Part 234 (2/2)

day.”

”I will.” She clung for one last minute. ”When this is behind me, I'm

going to want my half of the loft back.”

”It's yours. Unless I decide to marry that dentist and move to Long

Island.”

”What dentist?”

”The one who wants me to have my roots planed.”

Her lips curved. It was becoming almost easy to smile. ”That's

certainly a novel, and disgusting, approach.”

It was good, Marianne thought, to see Emma really smile again. ”Yeah,

maybe, but he's got these big brown eyes. Hairy knuckles, though. I

don't know if I could fall in love with hairy knuckles.”

”Especially since he'd always be sticking them in your mouth. That's

your last boarding call.”

”You call me.”

”Absolutely.” She wasn't going to cry. Emma promised herself she wasn't

going to. But they both were. With one final hug, Marianne raced off.

Emma waited by the gate, watching through the windows as the plane

taxied back. She was alone now. On her own. Decisions, mistakes,

opinions, were hers to make again. And it terrified her. It wasn't so

long ago, she thought, she had been on her own in London. That had been

such an exciting, such a freeing, feeling. And she'd been in love.

She wasn't in love now. That was one small blessing.

As she started back toward the terminal, she scanned the crowd,

<script>