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We eat a luxurious dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Savannah doesn’t miss the way waitstaff hovers, prepared to meet Fabien’s every demand. When Fabien excuses himself to take a call, she leans in and whispers in my ear, “Is there something I should know? He really is mafia?”
“Yeah, but maybe let’s not talk about it here?”
I have a lot to tell her. I don’t know if I ever want her to know what I did for work at La Maison or how I earned the money I did, but I’ll see where we take it from here.
“I have something to show you,” I whisper. I pull out my phone and open my banking app. I log in and click on the little icon that shows me my balance. I get a little choked up looking at the numbers. I never imagined I would own this much money. I never let myself dream I’d be able to make our dreams come true with ease.
I show the phone to Savannah.
I watch as she stares, unblinking. Eyes widening. Her hand covers her mouth to stifle a gasp before she looks at me.
My own eyes well with tears at the sight of hers.
“Do I want to know what you did to earn that money?”
I laugh out loud.
“Do I want to know how you pulled strings to graduate early?”
“Well… hmm. Maybe it’s okay to not reveal everything sometimes, isn’t it?”
Oh, thank God. I grin at her. “I would agree. Now what do you want to buy first?”
“Well, obviously le gâteau au chocolat. I don’t know much French, but something tells me that has chocolate and I’ll be learning a lot more French soon.”
“No, no, I don’t mean from the menu.” The waiter takes our dessert order and quietly leaves as Fabien joins us. “I mean… like, bigger than that.”
“Well, that depends,” she says softly, sitting up straighter. Fabien sits next to me. “What do you two have planned?”
We look at each other. Ever the gentleman, Fabien leans in and kisses my cheek. “Tell her.”
“We’re getting married,” I say gently.
I don’t know what to expect—shock? Hurt? But no. Her smile broadens in approval. Joy bubbles in her laugh as she shakes her head and stares at me in wonder.
“Of course you are. I’ve never seen you so happy.”
Me… happy? She’s right.
Happy.
Savannah leans in, whispering, “Does that make you a mafia princess or something?”
“Ugh,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m not the princess type.”
Fabien sips his wine. “We’ll see about that.”
For some reason, that strikes Savannah as outrageously funny. She hoots with laughter, drawing the attention of several nearby tables. “Oh, and I am so happy I will be around to see that!”
My cheeks warm, before her words catch up to me. “Do you mean… are you saying…”
I look to Fabien. Placing his glass on the table, he folds his hands in front of him. “I’ll go where you go,” he says.
“But Fabien, your family—”
“Are there not planes? Trains?”
“And automobiles?” Savannah supplies. “Not to mention, teleconferences and smartphones? Hmm?” Her eyes dance at me.
I think about it. We have to discuss it, of course, but I can’t help but wonder…
“We have no home in America,” I tell Fabien. “Savannah’s done with school, so… I mean, we have no place to go home to.”
“We could live in Paris,” he says thoughtfully, stroking his chin. He blows out a breath. “We might… want a little break from Corsica.”
I definitely want a break from Corsica.
Savannah pauses, a forkful of chocolate cake halfway to her mouth. “Did you say Paris?” she whispers.
“Yes, Paris,” I say on a laugh. “You know, north of here? The capital of France?”
“Would you… could you… Oh my God, we could!”
“We could. We could travel the world. We could… well, we could do damn near anything.”
I don’t tell Savannah and may never, but my mind immediately conjures up that closet full of passports and disguises… I’m not exactly sure I want to take up a life of crime, but we could definitely have some fun.
I smile and sigh with contentment. “We’ll have fun discussing our options.” I look to Fabien. “Could we show her your family home in Paris?”
Fabien reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Mon amour,” he says. “Of course. Our home is your home. Your sister is welcome, of course.”
Savannah blinks. “Alright, then.”
“What?” I ask her.
“I can see why you fell for him, crime and all.”
I shake my head. Fabien chuckles. “Have I mentioned she has no filter?”
He shrugs. “Filters are a waste of time.”
Savannah nods. “Yup, I like this guy. And as much as I’m enjoying the hell out of seeing you again, I have to admit I’m exhausted. I think I just need a nap.”
Jet lag will catch up to her, and if I know her, she was probably not sleeping regularly before she came here.
