She averted her eyes, but couldn’t prevent the groan that escaped her throat.
“I’m not unaware you’re building a life for yourself here, Crystal. To fly back to France with Philippe would open up the wound again, but, for all our sakes, I’m asking you to do this. After we buried Eric, Papa worked harder than ever to stave off his grief, but now that he’s ill, he has too much time to think and remember.”
Crystal could relate. All she’d done was think and remember. Jules—Raoul’s father—was still mourning Suzanne’s death, too. All of them had loved her. Two deaths in one family were simply too much. No one understood that better than Crystal.
“I’m so sorry about Jules. This has to be agonizing for everyone.” Especially this soon after Eric. When Raoul didn’t say anything, she eyed him again. “I’m afraid this is hardest on you. With your father in the hospital, you have the whole weight of the family business on your shoulders.”
“Sometimes more work is a blessing.” He darted her a probing glance “Haven’t you found that’s true, too?”
“Yes,” she murmured before looking away guiltily. While Philippe was at school, she’d put in all kinds of extra hours dealing with stock in the back room of her father’s store so she wouldn’t think. If she hadn’t let Eric’s indifference cause her to lose her own identity as a skiing champion, she could be in an entirely different place right now.
Raoul’s unexpected arrival had exposed her deepest concerns and feelings on that score. He made her realize she needed to do something about herself, but for the immediate moment her thoughts were focused on Jules and what would help him most to recover.
“Are your passports still current? Otherwise I’ll request an emergency visa.” He took her capitulation as a fait accompli.
This was one time she had to give in and go. She wanted to, despite all her fears. “That won’t be necessary. Ours are good for another two years.”
“Bon. Then we’ll fly back tomorrow.”
Her thoughts reeled. It meant being with him again, talking to him during the long flight. Obviously the adage of out of sight, out of mind hadn’t worked in her case. She was too thrilled to see him again and had to admit it.
“I took the liberty of making a reservation for the two of you in case you were willing to come.” Raoul was a brilliant man who never left anything to chance. “I wouldn’t worry about Philippe missing school,” he said when she didn’t respond. “After what he told me on the way here in the car, I think a trip home to Chamonix is the medicine he needs, too.”
Home to Chamonix. Those words shook her to the depths. Her breath caught.
“Wh-what did he tell you?” she stammered.
A grimace marred Raoul’s features. “What didn’t he tell me? But he’s out in the hall now, which doesn’t give me time to go over the list.”
No sooner had he spoken than Philippe came bouncing back in the room. Raoul’s hearing had to be more acute than hers because she hadn’t heard anything except the loud thud of her own heart.
Philippe stared at both of them. “Can he stay with us tonight?”
The pleading look in those blue eyes combined with the palpable tension coming from Raoul was too much to take. It hurt her that Philippe had felt comfortable enough to tell Raoul things she hadn’t been able to get out of him. But that was the possessive mother in her talking, and this situation with Philippe was about him, not her.
She moistened her lips nervously, aware of Raoul’s piercing glance. “I have a better idea, honey. Your uncle’s things are back at the hotel. After flying all this way, he needs a good sleep in a big bed.” Before her son had time for a fresh meltdown she added, “And we need time to get our things packed.”
The tears filling his eyes stopped short of dripping down his cheeks. “Where are we going?”
Crystal smoothed her hands over her hips in an unconscious gesture. “I’ll let your uncle tell you.” Above all else, she trusted his discretion.
Raoul got down on his haunches in front of Philippe. “Your grand-père isn’t feeling very well right now, and he’s missing his petit-fils. So I told him I would fly to Colorado and bring you and your mommy back with me. When he sees you, I have an idea he’ll get better in a big hurry. How does that sound?”
She knew how it sounded to Philippe. The only sounds in the room came from his happy sobs as he launched himself into Raoul’s arms. They were such deep sobs, it pained her to think of the damage she’d unwittingly done by staying away from Chamonix so long.
Needing to channel her energy, she went to the closet and pulled down the suitcase she’d stored on one of the shelves. Her eye caught sight of his little striped robe hanging on a hanger. He’d outgrown it, too, but she hadn’t thrown away any of the clothes they’d brought with them. She couldn’t. Suddenly her emotions erupted and she buried her face in the toweling.
“Crystal?”
She quickly wiped off the moisture before turning around. Raoul stood in the doorway to the closet. There wasn’t enough distance separating them for her to breathe normally. His eyes studied her, but she couldn’t read their expression. “I sent Philippe downstairs to tell your parents.”
Another necessary distraction for her son. Raoul had a way with Philippe. While she stood there trying to gather her wits, he picked up the suitcase and moved it to one of the beds. She followed, watching as his fingers smoothed the Chamonix sticker pasted on the outside lid.
It brought back a memory of Raoul buying the sticker at the airport. He’d put it on Philippe’s suitcase. “This is so you won’t forget me.” He’d kissed his nephew, who’d been in tears. His finger motion just now conveyed the feelings of that painful day more powerfully than any words could do. It sent a tremor through her body. She’d never forgotten Raoul. That would be impossible.
“What time is check-in at the airport in the morning?”
Her question seemed to jar him from his thoughts. He lifted his dark head. “Eight o’clock.”
“With this storm, we’ll have to leave Breckenridge by five to make it.”
Through his dark lashes he flashed her a shuttered glance. “I’ll be here. We can eat breakfast at the airport while we’re waiting to board our flight.”
She nodded and opened the suitcase. “We’ll be ready.”
Philippe came running back in the room. “Nana and Grandpa said they’re going to miss me, but I told them Grand-père is sick and missed me, too.” He looked up at Raoul with a soulful expression. “Do you have to leave now?”
“Don’t worry.” He swept Philippe up in his arms once more. “We’ll see each other first thing in the morning. Right now you need to mind your mother and go to sleep because it’ll be a long flight to Geneva tomorrow.”
“That’s not Chamonix.”
Raoul chuckled. “No. Geneva’s in Switzerland. We’ll pick up my car at the airport and drive home.”
“Will it take a long time?”
“Only about an hour.”
Philippe looked at Crystal. “Will we go to our house?”
The house he was referring to had actually been a condo she and Eric had rented. At one time she’d assumed they would buy a house of their own, but as problems arose in their marriage no one knew about and still didn’t, they’d kept putting it off.
“Someone else lives there now,” she replied quietly. He needed