“And I won’t tell Jacques either. I doubt he would be thrilled to learn you and Bastien have been spending so much time together.”
So she knew about that too. Well, it made no difference. Their time together was out of necessity. Celine was as thrilled to work with Bastien as she would have been if he were a toad.
“Thank you,” she prompted. “And you will have to keep it a secret only until—”
“The less I know the better.” Anaïs paused to swallow the rest of her chocolate. “If you need me to keep a secret, I will. Just because I enjoy gossiping about my brothers doesn’t mean I would do that to my sister. If I had one.”
“You will once Jacques and I get engaged,” Celine assured her, glad that her predicament would bring one good thing in her life. If her stupid heart wasn’t so stubborn to give way to him, at least she’d have Anaïs…
Her thoughts trailed off as one of the cars that was passing by on full speed from the main avenue slowly pulled up alongside them. The windows were tinted slightly darker, but mounds of round and square gift boxes, beautifully tied up with ribbons, were distinctly visible as they laid scattered about the back seat. A second later, the door opened to let Coco out, wearing one of her extravagant designs.
Celine stiffened.
“I cannot get enough of this street,” Coco exclaimed in English before switching to French. Her heels clicked cheerfully on the pavement as she approached them in a breeze of flowery perfume. “It would be even better if they built more shops around here, don’t you think Mademoiselle LeBeau?”
Celine chuckled nervously, feeling sweat starting to bead at the back of her neck. Anaïs might be fine with lying to Madame LeBeau about the competition, but how was Celine to explain her predicament to Coco? She was the only friend Celinehad made so far—even if Bastien suspected her intentions—and Celine didn’t want to toss that away.
“I’m afraid the doors to your car will burst open on such occasion,” she replied belatedly, hinting with a quick lift of her chin towards the boxes in the backseat. Then to Anaïs. “Coco, meet Anaïs. Bastien’s sister.”
There was a trace of confusion on Coco’s face at the blatant lack of resemblance, but she didn’t question it. She only smiled at Anaïs from underneath her cloche hat and extended her hand. “My pleasure. Though I do hope you don’t resemble him in manners either.”
“I’m not in the habit of flirting arbitrarily,” Anaïs said and offered Coco her box of bonbons in lieu of a proper greeting. “Try one, they’re the most delectable treats you will ever taste.”
Coco removed the gloves she had on and picked a pink one. Then she narrowed her eyes towards the shops in the background. “Say, what brings you two around the bridal district?” A second passed. Realisation set in. Her face brightened. “Are you marrying Bastien?”
Celine and Anaïs choked on the chocolate they were chewing. “Mon Dieu, non!”
“You’d have to chain Bastien to a bride and a priest for him to marry someone,” Anaïs supplied. “The soon-to-be groom is my other brother.”
Celine shot her a warning look. But Coco appeared somewhat intrigued, if not delighted by the prospect. If word got out amidst their circle of friends, Celine imagined they would react the same way about her little escapade with Bastien. If not worse.
Yes, that’s right. She was sneaking off to an abandoned house with his brother.
I heard they put a twist on secret affairs and met early in the morning rather than late at night.
I wonder what Jacques did when he found out.
Bloodbath, Celine thought with a shudder.
Coco, however, simply replied. “A love triangle, then. You are living my dream life, Celine LeBeau.”
“That’s not—”
“It would certainly be an interesting turn of events,” Anaïs mused. “I like your way of thinking.”
Celine’s anxiety was spiking up. “But it’s not—”
“And all the time she spends touching him at Maison Baudelaire. That would explain all the tension.”
Celine didn’t like where this was going.
“Ew,” Anaïs grimaced. “He’s my brother.”
That, to her immediate relief, brought the argument to a full stop. The weight straining Celine’s chest loosened up a bit. “There is nothing going on between me and Bastien. He…”
But she broke off, sensing her mother’s footsteps even before Madame LeBeau could saunter out of the store.
“Who is your new friend, darling? Do introduce us,” she asked, three wrapped bags dangling from her thin wrist. She handed them to their driver and approached the girls, wearing a jewel bright smile on her lips. Celine resisted the urge to shrink away somewhere—anywhere.
