‘OK.’
‘First things first, what’s up with the job?’ He seemed completely invested.
She wiped her eyes. ‘Hotel Club,’ she said. ‘It’s my job to get the hotel over the line and win accreditation. And I’m just going to fail.’ And she explained about feeling out of her depth – the fact that, if she were honest, she’d probably fallen behind because she’d been going out too much. ‘I don’t want to fool them,’ she said. ‘I really thought I could do it. But now I… I guess Claudine, Yves, Madame Roux, they’ve become real people to me. I don’t want to let them down. It feels more important than it did at the start.’
‘And then I started seeing Henri – and I really like him. He’s fun. But last night he brought someone else home. And apparently, it’s what people do in France, so I’m not allowed to be mad.’
Brad’s eyes widened and he nodded. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘OK.’
‘Are you sure Henri’s right for you?’ His eyes searched her face.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I suppose in some ways he was just… there. And it’s nice, isn’t it, having someone.’
‘But he cheated on you.’
‘Apparently, it’s not cheating.’
‘Oh.’
‘And do you need the job right now?’
‘Well, yes and no. I needajob.’
‘I guess my overall question is: do you need to be here?’
‘Sorry, what?’
‘Hear me out. You have family back home, right? Mom and dad? Siblings?’
‘No mum. She… she died when I was sixteen. No dad really. But yes, I have Kitty. My sister. She’s… she’s great. Why?’
‘It seems to me that you need to think about what you really want. I mean, this job, it doesn’t sound like it’s for you. Henri’s a nice kid, but no offense, way too young for you. Why not go home for a bit? Figure out what you really want. You’re young.’
‘I’m thirty?—’
‘That is young.’ He looked at her. ‘Hell, I’m forty and I still haven’t got it all figured out. Why not go easy on yourself. Take some time.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t.’
He looked at her, as if waiting for her to finish.
‘I just can’t leave Claudine in the lurch. I want to fix things. And I can’t leave France! Coming here was my dream.Ismy dream. I’ve wanted this ever since I was a teenager. If I leave, I’ll be giving up on a part of myself, you know? I want to make it work. I mean, haven’t you ever had a dream?’
Brad made a noise somewhere between a laugh and an exhale. ‘Sure. I wanted to play guitar when I was younger.’
‘Youdoplay guitar.’
‘Yeah.’ He looked at her. ‘You ever see me play in front of anyone?’
‘Not— I suppose not,’ she said, thinking of the night they’d met. ‘At least, not on purpose.’
‘Exactly. Because I can’t.’
It was her turn to look at him, confused.
‘Oh, I know I seem confident and the whole thing seems stupid. But as a kid, for years it’s all I wanted to do. And then, I don’t know. I got a big chance, at a festival. Me and a couple of others. And I just froze.’
