Against All Odds

by Danielle Steel

  It had been a lovely Christmas, and Kate was exhausted when they all left. So much had happened and was happening. It was hard to keep up with them. She liked Zoe better than she wanted to, because she still thought their age difference was too great, but it made sense to them. And she was a good woman and brought out the best in Willie. Even Kate could see that. He had matured noticeably since he’d been with her, and now seemed older than his years. He said they had no plans to marry and wanted only to live together, although he commented that he wanted to have children with her one day, which would have to be soon because of her age.

  —

  Julie was busy at the store, working on the website between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and Kate was in and out of the store but had less to do than Julie now. Julie had an appointment to meet with a new Web designer who had been recommended to her. She wanted to streamline their website and give it a more modern look. And all heads turned at the shop when he walked in. He was surprisingly handsome, but when he talked to Julie he was shy and awkward around her. He was beautiful to look at but a total geek. He came back the next day to show her some ideas, and he did very good work. Before he left, he blushed to the roots of his hair, and asked if she would have dinner with him sometime.

  Julie looked horrified at the idea.

  “Not if it’s a date,” she snapped at him, annoyed that he’d asked, although she’d liked him till then, and thought he was talented and smart. “I’m getting divorced, I never want to get married again, and I don’t want kids. That makes me ineligible for most men, which is fine with me. And I can’t spell, if that’s a problem for you.” She was like a bulldozer coming at him, and he looked terrified of her.

  “It’s not. I can’t spell either. I’ve used spellcheck all my life, but I have great computer skills. And I wasn’t thinking about marriage and kids, just dinner. Do you eat?” His name was Oliver, and he was handsome and blond and looked like a model, and his social skills were as poor as hers.

  “Sometimes I eat, if the food is good. I don’t like Thai food or anything spicy.” They were like two porcupines throwing quills at each other. But there was something awkward and nervous about both of them. It was an even match, if they could get past the initial pleasantries, which they hadn’t mastered yet.

  “How about tomorrow night?” he suggested and she thought about it.

  “Okay. I like delicatessen food.”

  “So do I,” he admitted with a look of relief.

  “There’s a good deli down the street. Do you like cheesecake?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Me too.” He showed up the next day and they had a nice time at the deli, which seemed nonthreatening to Julie after everything she’d been through. And she told him over dinner that her ex-husband was accused of murdering the woman he dated when she left him.

  “How was he with you?” Oliver asked her, as they ate hot pastrami sandwiches, after matzo ball soup.

  “Not good. He tried to kill me after six months. So I left.”

  “How terrible for you,” Oliver said and stopped eating while he said it. “I wouldn’t want to date or get married again if I were you either. Maybe you’ll feel better after a while. I hope so.”

  “I’m fine the way I am,” she said defensively, and then relaxed over the cheesecake. “Do you like hockey?” she asked him, and he looked embarrassed.

  “No, I don’t. I hate sports. I suck at them, and spectator sports bore me. Why? Do you?”

  “No, I hate them.” She remembered the hockey games that Peter took her to, and a lot of other sporting events. In retrospect, they were a bad memory now, like everything else about him, after what had come later. She associated going to games with him.

  “I just like computers,” Oliver said innocently.

  “Good.” They finished dinner, and he took her home in a cab and dropped her off, and she thanked him for the deli meal.

  “Maybe we could eat together again sometime,” he suggested awkwardly. “The cheesecake was really good.” She smiled when he said it.

  “I liked it too. Thanks for dinner,” she said and got out of the cab. It hadn’t been as scary as she had expected it to be. But it hadn’t been a date, just a meal, she told herself, which was all she needed now. And he was fine with that.

  —

  Justin and Richard’s Valentine’s Day wedding was as corny as they’d promised. The setting in Kate’s apartment looked lovely, but the wedding cake was pink, and Justin and Richard wore dark suits with pink shirts and pink ties. They refused to let anyone take it too seriously, although the ceremony was, but only the family was there.

  Izzie brought Jeff, the partner at her law firm that she had been dating for five months, and she admitted to her mother the night before the wedding that she really liked him. They were talking about living together eventually, but they weren’t interested in marriage. They were happy as they were, and he was a responsible man and was great with Tommy.

  Julie brought Oliver at the last minute, and he was awkward but adoring whenever he looked at her. Justin said he was the best-looking man he’d ever seen but was a total geek. He could barely manage a conversation, except with Julie. They were comfortable with each other.

  Willie brought Zoe and her children, and Kate had the sinking feeling that he wanted to marry her sooner rather than later, which she thought would be a mistake no matter how happy they were. The age difference was too great. But Kate had learned that she couldn’t do anything about it if that’s what he wanted. He claimed they weren’t planning to marry, but she didn’t believe him.

  Shirley and Jack came to the wedding and were touched to have been invited. And Alana was there too. She flew in from London especially to be there.

  Grandma Lou held court, and was leaving for Bangkok soon with Frances. Liam stood near Kate at the ceremony and kept an eye on her at the reception, and she finally came and sat next to him when the party was under way and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

  “I like Izzie’s new guy,” she commented to Liam with some relief. He was normal and traditional, and good to her. Kate had no strange vibes about him and thought they were great together. “But she says she’s never getting married again,” Kate told Liam. “When they find respectable partners who’d be good for them, they won’t marry them. And they marry all the wrong ones. We’ve certainly had our share of those in the last two years.” It was a major understatement after Zach and Peter, although now they were all with nice people, even if Zoe was too old for Willie. But Kate liked her.

  “They seem to get it right on the second try,” Liam conceded. “I like Jeff a lot for Izzie, and Oliver is funny as hell with Julie. I don’t know which of them is more nervous and ill at ease, but he’s crazy about her, and he’s harmless, and very smart.” He had struggled through a conversation with him.

  “She likes him too, but she won’t admit it. She says they’re not dating. But they go to dinner about four times a week. She says they just eat. She’s terrified after Peter. But Oliver’s good for her, and he’s sweet.” Kate agreed with Liam. “And Willie looks like he’s heading for the altar like a homing pigeon with Zoe, and she’s too old for him. That’s a long shot that won’t work,” she said cynically.

  “Maybe it will. She’s an amazing woman and he’s a great kid.”

  “That’s the problem, he’s a kid and she’s a woman.”

  “Maybe he’ll grow up with her. We all do eventually.” He sighed as he thought of Maureen. It had been a long five months without her. And after two glasses of champagne, he told Kate something he had never admitted to her before. “I would have married you when Tom died. I always wanted to, but you were happily married before that and I was too young to even think about it when you married him. And later, I was engaged to Maureen, and I didn’t think it would be right to break it off with her and pursue you when Tom died. So I married her. And it was good, for both of us. And now you’ve been alone for all these years. I th
ought you’d remarry after Tom died.” She was touched by what he confessed to her. She would never have guessed he had feelings for her in that way. And then he startled her again. “Would you ever marry me, Kate?”

  “Now? Why?” she said, laughing at him. “It’s a big statement about the times when the most stable relationship in our family is my gay son marrying his partner. The kind of marriages we believe in don’t exist anymore.” She thought of Bernard as she said it, with his “arrangement” with his wife.

  “It still makes sense for us,” Liam said quietly. “We believe in the commitment it represents. I’m not sure they do. With them, it’s all very immediate, and they don’t expect it to last. I’d have stayed married to Maureen forever. We were best friends. It wasn’t exciting, but it was solid. I didn’t want excitement. Maureen and I wanted a stable, predictable relationship we could rely on. It suited us, and worked for all those years. And you’d still be married to Tom if he were alive.”

  “I was crazy about him till the day he died.” She smiled at the memory. It was young love, and she was sure their marriage would have withstood the test of time, as Liam’s had.

  “We have a shot at a second chance too,” he said thoughtfully. “And our needs are different now. We can relax and have more fun.” He had been thinking about it for months, but hadn’t said it to her until now. And it had upset him to see her with a man like Bernard.

  “What are the odds for us?” She looked at him squarely.

  “I think they’re pretty good. Don’t you?”

  “I think you’re my best friend. Why screw that up?”

  “Because it would be nice to have more than that, wouldn’t it?” She could see that he was serious about what he was saying, and it went straight to her heart.

  “Are you proposing to me?” She grinned at him. They were so comfortable with each other that she could say anything to him, and always had. It was the best part of being friends for more than half their lives.

  “Not yet.” He grinned back at her. “I’m polling my constituency.” He was ready for some excitement now. He liked that idea, with her. They always had fun together. And their values were the same.

  “Don’t rush your fences, you’ve only been widowed for five months. You can’t get married for a year. It would be disrespectful to your girls.”

  “Is that a yes seven months from now?” He was pressing her, but he had waited a long time. They were both free now, at the same time. And he thought it was right now.

  “It’s a maybe and that’s the best you’re going to get for now,” she said, looking mischievous but pleased. She loved him too, and always had. Although his asking her to marry him was a surprise.

  “I think the odds are pretty good,” he said seriously. “If the kids can do whatever the hell they want, so can we.” The thought of it made her laugh.

  “What would our children say?” Kate thought about it seriously for a minute.

  “They’d probably be pleased,” he said gently, and she suspected he was right.

  “Or surprised.” She smiled at him, and the boys cut their wedding cake then. It was the most beautiful cake she’d ever seen, with pink sugar flowers all over it, chocolate inside, and two grooms on the top.

  Kate and Liam stood eating their cake side by side, observing her family. They were all having a good time. And he was right. They had come through the mistakes they’d made, survived, and corrected them. Maybe that was how it had to happen. Maybe they had better odds on the second round. She hoped so for her children’s sakes.

  “Was that a soft maybe or a definite?” Liam asked her with a serious look.

  “Ask me in September, and we’ll talk about it.” And with that, she disappeared among the guests, and glanced back at him. He was smiling at her. She couldn’t help thinking that her children were full of surprises. Maybe it was time for them to be too. And the odds for her and Liam were pretty good. Time would tell, for them all. She had learned that sometimes all you could do was take the chance and hope. The last two years had taught her that. And all she could do was be the safety net under her children while they lived their lives, took their chances, and made their own mistakes. Every generation did it, and terrified their parents until they got it right, if they did. If not, she would be there for them.

  And at the end of the day, whatever the odds, it was her turn now too.

  To my beloved children,

  Beatie, Trevor, Todd, Nick, Sam,

  Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara.

  May you be forever blessed,

  wise, and greatly loved,

  as much as I love you!

  with all my love,

  Mommy/ds

  By Danielle Steel

  AGAINST ALL ODDS • DANGEROUS GAMES • THE MISTRESS • THE AWARD • RUSHING WATERS • MAGIC • THE APARTMENT • PROPERTY OF A NOBLEWOMAN • BLUE • PRECIOUS GIFTS • UNDERCOVER COUNTRY • PRODIGAL SON • PEGASUS • A PERFECT LIFE • POWER PLAY • WINNERS • FIRST SIGHT • UNTIL THE END OF TIME • THE SINS OF THE MOTHER • FRIENDS FOREVER • BETRAYAL • HOTEL VENDÔME • HAPPY BIRTHDAY • 44 CHARLES STREET • LEGACY • FAMILY TIES • BIG GIRL • SOUTHERN LIGHTS • MATTERS OF THE HEART • ONE DAY AT A TIME • A GOOD WOMAN • ROGUE • HONOR THYSELF • AMAZING GRACE • BUNGALOW 2 • SISTERS • H.R.H. • COMING OUT • THE HOUSE • TOXIC BACHELORS • MIRACLE • IMPOSSIBLE • ECHOES • SECOND CHANCE • RANSOM • SAFE HARBOUR • JOHNNY ANGEL • DATING GAME • ANSWERED PRAYERS • SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ • THE COTTAGE • THE KISS • LEAP OF FAITH • LONE EAGLE • JOURNEY • THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET • THE WEDDING • IRRESISTIBLE FORCES • GRANNY DAN • BITTERSWEET • MIRROR IMAGE • THE KLONE AND I • THE LONG ROAD HOME • THE GHOST • SPECIAL DELIVERY • THE RANCH • SILENT HONOR • MALICE • FIVE DAYS IN PARIS • LIGHTNING • WINGS • THE GIFT • ACCIDENT • VANISHED • MIXED BLESSINGS • JEWELS NO GREATER LOVE • HEARTBEAT • MESSAGE FROM NAM • DADDY • STAR • ZOYA • KALEIDOSCOPE • FINE THINGS • WANDERLUST • SECRETS • FAMILY ALBUM • FULL CIRCLE • CHANGES • THURSTON HOUSE • CROSSINGS • ONCE IN A LIFETIME • A PERFECT STRANGER • REMEMBRANCE • PALOMINO • LOVE: POEMS • THE RING • LOVING • TO LOVE AGAIN • SUMMER’S END • SEASON OF PASSION • THE PROMISE • NOW AND FOREVER • PASSION’S PROMISE • GOING HOME

  Nonfiction

  PURE JOY: The Dogs We Love

  A GIFT OF HOPE: Helping the Homeless

  HIS BRIGHT LIGHT: The Story of Nick Traina

  For Children

  PRETTY MINNIE IN PARIS

  PRETTY MINNIE IN HOLLYWOOD

  About the Author

  DANIELLE STEEL has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with over 650 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Dangerous Games, The Mistress, The Award, Rushing Waters, Magic, The Apartment, Property of a Noblewoman, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

  daniellesteel.com

  Facebook.com/​DanielleSteelOfficial

  @daniellesteel

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