Page 29 of A Mother’s Love

He had her escorted to the front door by one of the police officers in the bulletproof vests, and they locked the door behind her.

She was fascinated by the department, and especially by Major Augustin Leopold.

Meeting him had been an experience. She was no closer to getting her bag back, but at least she knew now that a team of highly skilled, specialized detectives were working on it.

She went to Hermès herself after that, and looked around. She was still in shock over the value of her bag. It was worth more than some of her jewelry.

—

The next day, on New Year’s Eve, she talked to the girls.

They were throwing a New Year’s Eve party on the boat that night, for just their little group.

They were in Antigua and they were planning to stay aboard.

There was too much activity in the port, and none of them wanted to go out that night.

They felt safer on the boat. And there were mega yachts like theirs all around them.

The trip had been wonderful so far. They had three days left on the boat, and then they were flying home.

They all agreed it had been the best vacation of their lives, and everyone got along.

Olivia was still sad their mother hadn’t been able to join them.

But she would have been sick if she’d come.

They’d had a few choppy nights, which didn’t bother any of them, but Halley would have been miserable. She was better off in Paris.

—

Halley put on the one simple black dress she had brought.

She hadn’t worn it yet, she had no reason to, but it seemed appropriate for a sedate New Year’s Eve with Bart and his son and daughter-in-law.

She wore her hair up again, and the dress showed off her legs.

She wore a pair of black suede heels that the girls had given her.

They always picked beautiful shoes for her with dizzyingly high heels.

Halley had invited Bart to come up for a drink when he came to pick her up, so he could see the house.

It looked pretty and festive. She had bought flowers that afternoon.

They were bright red and were reminiscent of the holidays.

She had been in Paris for four days by then, and still had ten days left in her trip.

Bart was staying as long as she was, which was convenient, and he and Ryan were going skiing in Switzerland the following weekend, while Halley was still there.

She showed him around the house, and he liked it as much as she did.

It was chic and neat, he commented on the beautiful furniture and art and the owner’s great taste.

The atmosphere of the house was warm, personal, and inviting.

She already felt at home there. The only problem she’d had was the theft of the bag, and knowing that the thief had the keys and the address.

And Henri Laurent had been a problem, but he didn’t seem dangerous, just rude and annoying, and a little eccentric.

She had accepted the fact that he hated her. He was irritating, but not a big deal.

They each had one glass of champagne and then went to Bart’s son’s apartment.

It had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, with a terrace that overlooked the Seine, and Halley could see the Grand Palais in the background, as she stood on the terrace with Bart.

There were stars in the sky, the Eiffel Tower was sparkling, and the setting was incredibly romantic.

She hardly knew him, but she was very attracted to him.

She recognized the signs. She could easily have fallen for him, but she didn’t want to be too hasty.

This was only their second date. But she could tell that he felt the same attraction, and Paris was a magical setting.

They walked back into the apartment after their brief moment on the terrace, and sat down to a delicious meal of leg of lamb and haricots verts, string beans, both with garlic. Bart’s daughter-in-law had gotten the meal delivered by a caterer, and they all thought it was delicious.

The dinner was totally congenial. Bart told them about the stolen bag, and Halley told them about the major, and the somewhat secret special branch of the theft detail.

“Do you think you’ll get your bag back?” Ryan asked her.

He was an extremely personable, bright young man.

He had gone to Princeton, then gotten his law degree at Harvard.

Véronique had a master’s in finance from HEC, one of the most distinguished business schools in France, and worked for a consulting firm.

Ryan liked Halley and he could see that his father did too.

He hadn’t seen him glow like that in a long time.

They seemed so at ease with each other, and had fun.

They were getting to know each other, and discovering things they liked and had in common.

Ryan and Véronique left them alone on the terrace for a little while after dinner, just to sit outside and talk.

“Your son is wonderful,” Halley said to him, as they sat in the chilly star-filled night.

Bart put a blanket around her, and sat close to her.

“I like Véronique too. She’s very bright, and a nice person.

I’d love to introduce them to my girls. My son-in-law is a good man.

They’re all hardworking, kind, dedicated people, like Ryan and Véro. ”

Eventually, Ryan and Véro came out to join Bart and Halley on the terrace.

The Eiffel Tower sparkled right on the hour of midnight like a giant decoration.

Ryan put his arms around his wife and kissed her, and Bart kissed Halley a little more passionately than he’d planned.

She didn’t stop him, and she looked shy afterward, knowing Bart’s son and daughter-in-law had seen them, but she didn’t want Bart to stop.

They held hands afterward, sharing a lounge chair, with blankets over them, and when the young couple went inside, Bart kissed her again, gently this time.

He had surprised himself, but he felt so drawn to Halley.

He didn’t understand it, he hardly knew her but he felt as though he had for a long time.

It was so easy being with her, and she was such a warm person.

She felt peaceful that night, and as though she was in the right place, with the right people.

She leaned her head against Bart’s shoulder and they didn’t speak for a little while.

It was nice just being there together. It was so strange that she had met him coming to Paris for her big adventure.

The trip had gotten off to a rough start with the stolen bag.

But she was surprised how safe she felt with Bart.

She stayed until one-thirty, and Bart wouldn’t let her go home alone. She thanked Ryan and Véronique for a wonderful New Year’s Eve, and wished them a happy year ahead.

“I think it will be,” Ryan said, looking tenderly at Véro, and they obviously had a secret they didn’t want to share yet.

Halley had a feeling she knew what it was, but didn’t say anything to Bart.

She saw them kiss, as she and Bart were leaving to take her home.

She was thinking as they left that despite her mistakes, and Bart’s, with his forced marriage and her decision to have the twins out of wedlock at such an early age, their children had done things right, and had chosen the partners that truly suited them, and were together because they wanted to be, not because they had to be, pregnant at the wrong time with the wrong person.

Halley had no regrets and the twins had been the joy of her life, but Locke had played such a small part in her life and the girls’, and Bart had married a woman he didn’t love, and it had only lasted for a couple of years.

They had both chosen the wrong partners, but had lovely children anyway.

And as a result of their youthful mistakes, neither she nor Bart had ever married or remarried.

“You did a great job with Ryan,” she said as they walked to find a cab. There were horns honking and people laughing and shouting in the street to celebrate the new year.

“I can’t take all the credit for that. My ex-wife was a good mother, even though she was just a kid herself.

We weren’t suited to each other, but she was always there for him, and he has a good relationship with both of us.

Sometimes I think that’s more to his credit than ours.

He’s a good guy. Did your daughters suffer from not having a father around all the time? ”

“Not really,” she said, thinking about it.

“They never had that, so they didn’t miss it.

Maybe they did in theory, but in reality they were happy children, and they got extra attention from me.

They never went through a divorce or a sense of loss about their father.

He came around from time to time, like a big playmate.

He was like a child himself. And when they were thirteen, I met a wonderful man, who was more of a father to them than their own. ”

“What happened to him? Is he still in their life?”

“No,” she said softly. “He died three years ago. That was the hardest thing my daughters and I had ever been through. Robert and I lived together for ten years, and I’m grateful we all had those years with him. It was an added gift in their lives, and mine.”

“And now?” Bart asked her, wondering if there was someone in her life at home.

He didn’t think so, but he wanted to be sure before he made a fool of himself, or did something she didn’t want.

He was so drawn to her, he wanted to be sure that the attraction was mutual and he hadn’t misread it, but she didn’t seem like the kind of woman who would kiss him if she had a man waiting for her at home.

“It took me a long time to get over losing him, but I feel peaceful about it now. One day you wake up and realize you’re ready to go on.

Robert wasn’t a sad person, and he was a very generous man.

I don’t think he would have wanted me to be alone forever,” she said quietly.

They stopped walking, and Bart gently put his arms around her and kissed her, and afterward, they kept walking in the direction of her house.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever really been in love,” Bart said.

“I put all my energy and feelings into my work and Ryan. I never wanted to get tied down to the wrong person again. And I never met the right one.” He wanted to add “until now,” but it was too soon to know that for sure.

It felt that way, and he wanted time to get to know her so he didn’t make another mistake.

But she seemed like a very special person.

When they reached her house, he waited while she unlocked the door. He walked her inside and kissed her again. He was gentle and tender, and he made it easy for her to come back from where she’d been for the past three years.

He left after a few minutes, waiting outside until she set the alarm and signaled to him from the window, and he smiled and waved, and walked back to Ryan’s apartment, thinking what sweet times he and Halley had ahead of them if everything they were discovering about each other turned out to be true in time.

It was too soon to know, but he loved being with her.

She was an honorable woman, and everything about it felt right.

He had only seen her three times, but he felt wonderful when he was with her.

—

The boat stayed at anchor off Antigua on New Year’s Eve.

It sounded more festive and fun to celebrate on the boat, among good friends.

The chef prepared an exquisite meal. They had crab and lobster that had been flown in for them, and pasta with caviar.

They laughed a lot at dinner, and danced on deck afterward.

There was a constant friendly banter between all of them, some more than others.

They had turned out to be the perfect group to travel with, and had made memories they would never forget.

It was Seth and Valerie’s first married Christmas, and at midnight Peter kissed Olivia with all the passion that had brought them closer every day, and the others smiled at them.

After he had kissed her, he whispered to her, “If you tell me that you and Valerie switched tonight, I’m going to throw you overboard,” and she laughed.

“That might be fun,” she taunted him, and he advanced on her, picked her up, and threw her into the water.

He took off his clothes and joined her, and Seth and Valerie followed a few minutes later.

The others watched them from the upper deck.

The water was warm and soothing, and the lights from the underside of the boat cast a bright light into the water and they could see schools of small fish scurrying past them.

The crew had put gardenias with candles on them on the water.

It was an incredible vision, seeing the flowers in the candlelight floating around them.

It had been the best New Year’s Eve of their lives.