Page 47 of The Heart You Kept

“You’re pathetic,” he barks as he adjusts his suit coat. “I presumed lawyers were supposed to have some fucking balls.”

“Do you always have to be so aggressive?” Louis fires back.

“Only when my lawyer is a pathetic wimp.” The doors open and he strides out and Louis scrambles to walk beside him.

“The next meeting will go better,” he promises.

“It will because I’ll have a new lawyer. You’re fired.”

“What?” Louis stammers. “You can’t fire me.”

“I just did.” He strides out of the building and out onto the street. I open the back door of the car for him.

“Well, what am I supposed to do now?” Louis cries from behind him.

“Apply for a job at Grow A Set dot com.”

ALORA

My eyes skim the page but not a word registers. I get all the way to the bottom, I go back to the top of the page and start again. Pascal is brushing his teeth as I pretend to read in bed.

“I don’t see the big deal,” he murmurs around his toothbrush.

“The big deal is that I don’t have anything to donate for this stupid thing, I wish you never suggested it,” I call.

He rolls his eyes at my dramatics.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” I huff. “It’s being announced everywhere as a major prize.”

“That’s a great thing.” He spits the toothpaste into the sink and finishes up. “This is fantastic publicity.” He comes and lies across the bed and leans up on his elbows.

“I have no doubt that this is all true if there was a great prize,” I scoff. “Why did I agree to this? I’ve been racking my brain all week and I’ve come up with nothing. If I don’t think of something substantial this is going to be a publicity nightmare.”

He rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling as he thinks. “What about an armoire?”

“A cupboard?” I screw up my face. “Seriously? A cupboard is the best you can think of.”

“I think an armoire is great.”

I let out a deep sigh and go back to pretending to read.

“What about an internship?”

My eyes rise to meet his. “What kind of internship?”

“Well….” He thinks on the fly as he explains it to me. “Whoever purchased it could give it to a young person or someone who wants to enter the antiques world.”

“Like a gift?”

“Yes, like a gift. It could be an amazing start for someone. You could show them the ropes, teach them from the inside, and share your knowledge.”

“Who’s going to pay for that?”

“It’s not about how much someone would pay for it, it’s what it is worth. The honor of learning from the best, a proven successful antique dealer. These opportunities just don’t come up.”

I twist my lips as I think it over.

“That is a great prize, and lots of people know someone who would want it. We live in France, everybody loves antiques.”