Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online

him.
    “Try telling Dad that. It nearly broke his heart when Bill left the firm. And Mom’s, when he married Jenny. How much sense does that make? I never questioned following in Dad’s footsteps, and neither did you. What makes Bill so special?”
    “Maybe we should have. Maybe he’s got more guts than either of us,” Tom said, looking thoughtful. The peaceful look in Bill’s eyes at lunch had impressed him, and he was envious of it.
    “Oh, for God’s sake,” Peter said, shaking his head. “Not you too. We have a great life, partnership in the best law firm in New York, permanent job security until the end of our days. What more do you want?” It was a big question, and Tom didn’t answer him, but he was still thinking about it when he went back to his own office. Peter was the most similar to their father, dictatorial, authoritarian, traditional, and he expected his sons to be the same and follow inhis footsteps. Peter had done it without wavering for a moment. And Tom as well, until now, but somehow he wondered if there wasn’t more to life than living by tradition. And Bill had balked and refused to do any of it, and as far as Tom could see, Bill was happier than either of them, and more at peace. He admired him for that. Tom was beginning to ask himself questions, and lately he had none of the answers. His life was the sum of its parts, and some of it seemed sadly lacking. Bill seemed to have it all. A vocation he was certain of, and Jenny, who made him happy, and seemed like a nice girl—more than that, she was a good person, and so was Bill.
    When Bill got back from lunch, he went through the mail and found several answers from churches he had sent letters to. Three had turned him down, and another one said they had put him on a waiting list. And he read the last letter several times. He had gotten it as a result of the letters sent out by the placement service for ministers. It wasn’t a church he had solicited or even one he could consider. He read the letter one last time, folded it, and put it back in the envelope. And then he slipped it into a drawer in his desk and sat down to work on his thesis.
    He had enjoyed seeing Tom, more than he usually did. He had expected him to try and convince him to come back to the law firm, but he had backed off faster than usual, so it hadn’t turned into an argument. And he had no idea why, but as he thought of his older brother, he felt sorry for him. He had bought the party line, both his brothers had. But something about Tom seemed defeated now. He had sold his soul to be what their father expected, and so had Peter.Bill was so glad he hadn’t stayed. Their lives seemed so empty to him.
    Bill told Jenny about his lunch with Tom when she got home that night, tired after a long day.
    “Did he ask you to come back to the firm?” she asked, relaxing on the couch, as he handed her a glass of wine. She loved coming home to him and telling him about her day. And he was happy to see her after hours of studying and working on his thesis. It was going well.
    “Of course.” Bill smiled at her. “After five years, I’m surprised they still care. I should be flattered.” But he wasn’t. They just wanted to bring him to heel, and force him to be like them.
    “It’s threatening for them that you flew the coop. It puts their lives in question,” she said wisely. “They’ll never give up trying to make you come back. Or about me. Our being different is scary for them. And even more so if we’re happy.” He didn’t tell her that Tom had brought up the issue of their having children. He knew it was a subject that upset her. Every month they hoped that she had gotten pregnant, and each time it was a disappointment. They had agreed to see a fertility doctor if nothing happened in the next few months. A baby was the only thing missing from their life now. But Bill thought that was meant to be too, and it would happen when they least expected. It was way too soon for