on board, and sailed away from Corsica that night. The others went to their cabins, tired from the night before, Alex and Carole went to watch a movie, and Sophie stayed on deck with her grandmother to chat. There was something Olivia had been wanting to talk to her about, and this seemed like a good time.
“How would you like to come and work for me after you get your master’s degree? We’ve talked about it before, but I wanted to let you know that I’m serious about it. I think you would be a wonderful addition. And after a year or two, maybe you’d like to run one of the stores abroad.” Sophie’s eyes lit up as soon as Olivia mentioned it. It had been her dream for years. She wanted to work for her grandmother, and become the third generation to enter the business. And she loved the idea of running one of the stores on her own. It was her grandmother’s way of teaching her the business from the ground up.
“How soon can I start?”
“The day you graduate,” which was only six months away. “I wanted to make you an offer, before you took a job with someone else,” Olivia said with a smile.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to do, Grandma.” She could hardly wait. “And I think Carole is going to move to L.A. when we go home. She wants to work for her dad and his wife. She’s been talking about it for a long time.”
“I know she has. I think it might be good for her. I think she needs to get that out of her system. She’s been dreaming about being with him for a long time, although that might be hard for your mom.”
“She already told her, and Mom’s okay with it. I think she’d been kind of drifting in New York, and the art scene is hard to get into. I think L.A. might be the right thing for her, although I’m going to miss her,” Sophie said wistfully.
“So am I,” Olivia said, but she was excited about Sophie coming to work for her. The next generation had finally arrived. And maybe one day Alex would join them too. Olivia had high hopes for him as well. And Sophie was a star. Once she honed her skills and learned the business, Olivia sensed she would go far. She had a terrific head for business, and she’d been interested in The Factory since she was a child, just as Olivia had when she worked at the original hardware store when she was twelve. She thought it was the most exciting place on earth, and she still did. And she knew Sophie thought so too.
They talked about Olivia’s plans for her, and Sophie’s dreams late into the night, and when she went to bed, Olivia felt she had taken an important step. It was time to open their doors, welcome the new generation, and bring the young people along.
The next morning when they got up, they were in St. Jean Cap Ferrat, on the coast of France. It was one of the most elite locations on the French Riviera. Olivia had rented a house there one summer, an enormous villa. And Amanda seemed to come alive at breakfast, as they sat at anchor, looking at the expensive houses and talking about the people who owned them. Amanda had a decided interest in people with colossal fortunes. It was as though she thought everyone else was a waste of time. And when Alex heard about Olivia’s offer to Sophie, he was instantly jealous of his cousin and said so over breakfast. Sarah looked extremely displeased. She wanted Alex to work for a foundation, or be a political activist of some kind. She didn’t like the idea of him working for The Factory, and usually whenever Olivia spoke to him about it for the future, she tried to make sure his mother wasn’t around. He had told his grandmother that as soon as he finished college, he wanted to come and work for her. Olivia loved that idea. But for now Sophie would be coming to work for her at the end of the year. And Liz was pleased. She knew it was right for Sophie and had always been her dream. And now at last it was coming true. Alex still had to finish school, and go to college, so it was too soon to include him in their plans. Sarah was relieved.
Olivia