With a heavy heart, Marianne joined Dominic’s housekeeper in the main building. This time though, she was too distraught to pay any attention to the numerous paintings on the walls. She asked to be led to her bedroom and remained silent. Josephine spoke to her about her quarters, but her words passed by Marianne unheard. The immense size of her bedroom and the red, silken curtains were not enough to bring a smile to her face. She kicked her shoes away and lay in bed, breathing in sighs. By now, only one thing could make her feel better: A conversation with Kate Weston, her closest friend. New York was six hours behind; Marianne would most likely wake her up, but, in the hope that talking to her would make her feel better, she did not hesitate.

“Hello?” Kate answered her phone in a deep, hoarse voice.

“Hi, sweetheart; it’s me. Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“How do I sound? It’s 5:15 for God’s sake!”

“I’m sorry, Katy,” Marianne sighed. “I just had to talk to someone.”

“Forget it. How was your trip?”

“My trip was fine. Things got very interesting when I met him.”

“Does he look as gorgeous as in his pictures?”

“Actually, he looks even better.” A small smile formed on Marianne’s face. “He’s young, he’s very tall: 6’3” easy. He’s got short, brown hair, deep-green eyes, pointy face, and a well-trimmed beard.”

“Okay, you lost me there.” Kate complained. “If the guy’s that hot, why are you so sad?”

“Because he asked me about the book,” Marianne’s voice lowered to a soft, raw whisper. “I was too shocked to talk about it. He must be really mad at me right now.”

“How does he even know about that?”

“Does it matter? It brought back ugly memories.”

“Alright, take it easy.” Kate suggested. “You’ll be staying there for a week. You realize you’ll have to tell him, eventually.”

“It gets worse. Remember Melanie? I’ll see her, too. What should I do about her?”

“Just be honest with them, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m proud of you.”

“Some people don’t see it that way, including me.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Kate yelled, forcing her friend to pull her cell phone away from her ear. “Look, just do what I said, okay? I’ll call you later.”

“Bye.”

Marianne tossed her cell phone across the massive bed and closed her eyes, just before a knock on the door grabbed her attention.

“Come in.” She spoke in lazy tones, expecting to hear the maid’s funny accent. However, she heard no voices at all. The sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden floor filled her ears, forcing her eyes to snap open. It was Dominic, with a contrite look on his face, as he moved around her bed. He did not speak. Instead, he offered her his hand.

“I’m so sorry about before.” Marianne said, her voice trembling as he looked deep into her eyes. Once again, he did not speak. He took her hand into his and pulled her up. Then, he turned his head to the right and fixed his gaze on the window in the corner. He led her there, moved around her and pulled it up.

“I’m not going to ask why you got so upset.” He spoke in a gentle voice, turning to her. “I just want you to see this. That’s what I do, whenever I feel blue.”

Intrigued, Marianne took a hesitant step closer and looked out the window in question. The sight that greeted her gave her a reason to smile. There was a vast, snowy, fir tree forest on the mountain slope, very close to the estate. She could even see the raindrops, dripping off the edges of the branches, as the hard rain pelted down around the tall trees.

“You came up here, just to show me that?” She pointed at the view.

“What if I did?” He shrugged, taking hold of her hand again, as he turned his head to the left to face her. “The last thing I want to see is hurt in people’s eyes, especially when they’re as beautiful as yours.”

“Thank you.” Marianne whispered, as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “It’s beautiful out there.”

“This is why I love the wild.” Dominic continued, raising his other hand to her face. Cupping her cheek, he leaned over her and closed his eyes. He laid a tender kiss on her face, caressing her wrist, as she gripped his hand tighter. “It always comforts me somehow.” He whispered, slowly leaning back.

“You just…”

“… Kissed you,” he finished her sentence. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I didn’t mean the kiss.” She let out a short laugh. “You just made me feel better.”

“That’s good to know.” Dominic gave an appreciative nod. “Look, I don’t know why you freaked out on me like that. I’d really like to know more about that book of yours, though. Not the sales part; just what it’s about.”

“Well…” Marianne sucked in a deep breath. “The dream it’s referring to is every girl’s ‘perfect man’. I’m just describing a few ways to grab and hold on to that dream. It’s based on a few friends’ life experience and my own. It took me two years to finish it. It was well-received and for a moment, I thought it would do really great.”

“Then came the part you don’t want to talk about.” Dominic interjected, as a bitter smile formed on Marianne’s face. “I’m not going to force the issue. Get some sleep. I promise not to bring it up anymore while you’re here. I’ll see you later tonight.”

Upon finishing his statement, he stroked her cheek one last time and then released her hand. A sigh of frustration escaped her, as he left her room. Shutting her eyes, Marianne hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.

I’m officially blown away. You’re full of surprises, Dominic. I can’t think of one person who would do what you just did for a total stranger like me. You were so sweet… and I’ve just missed a great chance to kiss you.