Chapter 2
BY THE TIME Andrea returned to help on Saturday morning, Simone had made good progress on sorting and packing. “I’m not saying I don’t need you,” Simone confessed as Andrea handed her a Starbucks cup, “but I think the end’s in sight.”
“Well, we don’t have to tell Jerrod we’re slackers today. I wouldn’t want to spoil his daddy day with the girls.” Andrea chuckled as she removed a partially packed box from a kitchen chair and sat down.
“Okay, I do appreciate you being here for me.” Simone cleared a spot on the table. “Packing up a dead woman’s belongings gets a little depressing. Not to mention lonely.”
“For sure.” Andrea tore open the brown bag she’d brought, revealing a small assortment of baked goods. “That was quite a rainstorm. How’s the roof holding up?”
“Still just leaking in the laundry room. One of the leaks goes straight into the washing machine. But I had to empty the bucket a few times.” Simone broke a croissant in half.
“Thinking about my suggestion?” Andrea reached for a cinnamon roll.
“Which suggestion?” Simone dodged the question, knowing full well what Andrea was talking about.
“To sell your house and go to France, silly girl.”
Simone laughed as she chewed on a bite of croissant. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple. You just make up your mind and do it. And, seriously, what about that treasure? I was thinking about it last night. Don’t you want to find out what your great-grandmother left you?”
Simone rolled her eyes. “I seriously doubt it even exists. The more times I read her letter, the crazier it all sounds. She was old, Andrea. And she missed Great-grandpapa. It’s possible she grew a bit senile toward the end. It happens.”
“You said yourself that she’d always been sharp as a tack. And why of all things would she imagine a hidden treasure?”
“I don’t know . . . but even if it were real, do you honestly think a nearly eighty-year-old treasure would still be wherever it was that she put it? It’s totally absurd.”
“Who cares if it’s absurd?” asked Andrea. “It would be an adventure. And you need an adventure. Plus, you’d be in France, Simone! Wouldn’t that be fabulous? Can you imagine?”
“You’re such a dreamer.”
“You could do this. Seriously, what’s to stop you? You’ve always had to put your dreams on hold. But not now. You’re not tied to a job and you’ve got enough in your savings to cover the trip.”
“Drain my savings for a crazy trip to France?”
“You’ll have money from selling this house, which I wanted to—”
“Traveling to France? In the wintertime? I don’t know.” Simone didn’t intend to admit to her crazy fears or that the mere thought of stepping onto a plane made her feel sick to her stomach.
“But it would be the French Alps. They’re beautiful in winter. I actually googled Avre, and it’s this perfectly charming old-world town. It reminded me of the village my mom puts under her Christmas tree every year. Only it’s real.”
Simone nodded somberly. “I know . . . I actually googled it last night too.”
“So, aren’t you dying to go there? I mean it’s your ancestors’ home. Wouldn’t you love to see it in person?”
“Of course, I’d love to see it, but I—”
“Listen to me, Simone,” Andrea said, cutting her off. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. I decided that you—of all people—deserve it.”
Simone sighed. “Deserve it?”
“Mom and I were talking about it the other day. She reminded me of a few things. You know, about your life.”
“What about my life?” Simone frowned.
“Well, I don’t want to drag you through the past, but you’ve had some pretty hard breaks. I mean, for starters—your mom. Not everyone gets abandoned and left with their grandparents.”
Simone felt a lump in her throat. “My grandparents loved me more than—”
“Yes, yes, I know. But your mom just disappears and never comes back. Then you don’t even know who your dad is. You’re barely out of high school and your grandpa dies tragically, so you put your life on hold and spend the next couple of years helping your grandma get over the loss. When you finally go to college, it’s not for anything that truly interests you. No, you let Betty talk you into taking the safe route.”
“It seemed sensible at that time,” Simone said defensively.
“Yeah, yeah. But then Betty gets Alzheimer’s, and you give up your job—your boring job—to come back here to help her. You deserve more, Simone, and Mom and I decided that your great-grandmother and Betty are now your ticket to getting it. Voilà!”
“How so?” Simone tried to appear nonchalant as she sipped her latte.
“Betty left you this house so you have plenty of money, and your great-grandmother left you some hidden treasure to motivate you to go. Call it fate or kismet or God directing your path, but the implications are obvious. You are meant to go to France.”
“Wow, you’ve obviously given this some thought.” Simone felt slightly amused . . . and touched. “Thanks, but no—”
“No more buts!” Andrea set her coffee cup down so hard that it splashed over the side. “You have to go. If nothing else, do it for me. I’ll live vicariously through you. I’ve always wanted to go to France. And the French Alps at Christmas? How can you possibly say no?”
Simone sighed, looking over to the kitchen cupboards. “I still have the kitchen to pack and—”
“Simone Sophia Winthrop, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, of course. And I can’t deny that visiting France does sound lovely. It’s just that I have so much to do still, and I—”
“Okay, then, think about this.” Andrea locked eyes with her. “Family.”
“Family?”
“Yes. Family.” Andrea tilted her head to one side. “Where’s yours?”
Simone felt a lump in her throat as she considered this. “Dead . . . and gone.”
“That’s right. I didn’t want to drag you down, but you don’t have one single living relative, do you? None that you know of anyway. But you might have some family members in France. Go look up the Beaumonts of Avre.”
Simone smiled. “I don’t know why you quit law school, Andrea. You’d have made a great attorney.”
“Thanks.” Andrea looked smug. “I do plan to finish law school when the girls are a little older.”
“Okay, I’m considering what you said, and it’s very tempting.” Simone took a slow sip of coffee, trying to decide how much she wanted to disclose about her flying fear.
“Well, let’s make it even more tempting.” Andrea leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye. “Mom and I think we’ve found a buyer for your house.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep, and we won’t even charge you a realtor commission.”