Chapter 11
"Then those should be your words," Luca said.
He pushed a clean sheet of paper toward Sophie.
I placed the pencil beside it.
She looked from me to Madame Fournier.
"Do I have to make it sound grown-up?"
The French woman smiled.
"No, Sophie. I would much rather hear you sound like yourself."
Sophie considered that.
Then she began writing.
Nobody interrupted.
Not even Luca.
For several minutes, the only sound was the gentle scratch of pencil against paper.
Finally, Sophie looked up.
"Can I read it?"
"Please," Madame Fournier said.
Sophie straightened the page.
"Dear Madame Fournier,
Thank you for telling me about your school.
I like French and horses. But I don't want to live far away from my uncle.
I want to stay in Chicago.
I want to be in my school play on Friday.
And I want to learn French because my mommy liked it.
Thank you,
Sophie Moretti."
Luca blinked several times.
Madame Fournier took the letter.
"May I keep this with the withdrawn application?"
Sophie nodded.
"Yes."
"Then this is the decision I will record."
Vanessa had spent weeks arranging forms, programs, signatures, and travel plans.
Sophie had needed one sheet of paper.
And the freedom to say what she meant.
Madame Fournier placed it on top of the folder.
Then she hesitated.
"Mr. Moretti, I must address one more uncomfortable matter."
Luca looked at her.
"Go ahead."
"The scholarship announcement involved charitable pledges. Some were made because donors believed Sophie's attendance had been agreed upon."
He nodded.
"I understand."
"I will need to explain why that particular arrangement cannot proceed."
Sophie immediately looked worried.
"Will everybody be mad at me?"
Madame Fournier shook her head.
"No, sweetheart."
"But Vanessa said lots of people were counting on me."
Luca leaned toward her.
"Adults are responsible for the promises they make. Not you."
Madame Fournier nodded.
"Exactly."
She looked at Luca.
"I can correct the misunderstanding without sharing Sophie's private feelings or personal circumstances."
"That's what I want."
"And I would like to review how an application containing an unverified guardian signature reached this stage."
Luca's expression tightened.
"Good."
For a moment, he looked like the intimidating man everyone in Chicago knew.
Then he glanced at Sophie, and his face softened again.
"Nobody should be able to use a child that way."
Madame Fournier nodded.
"I agree."
She gathered the papers carefully.
But Sophie stopped her.
"Can I keep Mommy's picture?"
"Of course."
The French woman removed the photograph from the program sleeve and handed it back.
Sophie pressed it against her chest.
I watched the last few guests leave the dining room.
The empty chairs made the enormous table look even longer.
Then Mrs. Carter approached with a small notebook.
"Mr. Moretti, about tomorrow's meeting."
Luca nodded.
"Yes?"
"Some employees may be uncomfortable speaking openly."
"Then they can speak privately, and nobody will be punished for raising a concern."
Mrs. Carter looked relieved.
"Thank you."
He turned toward me.
"Emily, I've been thinking about your French."
I smiled nervously.
"My grandmother would be pleased."
"Have you ever considered working in guest relations or event coordination?"
I blinked.
"Not seriously, sir."
"Why not?"
"Most places want qualifications I don't have."
He considered that.
"Would you be interested in training?"
"Yes."
"Then Mrs. Carter and I will arrange a proper interview and discuss the training and salary."
I looked at him.
"You don't have to invent a position for me because of tonight."
He smiled faintly.
"I wouldn't."
"Then why?"
"Because you recognized a problem, communicated clearly under pressure, and understood a language I didn't know you spoke."
He glanced toward Madame Fournier.
"Those sound like valuable professional skills."
I felt tears rise unexpectedly.
My grandmother used to tell me that knowing another language was like having another door in the world.
For years, I'd thought that door had closed with her death.
Now I wondered whether it had simply been waiting.
"Thank you, sir."
Luca nodded.
"Thank you, Emily."
Sophie leaned toward me.
"Does that mean you'll still teach me French?"
I smiled.
"If you'd like."
She looked pleased.
"Can we start with what I should have said to Madame Fournier?"
"Certainly."
I wrote three words beneath her letter.
Je veux rester.
Sophie sounded them out carefully.
"Je veux rester."
Madame Fournier smiled.
"Very good."
Luca looked at me.
"What does that mean?"
I looked at Sophie.
"Would you like to tell him?"
She nodded proudly.
"It means 'I want to stay.'"
Luca smiled.
"That's my favorite French sentence."
Sophie laughed.
Then she looked toward the old statement Vanessa had made her copy.
"Can we throw that one away?"
Luca paused.
"We should keep it with the other documents until everything has been properly reviewed."
Sophie looked disappointed.
"But you never have to read it as though it's what you really wanted," he added.
She nodded.
"Okay."
Then Luca did something I hadn't expected.
He took another clean place card.
On the back, he wrote:
Ask Sophie first.
He placed it beside his plate.
Sophie looked at it.
"What's that?"
"A reminder for me."
"About what?"
"Before I make decisions that affect you, I need to hear what you think."
She considered the words.
"What if I don't know?"
"Then we figure it out together."
"What if I change my mind?"
"Then you tell me."
She smiled.
But a moment later, her expression became serious.
She reached for one more piece of paper.
This time, she folded it before writing.
Across the front, in careful letters, she wrote:
For Uncle Luca.
Then she added something underneath.
She slid it across the table.
Luca unfolded the paper.
His expression changed as he read.
"I have one more promise to ask you for."
He looked up at Sophie.
May you like
She was watching him closely.
"Please don't say yes until you know what it is."
