Power of a Woman (38 page)
“And you did it all alone….”
“Not really, I had my mother and Derek, and her brothers. And thank you for the things you said….
I’m so glad you like her.”
“How could I not? She’s lovely, so vivacious. I see you in her.”
“And I see you, Gianni. I always did.”
“Steffie?”
“Yes, Gianni?”
“There’s something I wish to ask you.” He hesitated, staring at her.
“What is it?”
“I wondered if we could…do you think we can be friends again?”
Stevie stared back at him, not sure what he meant, and she stiffened slightly in the chair.
422 / Barbara Taylor Bradford
He noticed this and exclaimed, “Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not proposing…that we…pick up where we left off eighteen years ago.
What I meant was, could we be friends, platonic friends? We do have Chloe. I want to get to know her better.” And I want to get to know you again, he thought. But you have not changed. You are still my Steffie, still the same inside. And a love like ours never dies. It only lies dormant when the two people involved are separated.
I need you both
.
Stevie had been watching him closely, and suddenly she understood. She knew with absolute certainty that he still loved her, and just as much as she loved him. Leaning across the table, she said softly,
“Of course we can be friends, Gianni; I want that, too.”
He nodded. She was the only woman he had ever truly loved and, miraculously, she had come back into his life again. He was afraid to speak for a moment, so touched was he.
Stevie saw his love for her spilling out of his eyes, and she felt a surge of happiness like she had not known since she had left him. She touched his hand, which rested on the table. “Let’s not waste any more years, Gianni. Let’s be the
best
of friends.” Her misty gray-green eyes held his.
Returning her steadfast gaze, he took hold of her hand. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it lightly, and then he smiled at her. “Oh, yes, the
very
best of friends, my Steffie. My heart.”
Bestselling author
BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD
was born in Leeds and was a journalist in Yorkshire and Fleet Street before moving to New York, where she lives with her husband. She is published in eighty-two countries and twenty-four languages, and several of her books have become hugely successful television series.
www.barbarataylorbradford.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Just Rewards
Unexpected Blessings
Emma’s Secret
Three Weeks in Paris
The Triumph of Katie Byrne
Where You Belong
A Sudden Change of Heart
Power of a Woman
*
A Secret Affair
*
Her Own Rules
*
Love in Another Town
*
Dangerous to Know
*
Everything to Gain
*
Angel
Remember
The Women in His Life
To Be the Best
*
Act of Will
*
Hold the Dream
*
Voice of the Heart
*
A Woman of Substance
*
*Published by HarperCollins
Publishers
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
POWER OF A WOMAN. Copyright © 1997 by Barbara Taylor Bradford. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader December 2008
ISBN 978-0-06-179537-4
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com