He’s only eighty-one.”
She studied Gabe for a long moment. He seemed to have planned everything down to the last detail. It was all going so fast. “He has no idea you’re coming, does he.”
“No. But the day I left St. Pierre, my grandparents told me their door would always be open. That has never changed over the years. The house holds many choice memories for me.
“Nevertheless it’s an isolated world, Andrea, and in some ways very harsh. Naturally I’m going to keep enough money in trust for you and our child so that if anything happened to me, you would be taken care of.
“But I’m speaking of the total picture, of the fog and the interminable ice and cold of winter. Few outsiders can make it in such an insular society of people who tend to stick to their own and draw their livelihood from the sea.
“But it’s my home. If I had a child, that’s where I would want to raise it. No son or daughter of mine is going to grow up any differently than I did.”
What an extraordinary man he was.
“Except for my father and grandfather, the family doesn’t know the real reason I never came home again. They believe I’m a traitor who left the island because hard times hit economically.
“Because of their resentment of me abandoning the life I was born to—an action they consider to be a sin—the family will crucify you by their unwillingness to get to know you. They might never accept you. I’m telling you all this so there won’t be any surprises in case you decide to marry me.
“I’d like your answer by tonight,” he murmured. “In the meantime we’ll tour Paris to your heart’s content.”
She doubted any woman had ever received such a bizarre marriage proposal.
What a choice— Never see him again, or live with him under almost untenable, if not impossible, circumstances. You’re damned whether you accept or not, Andrea.
“You’ve given me so much to think about, I’m afraid any sightseeing would be wasted on me.” She pushed herself away from the table and stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to fly back to New York today.”
“So be it. I’ll send for a limo and alert my pilot you’re on your way to the airport now.”
She bit her lip. “You’re not coming, too?”
“No. I have business at the fisheries board and will fly home later on a company plane.” He cocked his head. “Don’t take too long making up your mind. It would be a crime to delay, if you only have five months to conceive.
“Though I only slept with Jeanne-Marie one time, there’s no guarantee I could make you pregnant that fast, but I’m prepared to try.”
Such brutal honesty was hard to take. Andrea would have welcomed even one tiny white lie such as, “I’ve had my eye on you for a long time, but knew you were involved with Bret.”
He poured himself another cup of coffee. “When I’m back in New York I’ll call you for your answer. Have a safe flight, Andrea.”
“You, too,” she whispered before walking back to the hotel alone.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur as a limo pulled up in front of the hotel and swept her away to the airport. Evidently yesterday’s romantic raft ride across the river was all part of the atmosphere he’d orchestrated to prove she wasn’t physically indifferent to him. Her enthusiastic response to him on the dance floor had probably shocked him.
Six hours later she stepped off his private jet where she discovered his driver waiting for her. “Welcome back, Ms. Bauer.”
“Good morning, Benny.”
“Mr. Corbin said you haven’t had much sleep after such a short trip. He told me to take you straight to your apartment.”
Nothing escaped Gabe’s notice. “I have to admit I’m tired. Thank you for coming to get me.”
“It’s a pleasure.” He helped her in the back of the limo before they drove into Manhattan.
There weren’t many clouds overhead. It didn’t look anything like the sky above Champigny. She couldn’t smell the perfume in the air. The atmosphere was all wrong.
Everything was wrong because Gabe wasn’t with her…
When she entertained the thought of never seeing him again, an emptiness stole through her too terrible to contemplate.
“Here we are, Ms. Bauer,” Benny said twenty minutes later. He’d come around to open her door. She’d been so buried in thought, she hadn’t realized they were back in front of her apartment.
Andrea climbed out and thanked him for the ride.
He handed her the suitcase. “I’m always glad to be of service.”
She waved him off and hurried inside.
One of the first things she did after entering her small fourth floor apartment was go to the kitchen and listen to the messages on her answering machine.
There were several calls from her mom wondering if she’d be coming home for the weekend. Sue, a friend in the same apartment building, wanted to go to lunch. The next voice was Bret’s.
“It was hard seeing you at the elevator without being able to talk. I’m missing you like crazy, Andrea. Forgive me for accusing you of being in love with the boss. You said you weren’t, but I wouldn’t listen. Maybe it’s because I sensed his interest in you from the beginning.”
She shook her head. Bret was so wrong where Gabe was concerned.
“I’ll admit I’ve been jealous as hell. Gabe Corbin is an impossible act for the normal man to compete with. Can we start over again? If I promise not—”
Andrea deleted all the messages, too torn up over the decision she was grappling with to deal with anything else. She’d heard of people who said they’d reached a turning point in their life that had altered it forever. It never occurred to her she would be one of those people.
While she stood there trying to sort out her chaotic emotions, her cell phone rang. She reached in her purse for it.
The caller ID indicated an out of area call. It was probably her mom. She clicked on. “Hello?”
“I’m glad you arrived safely, Andrea.”
Gabe— She clung to the edge of the counter for support.
“You’ve had seven hours to consider my proposal. I’d like your answer now.”
Now?
The phone fell to the floor. She rushed to retrieve it. Her hand pressed against her heart where it pounded so hard, it hurt. She hadn’t expected to hear from him until tonight. “A-are you still in Paris?” she spluttered.
She felt his hesitation before he said, “I’m at the airport. If you’ve decided to marry me, we have plans to make. Otherwise I’m going to fly to St. Pierre now.”
The breath froze in her lungs. “H-how long will you be there?”
“For good. I thought you understood that.”
“But—”
“It sounds like you’ve made your decision,” he interrupted without missing a beat. “Andrea, I thought my proposition would make you happy, that it would give you one last chance at getting pregnant. But I understand your decision—and I hope your surgery is successful and you’ll be pain-free.
“Don’t worry about anything at the office. I’ll phone Sam Poon and let him decide how to reorganize your department. You can pick up your severance paycheck from Karen.”
“Wait—!” she cried out in panic.
“If you’re uncertain about quitting, so much