“I just asked myself: what would you do in this situation?” Ade shrugged.
Sylvie grimaced. “I’m not sure you should stake all your hard conversations on what I would do. I often get things spectacularly wrong.”
“I don’t think so.” Ade squeezed Sylvie’s hip, enjoying the proximity on their commute home by tram. “Once I tracked your voice in my head, I just leaned into my instincts.”
“Sounds like a tough session. Did you report it to the well-being team?”
“I filed a report right away.” Ade flicked the screen on her phone. “They got back to me with a referral link that I can send onto Madison.”
“Good. Tell her I’d be more than happy to talk to her too, if that would help.” Sylvie rested her hand on Ade’s thigh. “Not that I want to step on your toes. You’re doing a good job.”
Ade looked down at her toes and the clear gap between her feet and Sylvie’s. “I know.” She closed her eyes to the crowded tram and focused on the gentle sway of the car. When she opened them, the orange lights of the city’s street lamps were speeding past the windows.
“You okay?” Sylvie asked.
“I’m going to miss you while we’re away.” Her head pounded with the heaviness of the day, but the flicker of pride in her chest was enough to keep her going. Rather than retreat to the solitude of the marine lab, today she’d faced her fears and dealt with the most human of problems: someone in pain, hurting from loneliness and overwhelm.
Ade had been there. She’d climbed the spiral that Madison was trying to clamber out of. She wanted to be there when Madison needed her most. She wanted to prove to herself and others thatshe could stand on her own two feet and not just be a grown-up but also a helpful person.
But most of all, she wanted Sylvie to see her and value her. Ade already ached from Sylvie’s impending absence. Would Sylvie’s essence stay in her heart when she wasn’t by her side?
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“I toldher that one best friend was more than enough, but Elda’s greedy.” Jack threw Sylvie’s holdall across his slim shoulder and winked.
“Elda is one of the most demanding people I know when it comes to love and affection. She has it in spades and still wants more.” Sylvie giggled. “I’m sorry to usurp your position, but I promised I’d come for the exhibition launch, and I missed the last one.”
“Yeah, she wouldn’t stop complaining when you didn’t show up in Edinburgh. I never thought she’d forgive you.”
Sylvie winked. “I have my ways.”
“I bet you do, you minx.” Jack held open the door to their hotel.
He’d lost none of his British charm since she’d last seen him. His previously skinny frame had filled out with muscle, and he boasted a healthy glow on his fair skin, which reassured Sylvie that all was well, despite Jack’s years of hedonism with Elda as his sidekick. He was a magnet for fun and laughter, attracting like-minded people who found joy in life, even in its darkest moments. Sylvie loved him all the more because he could be there for Elda when she couldn’t.
“Now,” Jack said, “I need to warn you that my new boyfriend is super stylish and will give your Parisian ways a little run for your money.”
Sylvie doubted that. Jack’s last beau had been a fleeting guest at their dinner table one hot summer afternoon a couple of years ago. He was tall and handsome, no denying that, but had all the grace of a baby giraffe. “What’s his name?”
“Julius.”
Sylvie stifled her laughter. “As in Caesar?”
“As in, Smith. Julius Smith.” He shrugged.
“I look forward to meeting him.”
“Good, because there he is at the bar. I messaged him our order.” Jack pulled her suitcase through the grand foyer of the hotel. “Darling, this is Sylvie Boucher, Elda’ssecondbest friend. She’s French, and she looks down on most people, but I’ve warned her that you have a sense of style to rival Dior himself.”
Sylvie smirked at the introduction, used to Jack’s unique sense of humor. “Delighted to meet you, Julius. I’ve heard very little about you, but I get the sense that by the end of the evening, we shall be the best of acquaintances.”
Julius took a ridiculous bow, dipping his perfectly coiffed hairline. Sylvie wasn’t sure whether he was greeting her or beginning a performance.
“Enchanted to meet you.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it gently.
“Such a gentleman.” Sylvie grinned at Jack. “What do you see in our friend Jack the lad?”
Julius winked. “He has his moments.”
