ax. “What was it again?”
“One of Paul’s many philanthropic endeavors.”
“He does a lot of these things?” I felt like a reporter.
“As many as he can. He made Mertech sign an agreement to match his contributions,” she explained. “The more he attends, the more money they shell out.”
“Really? Wow. That’s generous.”
She tipped her head to the side. “It seems like the one thing that tears him away from the lab.”
I looked around their apartment. It was spacious, like ours. All the units in the building were lavish and remodeled with high-end finishes. I could see Aubrey’s touches were more bohemian than mine. It worked for her. Bright colors splashed amongst a neutral canvas.
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s because we never had children.”
“Hmm?” I pivoted from a framed oil painting over the dining hutch. I hadn’t been paying close enough attention.
“The charity work,” she offered. “It’s for the children’s home in Paris. Paul was adopted from there.”
“Oh.” I never knew what to say when intimate information was revealed. She didn’t seem to be looking for sympathy or empathy.
“What about you and Leo? Are you planning on a family?”
I pressed my lips together. “Not anytime soon. Maybe one day.”
“We talked about adopting, but Paul has always thought he was too old to be a father. Besides, I told him I wouldn’t do it if I had to raise a child alone. It’s one thing to keep me waiting every night. I’m a grown woman. I can handle it, but I don’t think that’s fair to do to a child.”
I nodded. Again. She had brought up something awkward. There were no good answers. But, I had a new glimpse into their life. Into their marriage. It was shitty, but it was just the opening I needed to make my segue way.
“Speaking of family.” I cleared my throat. I placed the cobalt mug on the coffee table. “Leo and I are here alone. To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed about the lack of support system we have.”
“You shouldn’t be. It’s only been a few months. New country. New language. That’s a lot for newlyweds to handle.”
I nodded in agreement. “Anyway, we were talking at dinner last night and we both realized it leaves us vulnerable.”
“How so?” She pulled a bright purple throw over her lap.
“It’s kind of crazy, but I twisted my ankle the other day.”
“Oh. Are you all right?” She looked down at my feet. I was wearing my high leather boots.
“Yes. It was nothing, but enough of a scare that I realized I don’t have any emergency contacts here. What if it had been worse than an ankle? What if it had been a car accident? Or if Leo and I had both been hurt?”
Her beautifully waxed eyebrows knitted together.
“Anyway, I was hoping you could be my person in Paris.” I smiled. “I’d like you to have access to all our medical information, our wishes, even our wills.” I stopped and waited for her response.
“Wow. That’s heavy, Kate.”
I swallowed. Maybe it was too heavy. “If it’s too much, just say so. But I don’t know anyone else in the building and it just seemed like the responsible thing to do. Someone should know where the life insurance policies are and all that stuff.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper. “We do have family in the States who would need to be contacted if something happened. And…” I trailed off, wondering if I had completely lost her.
“Here.” I leaned across the couch to hand it to her. “It’s the code to our personal safe. Our contacts back home. And the name of our insurance companies, attorneys, and doctors. I hope I didn’t leave anything out.”
She unfolded the paper and read the list I had scribbled this morning.
“All right. I’ll put this in a safe place. Really, I hope I never have to use it.”
“Me too.”