'Hell!' Adam butted in furiously. 'Are all of the Summer family so wrapped up in their own lives, their own feelings, that none of you can see what this must be doing to Audrey?'
Andie's cheeks were pale now. 'Aren't you being a little unfair, Adam-?'
'No, I'm not, damn it, not even a little bit!' His hands were clenched at his sides. 'But I can tell you now that you've helped make my mind up about going to the estate this weekend. I shall most certainly be there-if only to lend Audrey a shoulder to cry on!' he blazed angrily.
Andie's gaze was cold now as she looked across at him unblinkingly, although a nerve pulsed in her throat. 'I'm sure she'll be very grateful-'
'You know something, Andie, I came here today full of good intentions, hoped we could share an enjoyable lunch together,' he told her harshly. 'But after listening to this I don't have any appetite for food, either. For goodness' sake, Audrey is a part of your family!' he groaned protestingly.
As I am, he could have added. But didn't. Because if Audrey, who had been closer to Rome than anyone else these last ten years, and a second mother to Harrie, Danie, and Andie, could be allowed to just leave their lives without protest, then what chance did he have of meaning anything more to any of them?
It was certainly a leveller. One that made him feel slightly sick …
Andie gave a deep sigh. 'I'm well aware of that, Adam,' she said. 'And I have tried talking to her-'
'Obviously with little result if she still intends leaving,' he rasped.
She eyed him suspiciously. 'Maybe you will have more success this weekend,' she said softly.
Adam's mouth set angrily. It wasn't just because of Audrey, he inwardly acknowledged, shaken beyond words at the way she was being allowed to fade out of the lives of the Summer family. Could he, ultimately, expect the same fate?
He had met Rome almost twenty years ago, a young man of nearly twenty himself, with big ideas, and no money to back them up. Rome had been very much a business gambler in those days, and for several years he had become Adam's financial backer, Adam eventually in a position to pay him back, while at the same time being self-supporting. The last fifteen years had undoubtedly been highly successful ones for Adam, so much so that his film production company was worth millions.
His unhappy beginnings had been put behind him. In fact, they were something he preferred never to think about. But as a result, having no family of his own to speak of, over the years he had come to feel as much part of the Summer family as Audrey must do, had always regarded Rome as the older brother he had never been privileged to have, and he had always looked on the three girls as indulged nieces. They were his family!
He had been a fool to think nothing would ever happen to change that …
'Maybe I will,' he agreed grimly. 'It's a sure fact someone has to try!'
Andie looked at him wordlessly for several long, tension-filled minutes, until finally she turned back to the work on her desk-top. 'Perhaps I'll see you there,' she muttered, once again picking up her marker pen.
'Perhaps you will,' he rejoined grimly, turning on his heel and walking purposefully to the door. But he paused before leaving and his hand on the door-handle, he inserted, 'If you can manage to drag yourself away from your own interests long enough!'
Those green eyes were hard as emeralds as she looked across at him. 'I'm sure that if you can I can,' she finally answered in freezing tones.
Adam shot her a glittering glance through narrowed lids before swinging the door open, closing it determinedly behind him as he left.
The pretty young secretary seated at the desk outside turned to give him a shy smile, and it took tremendous effort on Adam's part to eliminate his scowl for the few seconds it took to give her a smile in return, before leaving. After all, she hadn't done anything to annoy him.
Who was he really angry with? he asked himself as he strode outside in the sunshine.
Rome, for being so blind that he couldn't see the unselfish love right in front of his eyes? A love he was about to lose …
Or Andie for seeming so indifferent about Audrey's imminent departure?
Or was he just angry with himself?
The latter was probably the more truthful, he accepted. He had gone along for years believing nothing would ever change, that Rome, Audrey, and the three girls would be there, as they always had been.
But nothing had stayed the same. Harrie and Danie were both married now, with homes of their own. Audrey had decided it was time for her to leave the family. And Andie-Andie had become a stranger to him.
And self-pity, he decided determinedly, was not an option!
CHAPTER TWO
AUDREY gave a wistful smile. 'It's simply time for me to move on, Andie,' she lightly answered the latter's enquiry.
Andie hadn't meant to come to the estate at all this weekend, had felt she was going to need time on her own after her enforced leave of absence from the magazine had started yesterday. But annoyed as she might have felt at Adam's remarks earlier in the week, they had struck a chord, and she had decided she had to come down after all and talk to Audrey.
She had arrived at the estate the previous evening, but this was the first opportunity she had had to talk to Audrey on her own, Rome a glowering presence at the dinner table the evening before, but luckily out on estate business this morning.
Audrey looked as beautiful and composed as she usually did, the blue of her tailored dress a match for the colour of her eyes, her blonde hair loose about her shoulders. But there was also a sadness in those blue eyes Andie had never seen there before …
'But move on where?' she questioned now as the two women enjoyed a mid-morning cup of coffee together in the sun-lounge.
Audrey gave a laugh. 'I haven't exactly thought that far ahead yet,' she admitted.
Andie's eyes widened at the admission. 'You haven't … ?' she said slowly. 'But I assumed-I thought you must have found yourself a better job?' She frowned her confusion.
Was it her imagination, or did Audrey's gaze suddenly become slightly evasive. And if so, why had it?
Could Adam be right, after all-damn him!-and there was more to Audrey's decision to leave than was at first apparent?
Audrey shrugged. 'I'm actually thinking of not getting another job for a while. I have quite a bit of money saved-after all, what do I have to spend it on?-and so, I thought I might travel, see some of the world.'
Andie didn't feel in the least reassured by this answer. 'But you travel with Daddy all the time … '
The other woman sighed. 'Travelling with Rome is nothing more than a series of business meetings. Most of the time I have no idea which country I'm in at any particular moment; boardrooms look the same the world over!'
This explanation sounded feasible enough, Andie decided. After all, Audrey was only in her early forties, still young enough to want to do some of the things that she might have dreamed of in her youth. And yet …
Adam had put these doubts into her mind, Andie realised irritably. After all, it was Audrey's life, and she must be allowed the freedom to do with it what she wanted. The same freedom Andie had recently insisted on in her own life …
'You never know,' Audrey added with a smile, 'I might just meet someone and have children of my own. I'm not too old yet, you know.'
'You most certainly aren't,' Adam remarked firmly as he strolled unannounced into the sun-lounge. 'And whoever he is, he'll be a lucky man!' he added warmly.
Andie had known Adam would be here this weekend-he had made that more than obvious on Monday!-but, nevertheless, she was rather nonplussed at having him walk in on her conversation with Audrey in this way.
It was also a little disconcerting to hear him talking to Audrey in this slightly flirtatious way, especially as she was still processing Audrey's remark through her own thoughts!
She was ashamed to admit she had never thought of Audrey in that particular way before, had always assumed the older woman was happy with her life and career. Or maybe Adam was right, and they had all just selfishly taken Audrey's presence here for granted all these years … !
But Audrey was quite right, too; at only forty-two, there was still time for her to have a family and home of her own.
From the warmly appreciative way Adam was looking at Audrey now, he was more than aware of the other woman's attraction. And why shouldn't he be? There were only just over two years' difference in their ages …
'Thank you for that kind remark, Adam,' Audrey told him warmly as she stood up to kiss him on the cheek.
'I'm not being kind, Audrey.' He looked down at her intensely. 'I'm stating a fact.'
'I thank you, anyway.' Audrey smiled up at him as she squeezed his arm. 'I'll just go and get another cup and you can join us for a coffee,' she said before disappearing out of the room.