“Not necessary,” Nora said.
“That’s what I said too. But Giselle said she would have to pay someone way more than your airfare would cost. So, you shouldn’t feel badly about it. She would be insulted if you refused her offer. Her words. The French are like that. Come on! Say you will!”
“Let me think about it. Madame Tremblay may be a spur-of-the-moment person, but you know I’m not.”
“Tell me about it,” Chloe muttered. “But as you know, everything always works out. Come! It’ll be fun!”
Nora had to smile listening to her über-optimistic daughter. She always wondered what she had done right to raise a young woman who always looked on the bright side.
“Well,” Nora said hesitantly, “if I decide to do it, I will come a few days early so Madame Tremblay—er, Giselle—can introduce me to Atticus and be with us while we hopefully get comfortable with each other.”
“We have a futon here you can sleep on for a night or two before she leaves. Wait until you see how well-behaved he is. He’s been diligently trained. And you can always hire a dog-walker if you feel unsafe outside with him. Which you won’t. But at least you know you can do it if you have any concerns.”
“Oh, my dear, dear girl.” Nora looked at Chloe with such love. “How did you become the calm, clear thinker of the two of us?”
Chloe crossed her eyes and made a silly face. “Sure, sure. But hey! This is excellent. I’ll ask Giselle to email you to organize dates. I’m so excited, and Olivier will be too.”
The snow had stopped. Nora sat stunned by all that had transpired in her conversation with Chloe. She popped in her earbuds and clicked on her Charles Aznavour playlist.This might be just what I need to get in the mood for Paris.
ChapterThree
Two days later,Nora took out her suitcase and tentatively began to organize her clothes.
Madame Tremblay’s call had her slowly turning the corner on her decision.
“Please call me Giselle,” Chloe’s neighbor had said when she’d phoned earlier in the morning. They chatted for fifteen minutes, during which time Giselle tried to convince Nora that she would fall in love with Atticus. “But take your time to think about it and send me an email tonight with your decision. No rush.”
No rush! Just a few hours to respond to that charming French accent and delightful personality which made her feel welcome and so needed.
Then Chloe had texted, and Nora sensed her excitement.
Chloe: Giselle just called and said she thought she had persuaded you! I can’t tell you how happy I am.
Nora’s mind was not fully made up, but she had to admit she was more drawn to the idea than she expected. Chloe was right, she had recently considered getting a rescue to replace her dear Wheaten terrier, Maggie, who they’d had for eleven years. Living with a dog again for a while might help her reach a decision. Even if this dog wasn’t fluffy and cuddly.
As her suitcase filled, she pictured herself wearing the clothes in Paris and her concerns diminished. French women always looked elegant no matter how casual they dressed, but she could hold her own too.
A few cashmere sweaters, two silk blouses, some camisoles, two pashminas, one suede mid-calf skirt, one little black dress, three pairs of leggings, and two pairs of jeans plus her favorite red dress, casual but swishy, for the holidays. Undies, three silk nightgowns—she did always treat herself when it came to those items, just as Jeremy liked. Shoes, boots, waterproof down jacket.
“I’ll wear my gorgeous, long leather coat on the plane, so I’ll have it if I need to get dressed up,” she told Chloe.
She could do this. She would. Maybe. She needed to think about it some more. But still she added things to her suitcase.
In the past when she’d visited Chloe in Paris, she had easily rented her house for the month. She didn’t have time to advertise it this time on such short notice, but her friends would help spread the word about the vacancy.
She reminded herself that Paris never failed to be the best experience. It had started when Jeremy suggested the City of Light for their honeymoon. They saved everything they could for a year to make it happen. Ever since that visit she’d been hooked, even though it took Chloe studying there to bring her back.
She thought about her visits each year since Chloe had first been there as a student. It hadn’t taken long to rediscover how wonderful the city was for walking, with every street and corner offering something special. It might be a shop or a gallery or something as simple as a small detail on a building or a cat sleeping in a window or a curious bit of graffiti. The aromas from cafés, restaurants, and boulangeries were another satisfying story. Exploring on foot allowed Nora to be surrounded by layers of history and architecture, and there were always narrow cobblestone streets to turn down and be transported to another era.
On every trip, she regretted not having paid enough attention to high school French. Even more so when she listened to Chloe speak so fluently.
She’d always experienced a little twinge of guilt that she lived in a country with two official languages and only spoke one. Maybe it was time to change that, and she could use her time in France to practice. She downloaded a “Daily French Lessons” app and vowed to use it.
As she packed, she felt those sights, sounds, and smells she’d been thinking about, as if they were wrapped around her. More than once, she sat on the edge of her bed and slipped into her thoughts.
She might not have had good luck falling in love with a man after Jeremy, but she was definitely infatuated with Paris. Walking was her jam, and whenever she was in France, she settled immediately into spending most of her days doing just that. Best of all, she felt perfectly safe and happy on her own there.
“Mom, you are the perfect flâneuse,” Chloe had said during her mother’s first visit. “The French have this wonderful verb, flâner. It means to wander around, stroll, or browse. A woman is a flâneuse and a man a flâneur.”
