"It's George," she told him. "Jane's cheating on him. He caught her red handed!"

"I'm sorry," he replied. Memories of Marie's secret trysts with Axel flooded his mind. She'd thought he hadn't known, but he had, and it had hurt him more deeply than words could say. Her eventual departure had devastated him, but it hadn't really come as a surprise.

"I knew this was going to happen someday," said Anne.

"I know how he feels," Louis replied.

"I'm sorry," said Anne. "I didn't mean to bring back bad memories for you."

"That's all right." Louis ran his thumb over the smooth skin of her hand. "I'm glad he has you to help him through it, just like I had Elisabeth." He touched her cheek. "But who did you have?"

She chuckled. "George confronted Henry right after he found out about it. Chewed him out good. They almost came to blows." She sighed, deciding it wouldn't hurt to try. "He's thirty."

"George is?" Louis laughed. "So am I!"

"How old is Elisabeth?"

"She'll be twenty-one in May."

"Do you think that's too much of an age difference?" It occurred to her that the age difference between herself and Henry had been even greater, although at the time, she'd paid it no mind at all.

"I guess not. Why, were you thinking of introducing them?"

"I thought it might be nice for them to meet."

"Perhaps it could be arranged."

Reese emerged from the house. "Oh, there you are, Daddy!"

Louis smiled. "Looks like it's time for us to go back inside. Do you feel better now, Anne?"

"Much." She returned his smile, but her mind was still on the night she'd awakened from the nightmare, how she'd longed to feel his arms around her.

Reese flew back to Nevada about a week later. Anne accompanied Louis to the airport to see her off, saw the woebegone expression on his face as he said goodbye to his daughter and wished there was something she could say or do to make him feel better.

"I can't say I know how you feel, because I don't," she told him as they left the airport. "That's something only a parent would know."

"That doesn't matter," Louis replied. "I can't tell you how much of a comfort it is just to have you with me, and how much I appreciate it."

"Want to go back to your place and watch a funny movie?" she asked, remembering the time they'd watched 'Heaven Can Wait' together.

Louis grinned. "Great idea!"

They watched 'Airplane' and Naked Gun' together. Louis fell asleep on the sofa during the second movie, and Anne had to shake him awake to drive her home.

When he got back home, Louis drank most of a bottle of wine and fell asleep with his clothes on. Unaccustomed to drinking more than a glass or two at a time, he woke up around noon the following day with a smashing headache. He'd sat through the comedies to humor Anne, but they hadn't really made him feel any better. Although he'd only said goodbye to Reese a few hours ago, he already ached for her. For the couple of weeks she'd been with him, life had seemed full of sunshine and laughter, and now there was a gaping hole in his heart.

Except there was still Anne - beautiful, mysterious Anne with the fathomless dark eyes and the smile that turned his insides to jelly. She was the exact opposite of sunny, laughing Marie, yet enchanting in her own unique way. Since meeting her, he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind, and as he'd gotten to know her better, he'd found himself thinking of her constantly.

He fixed himself a cup of black coffee, sat down before his computer, and switched it on. As it was an older model, he had to wait awhile for it to come on, and he was halfway through his coffee before he was able to access his email. He scrolled through all the Viagra ads and requests for donations to political causes until he found what he was looking for.

'Reese arrived safely' was all Marie had written. It was all he'd expected, and he was happy to receive it.

One cold, rainy morning in January, Anne woke sick as a dog. Her head felt like it was about to burst, and her nose was so congested she had to breathe through her mouth. When she tried to get up, she was so dizzy she almost fell.

Knowing going in to work was out of the question, she called in sick and then returned to bed. A few minutes later, she remembered she also had a date with Louis that night. She groaned, then called and left a message on his answering machine cancelling the date.

She rested for a couple of hours, then dragged herself out of bed to eat a couple pieces of toast and drink a cup of tea. She was about halfway through the second piece of toast when she was overcome with dizziness and barely made it back to bed without fainting.

She dozed off and on for the rest of the afternoon, and in the evening, she was awakened by the bell. Her heart leaped when she saw it was Louis, and she buzzed him in. He entered the apartment carrying a couple of bags.

"You should be in bed!" he exclaimed when he saw her.

Needing no further convincing, she crept gratefully back beneath the warm, soft sheets. A few minutes later, she smelled a delicious aroma and saw Louis had entered the room with a tray holding a steaming bowl of chicken soup. Suddenly her stomach rumbled.

He smiled at her. "Need some help sitting up in bed?" He helped her arrange the pillows behind her back, then sat on the edge of the bed to spoon feed her the soup.

"Ah, that's so nice," she sighed as the soothing liquid slid down her throat.

"I'm glad you like it. Do you want a sip of hot herbal tea now?"

"It's so sweet of you to come see me when I'm sick!"

"Of course I came. Why wouldn't I?"

"But aren't you afraid of catching whatever I have?"

"I hardly ever get sick."

She finished all the soup and drank most of the tea.

"Feel better now?" asked Louis.

"Loads." The memory of the morning she'd awakened from the nightmare returned. "Will you hold me, Louis?"

Without a word, he took her into his arms and held her tight, and she basked in the warmth and comfort of his closeness, relishing the softness of his flannel shirt against her cheek and the scent of the cologne she'd given him.

"I love you, Louis," she said.

"Je t'aime," he whispered.