Martine was already dressed in cutoffs and a cropped shirt, her hair held back with a crinkly scarf. A thin leather band around her wrist looked just right against her suntanned skin. Julie wondered if she had studied the art of being effortlessly stylish, or if French girls were just born that way.

“I’ll be down in five,” Julie said. She made her bed and got dressed, then went out on the balcony. Okay, so this didn’t suck. The sunrise over the vineyards and the orchards bathed everything in gold, and sent Julie inside to grab her phone. The phone was only useful as a camera here. She had no cell signal, and there was no Wi-Fi in the house. For Wi-Fi, they had to ride their bikes into town and log in at the library or one of the cafés. She had been trading e-mails with Tarek, comparing notes on their summer adventures.

The stone balcony was pitted by age and covered with a thick vine, which Martine claimed was useful for sneaking in and out of the house. They hadn’t sneaked anywhere yet, but Julie was looking forward to it.

She went downstairs and found Martine in the kitchen with Thomas and his little sister, Célie. Martine had fixed them a mug of milky tea sweetened with honey, and they were sharing a bowl of melon and berries with a bit of fresh mint crumbled on top.

God, did everyone around here get up at the crack of dawn? Whatever happened to summertime sleeping in?

“Good morning,” Thomas said in English.

“Good morning to you. You’re sounding very smart this morning.” Julie poured herself some tea and opened a little glass jar of yogurt. “Your cousin is making me do chores—des missions de routine. Want to help?”

“No. But Martine says we have to if we want to go to the beach with you later.”

“We’re going to the beach?” asked Julie.

“You’re going to love it,” said Martine. “It’s beautiful, and the water is crystal clear. We know the best places to go to avoid the crowds.”

“Sounds fantastic. Let’s get going on those chores.”

The younger kids were assigned to gather eggs and scatter feed for the chickens. “I’m scared of the hens,” Célie complained. “They’re mean.”

“You’re meaner,” Thomas said. “Just push them out of the way.”

Julie and Martine went to work in the garden. “Two hours here, and then we are free for the day,” Martine explained. “And look, there is a bonus.” She gestured at the three boys who were already at work.

Now Julie understood why Martine didn’t mind getting up early. Their names were Yves, Robert, and André. The three brothers were so good-looking Julie imagined a theme song playing when Martine introduced them. As it turned out, music actually was their thing. They were spending the summer working to save up money for their band.

“We’re just starting out,” said Yves. “No one pays us to play.”

“But they’re really good,” Martine said.