Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [53]
Yes, there was still plenty of time.
• • •
“The stars look closer here in Sedikhan.” Lily leaned back in the lawn chair, her gaze fixed dreamily on the glitter-sequined sky. “Why do you suppose that is?”
Andrew was sitting on a pillow on the flagstones of the terrace, beside her chair, and glanced up with a smile. “I could give you technical reasons, but I don’t think you want them right now, do you?” He leaned his head comfortably against her knee. “You’re more in the mood for fantasy.”
“Nonsense. I’m a complete realist.”
Yet she knew he was right. She was far too content sitting there with the gentle breeze touching her cheeks, teasing her with the scent of the flowering jasmine while she listened to the rippling sound of the fountain across the courtyard and to Cassie playing softly in the music room beyond the open French doors.
“I wonder on which star a rose could grow. Have you ever read The Little Prince?” Andrew asked.
“Yes, but I don’t want to think of it right now. It’s too sad.”
“Only if you look at it from the viewpoint of a realist like one Lily Deslin.”
“It’s a sand-castle story.”
“Yes.” Andrew reached up and took her hand, threading his fingers through her own. “It makes me sad that you don’t believe in sand castles.”
“Sad? Why?”
“Because there’s so much in life that you can’t reach out and touch, so many things you lose if you don’t keep them alive inside yourself.” His lips brushed her palm. “I don’t want you ever to lose anything. I want you to taste everything and know everything and feel everything. I want life to be so damned good to you that you’ll wake up singing every morning.”
Tenderness welled up in her, preventing her from speaking for a moment. “You’d soon regret it if I did. I can’t carry a tune.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes.” She wanted him to wake up singing too. She wanted his every hour to be golden, every wish granted, every foolish sand castle he built to last forever. “These last three days I admit I’ve come pretty close.”
He held his hand to her cheek. “Me too.” He paused. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” she echoed softly. “It takes two.”
“I want you to know what you’ve given me these last few days,” he said quietly. “I used to think about how it would be to have you and Cassie here, but I didn’t realize …” He stopped, and when he spoke again his voice was husky. “It’s so good.” He fell silent, and it was several minutes before he continued. “I want you to know that if everything else were swept away I’d still be rich, because I’d have the memory of what we built together these last three days.”
The faintest uneasiness rippled through her. “You’re talking sand castles again. I don’t like it.”
“Sorry.” He kissed her palm once more. “I just wanted you to know. Lie back and look up at the stars, and I’ll tell you all about the constellations. I was fascinated by them as a boy, and memorized practically all the legends.”
“Andrew.” A troubled frown creased her brow as she looked down at him. She wished he’d look up again, so she could see his face. “Is something wrong?”
“What could be wrong?” He didn’t look at her, and his voice was low. “It’s just that I love you, Lily. I always have. I always will.”
He was waiting for her to respond. She wanted to respond. For some reason she felt he needed those words of commitment from her that night. Dammit, why wouldn’t the words come?
He was silent for a long moment, and then tilted his head back to gaze at the stars again. “That constellation is Leo, the lion.” Andrew tilted back his head. “One of the stories I’ve read said that he angered Zeus by growling at him and …” The words drifted on as Andrew gave her the story from his childhood.
Gave. Andrew always gave to her, she thought in guilty anguish. He gave and gave.…
But that night he had asked for something in return, and she had failed him. She hadn’t given him the words he needed to hear.
Next time she would do it, she promised herself.
Next time she’d tell him she loved him.
NINE
AS SOON AS Lily opened her eyes the next morning she realized Andrew was no longer