Turning Point(61)

They ate dinner naked in bed and she left him reluctantly at midnight after they’d made love again. She showered and dressed respectably. The whole group was meeting the next day for brunch at the Zuni Café, and Stephanie was excited about seeing them. Andy had already agreed to keep the boys, and was taking them to his mother’s house for the day, so she knew they’d be busy. And Wendy had texted all of them about a barbecue at her house next Sunday night.

    Andy was already in bed when she got home and appeared to be asleep. She had the feeling he wasn’t, but he didn’t say anything, and she didn’t turn on the lights or speak to him. A few minutes after she got home, she slipped into bed beside him, thinking about the afternoon and evening she had spent with Gabriel. It was real, she was sure of that now. They were madly in love. But Andy lying next to her was real too.



* * *



—

Andy was already up when Stephanie awoke in the morning. He and the boys were downstairs, dressed and having breakfast. She went to sit with them, before they left for Orinda. She was leaving for brunch shortly after. Andy said very little. He didn’t ask about the French team or their brunch meeting or their plans for the week. The only thing he knew about was the mayor’s reception, which he was planning to attend and she wished that he wasn’t. That was going to be dicey with Gabriel there too.

They were like a group of old friends when they met at noon at the Zuni Café. The food was European and American, with some California dishes, pasta, and fabulous oysters, which the French contingent were eager to try. They hugged and kissed when they met. Tom and Valérie looked peaceful and happy and exuded the aura of a couple as they joined the others, and Gabriel sat next to Stephanie and devoured her with his eyes. Bill was happy to see Wendy, she asked about Pip and Alex. Paul reported that he’d had a great night on the town. Marie-Laure had gone shopping in Union Square before having dinner with Wendy. They were all excited to be there, and would be touring SF General with Bill leading the way the next day, after the morning at the DEM, the Department of Emergency Management, and then they would be visiting the Emergency Operations Center the day after that. They had a busy week ahead. And Bill was eager to show them where he worked.

    They were a boisterous group, talking and laughing in English and French, and Valérie asked Stephanie quietly how things were going with her unraveling marriage.

“Tense,” Stephanie said, as she sat holding Gabriel’s hand.

“Have you told him anything since you got back?”

“We agree that it’s not working. I’ll talk to him about it after you all leave. I didn’t want to rock the boat too much while you’re here. I’m sticking to that plan.”

Someone mentioned the mayor’s reception then, and they were excited about it. Stephanie used the opportunity to warn Gabriel that Andy was coming, and he was instantly upset.

“How did that happen? Did you invite him?” He was shocked.

“Of course not. He saw the invitation and grabbed it before I could stop him, and he insisted he wants to come. I don’t know why this time, he never does. We’ll just have to get through it and be discreet.” Gabriel looked ruffled for a few minutes and then got drawn into conversation with the others and forgot about it. Tom told them about the trick Valérie had played on him, pretending she’d found a thong under the bed, when it was her own. “I nearly had a heart attack,” he said, and she laughed. She was playful and naughty and sexy and he loved that about her too, as well as her serious, sensitive, loving, and smart side. She had all the qualities he’d ever dreamed of and never found in one woman.

    “How are things working out with your situation?” Bill asked Wendy discreetly and she smiled.

“Done. I ended it when I got back.” He looked surprised.

“I didn’t think you’d do that, or not for a while. Married men are hard to get away from.”

“It was time. It was long overdue, in fact, and I finally realized it. I’d been making a fool of myself for the last two or three years,” she admitted.

“Welcome to the human race. I made an ass of myself for five, hating my ex-wife when we never should have been together in the first place. Some things take longer than others to get over. I’m proud of you,” he said and they high-fived.

Valérie told the group then that Marie-Laure had had dinner with Captain Bruno Perliot twice in the last two weeks since they left. She looked embarrassed and shy, but pleased.

“He’s very nice” was all she would say about him, but the American team were happy to hear it. He had seemed like a good man.

“Hopefully, we won’t provide as much excitement as you gave us,” Bill said solemnly, thinking of the school attack. “Just a lot of information, paperwork, and tours. The most dangerous location is at the hospital where I work tomorrow. Our patients shoot each other regularly if they haven’t finished the job on the street.” He insisted it was true. “The most challenging part of our job is dodging stray bullets while they kill each other and we try to save their lives. It’s an interesting segment of society.” He was joking but not entirely, and handguns were more common in the States than in France. “Very Wild West,” Marie-Laure commented and they laughed.