“I hope so,” Lisa said.
“You’ve paid for her Paris apartment and all her living expenses,” Rafael said. “I think she can find a way to be kind to you.”
“You don’t know her like I do,” Lisa said.
They all laughed as they entered the lobby to meet Mrs. Perry.
2
LISA
Lisa’s mother held out her arms, expecting a hug. As they embraced, Lisa caught an unfamiliar whiff of a heavy dose of French perfume. This was a different scent than her mother usually wore. Maybe this was French Lois Perry. Mom looked good, too, dressed in a black sheath dress and tall boots. Her light blond hair was cut into flattering layers. She’d put on a little weight, which she’d desperately needed. The hollows in her cheeks had disappeared. The last time she’d seen her, a breeze could have lifted her off her feet. “Mom, you look ten years younger than the last time I saw you.”
“I lost one hundred eighty-five pounds when your father dumped me.” Mom laughed and clasped her hands together under her chin.
A joke about the divorce? This was not the mother Lisa had put on the plane ten months ago. There was no edge to her voice. Her eyes twinkled with humor. Did Paris transform bitter, middle-aged women into vibrant, glowing versions of themselves? If so, everyone should put down their eye cream, fire their therapists, and move immediately to Paris.
“Let me take a good look at you,” Mom said.
Lisa inwardly winced and sucked in her stomach as her mother’s critical gaze swept her from head to toe. “Sweetheart, you look like a movie star,” Mom said.
“I do?” Lisa asked.
“You’re glowing,” Mom said.
Lisa touched her fingertips to her cheeks. Praise about her appearance? This was most unexpected, as was her mother’s arrival at the hotel. They’d agreed to dinner, not an impromptu visit in the lobby after Lisa had been out all day eating carbs and drinking wine. She’d expected criticism about her bedraggled deportment, not a compliment. Lisa hadn’t bothered with more than mascara and lipstick that morning. She wore a knit cap over her medium-length blond hair and had bitten all her lipstick off during the interrogation by the plaid skirt gang. In Hollywood, she felt obligated to always look her best in case the paparazzi snapped a photo. Here, though, she’d woken to a great sense of freedom, much as she did in Cliffside Bay. In Paris, she could be an ordinary girl out for a day with her husband and their best friends.
Mom turned to Pepper. “And here’s the beautiful bride, also looking like a movie star.”
“I know, right?” Pepper’s small, pouty mouth lifted into a smile. Her thick eyelashes were enhanced by perfectly applied eye makeup. She wore red lipstick that contrasted with her fair skin and wavy black hair. Pepper hadnotbitten her lipstick off during the onslaught. “Iama movie star now.”
“I just saw your film for the second time last night,” Mom said. “We didn’t get it over here until just last week. You were both remarkable.”
“Didn’t Pepper steal the show?” Lisa asked.
Mom shook her head. “You were equally brilliant.”
Pepper’s eyes shone with obvious delight. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I was a wreck before the movie came out. Acting with Lisa and Gennie Banks was scary as hell.”
“You, a wreck? Have you gone soft on us?” Mom asked Pepper.
“It’s his fault.” Pepper pointed toward Stone.
Stone put out his hand for Mom to shake. “Good to see you, Mrs. Perry.”
“You as well, Stone.” Mom turned to Rafael. “How’s my favorite son-in-law?”
Surprise widened Rafael’s eyes for a split second before he hid it behind a bland smile. Although he was theonlyson-in-law, Lisa would not have predicted Mom calling him a favorite or any other praising adjective. Rafael, Lisa knew, would be of the same opinion.
There was only one explanation. Her mother must be having regular sex.
“Would you like to come up to the room, Mom?” Lisa asked. “We could have tea sent up.”
“No, I have to get to my art class, which is just up the street. I stopped by to say hello and to let you know I’ll be bringing a guest tonight for dinner.”
“A friend?” Lisa asked.
Mom flushed. “You could say that.” A giggle that could have doubled as a hiccup seemed to erupt spontaneously from Mom’s mouth. “Pierre’s everything all packaged up into one.”
