On the other hand, had she not picked up the romance book set on the French Rivera? And while the other books in the travel section had intrigued her, she had no idea about how to begin planning a trip. It would make sense, the first time, to go with an experienced group.
"I don't know if I'd be able to get a passport so quickly," Josie admitted.
"I know some people," a woman called Angela spoke. "If I could expedite your passport, would you come with us?"
"I'd also need to get time off from work," Josie clarified.
"I'll see what I can do." Another member of the group, Bradley, worked for the same employer, albeit in a different department.
The stars must have aligned as a month later, Josie found herself packing for her first international trip. Gone were the infinitely slow weekends; mornings and afternoons had been filled with preparations for the trip. After much deliberation as to whom she trusted the most to come feed Oscar in her absence, she told her brother, requesting he not share the news with their family until she was out of contact.
On a bright, yet still chilly morning, Josie and another nine members of the Holiday Club boarded the train. By noon, they had arrived in Paris.
Charlie had managed to secure an early check-in at the hotel, so the group was able to drop off their luggage before they set out to find their first meal.
The weather was a far cry from the palm trees of the club's advertisement; perhaps that would come later in the trip when they journeyed to the south of France. But after years of wanting to travel, Josie was thrilled to stroll down Les Champs Elysee. As she took in all of the shops that lined the street, she understood why it had been called the most beautiful avenue in the world.
The group eventually settled in a cafe, where quiches, croque madames, and savory crepes filled their table. As they drank wine, some of the other members of the club, who had known each other much longer, discussed everything from politics to philosophy. Yet not only did the lively conversations remain cordial, but also nobody seemed to mind that Josie remained mostly quiet, simply absorbing everything around her.
As their leisurely lunch drew to a close, the group tossed about options for their next destination.
"The weather seems to have warmed up," Charlie remarked. "Perhaps we could take a walk along the Seine."
"The temperatures may have improved, but it still looks like it might rain," Angela countered. "Why don't we start with an indoor pursuit, such as the Musée du Louvre?"
"Or we could split the difference between the outdoors and indoors to visit the Eiffel Tower," Bradley suggested.
As the other members debated the merits of each, it fell to a three-way tie.
"What do you think, Josie?" Charlie asked.
Before Josie could reply, she heard a gasp from the direction of the entrance, and immediately turned. She was equally shocked by the figure.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
