“We’ll work it out,” he said gently as they walked home. He seemed totally confident that they would. He had an arm around her waist, and when they got back to the apartment, they made love again. It made everything else seem less important and the practical issues less acute. She felt drunk on love when he went home at six o’clock to see his children. She dozed after he left, and she called Andy and the boys when she woke up. They were going to his mother’s house for the day. She was going to bake cookies with them. They sounded happy and busy, and she felt oddly disconnected from them now. They seemed so far away.
After she talked to the boys, the conversation with Andy seemed stilted. She knew what was coming and he didn’t. She had to find a way to wait two months to tell him. The next two weeks in Paris, the first two weeks that she was home, and the month that Gabriel would be in San Francisco. She felt like the consummate liar that she was becoming. But she was in love with Gabriel now, not her husband. And she hoped that Gabriel was right, and it would all work out in the end.
Chapter Eleven
Gabriel and Stephanie were already starving for each other when they met in the office on Monday morning after one night apart. It made her realize how difficult it was going to be not to spend every night together when he came to San Francisco. She would have to finesse it as best she could, and be discreet. She wanted no high drama with Andy while Gabriel was there. And if all remained on track, she would ask Andy for a divorce as soon as Gabriel went back to France. And she’d still have to deal with the issue of her medical career, and what she’d have to do to qualify to practice in France. She’d have to start taking French lessons immediately in order to pass the exam for the language requirement. But she couldn’t have a life with Gabriel in Paris without practicing medicine too. Being a doctor was all-important to her. And she’d have to find a school for the boys too. There was so much to think about. This was going to be the biggest decision she had ever made.
* * *
—
Marie-Laure looked tired after the previous week. She was still dealing with press issues stemming from the school shooting. She met with numerous politicians, went to the Élysée for a meeting with the president to respond to his questions personally, and was keeping in close touch with the families of the victims. She had two assistants handling only that. They had an all-day debriefing scheduled the following day with the police. She knew she would see Bruno there, but he dropped by on Monday anyway to check on her. He had been extremely responsive to any questions and problems she had, and she was impressed that he was so attentive.
He spent half an hour in her office, and to thank him for his kindness, she extended an invitation to him for dinner at her home on Sunday night. She had just invited the “Team of Eight,” as they called themselves now. It was the Americans’ last weekend in Paris, and she wanted to thank them for how wonderful they had been. She was going to do an informal Sunday night dinner, and Bruno was touched to be asked. He said he’d be delighted so she jotted down her address, and asked if he’d like to bring a girlfriend and he said he was on his own and didn’t have one. She knew he was divorced and had three grown boys who were all studying in other cities. He was forty-nine years old. He told her he’d see her the next day at the debriefing. Valérie teased her about it when she walked into Marie-Laure’s office a few minutes later.
“I see we’re getting a lot of police protection these days,” she said with some amusement, and Marie-Laure looked surprised.
“I think he’s just a nice person and was worried about us,” she said innocently, and Valérie laughed.
“How many cases have we worked on with the police, and how many police captains have showed up to see how we are, several times after an incident?”
Marie-Laure blushed at what Valérie said and seemed flustered. “This was a very major incident.”
“True, but I think he likes you, more than just as the head of this office. If you were a man, he wouldn’t be here. He seems like a good guy.”
“Don’t be silly. Besides, he’s a lot older than I am,” she said, trying to be dismissive.
“Do you care?”
“No,” Marie-Laure said honestly. He’d told her he was forty-nine at some point, and she was thirty-three. “I just don’t think he likes me that way.”
“I’ll bet he does,” Valérie said smugly. “You should go out with him.”
“He hasn’t asked me,” she said, determined not to take Valérie’s assumptions seriously. She didn’t have time for a boyfriend. She had a demanding job and three young kids to keep her busy at night.
“He will ask you out,” Valérie said and drifted out of her office.
The next day, even Marie-Laure began to wonder. Bruno was very nice to her, and attentive after the lengthy debriefing, and made a point of saying he was looking forward to dinner at her house on Sunday. Valérie gave her a knowing look after he left.
It was a busy week for all of them. They had the administrative fallout to deal with after the school shooting the week before, and the press was still all over them at the office.
They were all tired and somewhat frazzled by the time Bill picked his girls up at the Eurostar on Friday night. He had taken two rooms for them at a small hotel on the Left Bank. There was no room for the girls in the apartment. Their hotel room had a big canopied bed, which they loved, and Wendy joined them at an Italian restaurant, so they would at least know each other when they left for Euro Disney the next day.
She was shy with them at first, but they were such easygoing, warm, well-mannered children that she felt at ease very quickly. Pip had asked their father if she was his girlfriend before Wendy arrived for dinner, and he had said no, they were just friends, which seemed to satisfy her. He said she was a trauma doctor too, and they had met on the trip to Paris, but they were good friends now. After dinner, both girls said they really liked her, and were happy she was coming with them the next day. Wendy had told them at dinner that she had never been to Disneyland in California either, nor Disney World in Florida, so they told her all about it, and Alex said she was going to love it, and explained all the Disney princesses to her. Wendy smiled as she listened, and glanced at Bill. She was enjoying herself immensely.
Alex had lost both her front teeth and looked incredibly cute as they described all the thrills they had in store.
They picked Wendy up at the apartment at nine o’clock the next morning in a car Bill had rented. The girls were wearing sneakers, pink sweaters, and warm jackets, while Wendy had worn running shoes, jeans, and a parka too. They were ready for their big adventure. They got to Euro Disney outside Paris an hour later and the fun began. The girls ran from one ride to the next, and got their picture taken with all their favorite Disney characters. They had Wendy join them for most of the photo ops, and their father was in every one. They bought silly hats and Minnie Mouse ears, which they put on immediately, and gave Wendy a pair she also put on, and then posed for a picture with Minnie. They ate popcorn and ice cream, and a big lunch at a buffet. They toured Sleeping Beauty’s castle, flew with Peter Pan, went up in the sky on the Dumbo ride, and went on the boat ride at the Pirates of the Caribbean. Pip went on the roller coaster with her father, squealed with terror, and then talked him into doing it again. Alex sat on Wendy’s lap on a bench while they waited for them, and Wendy realized what she’d been missing with no children in her life. They were the most endearing children she’d ever met.
They all had a wonderful day, and Bill got the girls the Minnie Mouse pajamas they loved, some T-shirts, and the Cinderella costume that Alex wanted desperately.
“No Cinderella costume for you?” Bill whispered to Wendy at the last stop.
“I’m fine with the Minnie Mouse ears. I think I’ll wear them to work on Monday.”
“They suit you,” he teased her. “No glass slipper?” He had gotten those for Alex too,
and both girls were tired but ecstatic as they left the park at eight o’clock after they ate fried chicken for dinner. It had been a magical day for all of them, and far exceeded Wendy’s expectations. It made her wish she had children of her own, a feeling she had never had before, or hadn’t let herself consider in several years. There was no room for children in her life with Jeff. And now it seemed too late to change that, and she didn’t want to, but she hoped she would see Bill’s kids again when they came to California.
Both girls were asleep before they left the parking lot. They had seen the parade down Main Street at six o’clock, and the girls thought it was funny that Minnie and Mickey spoke French here.
“This was the best day I’ve had in years,” Wendy said in a soft voice so as not to wake the girls, smiling at him. They had been on their feet for ten hours, and she was tired but she felt like a child again, and the girls had included her in everything. Alex’s favorite ride was the It’s a Small World boat trip, where they sang the song. “You’re so lucky to have these children,” she said with feeling.
“I know I am. They’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” Athena hadn’t been, but it didn’t matter anymore.
“I wish I’d had kids when I was younger,” she said wistfully.
“Most women don’t have them now until your age, or older. We had a woman last year at General who was forty-eight and having triplets. She’d been in a car accident, and she delivered early, but she and the babies were fine. And you’re a long way from there.”
“Not that long. I’m thirty-seven,” she volunteered.
“You’re a baby. I take it your ‘complicated’ guy doesn’t want to get married.” She hesitated for a long time before she answered and then decided to tell him the truth. She trusted him. And after the day with his children, she felt like they were truly friends.
“He is married. And has four kids.”
“That’s a problem,” Bill said in an even voice and glanced at her. “And you want to stay in it?”
“No, and yes. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being someone’s Wednesday night special. I finally realized before I came here that that’s what I’ve become, and all I’ll ever be to him. I need more than that. But my whole life has revolved around him for six years, it’s hard to let go. He’s on vacation in Aspen with his wife and kids right now. I was going to tell him it’s over when I go home.”
“Have you heard from him since you’ve been here?” Bill was curious and sorry for her. It seemed hard to believe that a woman with so much going for her had gotten herself into that situation. But he knew others it had happened to. Married men were a dangerous game, and a dead end.
“He called on the day of the shooting, to make sure I was okay. I’m only allowed to text him during office hours. I can’t call and email.” It was embarrassing to admit. Jeff called all the shots.
“Sounds like he’s got a sweet deal, for him, and not for you. Well, you can come to Disneyland with us whenever you want.” Bill smiled at her. “I hope you decide to give yourself a better chance than that. You deserve it,” he said sincerely. She nodded and they chatted the rest of the way into the city, and they were all sorry when Bill dropped her off at her building. The girls were awake by then.
“We have a big bed with a roof on it at our hotel,” Alex explained to her. “Do you want to have a sleepover with us?” Both children had British accents, which Wendy thought was very cute.
“I’d love that, but there might not be enough room for you in the bed with me too,” Wendy said gently.
“I’m going to wear my Minnie Mouse pajamas tonight. You should have got some too,” Alex told her.
“I will next time,” Wendy said and kissed them both goodbye. And then she kissed Bill on the cheek too. “Thank you for a fantastic day…and some good advice,” she added, and he knew what she meant, about Jeff. “I hope I see you soon, in California,” she said to the girls as she got out. “You have to come to my house for a barbecue, and I have a pool.” She waved as they drove off to their hotel, and she was smiling as she let herself into her apartment. For once, she didn’t miss Jeff, and she wondered what she’d been doing with him for six years. This was what she had been missing, and it was better than the one night a week she shared with him. That told her what she needed to know.
She sent Bill a text when she took her coat off, thanking him for how much fun the day had been, and how nice they’d been to include her. She was going to tell him again when she saw him at Marie-Laure’s for dinner the next day.
When she looked in the mirror, she saw that she was still wearing her Minnie Mouse ears, and she laughed out loud. She felt like a kid again.
* * *
—
Valérie had to catch up on paperwork in the office on Saturday. She’d been out so much following the counseling sessions that she had fallen behind on her reports. But she’d agreed to have dinner with Tom again that night. It was something to look forward to. She enjoyed their time together, and the man she had discovered behind the flirting and the jokes. He had a sense of humor she loved, but he was also serious with her, and he wasn’t hiding anymore. She was the first woman who had ever seen through him, and understood who he was. He had revealed himself the day he had run past her to save the little girl at the lycée. And the look on his face when he ran with her, desperate to save the child, had won Valérie’s heart. There was no turning back from that, and Tom knew it too. Valérie had removed his protective covering, and had helped him take down his walls. He had been a man in camouflage, in a full suit of armor, until then. He felt lighter now. And she looked happy to see him when he picked her up at the office. She kissed him on both cheeks when she got in the car. He was driving an Autolib’, a short-term rental you could pick up on the streets, like the bikes.
“Where to?” he asked, smiling at her. He’d been excited about seeing her all day.
“Why don’t we go to Le Bon Marché and pick up something to eat? I’ll make dinner for you,” she offered.
They spent an hour in the enormous food hall, picking vegetables and fruit, mushrooms, artichokes, anything that looked good to them. They bought some crab for dinner, truffled mushroom soup, an assortment of cheeses, some pastries Tom couldn’t resist, and a box of chocolates to take to Marie-Laure for her dinner party the next day.
They set it all out in Valérie’s cozy kitchen on the rue du Bac, and he poured a glass of the champagne he had bought. The crab was already cooked and looked delicious. They put it in the fridge, and went to sit in the living room. He built a fire in the fireplace, and then came to sit next to her on the couch, and she looked wistful for a minute.
“I’m going to miss you when you’re gone,” she said. They had gotten used to seeing each other every day. And they liked working side by side. The whole team had meshed perfectly, both the French and the American side. It had been a lucky assortment of people, and not a rotten apple in the bunch.
“I’m going to miss you too,” he said quietly. Three weeks in Paris had changed him, partly because of everything that had happened, but Valérie was an important part of it. He wanted to be a better man for her. “I can’t wait till you come to San Francisco. I actually live just outside the city, on the other side of the bridge. I want to take you to the Napa Valley while you’re there. There are some great restaurants and it looks like Italy. Everything gets very green around the time you’re coming.” He was looking at her and touched her hand. “I feel like we’ve been through so much while I was here, with the shooting and everything. The three weeks have flown by.” They had one week left, but he knew that would go quickly too. “I wish I could stay.” She looked surprised when he said it, and he had even surprised himself. “It would be incredible working here.”
“You could work for one of the emergency services if you want to get certified here. Or for one of the agencies l
ike Gabriel and Marie-Laure,” she said thoughtfully, but he shook his head.
“That’s not what I do best. The administrative side isn’t for me. It’s been great while I was here. But my forte is saving lives once people get pretty badly banged up. I love seeing patients.” She had seen him at work and knew he did. “I’m better on the clinical side. How are your post-traumatic stress patients doing?” He was referring to her counseling programs. The idea of his practicing in France seemed like a distant dream and not real to him. He loved his job at Alta Bates.
“It’s going to be a long process for most of them. You don’t recover quickly from something like that. The teachers are having the hardest time, feeling guilty about the kids they couldn’t save. So many of them didn’t have a chance. The surviving children will recover best in the end. They’re in the early stages right now. And the parents of the survivors are badly shaken too. I want to get everything set up now, so there’s no lapse in service while I’m away.” She was extremely conscientious, as was he. He poured her another glass of champagne, as they sat and looked at the fire, and then he turned to her and kissed her. They had agreed not to rush anything, but it felt like the right time to him, and he was leaving in a week. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him when he left. She smiled after he kissed her, and then she set down her glass and slipped her arms around his neck.
“You’re a very special man, Tom Wylie. Do you know that?…And very special to me.” And with that she kissed him, and he felt pulled toward her like a magnet, and he couldn’t stop kissing her. All he wanted was more, and she did too. Slowly everything had changed in the past three weeks of being together every day, and living through a tragedy together. It sped up time, and provided some kind of glue.
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