“I know it sounds crazy,” she said quietly, “but so do I. It’s hard to explain it to anyone sane though. If I told anyone I had fallen in love at first sight at the Plaza Athénée, they’d have me committed. And if someone told me that, I’d probably think they were crazy too. But this feels right to both of us, or as though it could be. And I haven’t even kissed the man, or gone to bed with him.”
“That’ll give you something to look forward to,” David teased her.
“I’m not even sure I will. Not for a while anyway. I think I want to wait to sleep with him, until he moves out in June. Just to be on the safe side, and make sure he makes it out of enemy territory.” It was the sensible thing to do, and she had said as much to Jean-Charles again on the phone the night before, and he agreed. He wanted to do what was right for her, and he respected her wishes. But they had both laughed and were in complete agreement that it was going to be a long four months till June.
“I know whatever happens, you’ll do the right thing,” David reassured her. “And don’t be too tough on yourself if you change your mind and wind up in bed with him before June. Worse things could happen. Sometimes it’s hard to slow down that train. Maybe you don’t even need to slow it down, if you really love each other.” He had enormous respect for her judgment, her wisdom, her integrity as a human being, and the fact that she was throwing her heart over the wall for Jean-Charles told David a lot about him. He had never seen her do that before, and had never expected her to. She wouldn’t have done it for just anyone. He had to be a very special man for Timmie to feel this way. Timmie felt sure he was. She had no doubts about him whatsoever, and trusted her instincts unfailingly this time. She was sure she was right about who he was.
It was a long flight home, and finally she slept. She dropped David off at his apartment on her way back to Bel Air, and her driver carried her bags in for her. Her phone rang almost the instant she got home. She picked it up, expecting it to be Jean-Charles, and instead it was Jade.
“How was the trip?”
“Long,” Timmie said. It felt good to be back, and it would be better yet to sleep in her own bed. She felt as though she’d been traveling forever, after the weeks in Europe, and now the trip to Taipei. “But good.” She told her about the problems she and David had resolved. It had gone better than either of them had hoped.
“I hate to do this to you, but you’ve got to go to New York tomorrow. The union struck the factory in New Jersey while you were on the plane. They want you there for the negotiations. You may be able to solve it quickly, but if not, we’re going to miss all our deliveries for spring. I hate like hell to tell you that. I told the lawyers you couldn’t do it, and they say you have to.”
“Shit,” Timmie said, and sat down. “I haven’t been back for ten minutes. When do I have to go?”
“I’ve got you on a noon flight tomorrow. Something could change in the morning. But it didn’t look like it at six o’clock tonight. I’ll call them at seven from my house. You may not have to stay for more than a day or two. I just called David, he said he’ll go with you. You must feel like you’re traveling through outer space these days. I tried to get you out of this trip, but I just couldn’t.” She knew Timmie was exhausted. Timmie looked at her suitcase when she hung up. There was no point unpacking. She would just take all the same things to New York. And as she contemplated getting on a plane again, her cell phone rang. It was Jean-Charles. She told him about the trip to New York, and the reason for it, and there was a long silence at his end. He was thinking. She was ready to cry, she was suddenly so tired. And she hated dealing with unions. They were always so damn unreasonable, and she couldn’t afford to miss all her spring deliveries. It just wasn’t fair.
“What if I meet you there?” he asked gently, afraid to intrude on the running of her business. But he was dying to see her, and suddenly saw the hand of providence offering them a gift.
“Are you serious?” She smiled, and felt something in her stomach do a small, neat flip, like a tiny gymnast doing somersaults. She had wanted some time to get used to the idea of what they were saying to each other, and make sure that it was real. Seeing him again so soon in New York was going to be extremely real, and maybe more than she could deal with just yet. She wasn’t sure. But her desire to see him again and see what this was was stronger than the fear.
“I am. Unless you think it would be an intrusion, with the problems you have to deal with there.”
“I probably need a day or two to sit down with the union lawyers and see how bad it is. But … I’d like to see you …,” she said softly, remembering what she had said to him, that she wouldn’t sleep with him, or even date him, until he moved out in June. It seemed the wisest course to her, and a better way to start, to wait for him to move out before they began a relationship, even if they were falling head over heels with each other. Sensible people could wait, and if this was real, it would. He had agreed.
“When are you going?” Jean-Charles asked cautiously. He would have to cancel his patients, and find someone to cover for him, not always an easy task.
“Tomorrow at noon,” Timmie said with a sigh. All she had time to do was get a good night’s sleep and walk out the door again. She no longer had any idea what time zone she was in. She felt like she was in outer space. But part of that too was the excitement of what she was feeling for Jean-Charles. That had disoriented her too, but in the nicest way.
“They don’t give you any time to breathe, do they?” he said sympathetically. “Must you do all of this yourself?” he asked, sounding worried about her. “Is there no one who can take some of this off your shoulders for you?”
“Not really.” They both knew she was too much of a perfectionist to let any of it go. She liked overseeing it all herself, and having her finger in every pie. It was part of the legend of Timmie O. She did damn near everything herself, from designing their collections to running the whole show. She was a magician of sorts, a high-wire act that dazzled the crowd, with no net under her most of the time, except the faithful employees she kept close. But the responsibilities of making the entire operation run rested on her. Jean-Charles had begun to see that now, as he called her all over the world.
“Why don’t I come to New York on Thursday?” he suggested. “That will give you time to deal with the problems in New Jersey. Can you take a few days off? It would do you good.” And him as well.
“I’ll try,” she said, her mind racing over all she had to do. She felt as though she were falling behind, and then suddenly she took a breath, and realized what he was offering her. The opportunity to love and be loved, a glimpse of a whole new world. “No,” she said, sounding stronger, and different. Her priorities had already begun to shift ephemerally in the past two weeks. “I will.” She held her breath, thinking of him. This was terrifying and wonderful, something she had never expected, a dream she had never in a million years thought would happen to her. “Can you really come to New York?” She felt like a child waiting for Christmas as she thought of it. Now waiting even a few days to see him seemed too long. Fate had handed them an opportunity, and neither of them was going to miss it. It was time to reach for the brass ring as the merry-go-round went round and round. The prospect of catching it was dizzying for both of them.
“Of course I can come,” Jean-Charles said reassuringly. “How could I not, Timmie?” he said, sounding so loving, it nearly made her cry. “I’m doing this for myself as much as I am for you. I want to see you.” They both wanted to see now if this was real, even if they still had to wait several months until he was physically free. “Do you want me to stay in a different hotel?” he asked sensibly. “I don’t want to cause any problems for you, or embarrass you.”
“I think we can behave ourselves,” she said, sounding confident. “Why don’t you stay at the Four Seasons too? It would be silly if you didn’t.”
“I’ll make a reservation for Thursday … and Timmie … thank you for meeting me … and letting
me come …” He sounded moved, and so did she. She was so tired that all her emotions were close to the surface, but they had been for two weeks, and perhaps even before. She was beginning to think that this had been brewing since her ruptured appendix in October, without either of them knowing, or wanting to admit it to themselves.
“Thank you for coming to New York,” she said gently. She could hardly wait to see him, and he sounded as excited as she.
“I’ll take the night flight back to Paris on Sunday. That will give us three and a half days, nearly four. I’ll take an early flight on Thursday morning, and with the time difference, I could be at the hotel by noon.”
“I can’t wait,” she said softly, although she was frightened now. They were both taking a step into the future, which would either take them one step closer to their dreams, or dash them forever. And then she forced herself to remember this was only a weekend, a string of days to spend with him, and discover who he really was, while he did the same with her. It was an exploratory mission between two people who had been struck by lightning. What they needed to know now was whether or not to go forward. Perhaps they would see each other and realize how foolish they had been for the past two weeks. It was still possible that it was only an illusion. True or false? Dream or real? All either of them knew was that they would find out in New York.
“I’ll see you in New York on Thursday,” he said gently. “Now get some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She said good night to him, and realized as she hung up that she had almost said she loved him. How could she love this man she scarcely knew, so soon, and what were they doing? All either of them knew was that they would find the answers, some of them at least, in New York. Timmie stood looking around her bedroom, feeling thunderstruck again, and suddenly frightened, as Jean-Charles sat staring out the window in his office in Paris, thinking of her, and smiling. He had never been as happy in his life.
Chapter 13
Miraculously, after ten hours a day at the bargaining table, negotiating with a fleet of lawyers beside her, Timmie was able to resolve the strike at the factory in New Jersey. It had cost them dearly, but it was worth it. The factory opened again on Wednesday night, with new overtime rates, new benefit packages, and a higher wage for all their workers. Sometimes you had to know when to be tough, and when to give in. Timmie had a good sense of what it took to keep her business running. She felt relieved, if not victorious, when the union backed off and the employees went back to work. David shook her hand in open admiration, and booked a seat on the last flight to L.A. out of Newark, and was surprised when Timmie said she was staying in New York.
“God, I would think you’d be as anxious to get back as I am.” This was why he hadn’t had a serious relationship in nearly two years. Who could find the time when they were flying between Paris, New York, L.A., Taipei, and back to New York again? It was hard to believe, but Timmie didn’t even look tired. She liked to say she had the constitution of an ox. She seemed like Superwoman to him.
“I’m taking a few days off,” she said quietly.
“Why here?” He looked puzzled. It was freezing cold, and had snowed three times in two days. All he wanted was to get out and go back to L.A. She was obviously in no hurry to go back, and he guessed that she just wanted to disconnect after the many trips and complicated negotiations. He could hardly blame her, and maybe she could do it better in New York, three thousand miles from her office, although her business and the demands it made on her followed her everywhere, even here.
“I just want to take it easy,” she explained, as they left the last of the negotiations, with the lawyers following behind them, congratulating each other. “I want to sleep, go to some plays, and shop.” It never occurred to him that she was meeting Jean-Charles in New York, and she wanted to keep it to herself. Like a newborn baby, she wanted to protect the fledgling feelings they had for each other. For this first time anyway, she just wanted to disappear with him, and see what happened. They had already agreed what wouldn’t, the rest remained to be seen, and didn’t need to be observed, or even acknowledged, by anyone else.
She went back to the hotel that night and slept for hours. It was too late to call Jean-Charles when she got back from Newark. And when he left Paris the next morning, it would be too early for her. Due to the time difference, there would be silence between them until he arrived. He had told her not to meet him at the airport. He would meet her at the hotel, and call her as soon as he arrived. As it turned out, she went to bed so early, and slept so deeply, that she woke up just after six o’clock in the morning. She had plenty of time to bathe, dress, have breakfast, and meet him at the airport. She had his flight number, and called her driver at seven o’clock. She told him to meet her downstairs at nine. Jean-Charles’s flight was arriving at ten A.M. She just hoped she wouldn’t miss him as he came out of customs, which was always a zoo in New York.
She was pensive on the way to the airport, thinking about him, and all they had said to each other in the past two weeks. They had both allowed themselves to go to the edge of reason. What if in the clear light of day, it was a total bust? They were both well aware that that could happen. She couldn’t wait to see him and find out, although it was scaring her to death. It seemed crazy to have these adolescent feelings at her age.
As his plane landed at Kennedy Airport, Jean-Charles was having the same thoughts. What if it had been his imagination? Or hers? A wild flight of fancy, a mad infatuation that would evaporate instantly the moment they saw each other? They were about to find out. He was glad he still had some time to compose himself, going through customs, and the long cab ride into the city. He wanted to shave and shower before he saw her. And as the plane touched the ground, he saw that it was snowing. Big graceful flakes that were falling slowly from the sky. There was a blanket of snow, added to what had fallen earlier that week. There was a magical quality to it as they taxied down the runway toward the terminal, stopped, and the jetway was attached to the plane.
He was one of the first to leave the aircraft, with the carry-on he had brought with him. He had no bags to claim, all he needed was a stamp in his passport at immigration, and he would be on his way. His heart nearly pounded as he stood in line, got his passport stamped, and walked into the terminal with his head down, thinking about her, and the fateful meeting, and ensuing days, that were about to happen at the Four Seasons in New York.
Timmie was standing just outside the doors leading from customs, leaning against a pillar and intently watching the people coming out. She was suddenly afraid that she would miss him, or perhaps already had. But the flashing sign said his flight was still in customs. She was watching the doors, as she suddenly saw him come out, with his head down, in a navy blue topcoat, and his bag in his hand. She smiled the minute she saw him, and felt her heart leap, as he walked toward her, never knowing she was there. She had no doubt in her mind or heart as she saw him walk toward her. She knew that what she was seeing was her destiny, in the form of this one man.
He was only a few feet away from her, when instinctively, he looked up and saw her. His breath caught, and he stopped, smiling slowly. She took two long steps toward him, as he let go of his bag, and he put his arms around her. People swirled around them, like water in a stream, as Jean-Charles held Timmie tightly in his arms, and forgetting everything around them, he kissed her, and she felt everything in her soul dissolve into his. They stood there for what felt like an eternity as he held her, and could barely pull away from each other, until at last he looked down at her and smiled.
“Bonjour, Madame O’Neill,” he said gently as she smiled up at him.
“Bonjour, docteur,” she whispered back, and felt an overwhelming urge again to tell him she loved him. And instead, she just smiled at him, and everything she felt for him showed in her eyes. “I’m so happy to see you.” Every fiber of her being trembled as she said it. She had never been as happy to see anyone in her life. She had the feeling as she stood and looked at him that a
great love story was beginning.
Slowly, with his arm around her, they walked out of the airport, and she found her driver. Jean-Charles kissed her again the moment they got in the car, and they talked quietly all the way into the city. She explained to him about the union negotiations she had been doing, and all the intricacies involved, as he listened with fascination. They talked about his work, his patients, and above all, they talked about how excited they were to see each other, which was obvious just looking at them both.
He checked into the hotel and she followed him to his room, which was on the same floor as hers. They were both on the forty-eighth floor with a spectacular view of the city. And again in his room, he set down his bag, and took her in his arms, as they both became aware that sticking to their plan of abstinence was going to be a greater challenge than expected. Timmie was beginning to wonder if they had been somewhat optimistic about their ability to resist each other. What they were both aware of now was that after their confidences of months before, their many phone calls in the past weeks, and their irresistible attraction to each other, they felt totally at ease in each other’s company, as though they were picking up the threads of an existing, or even long-term, relationship, not a meeting between strangers. They felt like two halves of a single whole that fit seamlessly together. The result was a sense of unity and love that astounded them both, and took Timmie’s breath away, as he held her in his arms again and kissed her. Even after the brief time they had shared, there was no question in her mind that she loved him. And she could see in his eyes that what she felt for him was the mirror image of everything he was experiencing toward her.
They went back to her suite so she could check her messages, and decided to take a walk in the park to get some air. They walked down the snow-covered path in Central Park, with drifts on either side of them, and everything was blanketed in pristine beauty. She threw a snowball at him, which left powdery marks on his dark blue coat, and he gently tossed a handful of the sugary loose snow at her bright red hair. She wanted to run through the snow with him, to be a child again, to share all the joy that neither of them had ever before known until they found each other.
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