Loving by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online Page A

Justin briefly and then Ivo remembered the stories Justin had shown him. The stories Bettina had written.
    "One day, if you want to, you can be an even greater writer than Justin."
    "Do you mean that?" She stared at him, as though too terrified to breathe, waiting, wanting to hear his answer, and yet much too afraid. But he was nodding, and she let out a very small sigh.
    "I do. Your last four or five stories. You know, the ones you wrote last summer in Greece ... they're extraordinary, Bettina. You could publish them if you wanted to, in fact I was going to ask you sometime if that was what you had in mind." He looked at her seriously, and she gazed at him, stunned.
    "Of course not. I just wrote them to--to write them. For no reason. Did Daddy show them to you?"
    "Yes."
    "Did he think they were good?" Her voice was dreamy and wistful now, and she seemed to have almost forgotten that Ivo was there. But he stared at her in astonishment.
    "Didn't he tell you?" Gently she shook her head. "That's criminal, Bettina. He loved them. Didn't he ever say?"
    "No." And then she looked at Ivo squarely. "But he wouldn't have actually. That kind of praise wasn't really his style." No, but bearing it was. Oh, yes, how he loved that, Ivo thought.
    Ivo was annoyed again as he thought of it. "Suffice it to say that he truly loved them."
    She smiled carefully at Ivo again. "I'm glad."
    Perhaps here was a way be could help her. "Are you going to try to publish them?"
    "I don't know." She shrugged, suddenly childlike again. "I told you, I dream about writing a play. But that doesn't mean I will."
    "It could if you wanted it to. One good strong dream is enough. If you hold it, and cherish it, and build on it. If you never give up that dream. No matter what." For a long time Bettina said nothing, and she averted her eyes. He moved a little closer, and she could feel him next to her, his hand just near hers where they sat. "Don't give up your dreams, Bettina ... don't ever, ever do that."
    When she looked up at him at last, it was with wise, tired eyes. "My dreams are already over, Ivo."
    But he shook his head firmly, with the smallest of smiles. "No, little one, they've only just begun." And with that, be leaned forward and kissed her softly on the mouth.

Chapter 7

    It had been a strange and wonderful evening with Ivo. After the opera they had gone to dinner at La Cote Basque, and then they had gone dancing at Le Club. Ivo and her father had been members there since it had opened, but years later it was still a nice club and it was the perfect place to spend New Year's Eve. They had reverted to their old easy ways of friendship, only his kiss had confused her for a moment, but she pushed it from her mind. He was a very dear friend. For the most part it had been like old times. They talked and laughed and danced. They drank champagne and stayed on until three, when at last Ivo professed exhaustion and announced that he was taking her home. They were both oddly quiet in the limousine driving back to her apartment, Bettina thinking of her father and how odd it was not to have been with him, or at least called him to wish him a happy new year. They rode slowly up the East Side, until at last they reached her door.
    "Do you want to come up for a cognac?" She said it almost by rote, between yawns, but it was very close to four in the morning, and Ivo laughed.
    "You make it sound very tempting. Do you suppose you can stay awake long enough to get upstairs?" He helped her from the car and followed her inside.
    "I'm not sure ... mmm ... all of a sudden I'm so sleepy...." But she was smiling as they rode up in the elevator. "Sure you don't want another drink?"
    "Positive."
    And then she grinned at him. "Good. I want to go to bed." And as she said it she looked twelve years old again, and they both laughed.
    The house was eerily empty as she turned her key and flicked on the light as she opened the door.
    "Aren't you afraid to be alone here, Bettina?"
    She