Rogue

Charles sat on deck looking startled and uncomfortable, as the enormous sailboat left the dock. A stewardess offered him a drink, and another one offered him a massage. He declined both, as he watched Monaco shrink behind them, and they set sail toward Italy. Maxine and the kids were below unpacking and making themselves comfortable. Fortunately, none of them ever got seasick, and on a boat this size, Charles suspected he wouldn't either. He was watching the coast with binoculars when Maxine came upstairs to find him. She was wearing a pink T-shirt and shorts. Charles had already been politely told not to wear shoes on the teak deck. He was sipping a Bloody Mary and smiled at Maxine, as she cuddled up next to him and kissed his neck.

“Are you doing okay?” She looked happy and relaxed, and prettier than he'd ever seen her.

He nodded, with a sheepish smile. “I'm sorry I made such a fuss about coming on the boat. I can see why you love it. Who wouldn't? I just felt odd because it's Blake's. It's a little like stepping into his shoes. He really is a tough act to follow. How am I ever going to impress you after you've had all this?” It was honest of him to say so, and humble, and it touched her. It was nice being on vacation with him, even if it was on Blake's boat. She was with Charles, not with Blake, which was exactly where she wanted to be, and with whom.

“You don't have to impress me that way. You impress me with you. Don't forget, I walked away from all this.”

“People must have thought you were crazy. I do.”

“I wasn't. We weren't right for each other. He was never around. He was a lousy husband. It's not about all this, Charles. And I love him, but he's a flake. He wasn't the right man for me, not in the end anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Charles looked doubtful. “How can you be a flake and make enough money to have all this?” He had a point.

“He's good in business. And he's willing to risk anything to win. He's a good gambler, but that doesn't make him a good husband or father. And he gambled on me in the end, and lost. He figured he could never be there, do whatever he wanted, show up once in a blue moon, and not lose me. After a while, it just wasn't worth it to me. I wanted a husband, not just a name. All I had was his name.”

“It's not a bad name,” Charles commented, as he finished his drink.

“I'd rather have yours,” she whispered, as he leaned over and kissed her.

“I'm a very lucky man.” He was beaming as he said it.

“Even if I have three kids who give you a hard time, an allconsuming practice, a crazy ex-husband, and a nanny who adopted a crack baby on four days' notice?” she asked, looking him in the eye. She worried sometimes about his ability to tolerate her life. It was a lot wilder than what he was used to. Not as wild as Blake's by any means, but much more lively than anything he had ever known. But being with her excited him too, and in spite of his complaints, he was crazy about her. She could feel that now.

“Let me think about it for a minute,” he said in response to her list a moment before. “No, in spite of that, I love you, Max. I just need some time to get used to all this. Especially the kids. I just don't feel comfortable with them yet.” That was honest of him too. “I never thought I'd fall in love with a woman with three children. But they'll be gone in a few years.”

“Not for a while,” she reminded him. “Sam is only six. And the other two still have high school to get through.”

“Maybe they'll skip a grade,” he teased her. She didn't like that he was so anxious for her children to grow up and leave. It was the one big concern she had about him. It was an important point to her. Up until now, she had lived for her kids, and she wasn't intending to change that for anyone, not even Charles.

She told him about Blake's Moroccan orphanage then, and warned him not to tell the children. Their father wanted it to be a surprise.

“What's he going to do with a hundred orphans?” Charles looked amazed. Why would anyone do a thing like that? Even with Blake's money, it seemed like a crazy thing to do.

“House them, educate them, take care of them. Send them away to college one day. He's setting up a foundation for the orphanage. It's a nice thing for him to do. It's an amazing gift to those kids. He can afford it, it won't make a dent in what he has.” That, Charles could believe, just from looking at the boat, and all he had read about Blake. He had one of the biggest fortunes in the world. It still amazed Charles that Maxine took nothing from him, and was content with her far more human-scale life. Not many women would have resisted the temptation to stick it to him when they left. And he suspected that was why she and Blake were such good friends, because he knew what a good person she was. Charles was well aware of it himself.