Free Sunset in St. Tropez by Danielle Steel Page B

seemed in good spirits, and he was being very sweet to her. But Pascale noticed that Diana was cool to him, which was unlike her. Normally, they were both affectionate and warm.
    “I'll let you know in a few days” was all Robert would say. And he called Pascale the day before she left in June, and told her that Mandy had agreed. She was going to be with them for five days. And he wasn't sure yet, but he thought he might stay for two weeks.
    “You can stay as long as you want.” Pascale was delighted. “It's your house too.”
    “We'll see.” And then he surprised her with what he said next. “I might bring a friend.” There was a long pause after he said it, as Pascale struggled to find the right words to ask him what he meant. “A friend?”
    “I don't know yet. I'll let you know when I"m sure.” Pascale wanted to ask him who it was, but somehow didn't dare. And she couldn't help but wonder if it was a woman or a man. She knew it couldn't be Gwen Thomas because he had just met her. But she wondered now if he was seeing someone else. She knew he was still grieving for Anne, and he looked devastated when he talked about her, but at the last dinner she had noticed that he seemed to be doing very well. He was getting out more than he had in years, seeing people, going to dinners, playing tennis. He looked younger and healthier than he had before, and being thinner actually suited him very well. It was very odd now to think of him as a single man, and she had to admit he was very attractive, and he suddenly seemed more youthful than he had when he was with Anne.
    Pascale gave him her number in Paris and told him that she was going to St Tropez two days before their lease began. The owners had said she could get there early, to open the house and settle in. They hadn't used it for the past two years.
    “I'll have everything ready by the time you get there.” John and the Morrisons were arriving on the first of August, and Robert said he was planning to fly over on the third. And Mandy would probably arrive with him for her five days.
    “Call me if you need anything,” he said, and then had to rush back into court before she could inquire again about his “friend.” She didn't even know when they might come, or for how long, if at all.
    And a few minutes later, she called Diana to tell her he was coming, and Diana said she was thrilled. But Pascale thought she sounded distracted and tense, and finally Pascale decided to ask her what she'd been wondering for a while. “Is anything wrong?”
    Diana hesitated only for a fraction of a second and then insisted that everything was fine. And after that, Pascale told her about Robert's “friend.”
    “What kind of friend?” Diana sounded puzzled by what Pascale said. “I don't know. I didn't have the courage to ask him. Maybe it's just another judge, or a lawyer. It's probably a man.”
    “I hope it's not that actress,” Diana said, sounding worried, but she agreed with Pascale that it couldn't be. They hardly knew each other, and it was much too soon for him to be taking her anywhere, let alone to France. By the time they all got to St Tropez, Anne would have been gone for less than seven months.
    “I"m glad Mandy is coming with him, that'll be good for him.” Although possibly less good for them. She was a sweet girl, and loved her father, but she'd had some conflict with her mother over the years, and sometimes it extended to her mother's friends as well. And having a girl her age around wasn't always easy for them.
    “He doesn't really need Mandy,” Pascale said practically, “he has us. And she's a little difficult sometimes. She used to get on Anne's nerves too.” Anne had had some very tough years with her. The boys had always been easier for her.
    “That's all right, she was younger then, and it'll only be for five days, it'll make him happy. I"m just glad he decided to come,” Diana said generously.
    “Me too,” Pascale said, sounding pleased. It