that the seas were calm again. They stopped and swam near St. Marguerite Island off Cannes. It was where the Man in the Iron Mask had been imprisoned, allegedly the brother of the king. Olivia shared the story with them, and her grandchildren were particularly impressed. John sat quietly nearby, sketching the island while she talked. He already had one full sketchbook of drawings and had brought several more.
They reached St. Tropez in the late afternoon, and the captain had reserved a space at the dock for them at the outer edge of the port. It was the only space in the port big enough for the boat. The girls wanted to explore the shops and local color, and as soon as they set foot on land, they were besieged by paparazzi, who took photographs of anyone coming off a big yacht, assuming they were someone famous or important. They followed them on scooters and flashed cameras in their faces. Only Amanda loved it, everyone else was annoyed. They wandered around the town, which was one of the most populated vacation spots in the South of France. Everyone wanted to see and be seen in St. Tropez. Olivia was relieved when they went back to the boat. The crew had put curtains up around the decks, so they would have privacy in the port.
Because of the paparazzi, they decided to have dinner on board. They had wanted to try a local restaurant, but it was just too much trouble to deal with the feeding frenzy of the press. And instead of dinner, they decided to go ashore for another nightclub and made reservations at La Cave du Roy. The captain warned them that it might not be quite as much fun as the Billionaire, but when they got there, they enjoyed it just as much, although they drank a little less.
“I think Mom is turning into someone we don’t even know,” Phillip commented as he watched Olivia dancing with Alex. She was actually pretty good, and had learned all her moves the night they went to the Billionaire. And this time Amanda had decided to come along. She was disappointed when no one took their picture, but she actually seemed amorous with Phillip on the dance floor that night. It had taken a long time for her to warm up, and for him to forget her comment about him having no balls. There had been a noticeable chill between them for most of the trip, which concerned Olivia a great deal. But Amanda had seemed in better spirits ever since the night they had dinner with their friends in St. Jean Cap Ferrat. She felt as though she had her own identity again, and wasn’t just part of a mob.
They stayed at La Cave du Roy till three o’clock and didn’t get to bed till four. The next morning, Olivia was up and dressed early. The Factory had a store in Draguignan, in the interior, and Olivia wanted to see it. She had invited Alex and Sophie to come along and both her sons. Olivia was as fresh as a rose when they got into the van, the others looked a little worn. But she was like a racehorse, once she had work to do, or a store to visit. The management of the store had been notified and was waiting for them. She spent two hours touring the store, and Sophie was excited to be with them, now that she knew she would be working for The Factory in six months. And maybe this was one of the stores her grandmother would let her manage one day. It was one of their newer ones.
Afterward, Olivia had a meeting with Phillip and John about the things she had observed while visiting the store, and what she wanted changed. Sophie sat in on that too, and was impressed by how keen her grandmother’s powers of observation were. She had noticed everything right down to the most minute detail. She had even checked the restrooms and the storage areas and had spoken to a number of members of the staff, in French. Alex had been impressed too. And there was a special connection between them now. He gave nothing away, and neither did she, but a silent look passed between them at times that spoke volumes and was filled with her love for him.
Her children and their spouses had dinner in St. Tropez that night, and she and her grandchildren opted to