"So?"

"Well," he said, wrapping his hands around his knee as he crossed his leg. "there are friends and there are friends. For example. Grace. I know a lot of people, and whenever I've had parties I've invited almost all of them. We've had parties here with nearly three hundred people.

"But," he continued, "if

you asked me how many friends I have. people I would really call my friends, I would have a hard time coming up with more than a handful. It takes a great deal of time and a significant emotional investment in someone to make him or her your true friend. I understand how you've been moved about so much in your young life that it was difficult for you to develop any close

relationships. I hope that's ended for you. Grace. Your mother makes sense when she points that out. Things weren't exactly the same for you as they were for me."

"But a party!" I protested. "For people I really don't know?"

"It's just another opportunity to get to know someone." he said with shrug. "It's better to see them in a different environment, under different

circumstances. sometimes. Maybe there'll be no one you want for a real friend. Maybe there'll be one or two. Explore at least. Give yourself the opportunity, or," he said. smiling, "give your mother the

opportunity to do it for you."

I looked away, disappointed in his logic and how he had changed his mind just to please Mommy.

"I promise." he said. "I won't permit this to be a weekly or even monthly thing. She's just so anxious to show you off."

"She's never done this before." I said. "And like you said, I've been a stranger in lots of places."

"I bet there'll be plenty of things you won't have done before, too," he countered with a smile. "For example," he said. rising. "I was thinking the other day that you don't know how to sail. What good is that sailboat of ours if you don't know how to use it? Starting this weekend I could begin to teach you, if you'd like."

"Really? Yes," I said. "I would."

"Good. Just let this other thing happen. It won't be half as terrible as you imagine, and besides, it's time we had some jovial activity around here. Okay?"

"Okay," I reluctantly agreed. "Thank you. Winston," I said as he started out.

He turned and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "It was only after I had met you, you know, that I considered proposing to your mother. I knew I was getting a ready-made perfect daughter."

I felt the blood rush into my face after hearing such a compliment.

"Let that be our little secret, though," he added with a wink.

After he left I thought, he'll ever be as much to me as Daddywas, but at least I had someone who cared. I should be more grateful. and I told myself I shouldn't condemn him for trying so hard to please Mommy.

Mommy planned the party for the weekend after the coming one. I did nothing more to oppose it Her new Palm Beach friends, two of whom were sisters married to brothers. the Carriage sisters, became her chief advisors an how to plan and conduct a party in Palm Beach. Their names were Thelma and Brenda. and I found the three of them with their heads together almost every afternoon before the party. They went through the guest list as if they were screening for possible terrorists. I couldn't help but listen in. The Carriage sisters seemed to know everyone's personal life, who wasn't getting along with whom, who was about to get divorced, whose husband or wife was having an affair and with whom. Mommy seemed to enjoy this part more than anything.

Meanwhile Winston was true to his promise and planned our first sailing lesson on Saturday,

"This is a perfect little boat to learn on." he began after we walked down to the dock. "It's a twelve-foot, gaff-rigged wooden sailboat. You've got to learn the jargon if you want to be a sea-farin' lass." he added in a Scottish accent. "So when you're at the club havin'a bloody Mary, you can gab with the best of 'em. Gaff-rigged is a cutter with one mast." he continued, back in his own voice. The mainsail has a spar below the sail called a boom and above the sail called the Gaff. Well, let's go." He laughed at -my serious expression. "Don't just stand on the dock thinking so hard about it. Get in the boat."

I did quickly.

"Sailing is almost like flying, Grace. I prefer it to motorboats. actually. You feel more like a magician, transferring the power of the wind into power for the boat."

I loved his enthusiasm. It made me even more excited about learning.

"Okay, to continue. We can have more than one sail going. The jib is the headsail."

He explained the riggings and showed me the running rigging which was used to manipulate the sails. The hoisting lines he called the halyards.

"I think I should have brought a notebook," I said. He was rattling it all off so quickly.

"Don't worry. You'll remember it all. It will become second nature to you, Grace. There's nothing like becoming one with the wind."

Tags: V.C. Andrews De Beers Horror
Source: readsnovelonline.net