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“Be right with you,” Tiffany said from the back. She appeared with a tray of chocolates that she slid into the glass display. “Oh, hey.”
Bastien pulled the check he'd written early that morning from his pocket and set it on the glass top. “I wanted to bring this to you.”
She looked at the total, and her eyes grew large. “It's more than we agreed to and besides, I didn't finish my part of the deal.”
He chuckled. “No, you were sidelined.”
She smiled. “Seems to me like my replacement is a better choice.” Tiffany picked up the check. “Do you love her?”
He closed his eyes and relived that last kiss. It was quick but held the promise of forever. “I do.”
She set the check back on the display case. “I can't take this. It's not right.”
“It's right for you.” He looked around once more to make sure Marcus wasn’t within earshot. “You deserve better. Use this to help you get what you want, need, and deserve. If not for you, then for Ava.” He turned around and walked toward the door.
“Hey, Bastien?”
He swung around to face her. “Yes?”
“You would have made a great fake husband.”
He smiled. “I'll make a better real one for Charlotte.”
He left the candy store, not feeling poorer for the sizable check he wrote but richer for all that he'd gained.
“Bastien?” He turned to find his mother walking toward him. In her hands was a Cricket's Diner to-go cup.
“Mother. What are you doing here?”
She held up the cup. “It's the only place to get a decent cup of coffee. And worth the thirty-dollar charge.”
He hadn't eaten breakfast and thought a solid meal was wise before he dove into the will. “I was going to get something to eat. Would you care to join me?”
His mother waved her hand in the air. “Who has time to eat when there's a wedding to plan?”
He sighed. “Mother, Charlotte is a wedding planner. Like every woman, she probably had big dreams for her big day. Why the rush?”
“Because life is uncertain. Do you think your sister thought she was going to die?”
“She knew she had limited time, which is why she was so adamant about getting Ivy settled.”
Her mother looked up at him and raised her chin. “She didn't even say goodbye.”
“Neither did you when you walked out on Ivy at the diner. There isn't a team of people here to back you up when you leave without explanation.”
“Were you going to get married without inviting me or your father?”
He wanted to laugh, but it was too sad a situation. “My father couldn't be bothered to come to Chloe's funeral.” He sent flowers and his condolences as if she were an acquaintance, and he supposed she was as he had little to nothing to do with them except donate to their DNA. Part of him wished maybe they were the pool boy’s children, but he knew better.
“I'm going through her will if you'd like to join me.” He hadn't meant to invite her, but he imagined she needed to see it too. Maybe reading Chloe's wishes would make her drop her desire for custody.
“No, thank you.” She reached inside her purse. “You were on my list to visit today.” She made a face and shook her head. “If you intend to marry Charlotte, put a ring on her finger. I noticed she wasn’t wearing one. What kind of man proposes without a ring? I thought at least some of your upbringing would have stuck.” She opened a vintage filigree-trimmed leather box, revealing his grandmother's diamond wedding set and the Boucheron stamp inside. “It's a priceless family heirloom, so don't give it to her if your heart isn't in it.” She snapped the box closed and handed it to him. “I hope you're doing this for love and not to win. That's something your father would do. You're his namesake but have always tried to prove you were nothing like him. Don't be like him now.”
He'd been named Sebastien at birth, but he legally changed his name to Bastien. His whole life he'd been trying to prove himself different and he'd almost repeated his father's actions and married for obligation. The fact didn't change that he was marrying Charlotte, but now he knew it wasn't only for Ivy's sake. It was for his as well.
“Thank you. Charlotte will be touched. She is sentimental and this will mean a lot to her. It would mean more if she knew you were giving it with your blessing and love too.”
His mother smiled sadly. “Ah, what do I know about love?” She walked away, leaving him to wonder what had gone wrong. Had she never been loved? She hadn't been shown any love by her husband or her children. After all, they'd only been allowed home visits now and then.
