blushed. Christa and Marianne laughed.
Christa changed the subject so as to let Madeleine recover a bit, and said, "Geez, Mom, you've got it bad, don't you?"
Marianne said, "You have no idea."
"I am really, really happy for you, Mom."
"Maw Maw, if it's not to personal, can I ask you a question."
"As long as it doesn't involve Luke's physique."
Madeleine blushed almost purple and Christa poked her mother telling her to knock it off and quit embarrassing the poor child. Marianne poked her back and laughed, turning to Madeleine and asking, "What do you want to know?"
"Well, you were married to Kris Delios and then you were marred to Paw Paw. Were you as happy with them as you are with Mr. Payne?"
Marianne thought about that for a long time. She said, "I loved Kris. We grew up together. We were friends and we learned about life and love together. We were partners in life, in business, in love, in parenting. It never crossed my mind we would not grow old together. Kris and the Olympia Restaurant were my world. It was beyond imagining that I would ever have to live without either of them. The early years of our marriage was a deliriously happy time for me.
"After Kris sold the restaurant and left, I was humiliated and devastated. I could not give in or give up, however, because Christa was a little child. I had her to live for. I could not and would not let her see how devastated I was. We became a team. Our goal was to get her through college. She was my world in those years. It was my plan to send her off to college and then figure out what the hell I would do with the rest of my life.
"I came to France and met Luke after delivering Christa into the care of the University of South Carolina. Meeting Luke was a thrill that sort of kick-started my heart, and - since you brought it up - my libido. I guess it made me realize that my life wasn't over and I wanted to live and to love again.
"The problem was that as much as I was intoxicated by Luke, I realized that, at that point in my life, couldn't face the kind of life I would have had with him. So I went home and I married Henry.
"Before I went to France I already knew Henry was in love with me. I wouldn't date him because I thought he was boring. After I met Luke, I realized that marrying Henry might be the right thing for me to do. I'm basically a shy and backward person. I grew up in the kitchen of a popular restaurant. I like being behind the scenes, in the background. Henry and I were perfect together. He was the high school principal and the church organist. He was quiet, unassuming and exceedingly conservative in many ways, but he was a strong person in his own way, which I needed. He was also a dear and good man who loved me and whom I came, much more quickly than I expected, to love in return. I took to small town life better than I expected. Our life was quiet and peaceful and safe. In short, while it may seem odd - especially coming on the heels of my affair with Luke, I really was happy in Aiken with Henry.
"I truly think I was happier during those years than I would have been if I had followed Luke to L. A, where I would have been thrust in the spotlight (which I hate) and faced with the prospect of his relentless catting around."
Christa started and said, "You think he would have cheated on you?"
Marianne laughed and nodded, "I'd bet on it. He was not ready to settle down at that point in his life. I knew it. I think in his heart he knew it too."
She turned to Madeleine and too her hands, "Sweetheart, let me tell you something I hope you remember: happiness does not come from outside or from anyone else, it comes from inside of you. I've always been happy, because I've chosen to be happy in whatever situation I found myself. Now, I choose to be happy once again - perhaps one last time - with a man I have loved for a long time. A man who changed my life and whose life I changed. When the day comes that you have to make a choice, remember that you have to be able to live with yourself first and foremost. You have to be happy with the person you are regardless of the person you are with."
Christa put her head on her mother's shoulder and asked, "Mom, do you ever wonder what happened to Daddy?"
Huge tears filled Marianne's eyes and dripped down the front of her shirt. She brushed them away and said hoarsely, "Nearly every day." She waved her hands to ward off any more questions.
They were almost back to Gordes. She did not want to think about bad things when she knew Luke was waiting for her.
Christa leaned across to Madeleine and said, "Your grandmother is a living embodiment of a person who lives for the moment."
Marianne laughed and said, "'Il faut vivre chaque heure comme c'etait la derniere!'"
Luke met them at the door when they returned. Christiane and Georges had badgered Richard to stop working and join them. Paul had arrived in the late morning. He and Lucas had rested for a while. By the time the women returned, the clan had gathered in Luke's living room for cocktails. Luke introduced Christa and Madeleine to Paul and Lucas and then took Marianne's hand and said, "This is Marianne. I hope you will be friends."
Marianne took Paul's hand in both of hers and said, "I hope we will be as well." She grinned, winked and said in a stage whisper, "Or at least let's at least pretend to tolerate one another in order in order to disappoint those who are waiting for fireworks."
For a second, Paul looked shocked, then he laughed, genuinely amused. She had disarmed him completely and everybody knew it. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, whispering, "Touch?." She grinned at him and said softly, "What do you say?"
He grinned back and nodded, saying, "Any woman who can make my father look as ecstatic as he does right now and also cut me off at the knees like that deserves at least the benefit of the doubt." He grinned and kissed her on the cheek. Marianne was thrilled to think that she had overcome the hurdle of Paul so quickly and easily. She glanced at Luke; he looked as thought he might burst out laughing. She was afraid to so much as glance at anyone else.
Next she bent down to greet Lucas, who was sitting on the floor working a puzzle on the coffee table. He stood up and took her hand, saying with more dignity than any four-year old should have, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I hope you speak English because I don't speak any French yet."
Marianne, Christa and Madeleine all looked surprised. Marianne said, "I'm delighted to meet you, too, Lucas. Tell me, where do you live?"
He said, "I live most of the time in Atlanta with my mommy or, when she's traveling, I stay with my maw maw. Some of the time I visit Daddy in Chicago or in other places when he is traveling."
Marianne smiled. That explained the "ma'am" and the delightfully familiar accent that seemed so out of place in Luke's family.
Lucas went back to his puzzle and the adults chatted over drinks until Chantal announced dinner.
They had agreed in advance that each family would exchange Christmas gifts in private so as to eliminate any awkwardness that might arise from the vast difference between the kinds of gifts they would be likely to exchange. Everyone brought gifts for Lucas, however, which they showered on him after dinner. Even Christa's family brought him a gift, which caused a moment of awkwardness. They had no idea Lucas lived in Atlanta, but Luke had told them he loved baseball, so they had bought him a Chicago Cubs baseball hat. He tried not to look disappointed, and announced that he would wear it when he was in Chicago visiting his father. He added that he was really loved the Braves best of all baseball teams. Richard, who shared season tickets with several other people in the orchestra, offered to make arrangements to take him to a Braves home game over the summer. After he climbed up in Richard's lap to thank him with hugs and kisses, he went running for the phone to call his mother and tell her he was going to a baseball game.
Christa glanced at the clock and looked at Paul, "Isn't it the wee hours in Atlanta. Won't he wake his mother?"
Paul had an odd expression on his face when he said, "Probably not."
After Lucas went to sleep in the guest room, the adults played cards for a while, until it became evident that Marianne and Christa were regular c
ard sharks, at which point the rest of the group refused to play with them any more. After that, they sat around and talked. Luke and Marianne filled his family in on some of the stories about their first meeting and how they reconnected. The party broke up early and each family unit retreated to its own space.
Luke went into the bedroom while Marianne stood out on the veranda, seeing the kids off to the inn. Paul said something about taking Lucas back to the inn. Marianne said, "Paul, if you want to stay with him, just crawl in bed here. Don't wake him up. On the other hand, if you prefer, go on back to the inn. He'll be fine here. We'll watch out for him."
Paul kissed her cheek and said, "You know, I wouldn't say this in front of anybody else because it would ruin my reputation as a total bastard, but I like you. I am very glad to have you in my dad's life. He has a light in his eyes I haven't seen in a long time.
"If you don't mind, I'll take you up on the offer to let Lucas stay here. We only have one double bed in our room at the inn and the little dude kicks like a mule."
Marianne patted his arm and said, "We'll take good care of him."
Paul headed for the inn, and Marianne checked on Lucas. He stirred in his sleep and she whispered that if he needed anything, he should come fetch her across the hall. He mumbled something, sleepily acknowledging he had heard her. She pushed his hair