AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You haven’t told your family about him yet… have you?” Jenna asked. She had a way of cutting through the bullshit.
“No, no, I haven’t,” I replied honestly. “I know exactly how my father and brother are going to react to this, and I am not ready to face them yet.”
“Take your time, Alessia,” Louise said from the corner. “Don’t be in a rush to decide. Trust me, everything’s going to work out.”
I looked from face to face and felt grateful for the support and strength I always drew from all of them.
I heard the front door shut with a click and heard footsteps coming down the hallway. “Food’s here, ladies,” Michael said, holding several boxes of pizza aloft. “Shall we eat?”
16
Michael
It always struck me how much less congested roads were outside New York. While I loved Paris, I hardly had time to visit as much as I would have liked. I had few business interests in Europe and almost none in France.
The last two weeks have flown by in a breeze. Alessia had dragged me across half the city, visiting art galleries she did business with and customers for whom she made home pieces. Well, she did not drag me about as much as I insisted on following her everywhere she went. The thought of her being away from me for any stretch of time was unimaginable. I let her know as much when she suggested she was well enough to handle things on her own.
I enjoyed watching her work and being among her community. Respect was pervasive in all the places we visited and I absolutely loved it. I felt a burning sense of pride whenever a business associate expressed deep regrets that she was moving away from the Paris scene.
Without fail, every visit would end with Alessia being asked if she could stay in Paris longer. She always reacted the same way. She would smile, look at me, and then utter, “No can do, unfortunately.”
Alessia was also excited about the art community back in the US. She had a small network there, and her work was known in several circles. However, she was excited to build up her reputation to the level it has reached in France. While it seemed like a big ask, trying made her all the more fired up.
The cabbie pulled up at the curb of the restaurant. “Merci beaucoup,” Alessia said to the driver as I held her door open. This was supposed to be her last business meeting in Paris. She had tied up most of her businesses, settling issues of royalties, outstanding payments, and terminating contracts.
A middle-aged man waved from a table near the far wall beside a window. Alessia smiled, and I followed her to the table from where the man had waved.
“Alessia, darling, what is this I hear about you leaving Paris for good?” The man hugged her intimately, kissing her politely on either cheek. I felt a gentle stab of jealousy, but pushed it out of my head as quickly as it entered.
“Bonjour,” her friend greeted, offering me a hand. I took the hand, giving it a firm shake and a grip that was probably too tight. He winced and smiled nervously at me. I returned his smile with a more elaborate one. I let his hand go and drew back a chair for Alessia. Petty, I thought to myself with a chuckle.
We ordered a late breakfast and lots of coffee. Alessia had let me know Janvier was one of her biggest customers and that the meeting with him was going to last longer than the others. I settled in as comfortably as I could and tried to busy myself on my phone, listening to both of them discuss with half a mind.
Apparently, Janvier did not intend to stop working with Alessia, even if she relocated. According to him, he had trusted agents in New York to bridge the gap between them, sustaining their work relationship. He also believed they would be important in helping her set up shop in both New York and California.
The Janvier fellow seemed to be entirely too full of himself. It was obvious he liked Alessia beyond their professional relationship, and I could only imagine that he had probably tried to act on it without success. His bravado was glaring like the beam of a searchlight, and on more than one occasion, I wondered to myself who he was trying to impress.
I spent the time sorting through tasks of my own. In the past week, I established several reporting structures to handle tasks and keep the wheels of my business turning in my absence. It took all the effort in the world to trust my team, and several times, I resisted the urge to carry out a task I had already delegated.
Thale and Ivanna held things down on the eastern front, fortunately. They did it so efficiently that I had built frameworks to transition them into expanding to Gates ventures overseas. They worked autonomously, and it gave me the freedom to concentrate on more pressing issues.
Alessia’s meeting rounded off after two hours. I was grateful that I did not have to hear her friend's droning, annoying voice further. I did not know how much longer I could have survived it. I wondered how Alessia suffered it so well, and I asked her as much in the cab ride back to her apartment.
“He’s a good guy,” she said, elbowing me playfully in the side. “I mean, he can be a handful, but he gave me a soft landing when I first arrived here. Kinda similar to what he’s offering me in the US.”
I let the matter rest, not wanting to push it. Alessia leaned on my chest as I slid my hand behind her back. How did your meeting go? I asked, trying to preserve the tranquility.
“It sure did,” Alessia replied. “Congratulations, that was the last of them. Thank you so much for doing this with me. I know I constantly tried to prevent you from coming, but I am grateful you insisted, regardless.”
“You’re singing my praises,” I said with a smile. “Really, I enjoyed every moment. It felt good to watch you in your natural habitat.” I kissed her on the forehead and drew her closer.
The sky looked overcast the entire day, and it finally rained shortly after we left the restaurant. Raindrops pattered softly on the roof of the car, and people scurried about for cover on the rapidly emptying streets. As the car got chilly, I settled into the seat, craving a steaming cup of cocoa.
Alessia’s doorman came to us quickly with an umbrella, holding the door open for her. He held the umbrella above her head and walked her up the stairs into the building foyer. I followed close behind, huddling inside my coat.
I ripped off my coat the moment I got into the apartment, hanging it on a hook beside the door. As Alessia turned on the heater, I settled heavily into the couch, curling up in a ball. They covered the other chairs in the living room with white sheets to keep away the dust. She had given away a lot of her stuff in the last couple of days, and the apartment looked naked compared to how it had been when I had first come here.
This was our last night in Paris, bringing what had been a beautiful trip to an end. Apart from all the work Alessia had done the entire time, there was also a lot of time for play and leisure in between. We spent the most time with her friends. From the moment they found out she was leaving, they tried to see her every day. There was always something planned, and I could see the nostalgia behind Alessia’s smile. She was going to miss her friends - a lot.
