Drew chuckled. “That’s true. So, what do you have planned today?”
“I’m visiting our grandkids. Do you want to come along?”
He returned her smile. “I’d love to. But later.” He pulled her into his arms. “Right now, I want to take you back to bed and remember that time when a man who swore never to marry allowed his heart to be captured by a pair of beautiful green eyes.”
CHAPTER 2
41 years ago…
“Your father’s men are tearing up New York trying to find you, Eden. Maybe you should go home.”
Eden Tyson rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Ida. Don’t tell me Elijah Tyson has put the fear of God into you, too. I signed that modeling deal for Paris, which will make you a lot of money as my agent.”
“All that commission won’t do me any good if I’m not in any shape to spend it,” Ida argued.
Eden nibbled on her bottom lip and wished she could tell Ida that her father was merely full of bluster, but she knew that was not the case. She was her parents’ only child. They said they were only trying to protect her, but she knew it for what it was -control. She gripped the phone receiver tight in frustration. “If you’re going to cave in to Dad, then I will have to find another agent, one who will put me first.”
“Save yourself the time. I quit.” She heard Ida release a frustrated breath. “I’m too old for this, Eden. I hadn’t known Vogue would put you on the cover as an up-and-coming modeling star instead of simply doing a small article in the magazine on you. Your parents, especially your father, were fit to be tied when he saw it.”
“They are merely upset because they want me to return home and marry Mark Lambert. But I refuse to do that. All Mark and I will ever be is friends. We tried telling our families that, but they won’t listen,” Eden said, looking around at her surroundings.She’d appreciated getting a ride this far from the mother of two who had picked her up. Escaping from New York had been easier than she had thought. Her destination had been Florida, but she had ended up in Phoenix.
The woman, whose name was Beth, and her two-year-old twin girls, were racing across state lines on their way to their parents’ home in Phoenix. She’d been running from the man she called her ‘crazy husband’. And here Eden was, doing her best to escape her parents, going anywhere, as long as it was far away from Boston.
“Where are you, Eden?”
“It’s best you don’t know my location, Ida,” she said, looking around the area from the safety of the phone booth. “You can’t lie straight, and Dad’s henchmen will have you shaking in the knees and spilling your guts in no time. Besides, you dropped me as a client, so there’s no reason for you to know my whereabouts. The only thing I will tell you is that I’m safe. Goodbye.”
“Eden, wait!”
“What, Ida?”
“You should know that I overheard one of your father’s men say they are tracking your credit cards and they know you’re headed west.”
Dang. She hadn’t thought of that. She’d filled Beth’s car with gas, paying for everyone’s hotel rooms, and making sure they ate along the way. “Thanks for telling me.”
Eden then disconnected the call and fished coins from the pockets of her jeans to make another one. She hoped Amélie, hopefully her soon-to-be agent, was still in New York and hadn’t left for Paris.
“Bonjour.Are you ready for me to manage your career?”
“Yes.”
There was a long pause, and then Amélie asked, “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. Ida dumped me after my father put the fear of God in her.”
“Well, her loss is my gain. Where are you?”
“On the run. Dad’s men are trying to find me.”
“The fashion industry is closed for the holidays and won’t be back in full swing until the first of the year,” Amélie said. “Can you get to Paris this week?”
“No. Dad is tracking my credit card purchases, so I can’t buy a ticket.”
“Then I will purchase one and send it to you. Where are you?”
“In Phoenix, but I’m not sure how long I will be here if I can get a ride elsewhere. I think I’ll go into hiding for a while. At least until after the holidays.”
“Okay, Eden. When the holidays are over, let me know where you are, and I will get a ticket to you. In the meantime, I will arrange for you to have a nice flat in the heart of Paris, ready for you upon your arrival. If your father’s men try taking you away after you get here, it will be considered kidnapping.”
