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Leo and Fiona walked back from the choral performance, and she smiled when her eyes saw the bonfire blazing. “I am amazed at how much thought they put into all the little details. It’s ten o’clock at night, and they have choral performances and bonfires still going.”
“I know,” Leo sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think Megan or her parents ever sleep. They are always available and involved from sunrise to sunset with all the activities.”
“It has to be so rewarding for them keeping this place going with such a following, and for so many years,” Fiona replied.
They came alongside the fire, and Leo pointed to two chairs, “care to sit for a just a little longer? Or do you need to check on Hadley?”
“Nina stayed with her until she fell asleep. I think they had a hundred plus pictures from today to sift through,” Fionna said. “It was such a great day, and Nina is lighting a fire in Hadley I hadn’t seen in quite a while. I just keep thanking google for helping me find this place.”
“I think it is something bigger than that,” Leo said. “It always amazes me how we find just what we need at the most opportune moments, don’t you think?”
Fiona thought back through many of the critical milestones in her life. Finding Hadley as a teen at her absolute lowest point. Hadley winning that first contest, and every one after that, she basically goaded Fiona into entering. The moments played like a Hollywood reel of highlights through her mind, “I think you might just be right. It’s been such a busy few years, I hardly have a moment to catch my breath and consider my blessings.”
“You have to do that from time to time,” Leo said as a waitress came by to take their drink orders.
An hour and a half later, Fiona could barely crawl into bed. It had been one of the busiest days yet at the Lodge. Tomorrow she would need to start making plans for them to be leaving. She had canceled their flight and hotel in the city upon deciding to stay a bit longer, and she would need to ensure they had everything in place tomorrow–but tonight she could barely keep her eyes open. Between the garland making, the kid's choir performance, s’mores by the bonfire, the day was nearly perfect–and then the books had arrived.
Megan was giddy, and they had turned out better than Fiona could ever have anticipated. James had outdone himself, and she would need to find the proper thank-you gift to try and do justice to the big colossal favor this had turned out to be. Megan had not been able to hide the excitement and passed them out after dinner with Fiona’s blessing. Everyone had been enthralled and asked about additional copies. She was going to definitely need to speak to James about doing a few small tweaks and possibly distributing on a much larger scale–along with discounted copies for those that were here and part of the process this time.
She made a note on the tiny table next to her bed but soon saw her eyes heavy as she slipped into dreamland.
Fiona was searching for Hadley. She hadn’t shown up at the rendezvous spot. She shouldn’t have left her alone in such a big city like Paris on their first night here. After that fiasco in China, when she had gotten separated, she was a bit raw. This was different though. Fiona had been allowed to talk with one of her favorite authors–she couldn’t turn it down.
Where was she? She thought to herself, looking up and down the long cobbled streets. She wracked her brain. Paris was full of so many great places to take pictures. It would be hard to figure out what might have captured her attention so entirely to cause her to lose track of what time it was? This wasn’t the first time it had happened, she just needed to think like Hadley.
Then it hit her, the conversation with their barista this morning. She knew exactly where she would be, hailing a taxi she gave the man the location–as best she could in broken French.
As they traveled through the city, Fiona couldn’t believe this was her reality. She pinched herself. After that fantastic trip to China, and then getting two articles in a row published for real money, they had decided to spend this summer traveling trying to inspire them both. Their education was critical as they might be able to make a full-time living writing and Hadley taking pictures, but for this one summer, their savings from their wins this year could make it possible.
Parc des Buttes Chaumont, the driver, said, as she paid him and exited. She started into the stunning park and found herself totally amazed at the scenery. This was definitely where Hadley would have gone for some time with a camera and nature, she thought. Strolling this way and that for quite some time, she finally glanced at this amazing rock formation in front of her and knew that was where she would find Hadley.
She made the final trek and turned a corner–there she was. Crossed legged in the grass, camera to her eye and lost in the greenery, rocks, and stunning sight in her lens. Fiona lost all ability to be mad at her, as she had just that morning been over the moon for Fiona getting to meet one of her idols. She hadn’t balked at all about being left alone for the day but piled Fiona into a cab without hesitation.
“Hadley!” She shouted, and when she turned to her, the smile on her face nearly took Fiona’s breath away.
“Have you ever seen a more perfect place?” Hadley said with wonder written all over her face. “You should see these pictures. You need to write a story about this–and my pictures can illustrate it. It’s like heaven, don’t you think?”
Fiona came awake with a start, her heart thudding in her chest. She couldn’t breathe for the longest time. She found herself suspending her lungs for a space of several heartbeats–not a sound came from the adjoining room. Something had triggered her senses and woken her up, but she couldn’t put a finger on it.
The silence was unnerving as her brain tried to find a cause for her alarm. And in that silence, she knew–she would live every moment from this point forward only half of one gloriously talented whole. Hadley had found the best place ever to take photographs from, she thought as she turned her feet outward from the bed–to go and confirm her worst fears.
