came from old money, had made a fortune on his own, and had a big job on top of it. It was a recipe for people wanting to take advantage of him, which wasn’t her situation with Nicolas. There were no vast fortunes involved, and what Nicolas had inherited from his parents was entirely his, and she had no problem with that. She had a successful business of her own. It wasn’t about money with Nicolas. She imagined that Gregory lived a lonely life in a rarefied world, which wasn’t her situation. Gregory Holland was all business.
“I’ll have everything to present to you next week,” she said with a smile, and they took a last run-through to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. She would need a set of blueprints from him if he hired her. Nadia made a few notes and then he set the alarm, and they walked out together. She could hardly wait to get home and get started over the weekend. He got in his car and left, and she walked out to hers on the street.
Two hours after she’d left home, she had an enormous new project, which she thought could turn out brilliantly, and a new client. She went to meet Nicolas in the park to pick up the girls. She was going to do errands with them that afternoon.
“How did it go?” Nicolas asked her. He was having fun with the girls, running around and letting them chase him. His eyes lit up when he saw Nadia. He thought she looked beautiful in a red sweater and jeans, with black Hermès riding boots that were just broken in enough to look chic.
“It went great. I think he’s going to hire me. He found a beautiful little house in a courtyard. He’s a typical American businessman, probably very tough, but smart, sharp, honest, direct, no games, and lots of money.”
“That type of guy scares me to death.” Nicolas had the soul of an artist, and had been writing since he was a child. In better times, he was sensitive, gentle, and funny. Gregory Holland wasn’t any of those things. Her new client didn’t seem to have an artistic nature, but in some ways it was a relief. She didn’t have to massage his ego or play games with him. All she had to do was work like a dog and make the interior of his new home beautiful. A tall order, but one she felt she could achieve. And the house had good bones. It was a lot easier than dealing with the mess her husband had foisted on them.
She left with the two girls then, and Nicolas said he’d be in touch when he came back from Brittany in a few days. He said he wasn’t staying long. Pascale’s mother’s house was tiny, with one bathroom, and there was barely room for all of them. Nicolas was accustomed to bigger spaces and more comfort, and he wasn’t crazy about her mother. Nicolas found her brassy and common. But she was useful, and had promised to take the baby off Pascale’s hands to make up for her own past sins with her daughter.
Nadia began working on concepts and drawings for Gregory Holland on Saturday night, and again on Sunday night after Sylvie and Laure were asleep. By Monday, she was on a roll and knew what direction she was heading in. She pulled fabrics from the mills she liked to work with, and included a few photographs of sculptures on her suggestion boards. She computerized drawings and photographs to show him what it could look like.
* * *
—
On Tuesday, she finally got to see her lawyer, whom she hadn’t seen since late July. She told him what she was thinking about the divorce, and their current separation.
“You want to file the divorce, Madame Bateau, or wait until he does it?” That idea didn’t appeal to her. It put the controls back in his hands, on his schedule. If he didn’t want a divorce, he could drag it out forever, or for a very long time. And if their marriage was truly over, she wanted to close the door for good and be free.
“He just got a small apartment last week,” she informed her attorney. “He hasn’t moved his things out, but I’m sure he will soon.”
“It sounds like he’s still got a foot firmly planted in your camp, and probably wants to keep it that way, while he makes up his mind,”