Luc arrived to take Giselle to the airport at one p.m. As she said goodbye to Nora, she added, “I can’t tell you how excited I am that Tante Marie-Louise might share her story with you. This change in her has been a long time coming. Nora, you feel like family… There seems to be such a genuine connection with you. Some things are meant to be.”
Nora looked into Giselle’s eyes. “Thank you. I feel it too. But I also sensed your aunt’s hesitancy and I certainly respect her privacy. We shall see. Nevertheless, I’ll enjoy spending time with her.”
Giselle took Nora’s hands in hers. “You will do that, ma belle. My heart tells me you are the right person to reach her, if anyone can. She took to you immediately, which does not often happen. She is a very discerning, private woman.”
Nora nodded. “What a gracious woman too … with a spark, even at her age! I see where you get it from!”
Giselle grinned. “The best compliment I could ask for! I hope I always have that spark.”
Luc made them laugh when he said, “And Giselle’s spark bursts into flame on a regular basis!”
“You can believe so did ma Tante’s back in the day,” Giselle said, giving his cheek a pinch.
Giselle leaned down and planted a kiss on Atticus’s head. “Be the best boy for Nora, mon coeur. Nora, he is now about to become your devoted companion and is allowed on all the furniture. There is nothing to worry about here. This is your home for the next six weeks. Enjoy every moment. Au revoir!”
Nora waved as they disappeared down the hall. She closed the door and looked at Atticus, who lay next to the sofa.
“Well, here we are, boy. It’s you and me for the next little while. Let me unpack and then we will go out.”
Atticus cocked his head and studied her intently, as if contemplating her words. She tried her French and repeated what she had heard Giselle say to him. “Vas y, mon chien.”
He leapt up and followed her into the bedroom, where he jumped up on the bed and got comfortable.
Nora took his actions as acceptance of her. She gave his back a good rub and felt all the happy memories of when she’d had her own dog.
As she organized her clothes, she appreciated how Giselle had taken such care to make her feel at home. The French woman had made plenty of room in the closet for Nora’s belongings and left several lovely oils and creams in a gift bag in the bathroom.
Nora had already decided to set up her workspace in the studio. “I can’t think of a more inspiring ambiance,” she said to Atticus as she set up her computer, chargers, and notebooks. He cocked his head again and made her laugh.
Once she had everything just the way she wanted, she clapped her hands and said, “Okay, let’s go! On y va.”
Atticus dashed to where his leash hung on a peg by the door and Nora congratulated herself on the fact that he’d understood her French.
More likely it’s dogs’ intuition. She chuckled as she put on her warm jacket and grabbed her gloves from the kitchen table.
They walked the streets of the neighborhood at a good clip. Nora put in her earbuds and started a French lesson.
She was thankful for good cloud cover as her body temperature began to rise before long. Walks with Atticus were going to be good workouts, she decided. Today he seemed to be very focused on the journey and didn’t take much time out to sniff around. She remembered how Maggie paused at every tree and bush to check out who had been there before her.
Nora was also aware of how differently people reacted to a sleek Doberman than they had to a shaggy Wheaten. Walking Maggie always seemed like an act of public service, as everyone wanted to stop and pet her, which the dog loved. Sometimes people avoided Atticus or looked at him with suspicion or fear.
After an hour, they stopped at a café, and a waiter brought a bowl of water for Atticus as he came to take Nora’s order of a café crème.
“Bonjour, Atticus,” he said as he took the time to give the dog a scratch between his ears. Then he looked at Nora. “You must be the Canadian. Madame Tremblay told me Atticus would have a new friend with him for the next while. I am Joseph. Bienvenue en France.” His smile lit up his face.
He’s treating the dog as important as its owner—so French, Nora thought, and grinned back as she told him her name, pleased to have not spoken English.
On their way home, she stopped at the boulangerie down the street from her building. After greeting the shopkeeper, she asked for a “baguette jambon et fromage, s’il vous plaît.” The thought of a ham and cheese baguette sandwich had been on her mind since she’d arrived. She paid for her lunch and said, “Merci. Bonne journée.” The essential French courtesies had not been forgotten. She hurried home to savor her treat.
* * *
Much later that evening Nora relaxed on the sofa, answering emails on her phone. She was enjoying the same panoramic view that Chloe’s apartment had. Atticus napped in his bed by the window.
She snapped a photo of him with the lights of Paris streets behind and sent it off to the Girls.
She had promised herself she wouldn’t open her computer until the next morning, knowing full well she’d never get to bed early if she did.
Chloe and Olivier had to work late at their studio. But Chloe texted Nora several times to ask about her day and make certain everything had gone well with the move into Giselle’s apartment.
