“Isn’t he great?” Whitney whispered to her as she drifted past her on the way to talk to the women she played tennis with every day. She and Whitney had been friends for years, and Annie loved talking to her, but when she saw her here, she realized how little they had in common, and how different their lives were. Whitney had never worked since she married Fred twenty years before, right out of college. She already had two babies when Annie inherited Jane’s family, and Whitney had given her invaluable support and advice. What they shared was history but not much else. And Annie hated their friends. She always forgot how much until she visited her in New Jersey, which she didn’t do very often. Most of the time they saw each other in the city when Whitney came in to go shopping, and she was okay one on one. But here, in her natural habitat, with these smug, self-satisfied, pompous people, Annie wanted to scream and run out of the room. The best part of the evening so far had been the food.
Everyone continued drinking until midnight, and Fred counted down, and then everyone screamed and blew little horns that Whitney had produced right before midnight. And then they all kissed, wished each other Happy New Year, and twenty minutes later they all went home. Whitney was totally drunk by then, and Fred went up to bed without saying goodnight to either of them.
“Bob said you were great,” Whitney assured her, slurring her words, and Annie hated seeing her like that. She wanted her to be better than this, to be different, but she wasn’t. She was one of them. And the fabulous blind date had been another bad joke. Annie had forgotten, since the last one, just how bad blind dates could be. She always swore she wouldn’t do it again, but Whitney had pushed her, and after what Katie had said, she thought she should at least try again.
When Whitney went out to the kitchen to pay the caterers, Annie slipped quietly into her room, took off her clothes and makeup, slid into bed, and turned off the light. And all she wanted was, not a man, but to turn the clock back to when her nieces and nephew were young. They had had such happy times, drinking ginger ale, and staying up till midnight on New Year’s Eve, and falling asleep with all three of them in her bed. Those were the New Years she missed. Not dates like Bob Graham. As she drifted off to sleep, she wished she were at home. She was much lonelier here, with Whitney and her friends, than she would have been alone.
Ted’s New Year’s Eve with Pattie was tender and sweet. They cooked dinner at her apartment, and she had dropped the kids off at their father’s, who had just gotten back to town. They toasted each other with champagne, and their lovemaking was alternately wild and gentle, and at midnight they turned on the TV and watched the ball in Times Square come down, and then they made love again. It was a silly, funny evening, full of the passion he had discovered with her in the past month. And she startled him by asking him if he would ever move in with her.
“What would your kids think?” he asked, looking surprised. He had never lived with a woman, just roommates, and his sisters and aunt. He wasn’t sure he was ready to move in with a woman, and he felt awkward about her kids.
“They would think we love each other,” Pattie said in answer to his question, but he was well aware that it would be a heavy responsibility to bear. What if it didn’t work out? What would it do to her kids? They had already been through a divorce. He didn’t want to jeopardize them, and he said as much to her, but she wouldn’t listen. She was oblivious to his concerns. “Why wouldn’t it work out?”
“We need more time,” he said sensibly, and she just smiled, as though she knew all the secrets of the world. She told him she loved him a thousand times that night, and he made love to her again and again. It was the most exciting New Year’s Eve he’d ever had. They both got drunk on champagne and eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms, as the sun came up on a new year.
Paul and Katie spent New Year’s Eve at Annie’s apartment. She had spent the night at his place before. His roommate had a girlfriend who had her own apartment, and conveniently, he was gone most of the time with her. But this time, Paul stayed with Katie. They made dinner in the comfortable kitchen, watched movies, and kissed at midnight, and they made love in her bed. He was gentle, loving, and respectful, and she knew that everything Annie was concerned about with different cultures didn’t apply to him. He was as American as she was, no matter where he’d been born. And he was the kindest man in the world, and Katie was deeply and totally in love for the first time in her life.
Paul was terrified that Annie might come home in the middle of the night, and Katie kept reassuring him that she wouldn’t be back till the next day. He made Katie lock her bedroom door anyway. He didn’t want anyone to walk in on them. And Katie lay peacefully in his arms as they talked late into the night, about all the things they cared about, their hopes and fears and dreams. He said he wanted to take her to Tehran one day to visit his family there. He wanted to go back to see it again himself. He had so many memories there, and his family, but he wanted to live in the States. He just wanted her to see his country one day, and Katie wanted that too. She wanted to know everything about him and see where he lived as a child.
Paul had introduced her to his parents, who had been extremely polite to her, although a little chilly at first. Paul had explained to her that they always hoped he would eventually marry a Persian girl. But he assured Katie that they would fall in love with her in time, when they got to know her better. It was the same thing that Katie had said about Annie, that she needed to get used to their relationship, and especially the fact that Katie had grown up.
But Katie didn’t think about her aunt at all that night. Her heart and mind were full of Paul, and the life they were going to share. It was a new year, a new world, a new life with him. And the differences their families were concerned about didn’t exist for them. The only world they cared about was their own.
Chapter 10
Annie could hardly wait to leave Far Hills the next day. She didn’t want to be rude and leave before Whitney and Fred woke up. She was up and dressed by nine A.M., and it was ten when Whitney and Fred appeared. She joined them in the kitchen for breakfast, for a recap of the night before. And they both looked painfully hung over. Annie had had very little to drink and felt fine.
“So what did you think of Bob?” Whitney asked hopefully as Fred read the paper. He didn’t seem to care about the ill-fated blind date either way. That was Whitney’s deal, not his.
“He’s a very interesting man,” Annie said diplomatically, not wanting to hurt Whitney’s feelings by saying what she really thought, that he was an egomaniac and a pompous ass and a crashing bore. “He told me all about his safari in Kenya over Christmas, the ranch in Montana, his boat, the house he’s building in the Cayman Islands and the one he just sold in St. Barts. He has a lot to say.” But only about himself.
Whitney was getting the picture and looked cautiously at her friend. She realized that there was a lot Annie wasn’t saying and she was being polite. Listening to their conversation, Fred got up and walked into the other room. It sounded like girl talk to him. “I’ll admit, he’s a little full of himself, but he’s really a great guy. He gave his wife a fortune in the divorce.” Annie wasn’t sure that made him such a great guy, unless all you wanted was money and a divorce. If you wanted conversation and a real human being, he wouldn’t be an option.
“That’s nice for her,” Annie said vaguely as she sipped her coffee.
“She left him for the golf pro at the club. It was a terrible blow to his ego, and he’s been going out with a lot of young women. They’re just after his money. What he needs is a real person.”
“Is that his assessment or yours? He’s probably having fun with the young women,” Annie said sensibly. She really didn’t care.
“They’re all gold diggers, I’ve met them. He deserves someone better.” Annie wanted to tell her that he didn’t. He deserved whatever he got, and wearing his wallet on his sleeve, he was going to find women who were after that. Maybe all he wanted now was to buy one. But he was of no interest whatsoever to her. It was obvious from everything she didn’t say. She had found him utterly revolting. “I’m sorry,” Whitney said-she could tell what Annie had thought of him from the look on her face. “I guess he’s not really your style. I just hoped he would be. He’s the only single guy I know. Everyone out here is married.” And Annie wouldn’t have wanted any of them either, from what she’d seen the night before. She had never seen a more unattractive group of men in her life, and their wives hadn’t been much better. All they had talked about all night was money. “Did you tell him you’re an architect?” Whitney asked her, and Annie laughed.
“He never asked. He talked about all his houses and possessions. I just let him talk. He wasn’t interested in me, and I wasn’t interested in him. It’s awfully hard to fix people up. I think if it happens, it just has to fall on you.
