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As we hung up, I could feel my heart thudding loudly against my chest. I’d never felt this way before. At least, not to this extreme. This rush of emotion was new to me, and I was still uncertain of how to handle it. It was when I looked over at Veronica that I gained control of my facial muscles once more. Trying to look serious, I headed back over to my desk where she was waiting. It was evident that she had been listening in on my phone call, but she tried her best to look distracted.
“Sorry,” I apologized, “Can we take a raincheck on this meeting? I have an appointment in ten minutes that I must attend.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I could tell she wasn’t impressed with my excuse.
“No worries,” she said between gritted teeth, “I can wait.”
“I’ll be gone most of the afternoon for lunch.”
“Then I’ll come back afterward. As I said, I have some business in the area.”
I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake her, so instead, I just nodded and grabbed my things from the drawer. Shoving everything into their usual pockets, I held the door open for Veronica as we left the confines of my office.
“See you after lunch,” she purred, placing a hand on my chest.
My secretary looked over with raised eyebrows, so I quickly took a step back, “Sure. Just schedule the appointment with my secretary so I can rejig the rest of my meetings. See you soon.”
I didn’t bother to wait around for any more idle chit-chat as I went off to meet Bea. All the while, my heart pumped excitedly in my chest in anticipation of seeing her.
There was something about her that made me feel alive.
SEVEN
~ Bea ~
“Are you ready?”
Grinning, I linked arms with Noah as he once again guided me through the busy streets of Cherrywood Falls. He refused to tell me where we were going, claiming the secret was worth the wait. I couldn’t tell if the butterflies in my stomach were because of the mystery or because of Noah. I believe it was the latter.
“Ta-da!”
With a flourish, he presented me with a plain-looking building. There was no signage on the outside to give away any clues about what was contained within. In fact, there was nothing to signal there was anything inside at all.
“Where are we?”
Grabbing my hand, he weirdly tapped on the door. It must have been some form of password because soon after, the door opened a crack, and an old lady looked out.
“Noah! We’ve been expecting you.”
The woman’s face broke into a smile as she opened the door wider and let us in. My eyes had to adjust to the gloom, but I soon realized it was a restaurant of some sort.
“Welcome to Café de Bisous!” Noah laid a hand on the small of my back as he led me through the room.
There were only a few other couples in the dining area, so I knew the place was exclusive. I cringed just thinking about the prices on the menu. Noah had insisted it was his treat, but nevertheless, it made me slightly uncomfortable to go somewhere so luxurious. But this was his world, and I needed to gradually get used to it if I wanted to remain with him.
“How did you ever find this place?” I asked as he held the seat for me.
As he sat down in his own chair, he explained, “You make connections when you work in an industry such as mine. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Cherrywood Falls and yet another one I’m letting you in on.”
“Well, I certainly feel honored. You truly are taking me on a trip around the city.”
The little old lady came over and handed us the menus. I took one and stared at the pages blankly. It was entirely in French. Panicking, I scanned the words for something I might recognize. Poulet, that’s chicken, right? And I was relatively sure that l’agneau was lamb. I could feel my face started to redden at my lack of knowledge of the French language. I wondered if Noah would think less of me.
“Do you know what you’re having?” he asked, looking over the top of his menu.
I cringed inwardly. I knew it would be hopeless trying to lie.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand the menu.”
