wasn’t. She had slept on the flight, and they decided to go exploring. He had the car and driver the hotel had gotten for him, a Bentley, and they drove past the house where he’d lived as a boy on The Peak. His family still had money then, he’d explained to her, and eventually went through most of it. He had preserved the small inheritance he’d gotten from a great-uncle, and he earned his own income as a writer. They both made a healthy living, but weren’t frivolous. They were able to do the things they enjoyed, had homes they loved, and could indulge in occasional luxuries. They were fairly evenly matched, which made things easier. Neither of them had to apologize to the other for how they lived.
They did some shopping, and William took her to lunch at T’ang Court in Kowloon. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. It seemed like months since he’d left her at the airport in San Francisco. She filled the gaps about what she’d been doing in New York. It felt like a honeymoon to both of them, except for the fact that they were staying in separate rooms. He didn’t complain about it, he was just glad that they had five days there together, and then Paris to look forward to. She had never done anything as exotic with any man, even with Stephane. They had a baby at home almost as soon as they were married. He was a hot photographer then, and was already cheating on her. She got pregnant again, with Ben, four months after Deanna was born. They didn’t have time for romance or the money to afford a trip like this. The men she dated after him didn’t either. Whatever exciting trips Maddie had taken after her divorce, she had taken by herself, between assignments. She had never spent a week like this with any man. And it was exciting just being with him. Whatever they did seemed like fun. And he knew Hong Kong well.