Chapter Eighteen
‘So good to see you – it’s been ages.’ Thérèse chinked her glass against Juliette’s. ‘You must be busy with the wedding plans.’
‘In fact, Sophie’s parents are dealing with those,’ Juliette replied. ‘It’s been too long and I’ve no excuse. I don’t know where the time goes these days.’
Thérèse had become her closest friend in Paris since they’d met when Juliette was establishing herself there alone.
Her husband Arnaud had been one of the three musketeers, as Juliette called them to herself: three men who had coffee every morning in the café at the Place Dorée.
The group consisted of Arnaud, a banker; Baptiste, who was a scientist; and Nico, who bought properties, renovated them and let them out for a living.
Arnaud and Thérèse had befriended her and, through them, she had come to know Nico; he had been with Delphine then, and at that time she’d thought him arrogant and rude.
Arnaud and Thérèse she had liked immediately, and her opinion hadn’t changed.
‘Tell me about it,’ Thérèse replied. ‘And now the summer’s here. So I take it you’re an ao?tienne like us, not a juilletiste?’
The timing of summer vacations was taken extremely seriously in France, Juliette had come to learn. The traditional ao?tiennes who went away in August were being challenged by a growing band of juilletistes taking their break in July, when the beaches and cafés were quieter and prices lower.
‘As a matter of fact, I’m taking the whole of August off,’ Juliette said.
‘Sophie’s mother has found us a house-sit in the next village, with only a few cats to feed and the garden to water, and Nico’s going to join me when he can.
I can’t wait. Chico’s happy to manage the bookshop and we’re usually pretty quiet then anyway. ’
‘Sounds perfect,’ Thérèse said. ‘I’m jealous. We’ll be in a sagging tent on the ?le de Ré, as usual. Arnaud thinks we have to suffer or it isn’t proper camping.’
They chatted for a while longer about this and that, and then Juliette asked casually, ‘Have you seen Delphine recently?’
‘Not for a while,’ Thérèse replied. ‘I gather she’s started chemo, though. Do you know how she’s doing?’
‘OK, I think. She has an infusion every two weeks and Nico says she feels rough for a few days afterwards but she’s fine by the time the next session comes around.’
‘Arnaud told me Nico takes her to the treatment centre,’ Thérèse said, and Juliette nodded. ‘That’s kind of him.’
‘He doesn’t go in with her,’ Juliette said. ‘She calls him when she’s finished and he picks her up.’
‘And how do you feel about that?’ Thérèse asked.
Juliette hesitated. She could be honest – Thérèse wouldn’t judge her – but she still hadn’t decided.
She hated every moment Nico spent alone with Delphine and she hated to see him tense and grumpy as chemo day rolled around, yet she knew he hadn’t chosen the situation, and how could anyone begrudge Delphine a little comfort?
Juliette could afford to be generous; Nico showed he loved her in so many ways.
Only the night before, he’d brought her flowers and cooked her favourite meal – spaghetti with clams – because it was the third anniversary of the night they’d first got together, at the party to celebrate the launch of her bookshop. All the same . . .
‘I wish Delphine could have asked somebody else,’ she admitted.
‘Of course you do.’ Thérèse poured more wine into both their glasses. ‘You know, I’ve offered to give her a lift a couple of times but she refused. She doesn’t seem to want help from anyone but Nico.’
‘I cooked her some meals for the freezer,’ Juliette said. ‘She told him there was no room and gave them back.’
Thérèse winced. ‘That wasn’t very gracious.’
At that moment, Juliette’s phone rang and, looking at the screen, she saw Emily was calling. ‘Sorry,’ she told Thérèse, ‘it’s my daughter. Do you mind if I take this?’
She was already pushing back her chair to move somewhere quieter. Emily hardly ever rang without texting first so the call was already alarming, and it would be the middle of a work day in Colorado.
‘Mom?’ Emily began, her voice strained. ‘Are you OK to talk?’
‘Sure, honey,’ Juliette replied, her heart thumping. ‘Go ahead.’
‘I’ve lost my job,’ Emily said. ‘Our funding’s been pulled and my boss has been fired.’
Juliette gripped the phone more tightly. ‘That’s awful,’ she said, though her first reaction was one of relief that at least her daughter hadn’t crashed the car, been attacked or diagnosed with a terminal illness. But this was bad news, sure enough. ‘So your trip’s been cancelled?’
Emily had been due to set off for Antarctica in a few days’ time, to collect samples of seaweed and snow algae, which would show how climate change was affecting their carbon content.
‘Well, duh,’ she snapped. ‘I just told you, there’s no money.’ There was a brief pause. ‘Sorry, it’s been quite a shock.’
‘Of course. You must be devastated. Do you want me to come back?’
‘No, you don’t need to. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next, or even where I’ll be, and we’ll be seeing each other soon anyway for the wedding. I just wanted to let you know.’
‘I’m glad you did,’ Juliette said. ‘Listen, if you need a break, you’d be welcome here any time. You can stay in my apartment and I’ll move in with Nico.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ Emily replied, already sounding calmer. ‘Thanks, Mom. I’ll call again when I’ve got my head straight.’
‘Please do, any time. And try not to worry, Em – you’ll get through this.’
‘I hope so,’ she said grimly, and ended the call.
Juliette returned to their table and explained briefly to Thérèse what had happened.
‘They’ve been doing such important research,’ she said.
‘The ice floes are melting fast and we need to find out what impact that’s going to have on our oceans.
I can’t believe the institute’s funding would be withdrawn with no warning. ’
More than anything, though, Juliette was worried about the impact losing her job was going to have on Emily. She’d been through a rough time in the past few years: her relationship ending, her parents splitting up, and now this.
‘Sometimes it really sucks to be so far apart,’ she told Thérèse. ‘I just want to give her a hug.’
Four days later, Juliette’s wish came true in the Arrivals hall at Charles de Gaulle airport. ‘It’s so good to see you!’ she said, squeezing her daughter until Emily protested, laughing.
‘Mom, are you OK?’ she asked eventually, pulling back.
‘Sorry,’ Juliette said, smiling through her tears. ‘It’s been a difficult time, that’s all. I’ll explain in the car.’
Emily looked exhausted, having flown to Paris by way of Canada and Ireland, and Juliette didn’t want to burden her with too much information.
When they’d left the airport and reached the freeway, she said, ‘Nico’s grandmother passed away the day before yesterday.
It was a peaceful death but she more or less raised him as a kid and they were very close. ’
‘Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry,’ Emily said. ‘I shouldn’t have come. The last thing you want is me hanging around, getting in the way.’
‘The only thing I want is you hanging around,’ Juliette told her.
‘Seriously, the thought of you being here has kept me going. I’ve moved in with Nico for now so you’ll have my apartment to yourself – we’re only a couple of blocks away.
Zizi’s funeral will be on Wednesday, and then later you might want to spend some time with me in Provence?
I told you, I have this house-sit arranged, and it’s such an awesome part of the country. You’ll love it.’
‘Whoa, slow down!’ Emily held up her hands. ‘Too much information. I haven’t had much sleep for the past forty-eight hours and all I can think about is having a shower and falling into bed.’
‘Sure, honey.’ Juliette squeezed her knee. ‘I’m just so excited to have you here. We’re going to have the best time, I promise.’
She was overcompensating, she knew, but she’d been so emotional since hearing of Zizi’s death.
The old lady had become a significant part of her life and she’d miss her visits to the care home, bracing though they could be.
Zizi’s passing felt like the end of an era.
How many people were left who could remember the war?
Now all those memories were gone, and so too was Juliette’s last link with Mémé.
There was nobody else who’d known her grandmother during the years in France that she’d seemed so determined to keep secret.
Too late, Juliette wished she’d thought to record an interview with Zizi on her phone so she could listen to that wonderful voice whenever she wanted.
It was a pity Zizi hadn’t made it to a hundred, but when Juliette had mentioned preparations for her big birthday, she’d waved a weary hand. ‘I’m too old for birthday celebrations. If I go to sleep one night and don’t wake up, then you can break out the champagne.’
And that’s exactly what had happened, which Nico agreed was a comfort – but he was still hurting, and so was Juliette.
She was also worried about Zizi’s funeral because Nico’s family would be there en masse: his brother was flying over from the States and his father driving up from the Dordogne, and various uncles, aunts and cousins were also coming.
She would be glad to have her daughter beside her for moral support.
Emily had stayed at Juliette’s apartment before so she knew her way around. ‘Take a shower and get some rest, and I’ll come round later to fix dinner,’ Juliette told her. ‘If that’s OK? Nico will be eating with us, too.’
‘Sounds perfect,’ Emily replied, giving her mother a hug. ‘Thanks, Mom. It’ll be great to see Nico again, and I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed your cooking.’