Page 34 of Mountain Security

“We do something once a week,” Yvette said. “Sometimes as a group, and sometimes individually, with our mentees. We try to mix and match.”

“Juliette seemed to look up to you a lot.”

“She’s fourteen. She only joined the program a few months ago. She wants to study engineering in Paris, and she’s got such potential, Alex, you wouldn’t believe it.” She smiled. “My objective is to support her through high school, and until she’s done with college and ready to get her first job.”

“Her family’s not supportive?”

“Her story’s not as bad as others, but her parents died when she was young, and she grew up alone with her grandmother. The woman’s getting old now, though, and Juliette was quickly turning into her full-time caregiver. She started missing school, things like that?”

“So, what can you do in that situation?”

Yvette smiled. “I was able to get the right people involved, and able to arrange social workers to take care of the bulk of the caregiving. Juliette deserves a future, too.”

“Is she your only mentee?”

“I have another one. Cosette.”

“Cosette? Like in the musical?”

Yvette laughed. “You do realize it’s a traditional French name, right?”

“Sorry. Please go on.”

“Cosette’s almost done with university. She’s going to be an amazing doctor. I’m less worried about her now, but for a while there it was touch and go. Her family came from Morocco, and still cling to some of their culture’s old-fashioned beliefs about the role of men and women. Her father wanted her to quit school and get married.”

“How did you convince him that wasn’t the right thing for her?” Alex wasn’t sure he wanted to know if Yvette had knowingly placed herself in danger.

“It wasn’t just me,” she said modestly. “The mosque’s imam helped a lot, by helping the father see that all individuals were meant to reach their potential. We persuaded him together. And now, the father’s fully on board with the project. Last month he had an attack of gout, and guess who he called?”

Alex laughed. He loved that he had finally found a way of getting to know Yvette—not by asking her questions about herself, but by talking about other people in her life.

This is who she is.

Someone who puts others first, always.

By now, Yvette had pushed her plate away. “That was delicious, but I can’t eat a single crumb more.”

Though full as well, Alex kept eating small morsels here and there, refusing to let the evening end.

“I find it amazing that you have time to do this, on top of your job.”

“Well, I use a lot of the same in both, I guess. My skills of observation and persuasion.”

Alex put his own fork down. There was no way he was going to be able to fit dessert, but he could go for a Chai. Anything to stay here a bit longer. There was still so much he wanted to learn about her.

He liked her.

Hereallyliked her.

“You have beautiful eyes,” she said, surprising him.

His heart skipped a beat. “I’ve been thinking the same thing all night.”

“That you have beautiful eyes?”

He laughed, enjoying the banter. “That your eyes are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I just didn’t have the courage to tell you.”

“It doesn’t strike me that you’re lacking in courage.”

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