Public Secrets Part 184

and not see you?" She spun around, pressed her palms against the rail.

The sun glinted off a lens in the garden below. She didn't give a d.a.m.n.

Let them take their pictures.

"Oh, it's happened before. Yes, it has. Emma, how about dinner

Friday-and by the way, can you get my cousin tickets and a backstage

pa.s.s to your father's concert in Chicago?"

"Emma, I'm sorry." He reached out, but she jerked away.

"What for? You really can't help it, can you? And I learned to live

with that, even to be amused by it. But this, this time I've found

someone who cares about me, who's interested in my feelings and my

thoughts. Who hasn't asked me for anything but to be with him, and you

want to spoil it."

"I don't want to spoil it. I don't want to see you hurt."

"You've already hurt me." Her eyes were dry when she looked at him.

"Leave me alone, Dad. And leave Drew alone. If you interfere with

this, I'll never forgive you. I swear it."

"I'm not going to interfere. I only want to help you. I don't want to

see you make a mistake."

"It'll be my mistake. You've made your own, G.o.d knows. For years I've

watched you do whatever you wanted, with whomever you wanted. You ran

away from your happiness, Dad. I won't run away from mine."

"You know how to twist the knife," he said quietly. "I hadn't

realized." He walked out of the sunlight and left her alone.

DREW SLIPPED AN ARM over Emma's shoulders. They were standing on

another terrace, in another city. The old-world graciousness of the

Ritz Madrid was lost on Emma. She could hear the tinkle of the

fountains, smell the lush garden below, but she might have been

anywhere. Still, she found Drew's arm comforting and rubbed her cheek

against it.

"I hate to see you sad, Emma."

"I'm not. Maybe a little tired, but not sad."

"You've been upset for weeks, ever since you and Brian argued. Over me."

He removed his arm and moved aside. "The last thing I wanted to do was

cause you trouble."

"It has nothing to do with you." He turned, and in the moonlight his

eyes gleamed dark. "It doesn't really. He would have had the same

reaction no matter whom I was seeing. Dad's always been overprotective.

A lot of it comes ... because of what happened to my brother "

He kissed her, gently, on the temple. "I know it must have been rough

for you, and for him, but it happened a lohg time ago."

"Some things you don't ever forget." She shivered, suddenly cold in the

warm summer night. "It's because I understand how he feels that

it's so difficult for me. He's done everything for me, not just

materially, but in every way."

"He adores you. You can see it every time he looks at you." Smiling

again, he brushed a hand over her cheek. "I know just how he feels."

"I love him, too. Still, I know that I can't go on living my life to

please him. I've known that for a long time."

"He doesn't trust me." His lighter flared, followed by the sharp sting

of tobacco. "I don't blame him. From where he stands I'm on the first