birthday, by the way.”
“Let’s forget that, shall we?” she said, and laughed. Compared to her mother, she was a youngster, but seventy sounded very old to her. “Have a wonderful time in Maine.”
“Thank you,” he said warmly, and a moment later they hung up, and she sat looking out over the water, thinking about him, and the business she had left in New York. She and her sons would meet on the deck every morning, to go over faxes and e-mails she would continue to receive while on the trip. They kept her abreast of everything, even when she was away. She couldn’t neglect the business for two weeks, nor could Phillip and John. Too much went on there every day for them to remain out of touch. And she knew how to reach Peter if a legal crisis occurred. Hopefully, none would.
She went back to her cabin a few minutes later, and got into bed early with one of the books she’d brought with her. She read for a few minutes and turned out the light. She had left a wake-up call with the main stewardess so she didn’t oversleep. She wanted to look around Monaco the next day and do some shopping, and get to know the boat before the others arrived. Phillip and John were coming on the same flight that night, and Liz several hours later the next morning, and they would set sail right after that. She could hardly wait to get under way, for her children to arrive, and the trip to begin. She reminded herself, as she fell asleep, to call her mother the next day. She had visited her the day before she left. And then her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep. She slept like a baby in the dark cabin, with the shades drawn, and she didn’t hear a sound all night. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that it was going to be an amazing trip on the Lady Luck , for almost two glorious weeks.
Olivia had a relaxing, easy time in Monaco the day her children were to arrive. She did some shopping at the local stores, all branches of the fanciest shops in Paris—Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Hermès, Louis Vuitton. She bought very little, but she had a fun time looking. She never had time to shop when she was working, and she usually had more important things on her mind, like running her business, and the kind of problems that surfaced in trouble spots around the world. She had a personal shopper who knew what she liked and sent things to her home in Bedford for approval, and browsing now was a luxury. The only time she had to go through the boxes the personal shopper sent her was late at night.
The captain had sent a crew member to accompany her and carry her packages, and a car and driver to bring her back to the boat. It was a lazy day she thoroughly enjoyed, and when she got back, they had lunch waiting for her. And she spent the afternoon reading a novel, which was a luxury for her. She checked for e-mails from her office, and they were all about minor matters. She responded to them quickly and went back to her book. It was rare for her to have so much free time on vacation.
At six o’clock, after a massage and a shower, Olivia changed for dinner. She wore a pale lavender silk caftan, and indulged in a glass of champagne, while sitting on the deck. She had explored the boat so she could show her grandchildren when they arrived. And she knew how excited they would be about the water toys, especially Alex. She could hardly wait to see the kids. She was excited about their first stop, Portofino. She hadn’t been there since a weekend she had spent at the Hotel Splendido with Joe, after they opened their store near Milan. It was a charming port town, with quaint restaurants and a string of tiny shops. She was sure they’d all enjoy it. And it was spectacular at night, with an ancient church and a castle, beautifully lit up on the hills above.
The captain had told her that the boat was too big to get into port, and they would be tying up at some rocks just outside. It would be an easy trip into town by tender,
“Let’s forget that, shall we?” she said, and laughed. Compared to her mother, she was a youngster, but seventy sounded very old to her. “Have a wonderful time in Maine.”
“Thank you,” he said warmly, and a moment later they hung up, and she sat looking out over the water, thinking about him, and the business she had left in New York. She and her sons would meet on the deck every morning, to go over faxes and e-mails she would continue to receive while on the trip. They kept her abreast of everything, even when she was away. She couldn’t neglect the business for two weeks, nor could Phillip and John. Too much went on there every day for them to remain out of touch. And she knew how to reach Peter if a legal crisis occurred. Hopefully, none would.
She went back to her cabin a few minutes later, and got into bed early with one of the books she’d brought with her. She read for a few minutes and turned out the light. She had left a wake-up call with the main stewardess so she didn’t oversleep. She wanted to look around Monaco the next day and do some shopping, and get to know the boat before the others arrived. Phillip and John were coming on the same flight that night, and Liz several hours later the next morning, and they would set sail right after that. She could hardly wait to get under way, for her children to arrive, and the trip to begin. She reminded herself, as she fell asleep, to call her mother the next day. She had visited her the day before she left. And then her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep. She slept like a baby in the dark cabin, with the shades drawn, and she didn’t hear a sound all night. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that it was going to be an amazing trip on the Lady Luck , for almost two glorious weeks.
Olivia had a relaxing, easy time in Monaco the day her children were to arrive. She did some shopping at the local stores, all branches of the fanciest shops in Paris—Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Hermès, Louis Vuitton. She bought very little, but she had a fun time looking. She never had time to shop when she was working, and she usually had more important things on her mind, like running her business, and the kind of problems that surfaced in trouble spots around the world. She had a personal shopper who knew what she liked and sent things to her home in Bedford for approval, and browsing now was a luxury. The only time she had to go through the boxes the personal shopper sent her was late at night.
The captain had sent a crew member to accompany her and carry her packages, and a car and driver to bring her back to the boat. It was a lazy day she thoroughly enjoyed, and when she got back, they had lunch waiting for her. And she spent the afternoon reading a novel, which was a luxury for her. She checked for e-mails from her office, and they were all about minor matters. She responded to them quickly and went back to her book. It was rare for her to have so much free time on vacation.
At six o’clock, after a massage and a shower, Olivia changed for dinner. She wore a pale lavender silk caftan, and indulged in a glass of champagne, while sitting on the deck. She had explored the boat so she could show her grandchildren when they arrived. And she knew how excited they would be about the water toys, especially Alex. She could hardly wait to see the kids. She was excited about their first stop, Portofino. She hadn’t been there since a weekend she had spent at the Hotel Splendido with Joe, after they opened their store near Milan. It was a charming port town, with quaint restaurants and a string of tiny shops. She was sure they’d all enjoy it. And it was spectacular at night, with an ancient church and a castle, beautifully lit up on the hills above.
The captain had told her that the boat was too big to get into port, and they would be tying up at some rocks just outside. It would be an easy trip into town by tender,
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