CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
Pierre was headed back home.
Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he prepared Pierre for the short trip over to Kyle and Madison’s. When Kyle’s text had come through this morning, he’d released a wild cry that had nearly made Jacqueline jump out of her skin before shouting, “They’re back together! Madison misses Pierre and wants him returned pronto.”
Sure, he would miss the little guy, but the fissure between Kyle and Madison had affected the poor parrot as much as the rest of them. He couldn’t rush Pierre over to their house fast enough.
“Mon ami,”he told Pierre, fitting him with a navy wool cape he’d bought him for winter. “The lovebirds are back together, a phrase your people inspired. The Michelin gods are coming down from Mount Olympus to Nanine’s. All is right in the world.”
“Merci le bon Dieu,”Pierre agreed with a squawk.
Dean fashioned the matching beret on Pierre’s head and stepped back to survey his outfit. “Très chic,Pierre.”
“Bien sûr,”the parrot smartly replied, making him laugh.
“If my father could see the outfits you have created forPierre,” Jacqueline commented, leaning her head against his shoulder, “I am not sure whether he would find it appealing or gauche.”
Dean knew when to walk a tightrope. Pierre had cooked beside Jacqueline’s father for many years before he passed away. “All that matters, my love, is that Pierre likes them. Right,mon ami?”
“Oui,”he agreed, bobbing his head enthusiastically.
“You’d better grab your coat,” he told her with a soft kiss. “I told everyone to meet in front of their house in ten minutes.”
She cocked her brow. “Dean…what did you do?”
He flashed his most charming smile.
Everyone was coming. Even Thea, whom he’d already confirmed had sold out early again, a record going on every day since her opening.
“I called for a special family brunch.”
“We do not do brunch in Paris,” she told him, continuing her level stare.
“Oh, come on, Jacs. We need to celebrate!” He gently placed Pierre in his cage and covered him with the cloth. “These are our friends. They’re back together.Forever.No one is leaving Paris. The restaurant drama is over. I can’t wait until Sunday dinner tomorrow to see everyone. Neither can anyone else, because they all enthusiastically accepted the brunch invite I sent this morning after Kyle’s text.”
She only shook her head as she laughed in that sexy way of hers. “And who is hosting?”
Her tone suggested she was onto him, but then again, that’s what made them destined for eternity. “Well, we’re having it at Kyle and Madison’s house, but I suggested everyone bring something.”
“And what are we bringing?”
“A fruit tray.” He wasn’t telling her about the item he’dbeen saving in the gift bag sitting next to Pierre’s cage. “I’m popping into the store on the way.”
“You’re the fruit,” she told him with another soft kiss, “but an adorable one.”
“Does this mean you’ve reconsidered using the leprechauns for our opening?” he asked with a forced gasp, because he knew the Lady Jacs would never stand beside a supernatural being dressed in a green suit while offering serious professional assessments of the wine and liquors.
She kissed him sweetly. “Keep dreaming,chéri.”
That was him. The dreamer. He’d come to Paris looking for his next big thing, and he’d found more than he’d bargained for in the love of his life and his parrot-friend Pierre, along with a new business that was going to set the beverage world on fire.
When they reached Kyle and Madison’s, he winced, seeing they were the last to arrive. No matter how he planned it, they were always late. Jean Luc had his arms wrapped around Thea while Axel towered over Brooke, looking very much like a Viking. Sawyer and Phoebe were holding hands, talking animatedly, probably about some dead dude.
Brooke pointedly lifted her wrist, drumming her watch face like it was a Bongo set. “You’re late. Like usual. And after asking us to wait outside for you. I don’t usually mind, but it’s cold, and we’re freezing our butts off out here.”
The day did have a bite, even for March. Spring buds were popping up all over the tree branches, and here and there, he’d seen a few daffodils, but otherwise, summer still felt a long way away. “Sorry, guys. I do try, you know.”
