The waiter poured each of them a glass of champagne, and they sat down to enjoy each other’s company before dinner. They talked about Federico’s Paris show again, and how beautiful it had been, and Gabrielle turned to Olivia with a question.
“Where’s your young man? Or not so young perhaps,” she laughed.
“With his wife and children,” Olivia said glumly.
“How disappointing. I was hoping to meet him. Oh well, another time.” She didn’t react to what Olivia had said about his wife. “Is all well?”
“Yes, he gave me a beautiful sapphire bracelet for Christmas, and he’ll be back tomorrow.” She held out her wrist to show her grandmother and Gabrielle nodded.
“Next year we’ll have to invite him with his children.” Gwen nodded, not entirely sure she liked the plan. She had valuable delicate objects in her apartment, and didn’t want them broken.
They drank champagne for an hour and then went in to dinner. They had duck à l’orange, which was their tradition, with caviar first, and flaming Christmas pudding for dessert. It was a sumptuous meal.
After dinner, they exchanged gifts. Gabrielle had had her gift to her daughter delivered, and Gwen had noticed that it was incredibly heavy. They had placed it by the fireplace, near the tree. Gwen opened it and it was a miniature of one of Gabrielle’s horses, which she had made for her. Gwen loved it. It was cast in bronze and a beauty. Her mother exclaimed with delight when she opened Gwen’s gift to her. It was the painting she had completed since her mother had suggested she take up painting again. She had, and it was a beautiful Tuscan landscape Gwen had painted from memory. It had the feeling of a Monet.
“Oh, you’re so good,” her mother said with pleasure. “You should have been a painter! You are a painter!” Federico loved it too.
Gabrielle had made a tiny horse for Olivia. It fit in the palm of her hand. Her mother had given her a very pretty white fur jacket that fit her perfectly, and a fun pair of shoes. Olivia had given her grandmother a heavy warm sweater to wear while she worked, and another one for Federico, and a gold bangle bracelet for her mother. Federico had given all the ladies warm silk and cashmere Hermès scarves in a different color for each of them.
“We’ve been thoroughly spoiled,” Gabrielle exclaimed. Federico had taken off his velvet dinner jacket and tried on the sweater from Olivia and he loved it, and Olivia wore her white fur jacket and looked adorable in it. Gwen had given Federico a warm cashmere beanie and fur-lined gloves for when he went out taking photographs at night or in the early morning, which he did frequently.
Gabrielle and Federico left around eleven-thirty. Olivia stayed until after midnight and then she went home to her empty apartment. She couldn’t stop thinking about Paul, and wondered what he was doing with Eileen and the children. She missed him and was worried. It spoiled Christmas for her in spite of the pleasant evening she had spent with her family.
* * *
—
In Greenwich, they drank eggnog before dinner and not champagne. Eileen had cooked a turkey, and Paul carved it, as he always did. She made the black truffle and foie gras stuffings they had all loved on Thanksgiving, and Paul said they were incredible. They sat at the table for a long time and then cleared together, left it all in the kitchen to deal with later, and then opened presents. Eileen had told him what the children wanted, and he had gotten her a white cashmere sweater, which was beautiful. She had gotten him a royal blue one from Hermès. He loved the black one from Pennie. The boys had given IOUs for various services they promised to perform for all of them, like car washing and shoveling the driveway. They were all enjoying their gifts, when Eileen cleared her throat nervously, and said she had an announcement. She hesitated for a second, getting up her courage, while they waited.
“Are we getting a dog?” Mark asked.
“No, at least not right now. I’m going to do something that I’ve thought about for a long time. I’m going to Paris,” she said. They all smiled. But there was more to it. “For three months, to study at Le Cordon Bleu professional cooking school. I’ve been accepted. And when I get back, I’m going to open my own catering business here in Greenwich.” Paul and the children looked stunned. “I need your help, and this is important to me. Halfway through the class, you all have ski week, and I’m bringing you to Paris to spend your vacation with me.” Then she looked at Paul, who was stupefied by what she was saying. She was starting a business and going to school, and had made all the decisions by herself. She had dreams again, and Eileen was determined that this time no one would take them from her. She wouldn’t let them. “And I need you to stay with the kids when I’m gone,” she said to Paul. “I leave on New Year’s Day, and start class the next day. I’ll be back on March thirty-first after I graduate. So for three months, I need you to stay in Greenwich. Tina said she’ll stay overnight when you really need her to.” She was the house cleaner they’d had for years, the children loved her, and she was good with them, and trustworthy and reliable. “And they’ll be gone for ten days in the middle of it, so you’ll get a break. But I really want to do this, and this is the only way I can.” She left no room for argument, and he knew he owed it to her. He had cheated on her for five months, moved out, was continuing the affair, and after carrying the heavy load of the household and kids for eighteen years, she had managed alone for the past two months. He felt that the least he could do was move back to Greenwich for three months, and do what she did every day without complaining. He had no idea how he was going to explain it to Olivia, but he knew he had to. He didn’t want to let Eileen down again.
There was a rapid babble of conversation as soon as she stopped talking. No one could believe she had applied to cooking school in Paris, been accepted, made her plans, and hadn’t said a word. Their Christmas gift to her was to support her doing it. Pennie said she would help as much as she could. And Paul had agreed to move back in a week, on New Year’s Day. It was a home run. She had hit one right out of the park. She realized that in some ways it was a selfish decision and didn’t include them, but they were old enough to weather it for three months, and their father would be with them. He was key to the plan, but he hadn’t said a word of objection. She thanked all of them and hugged them when they all went to bed. Paul still looked stunned and she thanked him profusely.
Jane called her that night on her cell when she was in bed. She was the only person Eileen had told.
“What did they say?”
“I think they’re in shock,” Eileen giggled, “but everyone said they’d pitch in, and Paul is going to do it. He’ll move in.”
“You realize, don’t you, that you just screwed up his playtime royally. His girlfriend is not going to thank you for parking him in Greenwich with the kids for three months. But, oh well, isn’t that too bad? And turnabout is fair play. They deserve it.” Jane had no sympathy for him whatsoever, and she was delighted for her friend. She had a dream now, and a plan, and she was going to Paris to become a chef, and a caterer when she returned!