Connor interjects, “Being ranked in Forbes 30 Under 30 is a rare and prestigious achievement. It deserves all the fanfare.” Rose starts to smile. Connor says something to her in French, and I kneel next to Rose’s chair and whisper, “What’d he say?” Rose glances at me like why the hell are you on the dirty ground? I’m on the grass, but to Rose, the cement, the dirt, the grass—it’s all the same. I bat my eyes at her, hoping she’ll tell me. “Please—” She whispers back, “He said that he’s proud of me.”
