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The ring was pretty, but what really touched her was the thought behind it. Grace had been thinking about her. Figuring out ways she could help.
No one had tried to find ways to make things easier for her before. And no one had ever bought her anything as pretty as this ring.
To show her gratitude, she went into the back room to carry on with the work Grace had started. Immediately, she started sneezing. She opened her mouth to swear and closed it again. Grace hated swearing, didn’t she? “This place is one big dust mite. What are these boxes anyway?”
The boxes were stacked high, most of them unopened.
“People bring them in. Donate them. Sometimes they’re clearing out, but sometimes a person has died.” Grace gestured to the pile she’d already sorted. “I’m going to shelve these. Take your time. If you can just sort into fiction and nonfiction, I will do the rest. And if any of them are confusing and not obvious, make a separate pile.”
“Are any of them valuable?”
“Unlikely, but Elodie will check before we shelve them.”
Audrey spent the rest of the morning wrestling with old books and dust, and thinking about Etienne. When she heard the bell clang at lunchtime her heart quickened but she stayed in the back room. How was she supposed to react? She’d never been the type to fall heavily for boys like some of her friends, but she did like Etienne. She liked him a lot. But did she want him to know that?
Deciding to play it cool, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and stood up.
She could hear him talking to Grace. They were laughing together.
She strolled out of the back room into the cool shade of the shop. “Hi, there.”
“Hi.” He gave a smile that was just for her. It was a smile that acknowledged a memory, but also made a promise. Tomorrow. Already thinking about it.
Her heart skipped and danced, her hopes held in check by her brain. She was lonely, wasn’t she? People did stupid things when they were lonely. They made decisions they regretted later. “I was sorting through books, but as you’re here now I’ll get going. They’re busy in the salon today.” For some reason that look he gave her made her feel weightless and giddy. She floated through the afternoon, washing hair and massaging scalps. This came naturally to her. It was as if her fingers knew how to do this without any help from her. Maybe she could find a salon to train her. Some of them did that, didn’t they? She could learn how to cut. Work her way up. Maybe even one day own her own salon. She knew she’d be good at it.
It was later, much later, when she finally knocked on the door of Grace’s apartment.
The moment Grace opened the door, Audrey knew something was wrong.
Grace had showered and changed, and her shirt buttons were done up unevenly.
Knowing Grace, that had to be a sign that the world was falling apart.
Audrey stepped inside. “What happened?” There were delicious smells coming from the kitchen, so that was one thing.
“He replied!”
“From your panicked look I’m assuming you mean Philippe? And?”
“He accepted my friend request and immediately messaged me to invite me to dinner tomorrow night.”
“That’s great!”
“It is not great.” Grace paced the length of her apartment, curling and uncurling her fingers. “Why did I send that friend request?”
“Because I encouraged you, but I refuse to apologize. I was saving you from yourself. Calm down. It’s dinner, that’s all. Where are you going?”
“Nowhere! Obviously I can’t go.”
“You have to eat a meal. He has to eat a meal. You’ll eat the meal together. No biggie.”
“We both know it’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“Do we?” Audrey sat down on the sofa and studied the plate of nibbles. “Are these for eating? My brain works better when it’s fed.”
“Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” She selected what looked like a tiny square of French bread topped with something that smelled delicious. “Tell me why it’s complicated.”
