“Is this your mom?”I ask, flashing the photo at the boys, realizing I haven’t seen anyone else in the apartment.It didn’t even cross my mind to inquire further about Luca’s family.
“Oui, c’est ma maman,” Elias responds, switching to French without noticing.
“She’s very pretty,” I respond, setting the photo back in its place.
Elias giggles.
“Where is she?”I ask.
“Um.”He bites his bottom lip.“I don’t know the word.Sorry, I keep forgetting.”He looks to his brother once again for help, but Mylan shrugs his shoulders.
“Eh.”He bites his lip.“She’s with grand-mère.”He points upward.
My hand flies to my mouth.
Luca’s mom.Heaven.
These poor sweet boys—their mother is in heaven with Luca’s mother, their grandma.
I swear I feel my heart split in two.
Geez, what’s wrong with me?Could I traumatize these boys anymore?Have I lost all my tact?
Quickly, I replace the photo on the shelf, just in time too.When I look over my shoulder, Henri is leaning against the doorframe, eyeing me strangely again.
Did he hear me interrogating his children?Just let the ground open and swallow me whole.I’m making a great first impression on the Dubois family.
“Let’s let Jemma get back to the adults now, shall we, boys?”Henri says.
Elias mutters something in French and frowns.
“I hope they weren’t too much of a handful.I would have rescued you sooner, but I had to get the table set.”
They were the ones who needed rescuing from me.
“No, not at all.They’re very smart and sweet boys.”
With a heavy exhale, I join Luca, who’s already seated at the table that looks like it’s set for royalty, not a small family lunch.
Several serving trays line the middle of the table, mostly seafood, including escargot, which makes my stomach churn at the sight of them.Where did all this food come from?I swear it appeared out of thin air.
“Wow, this is all for lunch?”I whisper, dropping into my seat.
“Oh, no.This is just the first course.”Luca laughs.
“Oh.”I bob my head.
Mylan and Elias are fighting over who gets to sit next to me when the front door creaks open, admitting a blast of cool air into the house.I lift my head, and my mouth falls open.
An eerily familiar looking blonde haired woman glides into the room, positioning herself at the end of the table.
I stiffen in my seat, and my breath hitches in my throat.
“What’s wrong?You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Luca asks.
I open my mouth, but the words don’t come out.
“Do you know Mia?”Luca questions.
