Danielle Steel - Coming Out

a cognizant original v5 release october 14 2010

Tradition unravels …

chaos results …

magic happens!

COMING

OUT

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 vividness 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.”— Pittsburgh Press “One of the things that keep 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.”— Newark Star-Ledger “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?”— Philadelphia Inquirer

PRAISE FOR THE RECENT NOVELS OF

DANIELLE STEEL COMING OUT “Acknowledges the unique challenges of today's mixed families.”— Kirkus Reviews “[A] tender, loving novel.”— Fort Wayne Journal Gazette SISTERS “Female bonding with a cozy slumber-party vibe.”— Kirkus Reviews “Another Danielle Steel ensemble novel that refuses to release you.”—Barnes&Noble.com H.R.H .“A journey of discovery, change and awakening … a story of love found, love lost and ultimately an ending that proves surprising.”— Asbury Park Press THE HOUSE “Many happy endings.”— Chicago Tribune “A … Steel fairy tale.”— Booklist TOXIC BACHELORS “A breezy read … that will keep fans reading and waiting for more.”— Publishers Weekly “Steel delivers … happy endings in the usual nontoxic, satisfying manner.”— Booklist MIRACLE “Steel is almost as much a part of the beach as sunscreen.”— New York Post “Another Steel page-turner. Three strangers' lives become linked after a terrible storm ravages northern California.”— Lowell Sun IMPOSSIBLE “Dramatic, suspenseful … Steel knows what her fans want and this solid, meaty tale will not disappoint them.”— Booklist ECHOES “Courage of conviction, strength of character, and love of family that transcends loss are the traits that echo through three generations of women … a moving story that is Steel at her finest.”— Chattanooga Times Free Press “Get out your hankies … Steel put her all into this one.”— Kirkus Reviews “A compelling tale of love and loss.”— Booklist A MAIN SELECTION OF

THE LITERARY GUILD

AND THE DOUBLEDAY BOOK CLUB

Also by Danielle Steel

SISTERS WINGS H.R.H. THE GIFT THE HOUSE ACCIDENT TOXIC BACHELORS VANISHED MIRACLE MIXED BLESSINGS IMPOSSIBLE JEWELS ECHOES NO GREATER LOVE SECOND CHANCE HEARTBEAT RANSOM MESSAGE FROM NAM SAFE HARBOUR DADDY JOHNNY ANGEL STAR DATING GAME ZOYA ANSWERED PRAYERS KALEIDOSCOPE SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ FINE THINGS THE COTTAGE WANDERLUST THE KISS SECRETS LEAP OF FAITH FAMILY ALBUM LONE EAGLE FULL CIRCLE JOURNEY CHANGES THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET THURSTON HOUSE THE WEDDING CROSSINGS IRRESISTIBLE FORCES ONCE INA LIFETIME GRANNY DAN A PERFECT STRANGER BITTERSWEET REMEMBRANCE MIRROR IMAGE PALOMINO HIS BRIGHT LIGHT: LOVE: POEMS The Story of Nick Traina THE RING THE KLONE AND I LOVING THE LONG ROAD HOME TO LOVE AGAIN THE GHOST SUMMER'S END SPECIAL DELIVERY SEASON OF PASSION THE RANCH THE PROMISE SILENT HONOR NOW AND FOREVER MALICE PASSION'S PROMISE FIVE DAYS IN PARIS GOING HOME LIGHTNING

To my wonderful and very special children:

Beatrix, Trevor, Todd, Nick,

Samantha, Victoria, Vanessa,

Maxx, and Zara,

for all their courage and grace

as they grow up.

For the wisdom, laughter, and love

they share with me so lavishly.

With my thanks for all you have taught me,

about what matters in life, and

the precious times we share. May you be

forever blessed. With all my heart and love,

Mom/d.s

Proverbs 31 10: Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.11: The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her….12: She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.13: … She worketh willingly with her hands.14: … She bringeth her food from afar.15: She riseth while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household….16: She considereth a field and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.18: … her candle goeth not out by night.20: She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.25: Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.26: She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.27: She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.28: Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also praiseth her.29: Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.31: Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Chapter 1

Olympia Crawford Rubinstein was whizzing around her kitchen on a sunny May morning, in the brownstone she shared with her family on Jane Street in New York, near the old meat-packing district of the West Village. It had long since become a fashionable neighborhood of mostly modern apartment build ings with doormen, and old renovated brownstones. Olympia was fixing lunch for her five-year-old son, Max. The school bus was due to drop him off in a few minutes. He was in kindergarten at Dalton, and Friday was a half day for him. She always took Fridays off to spend them with him. Although Olympia had three older children from her first marriage, Max was Olympia and Harry's only child.

Olympia and Harry had restored the house six years before, when she was pregnant with Max. Before that, they had lived in her Park Avenue apartment, which she had previously shared with her three children after her divorce. And then Harry joined them. She had met Harry Rubinstein a year after her divorce. And now, she and Harry had been married for thirteen years. They had waited eight years to have Max, and his parents and siblings adored him. He was a loving, funny, happy child.

Olympia was a partner in a booming law practice, specializing in civil rights issues and class action lawsuits. Her favorite cases, and what she specialized in, were those that involved discrimination against or some form of abuse of children. She had made a name for herself in her field. She had gone to law school after her divorce, fifteen years before, and married Harry two years later. He had been one of her law professors at Columbia Law School, and was now a judge on the federal court of appeals. He had recently been considered for a seat on the Supreme Court. In the end, they hadn't appointed him, but he'd come close, and she and Harry both hoped that the next time a vacancy came up, he would get it.