I widened my eyes at him and wiggled my head. “Well, yeah.” Duh.
Lucas leaned against the railing of the garden. He motioned me to join him for the spectacular view of the sun setting over pebbled beaches. Vibrant streams of amber and apricot light reached across the water to us, catching fire in the shape of a shrinking red ball.
I’d never been so sorry to say goodbye to a single day.
Where had the time gone? How long had we walked? Was it truly all afternoon?
“You don’t have to watch your words around me,” Lucas said.
I felt his gaze on my cheek but couldn’t pull my eyes from the impossible view.
I was in France.
My heart swelled and tears welled. How could this be my life? Twenty-three years of captivity in a gilded cage. And before the divorce was finalized, I was already living my dream.
“You know,” Lucas said. “The only time I can’t identify with what you’re saying is when you speak so lowly of marriage. I know why you do. I might, too, if I was you, but for me,” he said, “I think marriage is a wonderful gift and opportunity. To have a best friend by your side, a partner in good times and bad. Someone who knows every part of you and never judges, only encourages and supports. It’s a miracle.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks to stop a rebuttal. It was nice that he’d had a far different experience than mine. I didn’t need to pooh-pooh it. “Sorry,” I said instead. “I don’t mean to downplay your joy. I’m working on my attitude, believe it or not,” I teased. “My daughter is determined to marry, and I have to be on board.”
“Would you truly never marry again?”
I studied his face, genuine and beseeching. Then I looked back at the smattering of tiny boats on the sea. “Maybe, if I found what you had,” I admitted. It was what everyone wanted, wasn’t it?
“Excellent.” His voice was husky and approving in the dimming light. I imagined the picture of us once more, me laughing, him looking at me as if I was the only thing that mattered. “It’s nice to know you still have hope,” he said. “That bozo you married didn’t take that from you too.”
I laughed. “He did not. But don’t get too excited,” I teased. “I’m open to the possibility, but I assure you my trust issues are not. The walls they’ve built are much higher than this one.” I patted the fence.
My attention returned to the boats in the distance. As they bobbed and dipped in the water, they rattled something loose in my brain. A memory of the front desk woman at the yacht club. Strange. She’d suggested I open a membership, and I had said my husband handled that. But why did she say she’d contact his company? Initially I assumed the yacht club membership was another perk of partnership, like the annual leasing of cars. But now I wasn’t as sure. And was Robert’s law firm the company she referenced? Or had she meant something else? A different company?
“You’re right to protect yourself,” Lucas said, continuing our earlier conversation. “I’m not condemning you for doing whatever it takes to heal. I just hope you’ll find lots of joy in the process.”
“I have joy,” I said, turning to face him directly. “This is joy.” I lifted my hands and my lips in a smile. “A week ago I could barely get off my couch, and look at me now! Look at this view!”
“It’s stunning,” he said softly, his eyes locked on mine.
I laughed. “What time is it in Virginia right now?”
He checked his watch. “Lunchtime, I guess.”
I made a mental note to contact the yacht club when I got back to my room, just to satisfy my curiosity. Meanwhile, I chose happiness.
Lucas pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the screen with a frown.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He tucked the phone away and smiled. “Tomorrow after class we’ll take a road trip,” he said. “I want to try a family-owned restaurant a few towns away. I’ll rent a car.”
“Wait. Where are we going?” My stomach knotted in anticipation. “A restaurant?”
“In Menton,” he said, casting a look over one shoulder, and I hastened to catch up.
“Why Menton?”
“Remember the photo you showed me of your parents?” he asked, watching as I bounced back downhill at his side.
“On the fridge at my house?”
He nodded. “I think I found the restaurant. I thought you might let me buy you dinner, and we could see if it’s the same place.”
