he discussion about their mother had enabled Sloan to think about something besides Noah that afternoon, but her wristwatch seemed to be moving in reverse until it was finally time to get dressed for the evening. She was so anxious to see him that she hurried when there was no need for haste, and long before it was time to leave, she had nothing left to do except decide which dress to put on.

Paris strolled into her room then to help her make the choice. After inspecting Sloan's clothes and admiring what she'd brought, Paris shook her head and announced that this particular evening called for a long dress. "Not too fancy," she stipulated, "but something that floats a little when you move." Having ascertained that Sloan had nothing like that with her, Paris put her hand against Sloan's back and gently propelled her down the hall to her own room.

Paris's closet, Sloan noted with some amusement, was larger and had more clothes rods in it than Lydia's shop in Bell Harbor, and it connected to another large room filled with unfinished clothing that Paris was in the process of designing.

Sloan watched while her sister paused to pull out gown after gorgeous gown and reject each for reasons that were mostly obscure to Sloan.

"This is it!" Paris declared triumphantly, extracting a strapless white sheath from an entire rod of long gowns. "What do you think?"

Sloan thought it looked pretty much like Sara's red linen sheath, except for the color and length—until Paris zipped her into it and turned her toward the mirror.

The top of the bodice was straight and fitted like a glove to Sloan's waist; then it flared slightly over her hips and fell in a straight line to the floor. Clusters of embroidered white flowers with shining gold leaves and stems adorned the bodice and were scattered at the hem.

"Oh," Sloan whispered, "this is so beautiful."

"You haven't seen the rest of it," Paris announced as she whisked a gossamer stole patterned in white and gold leaves off a hanger and draped it over Sloan's arms. "Now we need the right jewelry," she declared, pulling open drawers that were built into the wall.

"What about my hair?" Sloan asked over her shoulder. "Should I change it and wear it down?" Instead of parting her hair on the side and letting it swing freely as she usually wore it, she'd pulled it off her face and twisted it into a loose chignon at the back of her head.

Paris was holding up two gold filigree chokers and studying them, but she looked round to give an opinion. "Your hair is perfect and so is your makeup, but you need earrings. And I"—she held up a pair that looked like long, gleaming gold raindrops—"have just the right ones!"

Sloan put on the earrings and fastened the wide gold filigree choker at her throat; then she studied herself in the mirror, marveling at the difference Paris could make in her appearance. She turned to tell Paris that, but Paris wasn't finished. She'd vanished, returning a minute later with three fresh white rosebuds in her hand. "I stole these from one of last night's centerpieces," she explained while she reached up and pinned them into Sloan's chignon.

"Does anyone have any idea where we're going?" Paul asked as a uniformed chauffeur held open the back door of Noah's Rolls-Royce for him.

"I don't," Sloan told him, as she followed him into the car, "but wherever it is, you're going to knock the ladies dead!"

Sloan's excitement and enthusiasm were so contagious that even Paul was in a lighthearted mood. "They're out of luck," he joked. "I'm already with the two most beautiful women in Florida. Paris, do you have any idea where we're going?"

She settled into the car beside Sloan, looking like a bird of paradise in a long, brightly colored silk sarong. "I do," she teased smugly, "but I am not at liberty to divulge all the information." She looked at Sloan and relented a little. "I suppose I could give you a hint: You're going to dine at the most exclusive restaurant in Palm Beach."

"Which is?" Paul prodded, grinning at her playful mood.

"It's called Apparition."

An odd expression crossed his face, and Sloan had the feeling he recognized the name. "Have you eaten there before?"

He looked truly confused by her assumption. "No. Never heard of it."

"It must be an incredibly fancy place if we need to dress like this," Sloan remarked.

A short while later, the car turned into a private marina with large yachts tucked into spacious slips along the piers. "I should have guessed—" Sloan said delightedly, turning to Paris. "Apparition is a boat."

Paris didn't answer. She was leaning forward, frowning as the Rolls glided past the last pier and stopped just inside a remote parking area where a small white helicopter was already waiting, its rotor whipping the air. "Oh, no…" she said as the chauffeur got out and opened her door.

Paul and Sloan followed her out of the car, but Paris took two steps and stopped dead, her gaze swinging from the little helicopter to the chauffeur. "I assumed Mr. Maitland would send the launch for us, Martin," she said to him in a slightly accusing voice.

Martin, the chauffeur, was a big man in his late forties who looked strong enough to carry the Rolls, not merely drive it, and he spoke with more authority in his voice than deference. "The launch has an engine problem today," he informed her. "Mr. Maitland expects everyone to fly out to the Apparition, where you will enjoy a very pleasant evening, I'm sure."

Sloan was taken aback by his unspoken command to get into the plane and stop hesitating, but Paris was more intimidated by the helicopter than the chauffeur.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked her gently.

She bumped into him as she backed up, trying to put as much distance between herself and the craft as possible. "I'm sorry, but I really don't think I can get into that thing. I know I can't. I don't even like big commuter helicopters, let alone miniature ones!"

Sloan's heart sank. She didn't mind missing out on the helicopter or the boat, but she didn't want to miss out on an evening with Noah. "Are we the only guests Noah is expecting?" she asked, hiding her distress behind a sympathetic smile. "If we are, maybe he could join us somewhere else on land?"

"That wouldn't be fair," Paris said emphatically. "Noah had his chef make a special dinner, and he planned a whole evening because he wanted to surprise you." Twisting around, she looked sadly at Paul. "I don't want to spoil the evening. You go with Sloan, and I'll go back home."

Sloan opened her mouth to veto that plan, but Paul gallantly intervened. "That wouldn't be fair to me," he said. "Sloan can go ahead, and you and I will have dinner someplace here."

"Are you certain you don't mind?" Paris asked hesitantly, gazing at him with a mixture of sorrow and melting gratitude.

He appeared to find the situation more humorous than distressing. Nodding toward the helicopter, he told Sloan, "You'd better get going before that thing runs out of fuel." Then he turned to Paris and gestured toward the open car door. "Shall we go?"

In the car, Paris watched the helicopter lift off the landing pad and veer sharply over the water into the sunset; then she turned to Paul. "I hope you aren't terribly disappointed."

"Not at all," he said smoothly. Crossing his arms over his chest, he angled his back toward the car door and regarded her in amused silence.

A little unnerved by his attitude and his scrutiny, Paris blurted, "You must think I'm silly and neurotic."

Silently, he shook his head, indicating he didn't think that.

"I'm afraid of helicopters."

He looked at her. "That must take some of the fun out of it."

"Out of what?"

"Out of flying them."

Laughing, she slumped against the back of her seat and admitted defeat. "How did you know?"

"Your father is very proud of all your accomplishments. Just out of curiosity," he added wryly, "what would you have done if I'd decided to fly out there with Sloan?"

She met his gaze unflinchingly. "I knew you wouldn't do that."

In the front seat, the chauffeur was on the car phone, notifying the Apparition that the helicopter had just taken off with Miss Reynolds. He hung up and gazed speculatively at Paris in the rearview mirror, waiting for her decision. "We don't have to pretend, Marty," she said ruefully. "I've been caught. Mr. Maitland said he was going to make reservations somewhere else for us. Take us there."

The chauffeur nodded, made a sharp U-turn, drove to pier number three, and brought the car to a stop. Paris's forehead furrowed into a puzzled frown. "Now what happens?"

"By a strange coincidence," the chauffeur lied straight-faced, reciting his prepared speech, "the Apparition's chef and captain will be returning in the copter shortly. When I telephoned Mr. Maitland just now to notify him that Miss Reynolds was on her way, he was very upset that he hadn't remembered your lifelong fear of helicopters. He instructed me to insist that you let him provide you with a substitute dinner and cruise aboard the Star Gazer." He nodded unnecessarily to a sixty-five-foot sailboat docked directly in front of them in the first slip.

Paris looked at Paul, her face shining with merriment "What do you think? Is it fair to let Noah go to so much trouble?"

"It's the only fair thing to do," Paul said mildly, but he wasn't proof against her childlike delight in the evening. With a reluctant grin, he added, "It would serve him right if we took her out without his crew."

"Can you sail a boat that large?"

"With a little help from you." He said it so casually that Paris immediately concluded he was perfectly capable. "Can you cook?" he countered.

"Not without a lot of help from you."

He held out his hand for hers. "Let's go."