Dating Game (46 page)

They told Richard and Meg the next day, and called Wim on his cell phone in the East, he was visiting Peter. And everyone was thrilled. And then she called Bix, and he was gracious enough to be thrilled for her too. “I told you you'd find the needle in the haystack. Now weren't all those blind dates worth it?”

“No,” she laughed at him. “I didn't meet Andrew on a blind date. I met him at my daughter's wedding.”

“Well, I knew it was something like that. Besides, the blind dates were good practice.”

“For what?”

“Being charming to horrible clients, and running our business when you come back.”

“Are you retiring?” She sounded shocked. She wondered just how sick Steven was.

“Not yet. But after you take a year off, so will I. Steven and I want to travel around the world. Maybe we'll close for a year. We'll figure it out. One thing I do know,” he said, sounding happy for her, “the best is yet to come.”

“Yes, it is,” she said softly, and when she hung up, she told Andrew what he'd said.

“He's right.” They had agreed to get married in August, and wanted to leave by September. She and Andrew went back to San Francisco the following week, to start making plans for their trip. He already had three apartments lined up in Paris, and a house in London. There was no limit to what they could do. And when she walked into the house in San Francisco, there was a box waiting for them, with a sprig of lily of the valley on top. And when she opened it, there was a beautiful oval antique silver box nestled in it, with engraving on the surface of the lid. She had to look at it carefully to read it because it was in a lacy old script.

“What does it say?” Andrew asked her, admiring it. Bix had such incredible taste.

“It says”—she held it carefully to the light and smiled at Andrew— ” ‘The best is yet to come.’ ”

“So it is,” he said, and kissed her. The past had brought infinite blessings and lessons, and had been what was meant to be at the time. It had given birth to the present, in all its beauty. And what would come next was unseen and unknown. But she was more than willing to believe that the best was in fact yet to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D
ANIELLE
S
TEEL
has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors with over 520 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include
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
, 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.

Visit the Danielle Steel Web Site at
www.daniellesteel.com
.

a cognizant original v5 release october 14 2010

DATING GAME
A Dell Book

Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
Copyright © 2003 by Danielle Steel

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002073619
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address: Delacorte Press, New York, New York.

Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-56641-6

v3.0

PRAISE FOR
DANIELLE STEEL

“Steel pulls out all the emotional stops…. She delivers.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Steel is one of the best!”

—
Los Angeles Times

“The world's most popular author tells a good, well-paced story and explores some important issues…. Steel affirm[s] life while admitting its turbulence, melodramas, and misfiring passions.”

—
Booklist

“Danielle Steel writes boldly and with practiced vivid ness about tragedy—both national and personal … with insight and power.”

—
Nashville Banner

“There is a smooth reading style to her writings which makes it easy to forget the time and to keep flipping the pages.”

—
The Pittsburgh Press

“One of the things that keeps Danielle Steel fresh is her bent for timely story lines … the combination of Steel's comprehensive research and her skill at creating credible characters makes for a gripping read.”

—
The Star-Ledger
(Newark)

“What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity.”

—
San Francisco Chronicle

“Steel knows how to wring the emotion out of the briefest scene.”

—
People

“Ms. Steel excels at pacing her narrative, which races forward, mirroring the frenetic lives chronicled; men and women swept up in bewildering change, seeking solutions to problems never before faced.”

—
Nashville Banner

“Danielle Steel has again uplifted her readers while skillfully communicating some of life's bittersweet verities. Who could ask for a finer gift than that?”

—
The Philadelphia Inquirer

PRAISE FOR THE RECENT NOVELS OF
DANIELLE STEEL

DATING GAME

“A cheerful story full of colorful dating scenarios … you can't stop devouring it.”

—Chicago Tribune

“Fans will no doubt enjoy …”

—Times Union
, Albany

ANSWERED PRAYERS

“Smooth plotting …”

—
Publishers Weekly

SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ

“Steel's skillful character development shines.”

—
The Star-Ledger
(Newark)

“Entertaining and suspenseful …”

—The Kansas City Star

THE COTTAGE

“A story of friendship … fans can always count on Danielle Steel to come up with a best-selling story … [her] charm has lasted.”

—
Abilene Reporter News

THE KISS

“Steel pulls through with skillful plotting, steeping a gentle brew that will once again gratify her legions of fans.”

—
Publishers Weekly

LONE EAGLE

“THE NOVEL IS BRIGHTLY PACED, and the World War II setting provides plenty of contextual drama.”

—
People

LEAP OF FAITH

“STEEL IS A SKILLED STORYTELLER. [Her] tale provides entertainment and imparts important lessons.”

—Booklist

A MAIN SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD
AND THE DOUBLEDAY BOOK CLUB

What is a date? A date is when two people, who hardly know each other, go out to dinner, and push their food around their plates nervously, while trying to ask as many questions as possible in the shortest possible time. As in: Do you ski? Play tennis? Do you like dogs? Why do
you
think your marriage fell apart? Why do
you
think your ex-wife said you were controlling? Do you like chocolate? Cheesecake? Have you ever been convicted of a felony? How do you feel about drugs? How many alcoholics are there in your family? What kind of medication are you on? Did you have plastic surgery, or is that your real nose? Chin? Upper lip? Breasts? Behind? What kind of surgery have you had? Do you like kids? Have you ever dated any? What foreign languages do you speak? What's your ideal honeymoon? Two weeks in the Himalayas?? Really? Have you ever been on safari? To Paris? To Des Moines? Are you religious? When did you last see your mother? How long have you been in therapy? Why not? How many DUIs have you had? Where does your wife think you are tonight? How long have you been married? Divorced? Widowed? Out of jail? On parole? Unemployed? What's your next career move? I'm sure the circus does offer fabulous travel opportunities, but what about the high wire? Have you been bulimic all your life? How many twelve-step groups
are
you a member of? When is later? How soon do you think you'll call??

A blind date is when well-meaning friends select two people from opposite ends of the earth, with as little in common as humanly possible, and lie to each of them about just how fabulous, interesting, normal, well adjusted, intelligent, and attractive the other half of the blind date is. Reality hits as they come through the door. You then pursue the same formula as on a regular date, hopefully in less time, and you pray that they wrote down your phone number wrong. After that you go home and cry, eventually laugh, and never speak to the friends who set you up again. And after you forget just how bad it was, you let the same friends, or others, do it to you again.