Slowly he took in her hips and waist, lingered on her chest and finally her face. She waited for him to recognize her. By the time she reached the bottom step, his eyes were wide withdisbelief.
“It’s Millie Summers now,” she told him, her voice cool andgraceful.
He kept looking her up and down; his mouth opened and shut a few times before he managed to speak. “Millie, you look—you don’t look like—you—What’ve you done to yourself? Cosmeticsurgery?”
“No, just ahaircut.”
“Oh, yes,” he said, taking in her hair. “Good, it suits you.” His eyes travelled down to her chestonce more.
“Thank you.” She waited for him to stop staring at her body. When he met her eyes again, she said, “I didn’t expect tosee you.”
“I got your new address from the divorce papers. I didn’t realize you worked for the seigneur of La Canette. Ishe here?”
“Henry. Why areyou here?”
“Don’t you want to see me?” He gave her one of his looks. The one he used when he wanted something. “There is no need for us to be strangers. So our marriage didn’t work, but we have history, Mills. And since we broke up, I have missed you.” He walked towards her with arms wide, but Millie crossed hers in front of her body, and that stopped him.
“It’s not been the same without you. The landlord is refusing to repair the boiler, and I can’t find the household insurance. Mills, you just disappeared and left me in the lurch. How did you think I was going to manage everything on top of my job?”
“You’ll find a way, Henry. I did, and I used to havetwo jobs.”
“Oh, come on, you can’t call them real jobs. I have a high-stress, high-octane career. You used to look after me. We cared for each other. We helped each other. Partners, remember? I am still your Henry.”
“Aren’t you someone else’s Henry now?” She wasn’t even angry. A couple of months ago, her imagination had written several speeches about his cheating, about the women who’d slept with him in his marital home. Now she felt nothing but a faint surprise that he still neededher. Why?
“Mills, you’re not going to hold a little indiscretion against me.” He tilted his head sweetly. “Darling, come on. It was finished as soon as it started, you just happened to discover us the only time it happened. She was nothing, she chased me for ages, and I was lonely andstressed.”
“What are you asking me, Henry? Forgiveness or reconciliation?”
“Both. We can forgive each other and start again or at least be friends to start with and see where it takes us.” He looked her up and down again. “Are you with anyone else? Is there another man?”
She would’ve laughed, but his last question wasn’t funny. “No, Henry, there is no other man.”
Hope filled his pale-blue eyes. “I didn’t think so. Well, we can start over?” He took her hand and pulled her to him.
She remembered his touch, his moves. They hadn’t changed since their early days together when she was in lovewith him.
Butshehad changed. She didn’t love him anymore. Turning her face away from his kiss, she pushed him away, as kindly as she could. “It’s too late for this, Henry. We have both moved on. You have a great career and a future. You don’tneed me.”
“Mills, I don’t have a great career. The stress has been unbelievable since you left. I can’t cope, and my career has suffered. You just up and left me. You should see the flat, bills and red letters everywhere. I’ve had to hire a secretary, but she’s rubbish. And my girlfriend is no help. She’s only interested in going to expensive clubs and celebrity spotting. She never advises me like you used to.” Suddenly he seemed to catch himself. “Ex-girlfriend, I mean.” He took out his handkerchief and wiped sweat from his face again.
Why didn’t he take off his suit jacket at least, and loosen his tie? He had to be boiling.
“I can’t come back, Henry. I have ajob here.”
“Well, then you can help me in other ways.” He mopped athis neck.
“How?”
“Help me gain new contacts to make up for the business I lost since you left me. Introduce me to your employer. You know, Mills, he owns and governs this entire island and has holdings in Britain, too. That’s tons of property and assets to manage. There would be endless work. We don’t have to be married. We could be friends, and this is what friends do for each other. They help when someone’s introuble.”
Ha, so that was why he’d stuffed himself into this pinstripe three-piece blanket. He wanted to meet the DuMontforts.
“I don’t think so, Henry.”
“Why not? You can’t hate me that much?”
“I don’t hate you at all.”
