By Sunday, two days after the bombing, they were no longer finding survivors. The explosions had been too powerful, and people had been buried for too long. The workers were only finding bodies in the rubble, so they no longer needed Kezia’s medical skills at the bomb site. All the living victims had been removed and were in hospitals, many of them in intensive care units. The death toll continued to rise as more bodies were found, and as the most severely wounded died from internal injuries, severed limbs, or severe burns. Those who were less injured were released, although the majority were severely traumatized by what they’d experienced and seen, and were grieving the friends and loved ones they had lost, many of whom had been killed while standing right next to them. It was a horrendous attack, even more gruesome than 9/11. The country would be forever marked by it, as it had been before. The violation of being attacked on home turf made it that much worse, and no one felt safe now, as cities remained tense and vigilant, fearing additional attacks. But in the two days after the July Fourth explosions, nothing happened. What had already occurred was bad enough. The entire country was suffering from the trauma, people had nightmares and trouble sleeping, whether they had lost loved ones or not. The country remained under lockdown, and people were urged not to leave their homes.
Sam had gone back to the site at the World Trade Center on Sunday morning, but the authorities and official OES personnel had things under control, still excavating for bodies and clearing away rubble. There was little he could do, and he came home to find Kezia on her terrace on what should have been a glorious July day. Even the beautiful weather seemed like an affront now, with so much grief and loss at hand.
He peeked through the hedge that had become the link between their two apartments, for rapid easy access, like a secret passage, rather than separate lobbies and elevators for more formal access, and Kezia looked up, saw him, and smiled. In the past two days, Sam had become a familiar face and constant companion, forming a friendship that might have taken months to establish otherwise. She was happy to see him. It was comforting not to be alone, and she had been touched by his quick response and willingness to help in the crisis. He felt a civic and humane responsibility to his fellow New Yorkers and citizens, just because they were human beings. She gestured for him to sit on the deck chair next to her. She was glad she had them, although in broad daylight, the ravaged view of the Empire State Building made her heart ache every time she saw it, knowing how many people had died there, even though it had been a Friday night and offices were closed on the holiday. There had been a large crowd in the observatory, to watch the fireworks. People in the street had died when the structural debris rained down from the explosion and the flames engulfed them.
“How was it?” Kezia asked him. She was thinking of volunteering at one of the hospitals, but there would be more red tape and delay involved than lending a hand on the street right after it happened.
“They’re doing a great job. It sounds corny but the last few days make you proud to be an American. They have it pretty much under control downtown. There wasn’t much I could do in a nonofficial capacity.”
“The last two days really made me miss nursing,” she said as they lay on the deck chairs side by side. She felt as though she had always known him, and he acted as though they had.
“Would you ever go back?” Sam asked.
“I never thought so, but I’m wondering about that now. It reminded me of everything I loved about nursing. It makes you feel useful. My kids are grown up, and we sold my husband’s company, which kept me busy for the last five years. I have nothing to do now, except shop, go to museums, and go out for lunch. If I take a refresher course, I could get a part-time job as a nurse practitioner, maybe at a clinic for inner-city kids, and give something back, instead of just indulging myself.” She liked the idea, and he was impressed.
“You gave a lot back for the last two days.” He had watched how kind and competent Kezia was, reassuring people in their pain and distress. Her hands had been covered with blood from all the hands she held, until someone gave her a pair of surgical gloves.
“What do you do between films?” she asked him. It was the first time she had referred to Sam’s professional work. His stardom seemed like the least important thing about him, and he paid no attention to it either, or seemed not to. He was a very humble person.
“Most of the time, I hunt for scripts. It’s not easy to find good ones. People send them to me. I read a lot of books to see what we could adapt. I’m very picky about the films I do.” It showed, since Kezia had never seen him in a bad one, or one she didn’t like. He had made few mistakes, if any. “I spend time with my son when he has time.” Sam smiled as he said it. “He’s a busy guy. He works hard, and he has a revolving door of girlfriends, but at his age, that’s to be expected and it’s acceptable, although I’m not always crazy about the woman of the hour. He likes the flashy ones, and some of the smart ones. He’s a good-looking kid, and he’s a magnet for overambitious, greedy women, who see him as a stepping stone to what they want. I hate that for him. I avoided it by getting married young, before I was successful. I came from a normal family. They did okay. My father had a good job as a lawyer, but he wasn’t overly ambitious. We were comfortable, but he didn’t make a lot of money. I grew up in Philadelphia, and went to Penn. My mother didn’t work. We were three boys, and we were expected to do well in school. Both my brothers became lawyers and worked with my dad. I was the youngest, and one of them is retired now, the oldest. Our other brother died fairly young.
“I wanted to be an actor. The whole family thought I was nuts. After I graduated from Penn, I went to L.A., which is where I met my wife. I got lucky after I took some acting lessons. We were both lucky, but she had more talent. It was easier then. I don’t even know most of the young actors now. They come and go faster than I can learn their names. The studios used to build careers then. They wanted real stars that people would be loyal to, and they were. If you worked hard, most of the time you could be successful, with some good decisions and a certain amount of luck and hard work. Nowadays, they’re in and out of the business, and want to be stars overnight. I don’t believe in overnight success. I believe in hard work, and after a lot of years and sweat and some tears, it pays off. That makes more sense.” It did to Kezia too. “There are only a handful of actors I really admire who have genuine talent and work at it. My wife was a talented actress, more so than I am, as I said.” Kezia was struck again and again by his humility and how down-to-earth he was. She was curious about his son and wondered if he was as genuine as his father. She felt sorry for Sam for the loss of his wife. He had clearly loved her a great deal and it sounded like a good marriage.
“My husband was a hard worker too,” Kezia said about Andrew. “He didn’t believe in easy success either, like all the young guys now who make billions at twenty-three and twenty-four with social media companies, and don’t know how they got there. It’s like winning the lottery.”
“It’s an amazing phenomenon of our times. I like it better the way it was. At least I know I earned it, and I made it honestly. I sleep better at night.”
They lay side by side for a while, not talking, and Kezia got them bottles of cold water, and he thanked her. It was comforting being together in a time of crisis. It would have been much harder without him, and Sam felt that way too about her.
“Have you heard from your daughters today?”
“Not yet. I’m sure they’ll come home as soon as planes can fly again. They’ll be nervous being so far away, but maybe they’re safer where they are. The scary part of all this is that you feel so vulnerable, right here at home, waiting to be attacked again, and not sure if you will be.” Sam nodded in agreement. He was worried about it too. He was relieved that his son was out of town with his girlfriend in the Berkshires.
“I thought we were under missile attack the other night,” Sam said to her. “It was inconceivable to me that it was happening right here in New York, again, and worse than last time.” The death toll was much higher now, and the entire country had been taken totally by surprise both times, now and on 9/11. “We weren’t prepared for an attack of this magnitude on home turf.”
Sam fell asleep on the deck chair for a while, and Kezia couldn’t help noticing how handsome he was, but he didn’t play on it or use it, or even seem aware of it, although “officially” he was a movie star. She still found it hard to believe that she had met him and that they were becoming friends now.
His cellphone woke him, and he answered it. He listened for a few minutes and said he would call back, then turned to Kezia. “That was Louise. She wants to know if we want to come to dinner tonight. Does that appeal to you? I don’t mind making a salad at my place if you want to do that with me, if you’re not in the mood to see her, or if you want to be on your own,” he said casually. He clearly wanted to spend the evening with Kezia, and she liked the idea. They had nothing else to do. He was good company, and the entire city was closed. They couldn’t even order a pizza or takeout, and a little distraction was comforting.
“I like her a lot, that would be nice,” Kezia said, feeling relaxed and happy to spend the evening with him either way. He called Louise back and accepted for both of them. Kezia wasn’t sure if that was his idea or Louise’s, and if he had included her in an invitation meant for him.
“She said to wear whatever we have on. She always wears her black skirts and black T-shirts or blouses. It’s sort of her uniform. I’ll put on jeans.” He was wearing shorts on the terrace, and she wasn’t even wearing makeup and had barely combed her hair. She felt relaxed with him, and they had already seen each other at their worst, so it didn’t matter.
They went to their own apartments at the end of the afternoon, to shower and put on whatever they were going to wear. Kezia reappeared in a white T-shirt, jeans, and gold sandals, with her hair brushed back in a ponytail and a freshly washed face with just a little lipstick. Putting on makeup seemed like too much effort in the situation they were in, and too festive. Sam was wearing a blue shirt, white jeans, and loafers, his dark hair still damp from the shower, but she noticed that he’d shaved.
When they got to Louise’s apartment, Kezia was surprised to see that another couple was there. The man was about Sam and Kezia’s age, somewhere in his late fifties, and the woman with him was very attractive, around forty years old, with well-cut, highlighted blonde hair. They seemed very subdued. Louise explained that the couple were her neighbors and they had become friends in the last few years. It became clear in the conversation that Greg Avery was a big film studio executive, and divided his time between New York and L.A. The woman with him was clearly his girlfriend. Paige Robbins was very quiet, and in talking to her, Kezia discovered that she was an executive for a major fashion brand and had a big job in marketing. She was very discreet about it and let Greg have center stage, which he took over with ease. He was charming and funny, and Louise whispered to Kezia when they went out to the kitchen to get dinner ready, “She’s worth ten of him.” Oddly, he seemed to pay no attention to Paige, or very little. He spoke mainly to Sam and Louise, and Kezia enjoyed talking to Paige. She was interesting and well-traveled, knowledgeable on a number of subjects, and very indulgent of her partner, who talked mostly about his own success, in case they were unaware of it. Sam knew him, having met him several times, and wasn’t overly impressed with him. Greg was the opposite of Sam, who never mentioned his movies or his stardom. The dynamics of the evening were interesting. Sam was much warmer and friendlier to Kezia, in a nice way, than Greg was with Paige. Louise made pasta carbonara and a big salad, with fruit for dessert. It was delicious and easy, with a lot of good French wine. It was a very pleasant evening, and Kezia was happy to have met Paige.
She and Sam talked about the evening on the way back upstairs. “Greg is always very full of himself,” he commented. “I always wonder why Paige puts up with it. His wife is a real Hollywood wife, all done up in Chanel with lots of bling, showy and very tough.”
“He’s married?” Kezia was startled when he said it. That had never occurred to her. He and Paige appeared to be very much a couple, with history together.
“Very much so. I think he has three or four kids around my son’s age. And his wife is kind of a showpiece in L.A. She’s a big deal socially and lets everyone know who she is. She’s the exact opposite of Paige, who is always very quiet and discreet. They’ve been together for quite a while, a few years anyway. I don’t know why good women get stuck in situations like that. She deserves better, and he never seems that nice to her.” It made Kezia sad to hear it. She had really liked Paige and had enjoyed their conversation during the evening.
“Maybe she doesn’t think she deserves better,” Kezia suggested. “And single men aren’t that easy to meet at her age, or her job intimidates men. She’s around the age of my daughter Kate, maybe a little older. And Kate hasn’t picked a winner yet. She’s thirty-seven.”
“Relationships aren’t easy. It’s hard to find good ones,” Sam said. “We married young, but when my wife died, I had every lonely, over-the-hill, ambitious actress in Hollywood calling me. It was really depressing. I was surprised how forward they were. I felt like I’d been thrown to the wolves. I ran like hell and stayed in New York. People leave me alone here.”
“Is that what you want, to be left alone?” Kezia asked him.
“I did for the first year, after Audrey. I’m better now. But I want to pick who I spend time with, and not be hunted down by women I don’t want to talk to. Anyway, I hope Paige doesn’t stay with Greg forever. I don’t think he’ll ever leave his wife. She would cost him a fortune, at least several houses, the beach house in Malibu, and his plane,” Sam said with a smile. It was a whole new world to Kezia, and familiar to him. “I’d like to meet your daughters when they come home,” Sam said casually, when they sat on his terrace at the end of the evening. “They sound interesting and like nice women, if they’re anything like you.”
“They’re very different from each other, and from me. Felicity is very young and has a booming career. Kate is very introverted, and has been trying to write a book for years. She’s fourteen years older than Felicity. I wasn’t married to her father, which matters to her. The man I married was wonderful to her and adopted her, but she has issues about her birth father, who chose to never be part of her life, and gave up his parental rights, by his own choice, when she was born. She’s in Mozambique right now, to meet him for the first time. She surprised me with that right before she left. She tracked him down. I think it’s something she’s wanted to do for a long time. I hope she gets what she needs out of it.”
“He’s African?” He was intrigued by the details of her life that he was discovering, little by little, as she was discovering things about him. The puzzle pieces of themselves all spread out on a table with no secrets or apologies.
“He’s American, but he lives there. He was with Doctors Without Borders for years, and now he has his own hospital in some remote area. She wanted to see it, and to meet him.”
“Very interesting,” he said.
“I’d like to meet your son too.”
“He’s away for the Fourth of July weekend with his current girlfriend. He’s a good guy, I think you’ll like him. And I’m sure he’d enjoy meeting your girls. We can do a pasta dinner some night.” It sounded like fun to her, if the girls would come to meet Sam and his son, and Blake was always a warm, lively addition, Jack a lot less so, if he’d even come, but he’d get lost in the crowd.
Kezia and Sam sat on the terrace talking for a while, and then retreated to their own apartments. It had been a nice evening, in spite of the circumstances of the lockdown and the terrorist attack two days before. At least it was a distraction, and Kezia hoped she’d see Paige again sometime. She liked her, but Greg a lot less, now that she knew he was married. That didn’t seem like a happy situation for Paige.
There were worse fates than getting stuck at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc at Cap d’Antibes in France, except for the bill for an extended stay. In her glamorous life as a highly successful model, Felicity had been there several times and she loved it, and so did Blake. He did extremely well at his job, and made a great deal of money, so he could afford to take whatever woman he wanted to there, and he and Felicity had been there once before. It was the most divinely comfortable, elegant, luxurious hotel in the world, with exquisite suites, fabulous food, private cabanas where you could spend the entire day and even eat lunch without ever seeing another guest, lying on mattresses and deck chairs to get a tan, or lounging under a big umbrella while waiters served food and drinks. You could swim in the Mediterranean, or the infinity pool. There was a gym, beautiful gardens, and impeccable service. The main building looked like a château and was at the top of a little rise, and at the water’s edge, with two restaurants, was the Eden-Roc part of the hotel, where Blake always requested the best suite. Andrew and Kezia had spent their honeymoon there and she had fond memories of it.
It had been a fabulous weekend until Felicity saw the headlines in the newspapers delivered to their room on Saturday, which showed the terrorist attack on New York, and the three buildings with the orange ball of the explosions above them. She had been worried about her mother ever since, and Blake had done his best to distract and reassure Felicity while she couldn’t get through to her.
Kezia finally reached her daughter by email on Sunday evening in France, and Felicity was so relieved she cried. Blake sent his family an email too but had had no response yet.
The American guests at the hotel had been conferring all weekend. It was shocking news, and they were all frightened of what it meant, and if there would be subsequent attacks, in New York or other U.S. cities. And no one had been able to reach their relatives or friends in the States the day after the attack. Blake remembered perfectly when the Twin Towers had come down when he was fifteen, and now it was happening again. Felicity was born a year after 9/11, so it was history and not reality to her. The current attack was all too real.
It was incredible that the whole country was shut down and communication was nearly impossible. Every city, village, and town in America was closed in case of an attack, or even a war.
Once Felicity heard from her mother and knew she was all right, she felt better, but she still wanted to get home as soon as the borders were opened. She had tried to contact Kate on her cell too, and couldn’t reach her in Africa, in the remote area where she was. Kate had warned them of that when she left. Felicity wondered if she even knew what had happened in New York. Maybe not.
Felicity and Blake stayed in the cabana Saturday and Sunday, and Blake quietly checked his computer for news. The president had spoken, the governor of New York, the State Department, and the secretary of defense, to assure people that they had no enemies about to launch a nuclear attack. The heads of the CIA and Homeland Security also held a press conference to assure the American public that they were using every possible intelligence resource to identify who had carried out the dastardly attack, and apprehend them, to bring them to justice. The police commissioner of New York City reminded everyone to stay in their homes. It was unnerving to think that the perpetrators were still out there somewhere and could do it again. But security was so tight in Manhattan, Blake strongly doubted that they could.
As the days ticked by interminably, Felicity was more and more eager to get home. Communication was sparse from Kezia, as they all waited for news, confined to their homes for their own safety. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop, if there was one.
To cheer up Felicity, Blake decided to move forward a plan he had for later that summer. He was hoping it would make her happy, and doing it earlier than planned made no difference, and would certainly distract her, in a good way.
He left her alone for a few hours on Monday morning, and told her he had work to do, while she went to the cabana, taking her computer with her, in case she heard from her mother. She had a big black and white Chanel beach bag with her, with whatever she needed for the day. Blake was back in two hours, satisfied with his mission. It hadn’t taken him long. He had gone into Cannes, with a driver from the hotel to take him. The concierge was extremely helpful, although Blake knew where to go for what he wanted.
He was back before lunch, and they ordered salads and iced tea in the cabana. Blake lay on the sun bed next to Felicity and smiled. He knew he had made the right decision—he had already decided two months before. Everything about it felt right to him, although he thought she might be harder to convince. He hoped not, but if so, he had a long list of rational arguments, and one romantic one. He loved her, immeasurably.
“You look happy today.” Felicity smiled at him as they waited for their lunch to arrive in the cabana.
“I am happy.”
“Our country has been attacked by terrorists, thousands have died, someone may be about to declare war on us or attack us again, and you’re happy. Explain that to me.” She was in much better spirits since she’d heard from her mother and knew she was safe. Now it was a waiting game to get to go home.
“There are other things in life too,” he said, rolling over on his side on his sun bed to see her more closely. He leaned over and kissed her, and as he did, he slipped a ring on her finger. She didn’t look at it, but she thought it was a fun present. Blake was very generous with her and loved to buy her gifts. She lifted her hand to see it, and her eyes and mouth opened wide when she did.
“Oh my God! What’s that?” She had never seen a diamond so big, not even one of her mother’s. Andrew had given Kezia some beautiful jewelry. “Is that real or for fun?” It was too big to be real. It was a twenty-carat cushion-cut diamond he had bought at Cartier that morning, much to their delight.
“It had better be real,” Blake said with a lopsided grin, and kissed her again. She was holding her hand straight up while she did, as though it might fall off or melt if she didn’t. It was an amazing hunk of ice and very elegant. “Will you marry me, Felicity Hobson?” he asked her officially, and she couldn’t believe it was happening to her.
“Are you serious? I’m too young to wear a ring like this—no one will believe it’s real. We’re too young to get married,” she said, “or I am at least,” but with far less conviction than he had feared. He kissed her again, and she rolled onto his sun bed and kissed him more passionately, wearing only her bikini bottoms, like all the French women. “I love you, Blake. Do you really want to marry me? I don’t even know how to cook.”
“That’s not a prerequisite. You’re a wonderful person, you’re fantastic to me and Alex, and I’m crazy nuts in love with you. I was going to ask you next month, so we could celebrate with him, but we can do that anyway. He’ll be thrilled. He keeps asking me if we can keep you. Can we?” He looked at her with all his love for her in his eyes, and she nodded.
“Yes,” Felicity whispered, and then said it louder, “Yes!” She wasn’t marrying him for the gorgeous ring; it was a fun add-on, very fun. She was marrying him because she loved him, although she did feel a little too young, even a lot too young for marriage. But she could actually see being married to Blake for the rest of her life. “Can I keep modeling or will you make me stop?” She looked worried.
“Of course you can. I’m not going to ‘make you’ stop. That’s your career and it’s your decision. I’m very proud of you.”
“And no babies yet,” she said pointedly. “I really am too young for that.”
“No babies yet,” he echoed. “We have time. I want us to have fun together, and go at the pace you’re comfortable with. And I want you to be my wife.” She beamed when he said it, and they kissed again. She didn’t tell her mother in an email. She wanted to tell her in person, or at least on the phone.
Felicity had her chance two days later, when she could finally get through to Kezia on her cell. Kezia said she was fine, and didn’t mention Sam Stewart. She felt very private about their brand-new friendship. And maybe when the terrorist crisis was over, he’d disappear like a mirage. She didn’t know him well enough to have any idea.
“Guess what, Mom?” Felicity sounded like a kid again and Kezia smiled. She was obviously happy with Blake in France.
“I don’t know.” She smiled at how childlike Felicity still was at times. She was like a big exuberant puppy. Kezia loved that about her. “You’re coming home tomorrow?”
“I wish,” Felicity said with feeling. The borders were still closed. “We’re engaged! Blake asked me to marry him.”
“Oh, darling, you’re still so young. At twenty-three, you’re a baby.”
“No, I’m not, I’m a grown-up, Mom. And he’s only sixteen years older than I am. Andrew was twenty years older than you.”
“But I was older than you are now when I married him.”
“I’m happy, Mom, I love him.” She sounded strong and sure.
“When are you thinking of doing it?” At least it was a happy subject, more so than a terrorist attack.
“We haven’t talked about that yet. We’re not in a hurry.”
“Well, then I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to give you a big hug—and congratulate Blake for me.”
“I will, Mom,” she replied, and then they hung up. Kezia winced thinking of Kate’s reaction to it. Her baby sister was getting married. Kate was going to have a fit.