“Let’s get out of here,” he said, as he opened his computer. “Let’s go someplace hot and sunny. How does St. Barts sound?” He had barely taken his coat off, and was already looking up the hotel he preferred there. He knew they could have a villa with their own pool. Sydney sat and smiled at him when he called them. They had a villa available, and he made reservations for the next day. It sounded like a dream to her.
They lay in bed talking that night, wide awake. She had packed, and he said he’d buy what he needed there at the local stores, since he had only brought clothes for New York. And she told him she was coming to Hong Kong in March.
“You have been busy!” He laughed and looked pleased.
“We’re doing a fashion show for a big benefit Mrs. Chin does every year. We’ll take the whole collection there after Fashion Week. It should be fun,” she said, and he smiled.
“It will be ‘fun’ having you in Hong Kong. Actually, it will be fantastic.” It was his fondest wish come true, to have her in Hong Kong with him. “How long will you stay?”
“A few days, a week, as long as we need to, to put on the benefit.”
“Would you stay an extra week, just for us?” he asked her seriously, and she nodded. And then he told her about Christmas with his children. They had all come home and had spent a wonderful week together, before they went off with friends to do their own thing, and he had left for New York. He said they were curious about her, and he hadn’t told them that she was incarcerated in her apartment, and didn’t intend to. They didn’t need to know. They fell asleep that night in each other’s arms, and they couldn’t wait to leave for St. Barts the next day.
—
They got up early the next morning and left for the airport. She had sent Ed a text telling him she was going away, and knew he’d be fine with it. They flew to St. Martin and switched to a tiny plane to get to St. Barts. The plane made her nervous, but the flight was short, and it was like being in heaven when they got to the hotel. The villa was fabulous, the location amazing, and having their own pool was a divine luxury. She had never felt so spoiled, even on trips with Andrew.
They dined in their room on some nights, and went to local restaurants on others. They swam naked in their pool, and explored the shops in the port. It felt like a honeymoon and a reward for her three-month house arrest all at the same time. They extended their stay, with Ed’s blessing, and spent a week there, and hated to go back to New York. It was the most perfect vacation she’d ever been on.
“The first of many, I hope,” he said when she thanked him profusely on the flight home.
He had to leave for London the next day, for a board meeting, but he was coming back for their show during Fashion Week, and then she would be going to Hong Kong for the breast cancer benefit. He had already bought a table for ten and wanted to invite friends so she could meet them. She would be busy backstage for most of the evening, but she could come and sit with them when the fashion show was over.
They had one night together in New York before he left. She was still floating on a cloud from their vacation, and so was he. And he loved knowing that she would be coming to Hong Kong soon. They talked about it that night until they fell asleep. And she was half asleep when he left for the airport at six o’clock the next morning. He kissed her and then he was gone.
When she got to the office that morning, she knew that the month ahead would be frantic. They had to finish the collection, put on the show, pack it up, go to Hong Kong, and start on the new collection. And before things got too crazy, she wanted to find a new apartment, another furnished one, nothing elaborate or too expensive, but bigger than where she was. The one she was in felt like a jail cell to her now. She couldn’t wait to move.
She found one the following weekend. It was a furnished commercial rental, like a hotel suite, but it was big enough, and nicer than the one she was giving up. She didn’t want the expense of decorating or buying furniture, so she was satisfied with furnished rentals for the time being, until she felt financially stable again. They looked impersonal but it didn’t matter to her.
Sophie helped her move.
It was a relief when she got the money from Paris. She could pay Sabrina off at last, and Steve, and put the rest in the bank. It was the most money she had seen in almost two years, and she felt secure for the first time in a long time.
They were both working on their shows when Sabrina called her on the weekend to tell her that she and Steve had just found the location they wanted for their wedding reception. It was an English club with wood paneling and fireplaces. It had elegant rooms, a library, and a beautiful garden, and looked like a home, which it had once been. It was formal, traditional, and serious and suited them. The club rented it out for weddings, and the price seemed reasonable to both of them when Sabrina and Sydney went to look at it. Sabrina and Steve were definite that they only wanted a hundred people at the wedding. They wanted it to be intimate, traditional, and discreet. They loved that the club had an old-fashioned feel to it. Only Sophie was disappointed that they didn’t want to do it somewhere funkier and more fun, which would have been more her own style than her older sister’s. Sophie was trying to talk Sabrina into letting her wear hot pink as the maid of honor instead of a pale blush peach that Ed and Sabrina had agreed on. And Sydney was planning to wear taupe with bronze accessories.
Sydney put a deposit on the club immediately, so that problem was solved. The club had its own caterer, so she didn’t have to find one. They’d found a church they liked. All they needed now was a wedding cake, Ed’s florist, and a photographer. She and Ed were making the gowns for Sabrina, Sophie, and herself. It was all turning out to be much less complicated and stressful than she’d expected. Steve and Sabrina were very low-key and not demanding, and weren’t looking to show off, despite Sabrina’s high standards in fashion. She wanted her wedding to remain simple and very private. Steve was fine with the idea, and his parents had agreed. Sabrina had done most of the work and research herself and had her own ideas about everything.
So with the main issues for the wedding solved, and deposits where they needed them, Sydney could focus on the collection and take care of the remaining wedding details later. They had time. But the pressure was on for Fashion Week, and she was at work till midnight every night. Ed was often there even later.
She was taking a break one night, eating a salad at her desk, before working on the show some more, and picked up the Post and turned to Page Six as a diversion. The usual names were there—the cheaters, the hot romances, the new babies both in and out of wedlock, who had a new house or lost one in a divorce—when she saw Kyra’s name jump out at her, and wondered what nastiness she and her sister were up to now. She knew that Kellie’s divorce was costing her a fortune, and Geoff was already engaged to another woman. The mention of Kyra was brief, and struck Sydney as sad. It said that she was in rehab for an alcohol and substance abuse problem that had led to several recent arrests, and she had been sent to rehab by the court in lieu of jail. Sydney had had her own problems with the law, but it seemed a terrible waste that someone with so much in her favor and to protect her should be so lost.
Kyra was thirty-four years old now, had no children, had never been married, had had a slew of bad boyfriends, and her life was totally without merit or accomplishment. Sydney hoped that she could turn it around. She had never known her to have a drug problem before, but maybe with all she had inherited she had lost her grip and gone wild. Neither of the twins seemed to be using their father’s fortune well. One was squandering it on a gigolo husband and a bad divorce, and the other one was deep into drugs. Sydney was relieved to be well away from them, and glad that she hadn’t run into them in a long time, and hoped she never would again. Their history together didn’t seem real anymore. Too much had happened since.
She said something about it to Sabrina when they talked the next day, and she agreed about what a mess they both seemed to be and what miserable lives they led. They�
��d been so anxious to take everything away from her and then lost it themselves.
“I heard from someone the other day who knows her that Kellie does a lot of cocaine these days too, and Geoff is threatening to take the kids,” Sabrina told her mother. “It’s pathetic.”
“At least he wants them,” Sydney commented.
“He probably wants them for the child support she’ll have to give him,” Sabrina said cynically, and then added in a gentler tone, “I’m sorry about the house, Mom.”
“So am I, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s past history.” And the future was looking bright. Since its first show, Sydney Chin had been an astonishing success, and was exceeding all expectations and predictions. Ed had told her that his family was very pleased. They had increased her equity and given her a big raise and a huge bonus. There was a certain satisfaction in knowing that whatever she had now she had earned herself, it hadn’t been given to her by someone else, and no one could take it away. She would never put herself in that position again.
—
Bob arrived in New York two days before the show, and took her to dinner the night before Valentine’s Day. She was running crazed but had agreed to have dinner with him. But afterward she had to go back to work. He was staying with her at her new apartment, which they both agreed wasn’t glamorous or beautiful, but was an improvement over the last one, which she had been thrilled to leave.
“Ready for the big day tomorrow?” Bob asked her across the table, and she looked instantly anxious.
“God, no. We have six dresses to finish sewing tonight. Our appliqués and embroideries just came in this afternoon, and one of our biggest models just canceled. She broke a leg skiing in Courchevel yesterday, and we don’t have a replacement for her yet. She was due in tonight.” He smiled as he listened. He knew it was the jargon of the trade, and standard Fashion Week panic. In the end, the dresses would be done, the models would be there, the sewing would be finished, and in Sydney and Ed’s case, the reviews would be great. Sabrina was going through the same thing where she worked. And Sophie was just as busy, or almost, with her junior line. It was the norm in their world.
“Are you staying at work tonight?” he asked, and she nodded. There was something he wanted to ask her, but he didn’t think this was the night. She was too tired and too stressed. And she would be in Hong Kong in less than two weeks. He could ask her then. He was happy to see that she always wore his ring and never took it off. She called it her lucky charm, and had become superstitious about it.
Bob kissed her when he dropped her back at the office, and went to her apartment to sleep. It amazed him how much he loved her. He had never felt that way about any woman before, and in spite of the crazy business she was in, they got along well. The only problem they had was where they both lived, but they seemed to have a system that worked for now, and managed to see each other every three or four weeks, mostly thanks to him, because he had to go to New York anyway for meetings with clients, though not as often as he went for her. But he couldn’t go without seeing her for long.
He woke up for an instant when he felt her slip into bed at four in the morning, and then out again at six. By the time he woke up fully two hours later, she was long gone and hard at work.
Chapter 19
Predictably, their show was even better than the first one, and the reviews were fabulous. Sydney and Ed were ecstatic. They both went home to sleep after the show, and the following night, Ed, Kevin, Sydney, and Bob had dinner to celebrate at La Grenouille. Their show had been called the best one of the season, and people were talking about their possibly winning a CFDA Fashion Award, which would be a major coup. It was like winning an Oscar for an actor or producer. And the orders were already rolling in.
Bob stayed a few more days after the show, and then headed back to Hong Kong. He was already making plans for dinners with her and special outings, a casual evening with his children, and a cocktail party with his friends to introduce her to everyone. Sydney was nervous about it. He was so excited to have her meet everyone that she felt overwhelmed. She talked to Ed about it on the plane, after they settled into their seats. It had been a whirlwind two weeks, with busy days ahead in Hong Kong.
“I hope you have your plane karma under control,” he warned her, and she laughed nervously. She never totally forgot the terror of the flight that had almost crashed and then landed in Nova Scotia. It had been fateful for her since she had met Paul there.
“I hope so too,” she said anxiously. “Bob acts like this is a homecoming instead of just a visit. I haven’t even met his kids yet. And I’m not signing up for another bunch of kids who hate me.”
“Stop worrying about it. They’re sane. Those other two witches aren’t, and never were.” He thought about it for a minute then and asked her a question. “Would you ever live there?” She shook her head without hesitating.
“I’m married to you and the business,” she said, and he smiled. Kevin was on the same flight with them, traveling in business as a gift from Ed. Since it was a long flight, she and Ed were in first, which Sydney was enjoying. It was one of the luxuries she had missed and had come back to her now.
“You don’t have to be married. But you could live anywhere, you know. We proved that when you were under house arrest. You can send your drawings in by computer. We can FaceTime. As long as you come back for Fashion Week twice a year. Our design team can handle the pre-collections. You don’t have to live in New York if you don’t want to.”
“I want to,” she said, sounding adamant about it. “I have two children there. And I’m never giving up my life for a man again, or being dependent on someone to take care of me. That’s the lesson of the past two years. I never should have given up my career when I got married. It was a huge mistake.”
“So don’t give up your career. I don’t want you to do that either.” He looked worried at the thought. They had a booming business now that depended on both of them. “I’m just saying you could live anywhere, as long as you have a computer and fly to New York several times a year. You would probably have to spend about a month before each Fashion Week in September and February. It’s workable if you want to. You could be flexible.” Ed was trying to work it out for her, so she could spend time with Bob.
“I don’t see how that can work,” she said, frowning. “Besides, I’d be moving there for Bob. And that’s too big a change to make just for a man. And then he dies or dumps me, and I’m screwed and have to start all over again. I just did that.” She looked unnerved at the thought. She was traumatized by what had happened to her when Andrew died, and she didn’t want to put her life in any man’s hands again, even Bob’s, whom Ed knew she loved. “I’m not going to give up my life, my career, or my city for anyone. He lives in Hong Kong. I live in New York.”
“What if you could do both?” Ed asked her calmly.
She didn’t answer for a long moment. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “It scares me. Are you trying to marry me off?” she asked him with a grin. “Did Bob ask you to talk to me?”
“No, but I can see how much he loves you, and you can’t expect him to do all the traveling forever. And these days, even in our business, you can live where you want to and do a lot by computer. I just thought I’d remind you of that, to think outside the box.” It was a generous gesture on his part, and she was touched.
“Would you move to another city for Kevin?”
Ed looked startled at the question. He’d never thought about it with anyone. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It would depend on how much I love him, and the city. I might try it for a while to check it out.” She didn’t answer him, and sat staring out the window, thinking about it. Bob had proven himself for the last year, and been there for her. But moving to Hong Kong would be a lot to ask. Fortunately, he never had. It was a decision she didn’t want to make.
They both watched movies and slept on the flight, and Ed went to visit Kevin in business a few times. When the
y got to Hong Kong, Bob was waiting for her at the airport. Ed and Kevin were staying with Ed’s family, who had sent their Bentley and driver for them. Bob drove Sydney to his place in his Aston Martin. When they got there, his apartment was as beautiful as she remembered from the video he had sent her.
“Welcome home,” Bob said as he kissed her, and they stood on the terrace and looked at the view of Hong Kong below. The apartment was like a movie set, he poured champagne for both of them, and handed her a glass. “I’ve waited eleven months to get you here,” he said, looking happy. It felt like a dream to him having her with him in Hong Kong, and as she sipped the champagne, she couldn’t help remembering that he had stuck with her through the worst months of her life, including preparations for a trial and the possibility of prison, and he had never let her down once. The years with Andrew had been easy, for both of them. But Bob had been through everything hard, including three months of incarceration in a miserable apartment. And now she was back in the lap of luxury again, but it wasn’t hers, it was his. She was acutely aware of that now, and the risks. And she didn’t want to do that again. “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked, always respectful of her plans and the demands on her, and willing to adjust. That was new to her.
“I have to help Ed set up the show. It’s the day after tomorrow,” she reminded him. “We have to pick the models and have fittings with them. But it won’t be as crazy as New York.” It was a benefit, not New York Fashion Week with critics to impress.
“We’ll have time to do everything after the benefit,” he said easily. She was staying a week after the fashion show, just to be with him. And his life was so seductive, as long as she didn’t think about meeting his children.
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