Free Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel Page A

young couple met again in another life? The theory was a little too “out there” for her.
    “Well, let’s just stay alive in this life, so we don’t have to go looking for each other. I might not recognize you next time,” she teased him. “I’d rather we just stay together now.”
    “So would I,” he said peacefully as they left the graveyard and gently closed the gate behind them. There were so many like it in New England, always so picturesque and so sad, no matter how long the people in them had been gone. He spoke quietly, as they walked back to the car. “I believe that our destiny is forever, not just for a short time, or even just this lifetime.” She nodded, listening to what he said, wishing it were true, but not sure it was. He seemed so certain, and his belief in what he said seemed so strong.
    “I’m just grateful we have each other now,” she said gently. It was enough for her. She didn’t expect to have more than this life with him, and being with him was all she wanted. And with the babygrowing inside her, their life seemed fuller than ever. They were both silent as they drove away and stopped at the next town for lunch. What he had said had left her pensive. They would never know if it was true, but it was something to think about.
    “I told my brother about my theory once,” Bill said to Jenny at lunch. As he thought about it, he smiled. “He thought I was nuts. But they think that about me anyway. I never fit into the parameters of what they want from me—they always act disappointed.” It was true of his parents and his brothers, the only one who appreciated him just as he was, was Jenny. She was all he needed now, and their baby, when it was born. He had his own family at last. And Jenny felt the same way about him. He was everything she’d ever wanted and dreamed of in a man. Bill had never let her down, and she knew he never would. And as he liked to say to her, he loved her “until the end of time.” You couldn’t ask for more than that.
    They drove around Maine and Vermont and spent a day in New Hampshire, visiting a college friend of Bill’s who was teaching at Dartmouth. He was fascinated by Bill’s decision to go into the ministry, and they spent a lovely day with him, his wife, and their three children, and after eight relaxing days in New England, Bill and Jenny drove back to New York. And then as it did every year, in the weeks before Fashion Week, all hell broke loose, and despite her promise to be careful, she was working eighteen-hour days, trying to satisfy all her clients, who would be showing their spring lines on the runways.
    Venues got canceled, fabrics failed to appear, samples didn’t arrive, fittings went awry, models showed up stoned or missed their flights from other countries, production samples looked differentfrom the original specifications, and Jenny was expected to help solve all of it, and she did a heroic job for every one of her clients, most of whom were hysterical by the Labor Day weekend. And by the time Fashion Week actually arrived, with runway shows scheduled back to back, the press watching them all closely, and everyone’s nerves rubbed raw, Jenny had lost five more pounds even though she was pregnant, and looked exhausted. She promised herself and Bill that she’d take a few days off to relax when it was over.
    Her three most important clients showed their spring lines in the first two days, and two of them were smash hits and got rave reviews from the press. The third client, a new one for Jenny that season, had made too many changes at the last minute, and the press called the collection weak and indecisive, and Jenny thought they were right. She hadn’t been able to convince the client to stick with his original inspiration, which had been stronger and had had an exotic Asian theme she liked. Some of her favorite young designers had shown their wares that season, although none of them were her clients. She tended to work with