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“I’m simply going to point out some things they might not have considered. Nothing that isn’t true.”
“Okay Mom.” Emily chuckled. “But you’d better not let Steven catch you.”
JOSH TRIED TO CONCENTRATE on Olivia’s incessant train of thought. But it was difficult to ignore Charlie and Derek as they once again engaged in a public display of affection. It galled him to no end she’d been so prudish with him, but had evidently loosened up for Derek. If he’d had as many opportunities to kiss her two years ago, he was certain they would have been married within a few months. He was angry at God or fate or whatever had conspired to keep them apart.
“Are you listening?” Olivia asked.
“I’m sorry, I missed that last part. I was trying to remember if Jace had his glove liners.” Actually, he was thinking he didn’t realize Olivia talked so much. They hadn’t actually spent much time alone together, except when they were working at the hospital and discussing patient treatment.
“I was talking about the honeymoon. I was saying I think Vegas would be the perfect place to go. So much stuff to do—shopping and clubs and music shows...”
“I don’t know, Olivia. I’m not much on gambling.” Josh could think of about a million places he’d rather go on a honeymoon than Las Vegas. He didn’t really care for the crowds. He preferred active trips—skiing, sailing, hiking, and such. “What if we went skiing in Stowe?”
“Skiing is okay, but once a year is plenty. You wouldn’t have to gamble in Las Vegas. There are lots of shows to go see, and we can dress up. And if you don’t want to go shopping with me, Brad and Grace could come, and she and I could go shopping while you guys did whatever.”
“Brad and Grace? On our honeymoon?”
She lowered her voice. “Well, it won’t be a real honeymoon. It’s not like we’ll be having sex or anything. I guess maybe in a few years I’ll change my mind. I’m certainly not going to have sex with you when I think you might be thinking about someone else.”
“I wouldn’t think about someone else.”
“I don’t believe you. But it doesn’t matter, because I’d be thinking about someone else.”
“You would?”
/> “Of course I would,” she answered, glibly. “But don’t worry, I won’t be unfaithful. I did kind of wonder... I hope you won’t mind if I take advantage of these last few weeks of freedom before the wedding. I mean, after that, we’re stuck together forever.”
“You mean you want permission to date other guys when we go back to New York?”
“Well, sure. I told you there was someone else I liked. But it won’t change anything between us. I’ll still get married to you at the end of January. I’m glad you understand about me not wanting to be a mother. I mean, I love the kids and they’re really cute, but I don’t want to be around them all the time. Will it be okay if I eat dinner with Grace and Brad most of the time? I could be home by the time you put them to bed, and we could watch television together.”
“Uhmm, actually I don’t watch much television.”
“Awesome! That means we can watch all of my shows. Tuesday night is my favorite. Rodeo Drive comes on right before City Slickers. That’s a reality show about people who grew up in New York City who get stuck on a dude ranch together. And Wednesday night is this great Vampire drama, Blood and Blessings. Once you’ve seen a few episodes, you’ll be hooked, like me.”
“Honestly, I go to bed pretty early, since I get up in the morning to work out before I go to the hospital.”
Olivia screwed up her face in distaste. “I forgot you like to exercise. I hate most forms of exercise, except for fun stuff like Jazzercise or Zumba. Maybe we could go to some classes together.”
“Actually, I would need to stay with the kids while you go. I guess if you don’t want to be responsible for watching them by yourself, I’ll need to get some home gym equipment.”
“I’m thinking we’ll need a bigger apartment, too,” she said. “You did promise me my own bedroom, and I’m not going to want a ton of exercise equipment in the living room.”
Josh didn’t respond, as his mind reeled with all the ramifications of his impending marriage to Olivia. He’d been so intent on securing a wife to gain custody of the kids he hadn’t considered what life would be like after the wedding.
“If you don’t want to go to Vegas for the honeymoon, how about Disneyworld?”
“Disneyworld sounds likes loads of fun. And maybe we can drive pieces of bamboo under our fingernails.”
“Great! I’m glad you like Disneyworld. And we need to pick out china, too...”
He tuned her out for the sake of sanity.
THE MORNING WAS CLEAR, but cold, while snow was expected in the afternoon. Charlie forgot all her worries while they were flying down the slopes. She was enjoying the switch to a snowboard. All the men except Josh were riding boards instead of skiing now, although she and Grace were the only girls on boards. Josh still felt he could help Jace more if they were both on skis, but in Charlie’s opinion, Jace was progressing at a fantastic pace.
He was making smooth parallel turns and no longer reverted to a wedge on the steeper slopes when he was nervous. He was reveling in the attention and praise he received, not only from Josh and Charlie, but also from Anne and Steven. Most of the time, Charlie still took up a protective place in the rear behind Jace. This allowed her to observe and encourage him and to help him get up when he fell. However, Jace’s independence and pride were emerging, and he began to refuse help when he fell.
Olivia, Hannah and Claire, on the other hand, seemed to make a habit of falling, almost always leaving behind a trail of ski equipment on the slope, and lying in the snow afterward in helpless laughter while others retrieved their things for them. Charlie chuckled while Claire failed at her attempt to land a jump. Though she was only a few inches off the snow, she screeched with excitement and vaulted into a somersault after landing on the tails of her skis. Soon the slope was littered with skis and poles, and both her helmet and her jacket were packed with snow.
