CHAPTER FOUR
Two days after Sylvia’s story appeared in The Peninsula Standard under the headline, “The Enduring Legacy of Fran Adams,” William felt his spirits lift, and he returned to his San Francisco office.
He avoided the gentle requests of family, friends, and associates to join them for lunch, dinner, or cocktails. Instead, William did what both he and Fran were most accustomed to doing in the years they shared: starting work early and finishing late.
He remained utterly disinterested in hearing further words of sympathy or responding to inquiries regarding how he was getting along. Neither he nor Fran believed in sugarcoating reality. The simple truth was that Fran was gone. All the kind words and best wishes would not bring her back.
His work routine was his one relief from the emptiness that overwhelmed him. William focused on both the work of the law firm and the venture capital business. Two more bets that he and Fran had placed on emerging tech companies again exceeded expectations, but without Fran to share the news, keeping score of a billion here or a billion there was far less fun than it once was.
In those quiet times when he sat in his favorite wingback chair in front of his home study's ornate fireplace, he wondered if the pain of losing Fran would have been even greater if they had experienced a strong romantic attraction to each other.
That was one truth William chose to keep private.
It was not until Fran was gone nearly a year that William’s partner, James Finch, began his campaign to draw William back into San Francisco's vibrant social world.
There was no better place to start than the San Francisco Symphony’s annual gala, the Black & White Ball. What James did not mention when he encouraged William to join him and his wife, Jade, was that he secretly hoped to introduce William to his fashion model superstar client, Willow Wisp.
The night of the gala, James looked through the massive gathering and saw William suddenly approaching from his left. Then, as though a sixth sense had moved him, he turned to his right and saw the alluring and statuesque Willow approaching.
James thought Willow had never looked more dazzling. He was only too happy to introduce the two of them.
Willow stepped closer to William and stretched out her hand for him to take as she flashed both a smile and her cornflower blue eyes.
William’s heart paused and then leaped forward with lustful anticipation that sent a shudder down his spine. Her slender, beautifully shaped hand felt surprisingly natural in his. His eyes drank all of her in, and he instantly approved of what he saw. Willow’s black and white gown had been designed specifically for her. It wrapped over her right shoulder, leaving her left shoulder exposed.
To William, she was a living work of art. The dazzling diamond and emerald pendant that went around her neck only enhanced her beauty.
There was an awkward, electric moment between the two of them, in which they both laughed like children delighted to be meeting for the first time. The thought of her wearing nothing but that beautiful pendant flashed across William’s mind. The idea embarrassed and thrilled him in equal measure.
As William was catching his breath, one of the several fashion designers in attendance squealed when he discovered Willow standing just a few feet from him.
He was very young and very thin. He wore a black and white puffy-sleeved pirate shirt, open almost to his navel.
Willow pulled her hand away from William’s, but only after a small tug that made them both laugh awkwardly.
Noting their bashful exchange, the pirate cocked a brow and said, “I only want to borrow her for ten minutes. I promise to bring her right back.”
William’s eyes followed Willow until she vanished into the crowd. Then he turned to James and asked, “Who is she again? I’m certain I recognize her.” How could he forget that striking face and those almond-shaped eyes? He asked himself.
“You pass her on your way in and out of the office every day.”
“What do you mean I pass her every day?”
“Well, you pass her billboard,” Finch reminded him.
“Good God! You mean she’s that Willow girl—that client of yours who’s become her own brand?”
“That’s the one,” James said approvingly. “She’s done very well for herself.”
“Well, she’s certainly a stunner.”
“I’ve wanted to introduce the two of you for months.”
“You’re not thinking of us as a couple?”
His studied silence provided William’s answer.
“Are you insane?”
“Hold on, William. You’re both, bright, intelligent, charming, successful—”
“But…I’ve got to be twenty years her senior!”
“A little more than that.”
“God, she’s young enough to be my daughter!”
“Who cares about your age difference?”
William frowned. “Apparently, I do!”
“You could use a little female companionship, and you could stand to have some fun for a change.”
“That’s one hell of a companion,” William murmured, as his mind toyed with unimaginable possibilities.
“Why don’t you go rescue her from that pirate who just stole her away? She might be needing a little adult companionship right now.”
Just then Jade brushed past. After kissing William on the cheek, she dragged her husband off to meet mutual friends who had just arrived.
The large gala tent, which sat diagonally across from San Francisco’s iconic city hall on Van Ness Avenue, had filled with hundreds of attendees. Willow was just one of many celebrities to cause a stir, none of whom were meant to eclipse the great maestro himself, Michael Tilson Thomas, who strolled triumphantly through the crowd, greeting celebrants and thanking them for their support of the orchestra’s educational programs.
William was left in the middle of the noisy gathering to contemplate what he considered to be ridiculous, but wildly exciting thoughts.
Perhaps I'm a fool.
There was no denying the leap he felt in his heart when he touched Willow’s hand. Perhaps he was being overly cautious. Why should he have the least regard for what others might think? Should that sudden burst of excitement he
