Pacific Northwest. I really do think sunshine is medicine for the soul.”
Well, at least my mother sounds far more positive than I expected.
“So why are you calling, darling? What’s really going on?”
I take a deep breath through my nose and steady myself. Why is it that mothers are so strangely terrifying sometimes?
“I have some news.”
“You decided to stay.”
“What? How did you know that?”
She sighs. “Oh, a mother knows. She has feelings. She has a connection. She has dreams. And you were supposed to be on your flight a few hours ago, so . . .”
“Right. Well then, yeah. That’s the news. I’ve decided to stay in France.”
“You’re not even in Spain?”
“I never made it to Spain,” I say quietly.
“Okay. Who is he?”
“Wow, you are on a roll today.”
“I’m telling you, the sunshine sharpens my brain. So tell me who he is. I know you’re not skipping school on account of just wanting more time to lie around in the sun. That’s not like you. That’s not my daughter. You wouldn’t even think about staying if there wasn’t someone else involved, and I’m going to just assume it’s a man—though if it’s not, no judgment here.”
I laugh and look around Olivier’s apartment, so happy that I can finally share the truth of where I am and who I’m with.
Who has my heart.
“It’s definitely a man. His name is Olivier. He’s French.”
“Is he nice?”
“He is very nice. An old-school gentleman. You would really like him.”
“And so you’re with him where?”
“In Paris. In his apartment.”
“I see. And what does this Olivier do?”
“He owns hotels.”
A long pause over the line. My mother is obviously in shock. “Come again?”
“I said he owns hotels.”
“And he’s not lying to you?”
I chuckle. “No, he’s not lying. I’ve been in them. He’s the real deal.”
“Olivier what? What’s his last name?”
I hesitate to give it because of all the news around him lately, and there’s no doubt that she’s going to immediately Google him. “It’s Dumont.”
“Dumont . . . Dumont,” she muses. “Wait, I know that name. It’s like Chanel but for French people.”
“Mom, Chanel is French.”
“Yeah, but I mean, Chanel is everywhere, and Dumont, that’s just in France.”
“Well, they’re everywhere too,” I say. At least they will be after Gautier is done with them. “But, yeah, it’s mainly known here in Europe, and also the Middle East, Singapore, Japan, China . . .”
“You sound like you work for them now . . . Is he going to get you a job?”
“Uh . . .” I mean, it had crossed my mind, until I realized I would be working for his evil uncle, the very person I’m supposed to avoid, but I don’t feel right telling my mom that Olivier is my sugar daddy either. “Maybe. I might just get a job at a bookstore or something. Under the table, but I think Olivier can pull some strings.”
“Bookstore? Darling, he’s a hotelier. Work at one of his hotels.”
“I’m sure something will work out,” I reassure her. “So you’re not mad that I’m staying?”
“Mad? Not at all.”
“But I’m still throwing away a year of school for a guy I’ve only known three weeks. And I’m abandoning you.”
“Listen,” she says rather sharply, “we both know what it’s like to be abandoned, and this isn’t it. This is just you being a twenty-three-year-old student. Some do all their years in one go. Others quit. Others go back to it. What can you expect? You’re young and you’re discovering who you are and you’ve fallen in love.”
“I didn’t say I love him,” I tell her quietly.
“Oh, come on. You do. I can tell. You wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t.”
“I barely know him.”
“You know him far more than you think you do. Sadie, dear, embrace it. Don’t worry about school, and certainly don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. In fact, I’ve been doing great. I started going to that free counseling again, and I’ve made some friends at work. I think you going to Europe was the push I needed, and I think you needed it too.”
Tears spring to my eyes, teasing at the corners. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, and I’ll always miss you, but you need to do this. You’re a good kid, Sadie, and you’re smart, and you just have to trust yourself. I trust you.”
I’m about to turn into a blubbering mess when suddenly there’s a knock at the door.
“Uh, hold on, Mom, there’s someone at the door,” I tell her, and my heart is starting to