Not a Flower - A Novel

Chapter 10

"It's so beautiful here." Vivian observed quietly from behind the patio door. Grace turned from her observation of the bright sun dappled ocean and watched as the auburn beauty strolled through the door to sit down next to her on one of the iron wrought chairs. She held an ice filled glass of water in one slender hand as she motioned at the ocean. "I've never really seen the ocean before until I met Duval. Spent my whole life in New York and never even looked out into what was right in front of me."

Grace nodded and wondered what Vivian was about. She had come to Castle La Mer today to say her goodbyes to Duval and to Adrian. The remainder of her time here was gone and her flight was due that evening. In her purse were a few pictures and letters that she wanted to give back to Adrian. The rest was packed in her suitcase.

It has been an illuminating week. She had spent most of the last few days on her own, sightseeing, relaxing and thinking. It had been difficult avoiding Duval. He had come to the hotel looking for her a few times and she'd hid in her room. Childish but she'd felt it was necessary to be alone with her thoughts in order for her to be able to get her feelings straightened out.

She'd also been avoiding Adrian. Not that he'd even bother trying to get in touch with her. After giving her the letters, he'd disappeared. A phone call to the Castle a few days ago had informed her that he'd left for an undetermined length of time. Feeling a bit confused, hurt and annoyed with herself for being that way, Grace had decided that it was for the best. Because she was being so truthful with herself, she knew that the closeness with Adrian was dangerous. She liked him. Truly liked him. In a way that she could explain and didn't want to explain.

Sometimes she wondered if her feelings for Duval had finally been resolved because of Adrian. She hoped not. Falling for Adrian was a complication that she couldn't handle at the moment. Adrian was beautiful the way a summer storm was, dangerous and breathtaking at the same time. His sense of humor had a wicked edge that made her laugh despite herself and she couldn't deny that when he had kissed her, she had lost all sense of direction. But he was a heartbreaker. She could see that clearly and she wasn't going to go in that direction.

"So, how long have you known Duval?" Vivian asked casually. She seemed to have completely forgotten about what had happened at the club a few nights ago. She shot Grace a direct look. "He doesn't talk much about himself. I may have to depend on you for all the juicy details."

It was a parody of girlish friendship. There was no hint of true humor in Vivian's dark blue gaze.

"I met Duval when I was a med student at the University of Minnesota. "We became friends." Grace saw no reason to lie. Her relationship with Duval was as innocent as it could get—except for that kiss. That hadn't been so innocent. She tried to squash a trickle of guilt as she faced Vivian. She was leaving soon. There was nothing to feel guilty about. After having loved a man for ten years, that brief brush of her mouth against his was a small enough return. Vivian would be getting all of his kisses for the rest of her life.

"Friends?" Vivian asked with disbelief.

Grace said honestly. "He was my best friend."

Vivian's laugh was sharp.

"Friends with a man like Duval. That must've been hard. I mean, I didn't know him back then but—," there Vivian gave a small shudder and secretive smile, "I can't imagine he was that much different from the way he is now. It would have been impossible for me to remain friends with a man that good looking and—intense."

"He was easy to talk to." Grace didn't like the defensiveness in her tone, especially when she agreed with Vivian about the difficulty of being friends with someone like Duval. "We talked about everything."