A Perfect Life: A Novel by Danielle Steel Page B

but he thought now that with time, she wouldhave crippled Salima. He was beginning to think that it was a blessing Abby was out of her life. And undeniably, everything he had in mind for her would be very different, and even painful at times to make the change from total dependency to freedom. And it was easy to see that Blaise wasn’t on board either. He would have to pull it off on his own. And he intended to try in the next three months. He wasn’t afraid to make waves. It would be for Salima’s good in the end, even if neither she nor her mother understood that.
    He put Salima’s voice-activated computer on the desk and plugged it in. She could give it voice commands, and a mechanical voice would respond and read her any material she wanted. Blaise had always gotten her the most up-to-date aids available to assist her, and was constantly searching for new ones. Salima used a software program called OpenBook, with a scanner that read her mail and textbooks to her. And she had something called Oratio that allowed her to use a BlackBerry. Everything Salima had was state of the art, thanks to her mother, and she knew it. And Simon also noticed that she had an excellent stereo in her room. She had all the most expensive devices and aids, and advanced technology, but she still couldn’t brush her teeth alone. And Simon wanted to change that as soon as he could, for her sake.
    When he left her room, it was in good order. She was putting on some music, and she wanted to e-mail some of her friends from school to see how they were. She loved her mother, but she hated being home. And she was beginning to hate Simon even more. He didn’t understand anything.
    He went back to his own room then, and put away his things, and then appeared unexpectedly in the door to Blaise’s office. Shelooked up in surprise. It was strange to see a man in her house. She always wondered now how she had lived with Harry, or thought she would marry Andrew and live with him. The idea no longer appealed to her at all, and the reality of Simon in her home even less. He felt like an intruder to her, and to Salima.
    “Would you like a cup of tea?” Simon asked her, and she shook her head, wanting to tell him that he didn’t need to come to her office unless she called for him or there was a problem. No one had offered her a cup of tea in her own home in years. Not since she’d been married to Harry and they had help, more than ten years before. The housekeeper she had now only did laundry and cleaned, and left simple food in the fridge for her. She never offered her tea, or would even have thought of it. If Blaise wanted tea, she made her own. And she didn’t expect Simon to wait on her, any more than she expected him to cook for them, although he had offered. All she wanted was for him to keep Salima happy, whatever it took, and stay out of her way. With Salima’s arrival, her unavoidable needs no matter how much she loved her, and Simon in their midst, Blaise felt invaded in her own home, and they hadn’t been there for two hours. And at the look on her face, he withdrew immediately.
    Blaise went to check on Salima an hour later. She was listening to music and lying on her bed, thinking of Abby, and there were tears rolling down her cheeks. Blaise sat down next to her on the bed and stroked her hair, and then kissed her.
    “How’s it going?” Blaise asked, but she could see, not well.
    “Horribly. I miss her so much.” And Blaise knew she always would. A bond like theirs was irreplaceable, even if they foundanother competent caretaker in time. She had genuinely loved Abby.
    “I know you do, sweetheart. Let’s try to do some fun things while you’re here. I’ll try to get some concert tickets tomorrow.”
    “I don’t want to do anything,” Salima said sadly. “And I hate Simon. He’s a pain.”
    “Yeah. Maybe. He seems a little pushy to me too, but this is all new to him, the apartment, us, that ridiculous little room we have for