Nora laughed. How could she not? “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the speech. For making me laugh. For being you.” Nora shook her head. She thought of what Hailey had said about Jane being her friend. Since she’d met Jane, she’d felt like Jane had forced her friendship on Nora. But maybe she’d been wrong. “I’ve never had a friend like you. So strong and independent. So sure of herself.”
Jane quieted.
When Nora looked at her, she thought Jane appeared suddenly lost in thought, as if there were deep, dark secrets that wanted to come forth, but she wouldn’t allow them to. Jane’s life wasn’t as perfect as it appeared from the outside. Maybe Jane truly needed her friendship more than Nora had first thought.
“Are you okay?” Nora asked. “From the start, you’ve been too good to be true. Offering me a position at your company, sending me off to a luxury spa to be pampered, picking up my daughter and making dinner for my family. And now, here you are, driving me around town, buying me ice cream, and doing everything in your power to make me feel better when I don’t think I’ve ever asked you how you’re doing. You once mentioned a childhood trauma that changed your life. Do you want to talk about it?”
For a moment there, Nora thought Jane might actually open the floodgates and tell her about her childhood and why she couldn’t bear children. There was so much more to Jane, but she seemed to hold everything inside. It felt as if there was an unknown tension between them. How could they be friends if Jane didn’t open up? Nora wanted to help Jane find a way to let her walls down so she might begin to heal. “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk,” Nora said.
Jane jumped to her feet, walked to the closest trash bin, and tossed the rest of her sundae. “Too much of a good thing can be disastrous on the hips.” She returned to the bench. “I don’t want to regret this little outing next time I hop on the scale. Come on, let’s get back to work.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Nora stood at the door, luggage at her feet. Today was bittersweet. She was leaving for Paris. A dream come true? Not quite. She was leaving David behind. There would be no point in visiting the Wall of Love （Le Mur Des Je T’aime）， no reason to picnic at the Luxembourg Gardens. A sunset cruise along the Seine? That would have to wait until she and David could make the trip to Paris alone and kiss while they floated beneath the lovers’ bridge.
“All ready to go?” David asked.
She smiled, turned to face him, and put her arms around his neck so she could feel his jaw against her face and nuzzle the soft, warm part of his neck. “I wish you were coming with me.”
“You’ll be busy at the trade show, soaking it all in. And besides, you’ll have Jane to keep you company.”
That much was true, she thought. She pulled back so she could see his handsome face. “Whatever happened with that new client you were meeting last week? I never asked.”
“It didn’t work out,” he said, turning away. He walked to the door and picked up her luggage.
His face flushed. Or was it her imagination? Before she had a chance to query him further, he shouted, “Kids! Come say goodbye to Mom.”
Trevor was there in an instant, his skinny arms curled around Nora’s waist, and she held him tight, breathed him in. He was growing like a weed, but he was still her little boy. She used to be a foot taller than Trevor. Now the top of his head was even with her collarbone, and there was no need to reach out and lift his chin in order to see his face when she spoke to him. “Be good,” she said.
A dimple flashed. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too.” She gave him another squeeze.
“Have fun, Mom,” Hailey said from the top of the stairs.
Sadness crept over Nora. Hailey used to follow her around, always tugging at the hem of her blouse or dress to get her attention. Those days seemed to be long gone.
“Get down here,” David said, “and give your mom a hug goodbye.”
Thumping footfalls as she made her way down the stairs were followed by a dramatic show of flailed arms and groaning. It was the same thing she did whenever Nora asked her to unload the dishwasher. Hailey flounced across the entryway and gave Nora a limp-armed hug.
“I’ll miss you, too.” Nora hugged her tight. “Smile,” she said. “It’s Thanksgiving in a few days. Time to start thinking about all the things you have to be grateful for.”
Hailey broke away. “Who’s going to cook the turkey?”
Nora looked at David. “You, Trevor, and Dad.”
Another groan from Hailey.
“Okay, time to go,” David said. “I expect you both to be ready for school when I return.”
By the time Nora’s luggage was in the trunk and she was buckled into the car, only Trevor stood at the door waving goodbye. She waved back, refusing to let Hailey’s nonchalance about her departure get to her. Being a teenager today couldn’t be easy: hormonal changes, establishing an identity and self-expression. It was a lot to deal with. Nora didn’t even want to think about Hailey driving. The notion made her tense. She drew in a breath. She needed to talk to Hailey and rebuild that connection they used to have. One more thing she needed to put on the back burner until she returned.
Nora was having a difficult time concentrating on the task ahead of her. Once she reached her destination, she would need to practice her sales pitch, using Jane’s words verbatim: Let our software do the heavy lifting so that your employees can focus on core business tasks and revenue-generating activities.
David had turned on the radio and appeared deep in thought as music played in the background. She wondered what he was thinking. She could ask him, but the thought of doing so bothered her because they had always been so close, so good at communicating, that she’d never felt the need to pick at or prod him before. He was usually the talkative one out of the two of them. “Is everything all right?” she asked him.
“Sure. I’m going to miss you, that’s all.”
Something more was eating away at him. She’d known him for too long to miss the signs. But this, too, would have to wait. “I’ll miss you, too.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nora had been at Terminal B for an hour and still no sign of Jane. She had called and texted Jane but had received no reply. She called the receptionist at IMPACT, who said she hadn’t seen Jane but would leave a message for her to call when and if she showed up.
“We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes’ time. Thank you.”
Next, Nora called David.
He picked up on the first ring. “Hi, honey. How’s it going?”
“Jane hasn’t shown. I’ve already texted her and tried calling. I also called work and left a message. We’re boarding now, and I’m frantic.”
“Calm down. Take a breath. I’m sure she’ll show up, but if she misses the flight, I’m sure she can hop on the next one. Do you have the confirmation number for the hotel where you’re staying?”