Promises to Keep (21 page)

24

January 6 was the celebration of Epiphany.

“I should have known this would involve eating in some way,” Kat laughed as Philippe presented her with a
galette des rois
after dinner, a lightly sugared brioche topped with a paper crown. He cut it into three slices and Kat bit into one. Then she winced and sputtered, and spat out a porcelain bean into a tissue.

“What is it?” Kat asked. “It almost broke my tooth!”

Philippe was apologetic. “
Oh là là
—I forgot to warn you. Sorry! You got
la fève
. There’s only one in the cake, and finding it brings you good luck.”

Kat shot him a look as she rinsed the charm at the sink.

Philippe placed the paper crown on her head. “You are now king for the day, and your first wish will be granted.”

“My wish has already been granted,” Kat said. “The Idelle situation has been resolved. Nothing stands in the way of our plans for the property on the Cap now. I am so excited. This project and our new pup are going to make this a banner year.”

Each day was again bringing Kat affirmation that this was the life and the love she was meant to have.

The day before, Philippe had brought home his architect’s plans for the renovations to the villa on the Cap. They had spread them on the dining table that night and pored over every detail, making notes about changes they wanted to see. Philippe went out of his way to let Kat know this was a joint project and that her opinions and ideas were as important as his.

Now they took the drawings out again and talked some more about their hopes and dreams. Laughing as they considered—not too seriously—what they might name the inn, they decided to go to the property the next day and walk through, plans in hand.

“The new life we’re building together begins once again with these plans. That is a promise, Minou.”

Kat ran her hands lightly over the blueprints. She thought she might never have felt happier than this moment. “This is our future.”

“The work is going to begin the week after next if we want it to,” Philippe continued. “When I spoke to the contractor, Didier, last October, he had scheduled the job to begin around the first week of January. After all the trouble began with Idelle, I never canceled it. I just didn’t think of it. So we have not lost any time. What do you think, Kat? Shall we go ahead with it?”

Nodding her head and grinning, no words were necessary.

“It’s amazing how things work out because, when I met with him yesterday, Didier told me that if we could not begin right away, he would have to put it off for a year. He has been offered a big job in Juan-les-Pins, but he said he would honor his commitment to us first.”

“We have a year, at least, to think about it before we welcome our first guest. You know the way it goes with contractors and restoration work. It may take even longer.”

Kat looked at Philippe, her heart full. “We have such an exciting future ahead of us, I don’t care how long it takes. The important thing is that we are doing what you promised me months ago. How could the start of this new year be any better?”

The
galette des rois
sat forgotten on the table.

Her cell phone rang just after ten thirty that night. Katherine assumed it was either Andrea or Molly preparing to Skype.

“Hey there.
Bonne soirée
here.
Bon après-midi
to you,” she answered.

“Kat? It’s Terrence. Oh God, Kat . . . there’s been a terrible accident.”

“Is Andrea all right?” she gasped. “The kids? What happened?”

“It’s Molly, and the news is not good.”

“No!”

Her shout brought Philippe to her side, and he put his arm around her shoulder.

“The roads are very icy from a storm last night,” Terrence said. “Instead of coming for lunch, Molly decided to change her plans and meet Andrea at an auction and then join us for dinner. They were on their way here, in their own cars, when hers was hit head on. She’s in a coma. Andrea is okay. She was just ahead of Molly and heard the crash. She’s at the hospital with her now.”

Katherine wiped away tears, her voice catching as she asked questions, some that could not be answered.

“It happened a few miles from here—you know that sharp corner by the old sawmill.”

“What can I do? I’ll come right away. This is terrible . . .” and with that she broke down and passed the phone to Philippe.

He and Terrence spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Philippe held her close and stroked her hair, trying his best to comfort her as she sobbed uncontrollably.

“She can’t . . . She can’t . . . die. She just can’t . . .”

“Don’t give up hope. Terrence says they have few details, but Andrea stressed Molly is not on life support and is holding her own. He will call later, or Andrea will, as soon as they have more to tell us.”

Kat sat in a daze for a long time, unable to go to bed. Then she got up and started pacing, focusing every positive thought on Molly, willing her to recover. Philippe went online to look into flights to Toronto and texted to let Gilles know he would not be at the market the next day. Gilles texted back not to worry, as the market would be quiet, with everyone still recovering from the holidays.

Kat was beside herself, muttering repeatedly, “I can’t believe this! How could this happen to Molly? After all she’s been through in her life. How is it possible?”

Around midnight, Andrea called to report that Molly was being kept in a medically induced coma to help reduce the pressure in her brain.

“I’m so sorry, Kat. I know how terrible you must be feeling. We all are . . .” Her voice faltered and she stopped speaking for a moment. “Father DeCarlo is here and bringing us all what comfort he can.”

Hearing that he was there reassured Katherine. “No one knows Molly better,” she told Philippe.

Andrea continued. “He told me that when he was in Vancouver with Molly after Shawn died, he helped her draw up a living will and a power of attorney for both property and personal care. The person she named is you.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s right. I remember her asking me if that was all right.”

“It means it would be best if you could be here, as soon as you can manage. There are papers that require your signature. There will be decisions to make. The hospital will scan and e-mail some forms to you immediately, but they say you really should be here. I’m sure you want to be. I don’t know what else to say. I can’t think clearly.”

Fear for her friend clouded Kat’s mind, and she passed the phone to Philippe once more so he could listen to the instructions.

After he hung up, Kat looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. “I have to go, no question.”

“We will both go. I will make the reservations now.”

Kat sat, stunned, before her thoughts began to unjumble.

“It doesn’t make any sense for you to come right now. We don’t know how long Molly will be like this. I’ll get an open ticket. Besides, you have to be here to get work started on the villa. And for the market.”

“I guess that makes sense, but it doesn’t feel right,” said Philippe, hesitating, his voice tight. “But you must go to be with Molly and to take care of any decisions. I promise to be with you as soon as I can or as soon as you say.”

Kat gulped back tears, drawing strength from his calm support.

“What matters now is Molly, Kat. You are the most important person she has in her life. I know that. She needs you. Let’s call the airline now.”

“I know, I know. I want to be there with her. I need to . . . I just can’t believe this is happening.”

All flights to Toronto were full for the next day, but the day after was fine, although she would have to wait three hours in Paris between flights. Philippe made a decision and booked two flights to Paris the next day and then one for Kat to Toronto the day after.

“At least I can do the Paris part of the trip with you and we will have a quiet evening there. Then I’ll see you off on your flight to Toronto. That will be less tiring for you too.”

They both knew they would not fall asleep for a while. Kat warmed some mugs of milk, hoping that would help, and they phoned Terrence with the flight information.

“We’ll call you tomorrow as soon as we know what is happening,” he said, “and I’ll meet you at the airport. She may be transferred to a Toronto hospital but that decision hasn’t been made yet.”

They sat at the kitchen table in silence for a while, sipping the milk.

“The unpredictability of life . . .” Philippe muttered. “We thought we had problems but they were nothing compared to this.”

“Promise me we will talk at least once a day.”

“Probably more,
mon amour
. We have to deal with it moment by moment and trust all will be well. We have to do everything we can to help Molly get better.”

Resting her head on Philippe’s shoulder, Kat wept quietly. She could feel the love and concern in his embrace, and she took comfort from the strength of his body pressed to hers.

“Molly has to get better. She just has to. I need her in our life.”

“Molly will be part of our life for a very long time to come. The rest is unimportant. We must believe that.”

“We must . . .” Kat was sobbing again, as much as she tried to stop.

Rocking her gently, he continued. “And you will be back here in my arms before we know it. We have a life to live together.”

“Yes, we do,” she stammered through her tears. “And promises to keep.”

“
Oui
, Minou . . . my sweet Kat.
Sans aucun doute.
Of that there is no doubt.”

A NOTE TO YOU, DEAR READERS

Thank you for reading
Promises to Keep
.

When I finished writing
The Promise of Provence
, I thought that Katherine’s story had ended. (I loved writing it, by the way!)

But then your e-mails began arriving—by the hundreds and then thousands—asking what happens next. I was touched that so many of you cared about Katherine and Philippe and the other characters so much that you wanted more!

I thought I would write a short follow-up story, describing the life Katherine and Philippe began after they walked out of the airport to begin together. But that was not to be.

As I wrote, I began to discover more about the characters, and the story became increasingly complicated. New characters appeared, and it was as if Kat and Philippe took hold of the story and carried me along.

I also learned from your responses that you share my love for the South of France. That particular part of the world, with its beauty, culture, and history, has become a character in its own right.

As a result, I’m going to continue writing about Katherine and Philippe and the South of France, as well as Molly and Andrea and Terrence and Joy and Adorée and François and all the others you first met in
The Promise of Provence
. Now Simone, Véronique, and David as well as Annette and Gilles have joined the cast. I think you will be happy to get to know even more intriguing characters making their way into the narrative.

I’m excited to keep writing about them all, and I’m full of ideas for what happens next. I sometimes feel I’m simply a bystander who has been invited along on their adventure. The stories will continue until they—or you—let me know they are over.

What do you think? Have I made a good decision? I value your thoughts and opinions, so please share them with me right here:
[email protected]
.

Have you signed up for my newsletter? It goes out once a month with all sorts of contests and information about what’s coming next. The subscription can be found at my website:
http://patriciasandsauthor.com
.

If you have time to write a brief review I would be most grateful. Comments from readers are so helpful and inspiring. You are the reason I write and your words encourage others to read my books.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to express my sincere thanks to my family and friends for their ongoing enthusiasm. My husband’s patient support, encouragement and eager first look at my words means everything to me. My appreciation and thanks go to my editor, Dinah Forbes, for her wisdom and guidance. I owe a big bouquet of gratitude in particular to Magali Prince and Ida Young-Bondi for their valued guidance with all things French. Thanks also to my advance readers who offer me honest, helpful comments and lots of laughter! I can never repay my brother, Terry Murphy—a writer of nonfiction and highly praised educational texts, as well as a voracious reader—for his priceless assistance, opinions, and superb proofreading skills . . . and he keeps reminding me of this! Thanks to Amy Cooper and Barb Drozdowich (my tech angel!) for their dedication and active involvement in all I do. Kudos to Scott Collie and Carrie Spencer for another fabulous cover!

And now . . . on to the next book!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patricia Sands lives in Toronto, Canada, when she isn’t somewhere else. An admitted travel fanatic, she can pack a bag in a flash and be ready to go anywhere . . . particularly the South of France.

Her award-winning debut novel
The Bridge Club
was published in 2010, and her second novel,
The Promise of Provence
, the first in the Love in Provence Series, was an Amazon Hot New Release in April 2013, a USA Best Book 2013 Finalist and a 2013 Finalist in Literary Fiction, National Indie Excellence Awards.

Celebrating the rewarding friendships and bonds women share, her stories examine the challenges life often throws in our paths. Location features prominently in all her novels.

For book club discussion questions or to contact Patricia, please visit
patriciasandsauthor.com
.