Her immediate head tilt and set of furrowed brows on display speaks volumes. “Aww, Jack I’m so sorry to hear that. I do hope your heart heals soon. Paris is a wonderful place to help you forget about your past. God knows it has helpedme.”
More curious than ever I ask, “Oh, you came to Paris to forget yourpast?”
She chuckles and moves her gaze out the window. “Well in my case, I came Paris toescape.”
Hmm. Let the mysteryunfold.
“If you don’t mind me asking, escapewhat?”
She sighs, still looking out the window, then says, “My mama. My sister.Savannah.”
Her phone rings. Badtiming.
She removes it from her purse, looks at the screen, and answers, “Hey André, everything alright?” She pauses. “Really? Wow, how sweet. I can’t wait to see them. I’ll be there soon. And can you ask the café to have a warm croissant and an iced coffee waiting for me?” Another pause. “Lovely. See you in a bit,sweetie.”
Looking amused, she tosses her phone back into her purse, before she folds her arms, taking a deep breath in then out. A smile tugs at herlips.
“Everythinggood?”
She nods. “Everything is more than good. Apparently my date sent a gift to my office this morning. One dozen small teddy bears. I guess he took the time to read about me and my dislike of flowers. André said he peeked at the card and it says ‘if not one dozen flowers, surely one dozen teddy bears will suffice. Thanks for last night. I’m looking forward to spending more time withyou.’ ”
She lets out a breathysigh.
Andme?
Well, it should be ratherobvious.
I’mstilljealous.
