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She hugged me tightly, then kissed each of my cheeks.
“How are you, Cecilia? I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too,” she said in French.
She’d been the one to patiently teach me the language on the many nights I spent with her while my friends were out at parties or with boyfriends. I was determined to learn French as quickly as possible, and with Spanish and Italian under my belt, it hadn’t been that hard. Plus, in many ways, Cecilia reminded me of my own grandmother. It was like a bit of home even though I was so far away.
I introduced Devin to Cecilia. She smiled as she looked him over. “He is handsome,” Cecilia finally said, still in French.
“Why don’t you guys get settled and come down for lunch,” Elizabeth said in English, handing me my old set of keys.
I took a few bags from Devin, and he followed me up the two flights of stairs to my small apartment. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face when he saw just how tiny it was. He’d think it was the size of his bedroom closet in Sandrine.
I unlocked the front door and we stepped inside. Devin surveyed the situation. There was one long hallway at the periphery that led to the kitchen and bathroom. To our left was a large room that was split into a living room and a tiny bedroom.
“Where’s the rest of it?” he asked, looking around.
“This is it, baby,” I said with a wink.
He pointed at the twin bed. “We’re both going to sleep in that?”
“That’s right,” I said with a laugh. I knew how much he liked his space, but he was going to have to live with this. He groaned with displeasure, dropping our luggage on the floor and pretending to cry.
“You’ll get over it. Now, let’s get settled in and go down for lunch. Cecilia is an amazing cook.”
After we freshened up, we found the promised feast in Cecelia’s kitchen. We ate roast beef, potatoes, and salad while we reminisced for a few hours, and I got caught up on all I’d missed. Devin tried to listen but I could tell he was drifting. Not only could he not understand when we switched to French, but jet lag was also creeping up on him. Cecilia noticed that his eyelids had begun to sag, and she insisted he go to bed. He didn’t need to be told twice as he stumbled toward the door.
Cecilia excused herself an hour later to go to her weekly card night. I was glad to see that some things hadn’t changed.
Once we were alone, Elizabeth wanted to hear more about Devin. “I know you’ve told me everything I need to know about this guy, but I still can’t believe it. I would have never imagined you with a guy like him.”
I don’t know why that surprised me, considering I hadn’t shown interest in guys at all in university. “What do you mean?”
“He’s quite the playboy, or so I’ve heard. I always saw you with someone a little more conservative.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. I’d envisioned the same thing, and when Blake Carlton popped into my head, I immediately pushed that thought aside. “I think I’ve tamed the beast inside him, or at least I hope I have.”
“He adores you.”
“I’m glad I waited this long to fall in love, because, Elizabeth, I don’t think I could love someone more.”
She rose to take away the dinner plates. She frowned. “I’m happy for you, but it’s only been six months. Things can change.”
“I can’t see what. A second doesn’t go by that I don’t think of him.”
She put the dishes in the sink and started the water. I got up to help, just like old times.
“And you used to mock people who talked like that.”
“I didn’t know what I was missing.”
“Do I hear wedding bells?”
I swatted her with a dish towel. “Getting him to marry me would be the coup of the century. I don’t think he’s the marrying kind, and if I’m honest, I’m not sure I am either. Anyway, aren’t we too young to be talking about marriage?”
“Look at Danielle. She’s younger than us, and she’s getting married. You’ve never talked about it?” she asked, handing me a dish to dry.
“Like you said, we’ve only been seeing each other six months.”
