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.She went around to the side of the bed Ann had been sleeping on.The pillow still held the scent of Ann's hair and perfume.She held it to her and inhaled deeply.Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed.The phone rang, and Mrs.Gundlach called up to Emily.She ran downstairs and picked up the handset."Emily?" Ann's voice came through."Hi there." Emily thought she succeeded in sounding cheerful."Can you join us for dinner? We're going to the Tavern," Ann asked hopefully."I'm sorry," Emily fibbed, "I had forgotten that I already had plans to go out with Sato and the others tonight." Before Ann could say anything, she added, "You have a good time.I'll talk to you soon.""Emily – " Ann said uncertainly.Emily didn't give her a chance to say more."Gotta go.Bye.""Bye."Emily knew that Ann knew her too well to be convinced by her excuses, but she needed to do this.She was also glad to know where they were going so she could be sure to avoid running into them.Emily met the others at the restaurant.By now, they had all become much more comfortable with each other.None of them was shy any longer about speaking in each other's languages, offering gentle corrections when needed.They had a good time, but the waitress was thoroughly confused with Sato speaking French, Emily speaking Spanish, French and German, Heinrich and the others speaking interchangeable combinations of Spanish, English and French.The other patrons smiled in amusement at the overheard bits of conversation.Following dinner, they decided to go to a nearby bar with live music.Emily opted to go along.As they were walking to the bar, Emily heard her name.She turned and saw Ann with her crutches.She hadn't realized they were walking past the Tavern where Ann and her parents were just leaving.A tall man with very short blond hair joined them.He had stubble of two or three days' growth of beard."I'd like you to meet Paul Bayliss," Ann said, watching Emily carefully."Paul, this is a good friend of mine, Emily Warner."Emily groaned internally and extended her hand.Paul smiled a broad smile, and Emily could see why Ann had liked him."Emily," Lise called out, "nous voyons.""Oui, je suis," she replied, waving them on."Paul just got back from Africa," Ann explained."Welcome home, Paul," Emily forced herself to be friendly."Emily," Owen said, stepping forward, "can you join us for a drink?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.The expression in his eyes was not one Emily could discern; was it quizzical or concerned?"Thank you, but my colleagues are waiting for me," she said."Have a good time.Paul, it was nice meeting you.Ann, I'll see you later." Emily's eyes met Ann's, and for an unguarded instant, everything she was feeling was in her eyes.Emily immediately got her emotions back under control.She turned and walked quickly toward the bar where the others had gotten a table and ordered drinks.She ordered a glass of Bass Ale and tried to forget Ann and Paul.Three Basses later, she was dancing with Enrique.The band was great, playing an eclectic mixture of faster songs, slow ballads and reggae.They finally left at one in the morning.As the group split to go to their cars, Emily realized she was in no condition to drive and decided to walk.The air, frosty and clear, felt good after the smoky warmth of the bar.She listened to the quiet as she walked down streets lined with trees whose branches rattled in the light wind.The moon seemed very bright in the night sky, illuminating the clouds.When she got to the Gundlach house, she sat on the front porch steps.'Why did I allow this to happen?' she asked herself.But when she pictured Ann's face, and the look in her eyes in the kitchen the other night, she knew she couldn't have helped loving her.She finally went in, undressed and crawled into bed, hugging Ann's pillow closely.Chapter 18Saturday morning, Emily forced herself out of bed at nine.She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then got dressed for a run.As she exited into the chill air, she realized a run wasn't likely the way her head felt.A brisk walk would have to do.She couldn't know that at that moment, she was the subject of a conversation between Katharine and Owen as they drove home.When they had left Emily the evening before, they had opted to forego the drinks and return to Ann's apartment.After a little more conversation, Ann had insisted that her parents sleep in her room.She would wrap up in a blanket on the other bed for which she had never brought sheets, and Paul could have the sofa.Now, after a quick breakfast, Owen and Katharine were on the road, having left Paul to continue his visit with Ann."How did you read the situation yesterday?" Owen asked."Emily's demeanor changed as soon as Paul's name was mentioned," Katharine said."I felt horrible.I could have waited to tell Ann about Paul's call."Owen reached for her hand."Maybe it's just as well.Paul wasted no time in getting up here [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]