“What do we know about this guy?” Julia leaned over and asked me as we waited for my mother at dinner.

“Not much,” I muttered. “She waved me off before I had a chance to meet him. If I had to guess, I would say young, pretty, and willing to give her everything she wants—for a price, of course.”

“Wow,” she said. “You make everything seem so somber. You don’t think she would expose Amy to something like that, though, do you?”

“Normally, I would say ‘no’, but she was really into this guy. You should have heard the way she talked about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced their plans to get married tonight.”

“Gross,” whispered Amy from across the table.

I’d forgotten what good hearing she had. She was sitting at the far end of the large table, pouting with her arms crossed as her eyes darted between me and Julia. So far, everything for Amy had been pretty fun and easygoing, but after an argument earlier about leaving the suite without an adult, she was busy sulking in the corner. I’d been impressed with the way Julia had handled the situation. She never once stepped in but gave us the space we needed to work through the problem.

A stronger woman would have struggled to stay out of the situation, especially when Amy started to cry rather dramatically. We couldn’t let ourselves forget that despite her upbeat attitude, she was still just a nine-year-old girl going through a huge adjustment. It was decided that we would be calling it an early night after dinner. I didn’t want her to think that her behavior didn’t have consequences, even while on vacation.

“What if it’s the real deal and he does care about her? Won’t she be heartbroken when they separate?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I didn’t think that far ahead. My mom is many things, including a hopeless romantic. If she does end up caring about this guy, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Well, it looks like we’re going to find out soon,” she whispered.

I saw my mother heading our way, the broad smile an indication of how the night was going to go. Her new friend wasn’t in tow, at least not yet, as she sat down. We waited and watched as she took her time getting settling in. Julia and I were sitting on the edges of our seats, but Amy didn’t let the mood affect her any. She was just thrilled to see her grandmother, the only sane one out of all the adults, as far as she was concerned.

“Mom,” I whispered through clenched teeth. “Do we get any details before this song and dance? Poor guy is going to walk into a dozen questions.”

“It’s okay,” said Julia soothingly. “She just wants to keep it a surprise. Let her have that.”

“Or she doesn’t want me to make a scene when he does show up,” I grumbled. I muttered under my breath, “I’ll still make a scene though. No kid is going to rip my mother off.”

“I assure you,” a deep, masculine voice came from behind us. “I have nothing but good intentions.”

Julia and I both spun around as my mother’s face beamed. The greying African-American behind me smiled down at us and held out his hand. I took it in my own, though I felt like a dwarf in doing so. My mother’s idea of a ‘young man’ had to be past fifty. His smile was captivating and I instantly felt at ease.

“Marcel,” he offered.

“I’m Aaron,” I said. “This is my wife, Julia, and my daughter, Amy.”

“Wow. You’re super tall!” said Amy.

My mother laughed. “He is a big man. Come, darling,” she invited, tapping the empty chair between herself and Amy. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“As you wish,” he said playfully, shooting me a wink as he wedged his way past the tightly packed tables.

“I’m so happy that you finally get to meet each other,” my mother cooed.

Marcel took her hand in his. He was enamored of her. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. So,” he said as his attention turned back to me. “I understand you’ve had some trouble with rapscallions going after your mother in the past?”

I nodded my head. “Yes. Given how her art has taken off, men seem to think that she’s easy prey.”

“Well I, for one, think it’s great that you’re so protective. She is a wonderful woman.”

“I think so too, so you understand if I’m a little skittish around new friends of hers,” I said.

Marcel smiled at me again. “Son, I think it’s great that you care. Not many kids make sure that their parents are safe nowadays.”

“Do you have any kids of your own?”

He nodded. “I’ve got six of them. Five of them, though, are the four-legged kind. You don’t know how excited I was when I recognized your mother at the bar.” He laughed at the memory. “I thought I was going to faint!”

Julie laughed as Amy’s eyes lit up. “You like dogs? Nana loves dogs too! She paints them!”

Marcel instantly transformed into a doting grandfather when he turned to her. “I know she does. I have two of her paintings hanging up at home. Of course, I can’t buy them now, but she sure is talented. Don’t you think?”

Amy nodded. “Why don’t you want any more?”

“Oh, Cher. I will have more, but since she’s so popular now, I have to share them with others. That’s always hard, isn’t it?”

“Yes sir. I hate sharing,” she said, reverting to her pout. “So is waiting around for adults.”

“Amy,” warned Julia.

Marcel didn’t miss a step. “Rules are important, though. It’s how us old people keep you safe.”

“Well, I don’t like it today,” she huffed.

Marcel smiled. “It can get hard to follow the rules. I bet you’re better at it than you think.”

“She really is,” gushed Julia. “I’ve never seen such a smart girl.”

“I guess you have a hand in that too,” said Marcel.

I didn’t want him to start poking Julia with questions. She had enough on her plate. I cleared my attention and turned the conversation back to Marcel whom, so far, I had no qualms with. His clothing was well kept but not overly expensive. He used good manners and wasn’t fawning all over my mother. He seemed to genuinely care about her too. I watched his fingers slowly move over hers and knew that no matter the conversation, his mind was with her.

“So you said you had a child? How old?”

Marcel’s face fell a little. “Oh, he would have been about thirty by now.”

My heart sank. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and smiled, if not with a touch of sadness. “It’s okay. It happened about ten years ago when he was stationed overseas. I’ve had a good bit of time to grieve, and I know I’ll see him again when the time is right.”

Julia’s eyes started to tear over a little and I took her hand. “You’re a fan of my mother’s work then?”

Marcel lit up again. “I’ve been a fan ever since I first saw it about four years ago.”

“She was just getting started then,” I said.

“I know. I was passing through Glenmont to see my sister and couldn’t resist stopping at a little flea market. Saw it hanging in the window and bought it straight away.”

“I remember that market,” I said. “They sold her work for the first six months or so.”

“He bought the painting of the two boxers,” offered my mother. “Do you remember that one, Aaron?”

I nodded my head vigorously. “That was the first one you ever painted! I remember you calling me the day you sold it. You were so excited.”

“Marcel was the one who bought it.” She beamed.

“Well, isn’t that something? Do you live near Glenmont then?”

“No sir,” said Marcel. “I wish I did now though. My sister lives about an hour north of there. I make the drive every once in a while to go see her, but I’m happy in New Orleans. Got myself a little hotel in the French Quarter. Up until I met this beauty here, I didn’t know I was missing anything.”

“You own a hotel?” asked Julia.

Marcel smiled and shook his head. “I don’t know that I’d call it a hotel, more like a motel and a few bungalows.”

“Oh, come now,” said my mother. “He’s being modest. It’s the quaintest little hotel I’ve ever seen. The pictures make it look absolutely breathtaking. Julia, you would love it. Nothing but protected land all around and it’s nestled back in the woods.”

“It sounds amazing. Maybe we should make a plan to visit sometime,” Julia said as she looked at me hopefully.

My heart started to race. “That sounds wonderful.”

“What about you two?” Marcel asked. “I hear you lead a pretty interesting life.”

“Oh, we manage. It’s nice to get a little vacation though together as a family,” Julia said, to my surprise. “I feel like I’ve missed out on so much by working.”

“Yeah,” Marcel agreed with a twinge of sadness again. “You never get those years back either. I can sympathize with that bottom dollar, but sometimes, family is just more important. I wish I’d had more time with my boy. You never know what you’re missing until it’s gone.”

“Well,” I said, trying to break the silence or stop Julia from breaking down. “I don’t think we need to worry about that anymore. We both know it’s time for a change, so Amy is going to have some changes to get used to.”

Amy wasn’t listening to the conversation until all eyes turned to her. She shrugged. “I like change. It’s new and interesting.”

“You’ve got a wild streak inside you, Cher?” asked Marcel.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but Dad won’t ever let me go exploring.”

“Well, of course not!” Marcel said, much to our surprise. “Everyone knows that to be a spy, you have to have backup. Even the newbies know that. You always need to have a partner.”

“Wow,” she said, truly enamored. “I never thought about it like that. But who would make a good partner? I don’t want to leave anyone out of it, and there’s five of us.”

It was my turn. “Well, I think that I need a break, so why don’t we name your mother your official spy partner? Just until I get headquarters under control.”

She eyed me suspiciously before nodding her head. “I can agree to that.”

Everyone around the table laughed at her unique personality. The food started to roll out and the conversation died down some. Between courses, I asked Marcel more questions, but by all accounts, he was perfect for my mother. I could tell that they’d grown to care for each other in the short time they’d had. It made me hopeful for the future as I looked at Julia. She saw the loving glances that passed between them too.

When dessert finally came around, Amy was barely able to hold her head up. I wasn’t worried about my mother’s boyfriend anymore.

Taking Julia’s hand, I whispered to her, “I think it’s time to get her to bed. Are you going to stay here?”

She shook her head and smiled. “I think it’s time for us to talk about things, maybe talk about what happens after this.”

My eyes lit up. “Really? Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Julia let out an unsure breath. “No, but I won’t know until I try.”