They stared at each other intensely before bursting into wide smiles. They had always shared the same sense of humor, and Chloe knew how to make Nora laugh without saying a word. Nora looked at her daughter for a moment. Twenty-nine with flawless skin, her long dark hair pulled back in a casual ponytail, flashing a brilliant smile thanks to two years of agonizing braces.
“Well, moving on,” Chloe said, “here’s why I called! I’m so excited about this! My dear neighbor, Madame Tremblay—Giselle—whom you have met briefly before, is going to Mexico in ten days and staying there for six weeks. I believe it was a sudden decision after she banished her most recent gigolo, although she did not say that to me. It’s me being nosy and gossipy. Her regular dog-sitter just became ill and is hospitalized, so she is frantically looking for someone reliable. She was thrilled when I suggested you might do it. You would stay at her apartment with Atticus, her Doberman pinscher?—”
Nora interrupted with a shriek. “That humongous muscular behemoth who looks like he’s smarter than a person and totally intimidates me?”
Chloe’s laugh ended in a loud snort. “Okay, I know he has a rather menacing appearance, but he really is a softie. Truly a sweetie pie who loves to snuggle. I’ve spent enough time with him to know. You simply haven’t been around him enough.”
“But like, right this minute? This week? It means I have to leave … like … in seven days. You know I can’t do that!”
“Well, yes, that’s what it means. I know you can do it.”
Chloe was well aware that hasty adventures were definitely not Nora’s thing. She worried about the cost, the weather, and anything else she could dredge up in her imagination. And yet she loved to travel. Whether it was a road trip to cottage country or something which involved an airport departure, once she overcame her concerns, she settled right into the experience.
Nora asked, “Why don’t you have the dog stay with you while Madame Tremblay is away?”
“Because, as you might recall, Jezebel cannot tolerate him and creates such a hissy fit whenever he’s at our place. It’s pure jealousy. It simply would not work. And I don’t want him to stay in his apartment all day and have someone drop by only to feed and walk him. He loves company.”
Now it was Nora’s turn to laugh. Chloe and Oli’s cat was a real piece of work and as spoiled a feline as Nora had ever seen. But still very lovable, at least when Atticus was not in their presence, as Nora had witnessed several times in the past. Jezebel loved to cuddle on Nora’s lap when she visited their apartment.
There was quiet on the line.
“And yes, you can do it,” Chloe said, breaking the silence. “Just throw some winter clothes in a bag and get over here. Besides, you’ve been talking about getting another dog. This might help your decision. It’s been five years since Maggie crossed the rainbow bridge.”
She’s right. I have been considering a rescue dog.
“Well—” Nora began but was interrupted.
Chloe turned her phone around to pan the camera over the fabulous view of the Paris skyline through her living room window. Sunshine bathed the magnificent panorama.
“Doesn’t this tempt you? Just think, Mom. Christmas in the City of Light. How divine would that be? I know you’ve been a Christmas curmudgeon since I left home … but trust me, this will change you back to who you were!”
Nora’s heart wrenched. She had to admit the Christmas trunk had not been opened since Chloe married. It had been a conscious and painful decision. Christmas without Jeremy had been difficult enough, but she had maintained her festive persona for Chloe’s sake. Together, and with their friends, they had continued the rituals and kept the season meaningful.
With Chloe absent, though, she’d packed it all away in the trunk. She had encouraged Chloe to stay in France for the festive season each year and celebrate all the wonderful traditions she had heard about with her new family in Provence. It had felt like the right thing to do. She’d wanted her daughter to create her own Christmas magic in her new life.
And if she was honest with herself, she had thought it would be too difficult to be in the midst of a family Christmas without Jeremy. It was easier to celebrate with her friends, so she could make excuses for being absent when she felt like it.
“The Christmas lights in Paris are not to be believed.” Chloe babbled on at warp speed. “We haven’t had Christmas together since I married Olivier. Do you realize that? He and I have so many new traditions to share with you, and I know you will love them. And you can work on your projects here… Or better yet, take time off. Give yourself a break.”
Nora laughed before replying. “Whoa… Take a breath, sweetheart. You do have a point. Christmas in the City of Light would be more than divine, and I may be ready for this now. What fun to see the city lit up ... oh, that tree in Galeries Lafayette ... and hit all the holiday markets. But you know I will have to write while I’m there. That’s what I do … when I’m not blocked.”
“I know, I know. I get it. But you can ease up a bit, I’m sure. Besides, a change of scene might be just the spark you need to beat the block.”
“Of course. On another topic, however, I’m not sure I can handle Atticus. The few times I saw him he seemed strong and intimidating.”
“Mom, you are grasping! He’s just a dog … and actually very well behaved, as I keep telling you.”
Nora held the phone away and excused herself after she sneezed. “Ah sorry, dear. I didn’t feel that coming.”
Chloe didn’t miss a beat. “Giselle actually loves the idea of you doing it. She said she would be nervous to have a stranger stay in her apartment, as all sorts of weird things are happening these days: people having parties or stealing things or leaving the place a mess. At least she told me she had read about these problems. But she would be thrilled to have you stay and thought we would all be happy living so close to each other. What do you say?”
Nora was silent for a moment. “Well, uh … I still don’t speak French very well.”
Chloe snorted. “Atticus will help you learn. I believe he’s fluent … he-he … Seriously, I think dogs understand pretty much any language. C’mon, Mom, that’s a pretty feeble excuse.”
“Yeah, you are right.” Nora realized it was a stretch.
“Oh! There’s more! She wants to pay your airfare!”
