One Summer in Paris

“Will I get to meet Audrey?” Sophie looked curious. “You’ve talked about her a lot. Will you stay in touch when you come home? She’s obviously important to you.”

Grace thought about what the last month would have looked like without Audrey.

She would have lost her purse and all her valuables on day one for a start.

Would she have had the courage to contact Philippe if Audrey hadn’t pushed her? Probably not. She certainly wouldn’t have changed her hair. Audrey had made her question everything. Inspired her.

“Yes, you’ll get to meet her. We’ll be staying in touch.”

They talked a little about Sophie’s travels and when David excused himself to use the bathroom, Sophie leaned forward.

“You really do look great, Mom. When you told me you were doing okay, I thought you were probably being brave, but you weren’t. You seem to have really enjoyed yourself.”

“I have.”

If David hadn’t left her, her summer in Paris would have looked very different. She wouldn’t have worked in the bookshop. She wouldn’t have met Audrey.

She thought about Audrey and Etienne and smiled.

Would their relationship work out? It was impossible to say, but it was obviously good right now. When it came to relationships there were no guarantees. Not after twenty-five days, and not after twenty-five years. Sometimes good right now was enough.

Sophie fiddled with her cup. “Do you think you and Dad might get back together?”

“I don’t know. It’s much too soon to even think about that.”

“He loves you, Mom. He really loves you. He did a stupid thing, just like Chrissie. And me.”

“Taking a single Ecstasy isn’t quite the same as having an affair after twenty-five years of marriage.” On the other hand maybe it wasn’t so far removed. Each offered the promise of adventure. A moment away from the routine of daily life. Excitement. What had Lissa called it?

A few breathless minutes on a roller coaster.

Sophie looked pleading. “You’re the one who always says that everyone does stupid things sometimes. You can hate the action, but not the person, right?”

“I don’t hate your father. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to trust him again.”

David arrived at the table at the same time as Grace’s coffee.

A woman at the table nearest to them sent him a lingering glance and for a moment Grace saw him as another woman might.

Dark hair. Strong shoulders. That knockout smile.

He really was good-looking, but that wasn’t what had attracted her to him in the first place. What had drawn her were his values. His sense of responsibility. His kindness. He was a man who stood by his word and would never let you down, or so she’d thought.

Was she willing to move past that one mistake? Was she able to move past it or would she always feel suspicious? She didn’t want to be in a marriage where she didn’t trust her husband.

On the other hand, when had he ever let her down before this? Never. And when she’d called him about Sophie, he’d come immediately, even though she’d been pretty rude to him in their two encounters before that.

He’d given her comfort and reassurance but hadn’t tried to take advantage of her vulnerability by addressing their own personal issues. He’d kept the focus on Sophie.

Underneath it all, he was still a kind person.

And she did believe that he loved her.

Grace noticed the woman sent David another lingering glance and felt suddenly possessive. Was that ridiculous? Yes, it probably was in the circumstances.

He used to be all hers. He could be all hers again if that was what she wanted.

But was it what she wanted?