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.”He smiled grimly at Rose’s next gasp.“Is everyone listening to this?” she asked unevenly.“I have nothing to hide.You make me very happy.” He hadn’t meant to hurl his intentions at her that way, but he was still new at separating business and love.“You’re very good at relationships, the best at facilitating tense situations.I’m in a discussion now where no one wants to budge.Please help me, Rose.”He smiled and waited, because Rose always knew the right answers when it came to people.She was wandering through his “I love you,” and her fears, but she never let anyone down who needed her.He held up his hand when the staunch old guard looked like they might object.“Well,” Rose said softly, thoughtfully.“First of all— I think you should send out for ice-cream cones.They always make things better.And if the weather is beautiful there, as it is here—a bright fall day—open the window to let the wind blow in and clear away the tension.And listen to the life passing through on the sidewalk below.I think by the time you’ve done all that, and talked about the different flavors of ice cream, everyone might be flowing along in the same track.”“That’s a good idea.Thank you, Rose.I miss you.” Stefan nodded to his secretary, who blinked and silently mouthed, “Ice-cream cones?” He nodded again and she hurriedly left the room.“Do you need me for anything else, Stefan?” Rose asked over the loudspeaker in a professional tone.“Yes,” he said huskily and smiled again at the pause.“Oh.Bye,” she returned in that breathless tone he loved.He inhaled briefly when the line clicked off.Then Stefan started to work, settling the issues, because he wanted to go home to Rose.When his secretary came into the room again, her expression concerned, Stefan nodded.He picked up the telephone and smiled as he heard Rose’s voice.“I’m not happy,” she said.“I don’t know how to handle all this.”“It won’t do for our children to have an unhappy mother,” Stefan said, enjoying the play.He listened to Rose’s uneven breathing and imagined her steamy, quivery look like just before she tore his T-shirt to have him.“I’ll be home soon and we’ll fix that.”“Oh.Goodbye,” she said airily after a slight hesitation, and the line clicked off.Stefan looked around the table, at the older, rigid faces, silently admonishing him for his lack of business protocol.The younger ones were softer and Stefan relaxed a bit as the women smiled fondly at him—they’d always been a little uncertain of him and now that gap seemed to be closing.“We’ll manage, and we’ll succeed,” he said firmly.“I forbid anything else.”How could Stefan be so confident of her? Of them? Rose wondered as she spent hours amid the faeries he had given her, each one perfect—except the one with the tutu and that was slanted oddly, her gauzy panties showing.Each day Rose wondered what she could give Stefan, and the leaves of the oaks shading the faeries gave no answers.The casseroles didn’t come to her as they usually did after a breakup.Life was odd and lonely, and she waited for Yvette’s tidbits of Stefan.He sent her a tiny, perfect pin, one with diamonds on the fragile faerie wing.It was elegant and contrasted her T-shirt, but she wore it anyway—at night in her rose garden with the faeries.She sent him a thank-you note, because that seemed very proper to do.What could she give Stefan? Was it possible he really loved her and that he was coming back?Another week took Rose into mid-September and Stefan wasn’t calling.She knew he was very busy and giving her time to think.Yet all she could think of was needing him close and safe.To show her father that Maggie White was perfectly welcome in their family, Rose threw a swing dance party at the Granger home.Yvette and Leroy attended and moved together as if they had all their lives.Leroy obviously adored Yvette.Maggie had centered on Maury and wasn’t looking at other men—a soft, well-loved look replaced her chic, manhunting one.While the music played loudly and Mrs.Wilkins took care of the refreshment table, it seemed to be a perfect time for Rose to call Stefan—just to hear that deep drawl, his beautiful accent.Instead when he answered, his tone was weary.She wanted to make him feel better and also to relieve the nagging need to— “Oh, hi.Just thought I’d call to tell you that I love you, too….And your gifts are far too expensive, but I love them anyway.Bye.”There was silence and then the rush of French seemed to be in the swearing mode.“You are there, and I am here, and you would pick such a time to tell me?” he demanded unevenly.“Tit for tat, equality and all that,” she said, defending her right to equal what he had said.Stefan’s voice was uneven and threaded heavily with his accent.“I wanted to propose to you differently—I wanted to see you alone, but in Waterville there seems to be very little ‘alone.”’“It just came to me slowly, no big flashes of thunder or anything.But it’s there, in my heart, and it’s good and strong.”Rose listened to the laughter and music coming from the living room.It all seemed very right that she should call Stefan at a time like this—when all the people she loved were enjoying themselves.“Am I on the loudspeaker? I hear other men there.You’re probably in a business meeting.It’s too late for that, Stefan.You need your rest because when you come home—”“We speak privately,” Stefan stated huskily.“Proceed with your definition of the activity.”“Well, then, I should tell you how much I love you.Maybe a part of me was always waiting for you, my prince.I moved into the bigger bedroom, because I want to remember you with me.How much I want to touch you and feel you close and naked beside me.I want to kiss you—on the lips—have patience with me, because I’m new to this
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