“But we want to see you too, Tasha.” Claudette moved toward her and reached for her hand. “You’re a member of this family.”
“Very soon I’ll be an ex-member of this family.”
“There isn’t a document in the world that will ever make you an ex around here.” Claudette pushed a suitcase aside and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Andre loves you. We all love you.”
“And I love all you guys, too,” Tasha said in an almost pleading tone.
“Is there no hope for you and Andre?” Claudette asked. “There is the baby to think about. No one should grow up without a father.”
“My baby has a father.” Tasha voice turned stern.
“I meant no offense.” Claudette cleared her throat. “I just want you to find a way to bridge this gap between you and Andre.”
“So do I.” Tasha nodded and shrugged.
“I know you feel betrayed. But quite frankly, your marriage is far stronger than mine was in the beginning.” Claudette’s declaration drew a measure of curiosity from Tasha. “Maurice was shopping for a wife. Oh, I know he loves me…now. But in the beginning he was looking for a mother for his boys.” Claudette looked off in an unfocused gaze. But soon, a smile tipped the corners of her mouth and she looked at Tasha. “I love that job, you know.” Her eyes teared up.
“Of course, you do.” Tasha sat down beside Claudette and wrapped her arms around her. “You’ve been a wonderful mother to both Julian and Andre. They’re very lucky.”
“So you’ll understand why I’m trying to keep you from breaking my son’s heart?”
Tasha plucked a Kleenex from the box on the nightstand and offered it to Claudette. She took it and dabbed her tears.
“Believe me,” Tasha said. “I don’t want to hurt Andre. I just wish I could get to that place where I believe he loves me as much as he wanted that money.”
Claudette let out a long, lonely sigh. “Well, you just leave it to Andre. He’s a resourceful man.” She got up and went to the door, turned and looked over her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll find a way.”
“I hope so,” Tasha said as Claudette moved out into the hallway.
Tasha swiped at the tears and went back to packing. She knew the de Laurents meant well, but she wasn’t sure any of them—including Camille—understood that resolving this mess with Andre was going to take time. Realistically it might never happen. Either way, she had no control over what or how she felt.
A quiet rap on the door brought Tasha out of her personal reflections. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Camille standing in the doorway.
“You’ve been crying.” Camille entered the room and went straight to her side. “Is everything okay?”
“Well, I guess that’s a matter of opinion.” Tasha tried to laugh. Sucking in a breath did little to tamp down the overwrought feeling overwhelming her. She slumped down onto the clear spot on the bed where Claudette had recently vacated. “I just feel like everybody’s trying to push me into doing something my heart’s not ready to do.”
Camille sat down with her. “Tash, I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that way.” She fingered Tasha’s blonde tresses out of her face. “I never meant to.” Camille shook her head. “I guess my motives were a bit selfish. I wanted you here so I didn’t feel so alone.”
“Alone? You?” Tasha blurted out. “With a man like Julian at your side?”
“You have a man like Andre at your side,” Camille reminded her. “It’s not stopping you.” Camille, Tasha was sure, hadn’t meant that to bite as much as it did.
“It’s different with me and Andre than it was for you and Julian.”
“Not really.” Camille wrinkled her nose and shrugged. “None of the de Laurent men have entered into marriage in the traditional way. Every one of them had to have a logical reason. Maurice, when he married Julian and Andre’s mother…he did that because he needed her money. And again when he married Claudette…he needed a mother for his children.” Her face held a solemn expression. “And Julian, well, you know his story. My point is that whatever induced the de Laurent men to marry, it doesn’t mean they love us any less.”
“Camille, I pray every day that I can get over it. Maybe someday I will.” She lowered her head.
“But right now you just need a little time to heal.” Camille patted Tasha’s hand.
“Avignon isn’t that far away.” Tasha looked up, seeing Camille’s smile. She needed her friend in her life. “You’ll come see me, won’t you?”
“I’m going to come see you so often that you’re going to get tired of me.”
“I doubt that.” Tasha laughed and then Camille laughed, too.
Laughing felt good. Tasha hadn’t done much of that lately. Maybe one day she’d feel the urge naturally, and not have to have it coaxed out of her. Until that day she was going to need the support of her best friend—who was also Andre’s family.
Claudette was on a mission, she was going to find Andre. Finally, an idea had come to her. One she thought just might work. As far as she could see, there was only one way to convince Tasha that Andre loved her more than he wanted the Renault fortune.
She caught up with him in the hidden alcove in the east garden. He was sitting with his arms stretched out along the back of the bench in front of his unborn child’s memorial statue.
Quietly, Claudette claimed the empty spot on the bench beside him. “Tough times. How are you holding up?”
Andre hesitated a moment and then turned to Claudette. “My misery is of my own making.” He looked at her for a brief time and then guided his attention back to the memorial stone.
“We’ll that’s not entirely true.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it. The family was in enough turmoil without adding a fight between Andre and Maurice into the mix. “It’s nobody’s fault, really. You had a lot of responsibilities piled on you when faced with your grand uncle’s will. It would’ve been hard to please everyone.”
“Yes—” He looked at Claudette again. “But the one person I should’ve been concerned with pleasing, I didn’t.”
“That’s hardly fair, Andre,” she said in an unwavering voice, then waited a bit before adding in a more casual tone, “You know what I think?”