I Promise You This (Love in Provence Book 3)

by Patricia Sands

  “I agree. I just realized I forgot to tell you that someone from the private school where Molly teaches got in touch with me. He brought some insurance documents to the hospital for me to sign and told me that the insurance will pay Molly’s rent while she’s on medical leave. As long as she’s receiving treatment, that cost will be covered.”

  “That worked out well. That’s something else she does not have to worry about.”

  “I’m not sure if you know, but Molly has no savings. She spent every cent paying off enormous drug rehab bills that her brother ran up through the years. So this insurance is a real lifesaver. Now if we could just find her a good man, all would be well. What do you think about introducing her to Gilles?”

  Philippe gave her a strange look. “Oh, I don’t know about that. But to change the subject, I’m starving. Let’s go pick up dinner and get back to Molly.”

  Along with their dinner order, they added extra spring rolls and a deluxe order of a vegetarian noodle dish to leave at the nurses’ station. Katherine knew the nurses deserved treats once she’d seen the care they dispensed day and night.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Father DeCarlo and Molly were deep in conversation when Katherine and Philippe walked in. Katherine noticed he was holding Molly’s hand but quickly slipped it gently back on the bed.

  Molly was talking as though nothing had ever been wrong with her voice. The tone was thin and raspy, but she was speaking.

  Katherine and Philippe stood in the doorway, not believing their ears.

  “They don’t know why,” Molly said, in answer to their barrage of questions. “Something to do with the anesthetic is the only explanation they’ve come up with so far.”

  “Dinner is served,” Kat announced as she opened the containers and set them on the dresser. “Molly, point to . . . wait, no, tell me what you want and I’ll fix you a plate. It’s so good for me to hear your voice again.”

  “Katski, it’s good for me to hear my fuc . . .” Molly stopped in midsentence.

  Three sets of eyes stared wide-eyed, waiting.

  “Uh . . . my voice again!” she continued. “Ha! Had you worried there for a minute, right? So was I!”

  “With or without f-bombs,” Kat said. “Seriously, I’m glad to hear your voice either way at this point!”

  “Well, before the accident you pretty much had those f-bombs under control. We just didn’t know what would happen after your voice came back,” Tony said.

  Kat declared, “Now that you’ve called me Katski, I finally feel like life is returning to normal. No one else calls me that.”

  “Bon appétit!” Philippe wished everyone as they all filled their plates.

  Their dinner conversation was lively and laughter-filled, with Molly adding comments in her usual flippant way. A way that had been sorely missed, they all agreed.

  Tony DeCarlo was good company. It was really the first time Katherine felt she had truly relaxed and talked to him as a regular guy and not a priest. She was aware of how considerate he was of Molly, making sure she was comfortable. But then, he was also that way with her and with Philippe, she realized. I guess that’s his compassionate nature and nothing else, she tried to convince herself.

  “Molly tells me she may stay with you in France for a while to finish her convalescence,” Tony said to them. “What a great idea. Nick is certainly a take-charge kind of guy—and I mean that in a good way.”

  “Yes,” Katherine agreed. “We were all flabbergasted when he first mentioned the idea.”

  “Flabber what?” Philippe asked. Without waiting for an explanation, he said, “We’re happy about his idea,” flashing Molly a smile. “We’ve already got a long list of chores you can do.”

  Molly’s eyes twinkled, “With pleasure, as long as there’s wine and cheese involved. Oh, and nougat!”

  “And Kat already has started thinking about matchmaking, so prepare yourself.”

  A noticeable silence fell over the room, and then a nurse came in. “Whom do we thank for the delicious Chinese food?” she asked.

  Molly pointed at Kat and Philippe, and the nurse told them how much everyone had enjoyed the treat. By the time the woman left the room, the atmosphere was back on an even keel.

  Shortly after they finished eating, Father DeCarlo—Tony—received a phone call and said he had to go to another part of the hospital. He told Molly he would see her in the morning.

  Katherine and Philippe stayed a while longer, but Molly was beginning to fade.

  “This has been the best day since I got here, Moll! It’s such a relief to see you back to normal,” Kat said as she hugged her good-bye.

  “D’accord,” Philippe said after kissing Molly’s cheeks. She waved as they disappeared out the door.

  When they neared the elevator, they heard their names being softly called and saw Tony beckoning them down the hall.

  “I’m glad I caught you. I thought I might be too late,” he said, a little out of breath. “Sorry, I just ran up three flights of stairs!” He gestured to a door. “Have you got a few minutes?”

  “Of course,” Kat and Philippe replied in unison.

  They walked through the door into a small chapel. The room was wood-paneled with secular images of nature carved into the light oak. Two stained-glass windows in a modern motif softly glowed with moonlight shining through. There were six rows of pews and a simple altar at the front.

  “We have one of these on every second floor,” Tony said. “It’s surprising how often they get used by all denominations as well as those simply looking for a peaceful place to process their feelings. Please, have a seat.”

  He remained standing and gazed intently at them both for a moment before clearing his throat. “Katherine, you are truly Molly’s family. She has no one else.”

  Kat nodded. “I know. She’s always been like a sister to me, and never more than at this point in our lives.”

  “Precisely,” the priest continued. “Your love for each other is obvious, and that’s why I feel it’s appropriate to have this conversation with you. And you too, Philippe, since you and Kat are together.”

  He continued hesitantly. “It’s . . . it’s . . . rather ironic we are meeting in a holy place. I have a confession to make—a bit of role reversal here, with the priest doing the confessing . . .”

  He stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Katherine reached for Philippe’s hand. She felt a deep sense of foreboding but didn’t know why.

  Bringing his gaze back to them, Father Anthony DeCarlo quietly admitted, “Molly and I are in love with each other. We have been for many years.”

  No one said anything.

  After a pause, he continued. “I know this is a bit of a shock, but please hear me out. As you can well imagine, I’ve been deeply conflicted about this. It’s a complex struggle about trying to do what God expects, what the church expects, and what my transformed heart expects. Deep inside, I have known my true desire for some time. When Molly had this accident, I realized how close I came—we all came—to losing her. It was the impetus for me to take action.”

  Silence filled the small chapel before Katherine spoke in almost a whisper.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to do what Molly doesn’t want me to do. I’m going to leave the Catholic Church.”

  Philippe shook his head. “We never know what life is going to put in our path.”

  Katherine didn’t know what to say. She continued to sit quietly, her eyes never leaving Tony’s. In her heart, she felt happy to know that Molly had this love in her life instead of some random lover.

  Tony continued, “So true, Philippe. It’s strange how things happen. Molly going to be with you in France for a while is the best thing that could happen for our situation. I have actually begun the process of leaving the church. In fact, I have not offered the sacraments for several years, and my role has more and more evolved into our street ministry program. My bishop and archbishop have met wi
th me several times and persuaded me to stay. Now they reluctantly agree it’s best that I leave.”

  “I can’t imagine the conflict you’ve faced,” Philippe repeated, at a loss for the right words.

  “It’s been gut-wrenching because my love for my religion has guided my life since I was a teenager. I never anticipated being in a situation that would dishonor my promises to God. I have never wanted to offend my church. And let me be clear, I am not doing that now. But that is the perception of my superiors, sadly.”

  Shifting somewhat uncomfortably where they sat, Katherine and Philippe could see the pain etched on the priest’s face. His voice broke as he continued.

  “However, my love for Molly is stronger than any other love I have experienced. In spite of my love and commitment for the ministry God called me to, I have been struggling for years, feeling I was missing the core of the human experience. A life with Molly is most important to me. For many years we tried to have a simple friendship, but that became impossible.”

  “You said Molly doesn’t want you to leave the church,” Katherine said.

  “Molly thinks she would not be able to stand the guilt of being the reason I left the church. I don’t want her to feel that—ever. I believe once I have officially made the break, she will be able to accept it because I will still be in a ministry.”

  “What will you do?” Katherine asked.

  “I’ve been invited to be a priest with the Church of England. It’s really quite ironic—there are some married Anglican priests who have been accepted into the Catholic Church, but because I began in the Catholic Church and took the vow of celibacy, I cannot be married and stay. Hopefully that will change one day. I know other priests who have left the church to marry and who would have gladly stayed if it had been possible.”

  “Pope Francis appears to be an extremely forward-thinking man. Perhaps things will change,” Katherine offered.

  “We live in hope. In the meantime, with Molly overseas with you, I can finalize all I need to do and spare her any guilt or anxiety. The most important thing is for her to get better.”

  “And today is really the first time that I feel she is truly making progress,” Katherine said.

  “Yes, there was a time when that wasn’t a certainty, and that’s when I realized what a loss she would be to me. Please don’t tell her about this conversation, but I felt it was time you knew the truth.”

  Philippe reached out to shake the priest’s hand, “Of course we will keep this between us. We wish you good luck with all you have to face in the coming months. Please let us know if there is anything we can do, besides taking good care of Molly.”

  Katherine stood, not quite knowing what to do. Suddenly she blurted, “Um . . . just one thing. Those roses?”

  Tony nodded and then broke the awkwardness by reaching out to hug her. Kat hugged him back, feeling strong affection for him and this tumultuous situation he faced.

  As they prepared to leave, he said, “I hope I’m not putting you in an awkward position and that this hasn’t been too much of a shock.”

  Katherine shook her head. Her thoughts were swirling. In spite of the suspicions she’d had, it was still a surprise to sit there and hear him say it out loud. She felt as if she had contributed nothing intelligent to the conversation, but deep inside she also felt pure happiness for Molly.

  Looking intently into Tony’s eyes, Katherine saw nothing but raw emotion and honesty. “No, Philippe spoke for both of us. We only want the best for you and Molly.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  In the elevator after leaving the chapel, Katherine and Philippe studied each other in silence. Katherine shook her head repeatedly. Philippe bit his lip. His eyes were wide with astonishment.

  “Life does get strange at times, doesn’t it? Don’t bother answering, it’s rhetorical,” Kat mumbled.

  It was Philippe’s turn to shake his head. “Incroyable . . .” he muttered. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well,” Katherine continued slowly, “I guess for now there is nothing to say. Father De—um, Tony—took us into his confidence and we have to respect that. It’s quite a sto—” She stopped in midsentence.

  Philippe stared, waiting for her to continue, as they stepped into the parking garage.

  Kat stared back, her mouth wide open. “Oh my God. Pardon the expression, but the light just went on. Father Tony DeCarlo—Father Anthony DeCarlo—has got to be Molly’s hot Italian lover! Even though the thought crossed my mind from time to time, I really did not expect it to be true.”

  Philippe still said nothing.

  “Seriously! Now it all makes sense! They’ve had a relationship for years! And the good news is that he loves her. He loves Molly, and she won’t be alone!”

  Katherine was leaping about the pay station area while Philippe fed the machine.

  When he was finished, she grabbed him and hugged him. “Do you see what I mean? This is serious business about him leaving the church, but he loves Molly! They’ll be together! They have been together! They are together!”

  Other people got off the elevator and looked at her strangely. Laughing, Philippe put his arm around her and guided her to the car.

  “Minou, settle down and tell me what you are talking about.”

  And so she explained as they drove home. As the story unfolded that this was Molly’s friend with benefits, he understood Kat’s happiness for Molly’s future.

  “But now you have to reign in that excitement of yours. We have to keep Tony’s confidence in us a secret until he indicates otherwise.”

  Kat nodded, becoming serious, “I can do that. It’s such a relief not to worry about her future.”

  “And you don’t have to do all that matchmaking you were planning,” Philippe said.

  Katherine giggled. “I still think Molly and Gilles would make a good couple. But of course, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her future with Tony.”

  “Somehow I don’t think anything will put that love in jeopardy . . . and besides, I can’t believe it never dawned on you that Gilles is not interested in women.”

  Katherine looked at Philippe in disbelief. “What? Gilles is so gorgeous and charming, all the women love him . . .”

  Philippe chuckled. “And your point is?”

  They talked all evening and made plans for the rest of the week. “Once we know Molly’s treatment plans, we can book our flights back to Nice,” Philippe said. “You know, this is the longest I’ve been away from the market in years. In fact, the only other time, you were involved too. Remember?”

  Katherine thought about it for a moment. “Do you mean when we first met in Provence?”

  Philippe grinned. “That’s right. When I met you at that lunch at Joy’s, I had been there for a few days looking after Oncle François after his episode. You never knew that the reason I stayed through that next week was because I wanted to get to know you.”

  “I’m so glad you did.”

  The remainder of the week seemed to be over in no time.

  One day Katherine took Philippe to her favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, Jerusalem, and they debated whether it was better than their favorite Les Pins d’Alep in Nice. Finally, they agreed it was a draw. Both were excellent.

  In between visits to Molly, Philippe took charge of much-needed repairs around the house. Katherine sorted and purged, clearing out everything she forced herself to admit was unnecessary to keep. At the end of each day, they would open a bottle of wine and feel very satisfied with their progress.

  One morning, they got a late start and stopped in at a shop Katherine had discovered in her university days after her study-abroad trip. The love of French cheese she developed during her six-week stay in Villefranche-sur-Mer demanded that she investigate further than the local grocery stores when she arrived back in Toronto. She was thrilled when she discovered this “epicurean emporium,” as they called it on their website.

  Within minutes of entering the atmospheric shop
—its floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with a vast selection of products ranging from ordinary to artisanal—Philippe nodded his approval to Kat.

  She was delighted to see their maître fromager behind the counter and introduced Philippe to him. They had an engaging conversation, and he invited Philippe to return at the end of the day to take a personal tour of their prized cheese vault. Exchanging cards, they agreed to stay in touch.

  “You’re right, Minou,” Philippe said as they walked out to the car. “That’s an exceptional store. It’s like a mini Provençal market in one spot. No wonder you love shopping there!”

  “Now, wait a minute—nothing here compares to the Provençal markets. Rien du tout! But it is a special shop, that’s for sure.”

  When they got to the hospital, Philippe told Molly where they had been and how impressed he was. He handed her the small package of three exceptional cheeses he had chosen for her.

  “Oh, I love that shop!” Molly chirped with delight. “Thanks so much! That’s my favorite place to buy cheese—until I discovered your market stall, of course!”

  “We’re going to leave a little early today, Moll, so Philippe can have a personal tour of their cheese vault. I knew he would be intrigued.”

  “Does all this cheese talk make you eager to get back home, Philippe?” Molly asked.

  Philippe gave her a warm smile. “The only thing I’m eager about is you getting better. The cheese can wait. It will always be there.”

  “And soon you will be there with it, Molly!” Katherine piped up, the thought lighting up her face. They spent the remainder of the day making plans for the time they would spend together. Molly asked them to go to her apartment and collect a few books about the South of France that she had purchased after her visit there with Katherine the previous summer. She also asked for her iPad so she could catch up on reading.

  “The one good thing I can say about being in the hospital, now that I’m conscious again, is that it’s a great opportunity to whittle down my to-be-read list.”