Page 154 of Double Fault

And Noah needs to know that if I choose them, it’s because it’s whatIwant.

“Tomorrow.” She rubs her face against her dad’s shirt. “That’s so soon.”

I’ll be heading back to the States tomorrow morning, and tomorrow night, Maddie and her dad will be on their way to Paris for the Olympics.

“I know.”

“Dad? Can I have a phone so I can talk to Sabrina?”

He rubs the top of her head, ruffling her hair. “Of course.”

“You’ll answer if I call, won’t you?”

She could call me in the middle of the night and I’d talk to her for hours.

“Absolutely.”

“Will you come see us in Paris?”

My lungs constrict. “Probably not.”

School starts in a matter of weeks. If I get the job, I’ll be busy getting everything I need for my classroom.

“What comes after Paris, Dad?”

“The Cincinnati Open. We’ll be in Ohio.”

“What about there, Sabrina?” she asks, whole face brightening. “That’s in America. Can you visit us there?”

“I don’t know.” God, I feel so helpless. “We’ll have to see.”

Her shoulders deflate.

My stomach churns at the thought that I’m the cause of any of her suffering.

“You matter to me. So much, Maddie.” More than she knows. “We’ll see each other again. I promise.”

She shoves her pinky out to me. “Pinky swear?”

I hook my little finger with hers. “Pinky swear.”

Keep it together,I chant silently.

With my bags packed on one side of me and Noah on the other, I’m doing my best not to lose it.

When the sleek black car pulls up in front of us, I peer up at the man I’ve fallen in love with.

“I guess this is goodbye.”

He shakes his head and tugs me close. “Not yet.”

“The car’s here. I have to go.”

The driver is already rounding the back of the vehicle, headed straight for my luggage.

Oh, shit. It’s the same guy who took us to our dinner at the castle. Now I really, really hope he was oblivious to what happened in the back of the car.

“I’m going with you to the airport.”

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