Of Body And Soul Read Online Free Page B

music, dear."  She placed the earphones to her ears. "I don't like the take off and the landing. The music seems to help."
    Andrea smiled, "Ju st close your eyes and relax."
     
    CHAPTER THREE
    The plane lifted off and And rea glanced at her Rolex. We’ll arrive in Denver about 4:00 P.M. Jason had told her he’d have a limo waiting. Great, she thought, I’ll have enough time to settle into my room, shower and dress for the dinner meeting with him
    She looked up. A lock of golden hair fell across her eyes. She wished she hadn't agreed to this meeting. But, if she hadn't , she never would have met Grayson. Andrea looked over at her and realized Grayson was a link in her life that must be welded back together forever. A feeling of warmth engulfed her. She took a sketch pad from her briefcase and sketched this remarkable lady sitting beside her.
    Two hours into the flight, Andrea realized she'd been drumming her pencil against the pad. She put her things away and stopped the flight attendant as he passed her seat. "Could I please have a glass of Chardonnay?" she whispered, so as not to wake Grayson.
    "What a great idea," Grayson chimed in. "We should celebrate. I haven't been on vacation since Uncle Charles passed away. This is a major step for me. And the fact that if my friend didn't decide to go to Vail, we’d never have met. Are you going to Vail on a ski vacation?"
    "No," Andrea glanced at her watch as it edged toward freedom from Jason.
    "I didn't think so."
    Andrea eyed Grayson's amber cashmere suit and sweater. Her face, devoid of makeup, except for the hint of color on h er cheeks, her hair soft, white and wispy, styled away from her face, gave her a much younger look than her years. Her sense of style was impeccable. Andrea realized the reason she hadn’t recognized Grayson. The woman had gained weight and had snow-white hair. The last time she had seen Grayson, she was a size eight and had red hair.
    Andrea should have felt stylish in her coffee brown suede dress with matching coat, an d carefully selected Prada accessories. But, for some reason, she felt older than Grayson, even though she was thirty years her junior.
    "You're here on business then?" Grayson asked, her wise eyes bright and bemused. "You’re meeting someone to close a very important deal. Right?"
    For a moment Andrea was dumbstruck. Well, she thought, that's a good analogy of a five-year relationship that went down the tubes. The wine arrived before she could answer.
    Grayson raised her glass. "Well, here's to my vacation and your business deal," she grinned. "Andrea, are you married?"
    The quick question needed a thoughtful answe r. "No, but . . . hum, I've been with someone for five years."
    "Five years!"
    "Are you shocked, Grayson?"
    "No, but that seems like a long time to spend with someone you're not married to."
    "It was, and time is like the wind, Grayson. It blows down the corridors of your life and slams all the doors shut as it passes," Andrea sighed.
     
    Grayson leaned over, her expression pathetically eager. "Tell me what it's like. In my day, it was unheard of for a couple to live together."             
    "What’s it like to live with a man?" Andrea looked at her. "That's a big question," she hedged and wished their conversation had headed in another direction. Should I tell her the truth? That living with Jason was a stress test—to see how long two people could exist in the same space without going mad?
    "What's your boyfriend's name?"
    "Jason . . . Jason Miles. And he’s not my boyfriend any longer.” Andrea said curtly. “He's an architectural engineer working in L.A.”
    An drea looked directly at Grayson and softened. "I'm sorry I was rude just then. The business I'm concluding is my relationship with the man.”
    Grayson's mouth formed an expressive circle. "Oooh, I'm sorry for prying," she said compassionately and rummaged through her pile of books, looking for something to read.
     
    Andrea patted