I call Ian again the next morning to make sure he's still okay. We talk for a bit, because I need to get breakfast ready for Mathilde and Jeanne, and he needs to go to work. Mathilde of course has to say something about it as soon as I hang up.

"I'm not interested and he probably isn't even interested either." She mimics, using the same words I told her a couple weeks ago against me. "And yet here you are, with that stupid smile plastered on your face!"

"Okay. You were right, Mom." I admit, purposefully calling her Mom to throw her off, but of course it doesn't work.

"I wonder when he is going to propose."

The sarcasm in my laugh can be heard from Australia, Fiji and Israel.

"Aren't we going too far there, Mathilde?"

"Hey. What happened to Mom?"

"You were demoted for saying such things." I tell her, hugging her from behind and pushing a kiss to her cheek. She lifts her hand and gently pats my cheek, a satisfied smile spreading on her face.

"I'm happy for you, my dear."

"Even if he proposes, I'm not marrying him."

"Huh? Why not?" Jeanne says between yawns. Her wild bed hair looks like a parrot's nest.

"If I marry Ian, we'll have to move with him. Who's going to take care of Granny, then?"

"Ha!" Mathilde's sneer meets my eyes like a punch. "You think I'm a useless flesh hunk with crutches and forgot I was living very well here on my own."

"Won't you be lonely, though?" Jeanne asks, and bites on her toast, not bothered at all by her harsh words. It's a wonder how she understood faster than I did when Mathilde is being truly mean or just pretending.

"Nonsense! I'll get myself a cat or something." At her words, Jeanne wakes up completely.

"Mom, can we get a cat?"

"No way." Mathilde and I say at once.

"At any rate, you should be living your own life." Mathilde says to me in full mom-mode. "I can pretty much move into a nursery home when I find myself incapable of fending for myself."

"Nursery homes are for old ladies!" The frown on Jeanne's face is hilarious, and we can't help but cracking up.

"I know how much you want to be alone in your house again, Mom." I say, giving her a smile as I spread marmalade on her toasts. "But you must get used to us. Those times are gone, doesn't matter who proposes to me."

"Yeah, Mr. McAllister will marry Mom over your dead body!"

"Jeanne!"