Turning Point(23)

    There was something wonderfully intimate and cozy about Valérie’s apartment and it made everyone want to stay forever, relax, and be among good friends. It felt that way as they chatted and opened up to each other. Stephanie admitted to Gabriel that she had felt very guilty leaving her children, but she knew this was an important trip for her so she came.

“How did your husband feel about it?” Gabriel asked her in a gentle voice. He was a huge teddy bear of a man, and she could easily imagine feeling safe in his arms.

“He wasn’t pleased about it. In fact, he was still angry when I left,” she said honestly.

“Is he a physician?”

She shook her head. “He’s a freelance writer.”

“It’s very difficult being married to someone who’s not in medicine. Most of the time, they don’t understand the demands a medical career makes on us. It destroyed my marriage too.”

“Mine isn’t destroyed yet,” she corrected his impression, to be fair to Andy. But they hadn’t been doing well for the past year, and the trip to Paris was the icing on the cake.

“My wife and I began going our separate ways five years ago. It was just too difficult arguing with her all the time, about the children, about dinner parties I couldn’t go to, about her parents. I was never where she wanted me to be. In truth, I have very little spare time, and what I do have, I spend with my children.” She understood perfectly what he was describing and she was living it herself.

    “You’re divorced?” Stephanie asked, curious about him. He seemed like such a nice man, and he appeared to have gone through the same things she had, with his wife. It sounded like the marriage was over.

“Not yet. We’ve discussed it many times. The animus of the marriage is dead. The disposal of the paperwork and the property are details. We have an arrangement that works for us both,” he said in a smooth, matter-of-fact way.

“That sounds complicated,” Stephanie said, frowning. “Divorce is very clear. You’re married or you’re not.”

“Americans make it very simple. The paperwork and division of property is more complicated here. Sometimes it’s just easier to lead separate lives. The address is just an administrative detail. And you wait to divorce until you meet someone you want to marry. Otherwise, why go through all that pain and expense if you don’t want to marry again?” It was one way to look at it, but not hers. “My wife and I both agree that we’re free.”

“That must be awkward for the people you go out with, and for your kids,” she said practically.

“Most of their friends’ parents are in the same situation. It’s not unusual here.”

Stephanie nodded. She couldn’t imagine wanting an “arrangement” with Andy. If their marriage broke down, she would want a divorce. It seemed cleaner. But Gabriel didn’t seem sneaky or dishonest, just French. They talked about many subjects and agreed on almost all of them. He explained to her about the French public health system, and social security, which paid all medical expenses for everyone. All you needed was a green credit card, a Carte Vitale, and you could have any procedure you wanted or needed, for a minimal amount or even for free. Surgeries which cost a fortune in the States cost very little or nothing at all in France.

    They discussed the high cost of medical care in the States, and then talked about their children. He had married young, and his four children were in their teens. She was amazed by how comfortable she felt with him, and the others seemed equally so in the nest Valérie provided. She was a wonderful hostess. The atmosphere was intimate and warm and sexy, like Valérie herself. Tom was following her around like a puppy while she continued to ignore him, but every now and then she would smile at him, and he looked like he was going to melt. Bill and Wendy noticed and laughed at how besotted he was. Valérie only appeared amused, and treated him like a silly child. His Don Juan act had dissolved like ice cream in the summer sun.

She had bought a delicious apple tart for dessert, which she served with vanilla ice cream, and café filtre. No one made a move to leave until after one A.M., and it was nearly two when they finally made it out the door. The whole group left together, after thanking Valérie profusely. Gabriel offered to drive Stephanie home. He said it was too cold for her to go back on the bike. He offered the others a lift too, and they declined, but Stephanie gratefully accepted the ride with him. When they reached her building, he gazed deep into her eyes and didn’t speak for a minute.

    “I’ve never met a woman like you, Stephanie. You’re so honest and strong and brave. I wish I had met you a long time ago.” A chill ran down her spine as he said it, and she felt a powerful attraction to him, which she hadn’t felt in years for anyone. They had both had a fair amount of wine and she wondered if it was due to that. “When we left the office yesterday, I couldn’t wait to see you again. The night was too long without you.” It was a very romantic thing to say and she didn’t know how to respond. She was a married woman, and she didn’t have an “arrangement” with Andy, unlike Gabriel and his wife. And she’d only known him for two days. He seemed very intense. “I think destiny brought us together.” She wondered if that was true. He kissed her fingertips, which sent an electric thrill through her, and she got out of his car as the others arrived and parked the rental bikes in the stand in front of their building. A minute later Gabriel drove away with a last heated look at her and a wave.