“But I had one hell of a semester abroad,” I said, “just over the last two weeks.”
“As I recall,” Daniel said, “your original plan was to do that for your mother.”
I lifted my shoulders and dropped them.
“Merde arrive,” I said. “I learned that one while I was over here.”
“Now you are the one who must translate for me,” he said.
“Shit happens,” I said.
We walked over the Pont Neuf, the old stone bridge that was my favorite by now, the lights of Paris reflecting off the water in a spectacular way this time. We were halfway across when he stopped and kissed me. And if I was going to get kissed like that, I decided pretty quickly, this was the place for it to happen.
“So what do you want to do tomorrow?” Daniel said.
“Ride my horse,” I said.
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About the Authors
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. His enduring fictional characters and series include Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and Ali Cross, along with such acclaimed works of narrative nonfiction as Walk in My Combat Boots, E.R. Nurses, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. Bill Clinton （The President Is Missing） and Dolly Parton （Run, Rose, Run） are among his notable literary collaborators. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards. He lives in Florida with his family.
Mike Lupica is a veteran sports columnist—spending most of his career with the New York Daily News—who is now a member of the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. For three decades he was a panelist on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. As a novelist, he has written sixteen New York Times bestsellers. His daughter has been a competitive rider since the age of ten.