Leaps and landings

26

The week had gone incredibly fast. Odette had tried to think of ways to avoid going, but after calling Logan, and on his recommendation Mitchum and Colin, she'd come to the conclusion that it really did seem like the easiest thing to do. Colin had referred Odette to a former colleague of his, Natalie Dupont, now working mostly in London, who was willing to help her along this process locally. She'd consulted her also on her worries about her identification documents, but thankful she'd assured her to use her new documents, as those were her access back to the US in the end, and to only bring out her old passport for the notaries. 'Stuck in stone-age' was the phrase she'd used to describe the notary Henri was using, despite its high profile clientele. Apparently trust and tradition were prioritised there. Natalie, who by her voice, sounded like she was not much older than Odette, had also advised for a non-disclosure agreement and settlement agreement to ensure no further claims could be made to her as well. Odette liked her already.

It was now Tuesday mid-morning, and Odette had arrived in Charles De Gaulle together with Jess the evening before. Jess still had a week of holiday left and if they were to be delayed, he prepared for it by having his work with him. He hadn't given her much choice in the matter, and while she worried, deep down she really wanted him close by.

"It's a little ironic, isn't it?" Odette sighed, after a wide yawn, as she was zipping up her simple beige grey dress.

"What is?" Jess asked, having been a little preoccupied with writing a quick email to Jenn about one of the author's they'd recently signed, unable to break free of his work entirely.

"That we're here of all places. Our first holiday together, dealing with stuff like this, and we're probably the two people least appreciative of this over-romanticized city," she laughed, as she put on her pumps. Neither of them was really the touristy type wanting to repeat the cliches.

"I'm sure we can find something positive in all of this, it's not like we have to sit around this apartment the entire time, moping. There's got to be some places around here you used to love, right?" he replied, glancing out of the window of their airbnb, a sophisticated but not overly posh 1-bedroom in Marais, she'd preferred over a hotel. He felt he couldn't really do much to lift her spirits, all he could do, was offer distractions and hope - that it'd be okay in the end.

"You know I will probably have to hide myself a little though - I won't be able to just go around thoughtlessly - Libération would have a field day. But sure, you're right, I'm not going to sit here all the time. We'll just have to keep a low profile," Odette added. She hadn't really gone into too much detail for Jess on how frequently she'd been in the papers back when she used to live here more permanently. It used to be general knowledge who she went out with or what she wore on red carpet events or openings. She didn't want to revisit those times.

"You're the expert, my personal tour guide - your call," Jess added, smilingly. He tried to make the best of it.

"What time did you have the meeting again?" he asked after finishing his coffee, glancing at the time, considering whether he should be getting ready too.

"Twelve. You wanted to come along? It might be a bit boring for you and it might be easier if we switch to French," she explained. She was meeting Natalie for a strategy meeting before heading over to the notary by 2 PM.

"You'll need to tell me when you want me to come. I want to be there for you, but I don't want to be in the way, " he assured, taking another sip of coffee. They'd discussed it briefly before, and she had been worried that perhaps his presence would be seen somehow problematic even, as they were not married, or as someone taking advantage of her. And neither of them wanted that kind of accusations.

"I will, today it's just going to be a bunch of legal talk probably," she explained. She wasn't too worried about the beginning of this process. She was just accepting her inheritage, which as she had already been informed was an intimidating amount of money, the exact numbers of which she hadn't even dared to share with Jess. Not that she wanted to hide or lie, it was just the kind of money that changed the way some people looked at her, and she didn't want to risk that. She knew the money, the shares and other assets included, were just a temporary formality. All she wanted was just to get rid of them, quickly and quietly.