Free Irresistible Forces by Danielle Steel Page B

celebrate. It's probably the last decent dinner we'll have all week.” He'd already heard that road show meals were traditionally inedible and usually featured what was referred to as “rubber chicken.” But he didn't really care what they'd be eating, he just wanted the presentations to go well. And in Meredith's capable hands, he was beginning to feel as optimistic as she did.
    They agreed to meet in the lobby at seven thirty and he said he'd make a reservation at the Pump Room, which was actually one of Meredith's favorite places in Chicago. She had been there often, and loved it.
    As promised, she met him promptly at seven thirty. He had arranged for a limo to take them to the restaurant, and it was waiting outside, and he looked as handsome and well dressed as he always did, with his healthy California suntan. He always looked more like an actor or a male model than a businessman to her, but she had worked with him for long enough that she no longer paid any attention to it. And what she liked best about him was his bright mind, quick wit, and easygoing sense of humor. She always had a good time when she was with him.
    They chatted on the way to the restaurant, and were shown to a quiet corner table. And after they had ordered steaks and wine, he turned to her with a smile, and asked her a question she hadn't expected.
    “So tell me about this Dr. Kildare you're married to, Meredith. Trauma work must be pretty intense, particularly after a disaster like this weekend. You mustn't see much of him.”
    “Sometimes I don't,” she smiled, “but I'm pretty busy too. We're a good balance for each other.”
    “Have you been married for a long time?” He seemed to be intrigued about her, and she never talked about her personal life. All he knew of her was how she handled her professional dealings.
    “Fourteen years. We got married when I was at Columbia, in business school.” Their wine had arrived by then, and the waiter poured it for them.
    “Do you have children?”
    “Nope.” She said it in a surprisingly firm tone, and he raised an eyebrow at the way she answered.
    “That sounds like a resounding nope. I take it the idea doesn't appeal much.” He was curious about her.
    “Not at this point. Neither of us has time. I always thought we'd have them one day … but I just can't see when. I'm beginning to think it may never happen.”
    “Would that be a disappointment to you, if it didn't?” He seemed hungry to know more about her, but she was comfortable talking to him. And in the next two weeks, they were going to see a lot of each other. There didn't seem to be any harm in knowing more about each other.
    “It wouldn't be a disappointment to me,” she said honestly. “In some ways it would be a relief, not to worry about it, or have to figure out how and if we could do it, and still be fair to the kids and each other. But it would be a disappointment to my husband, if we didn't have children. He's been talking about it a lot lately.’’
    “And you? Have you been talking about it too?” Cal pressed her.
    She smiled in answer to his question. “I've been talking about your IPO, and your red herring, that's what I've been talking about.”
    “That says something, doesn't it?” He smiled at her.
    “I just can't see the point of having kids when you're in the office till midnight most of the time, and sometimes two in the morning. And when things get crazy at work, Steve works sixty-eight to seventy-two-hour shifts, until there's a real emergency, and then he's gone for however long he has to be. Where are we supposed to fit kids into all that? On the occasional long weekend, or for a week in the summer? It wouldn't be fair to the kids. They deserve more than that from their parents. What about you? How do you manage it? You said you have three children, the last time I was in California.”
    “I do. Their mother was a lot like you. She's an entertainment attorney. She was working in L.A. when I met