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“Why won’t she just tell me what’s going on?”
He sighs and leans back in the chair. “Giselle is at a . . . What do I call it? A very low place, right now.”
“But why?” I question with confusion.
He stares at me and opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, but then he looks away and shrugs. “Give her time, Miles. It’s no use trying to change her mind right now. You must have noticed that she can be very stubborn.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” I grumble.
He chuckles. “Yeah. It runs in the family.”
I gulp my beer and sigh.
“Giselle might put on a brave front for all and sundry to see, but truly, she’s an emotional woman struggling to get past her fears.’
I frown. “Her fears? What’s she afraid of?”
He stares at me for some seconds before replying, “She hasn’t been fortunate when it comes to love. Her fears are triggered by a man who isn’t ready to have a serious relationship, and she has vowed never to get roped in like that again.”
“I’m ready now.”
“So is Pierre.”
I groan.
“I know Giselle will kill me for telling you all this, but I sense that you genuinely care for her, unlike that oaf, Pierre, who broke her heart. Along the line, after multiple disappointments, Giselle began to think it was her fault that men refuse to commit. She has come up with a defense mechanism where she doesn’t rely on others, so that she doesn’t get let down. She’s in a stage now where she is persuading herself that she doesn’t need you.”
I nod, having sensed Giselle’s independence from the first moment I laid my eyes on her.
“While she’s bubbly and sociable, she doesn’t allow herself to lean on others and will only let her closest family in. And that’s why I believe you have a herculean task on your hands, because she let down her guard with you despite her resolve, and you messed up.”
Shit! I truly messed things up with her.
“But like I said, give her time. I believe she’ll come around, especially as she’s . . .” He trails off and looks away.
“Especially as she’s what?” I repeat, and he shrugs.
“She’ll be leaving for Paris soon. Are you aware of that?”
My gut tells me that wasn’t what he was about to say, but I shrug it off. “Yes.”
He smiles. “I’ll be traveling with her. Maddie too. We’ll spend the holidays with my family. Maddie and I will come back alone after Christmas.”
“And you want me to let her be? She’s going to Paris where her ex-boyfriend will be lurking in the shadows.”
He chuckles. “You don’t have to worry about Pierre. She would have been long gone if she wanted him back. I know my sister. Let her cool off for a few days before trying again. Pierre has been bugging her. She has had it up to here with him. Don’t frustrate her as well.”
Even though I’m not comfortable with his suggestion, I nod. “Thanks for your time, Gabriel. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Now, do you want to try another flavor of beer? Believe me, they have some you can’t even imagine.”
“Bring it on,” I say with forced enthusiasm. I’d rather be with Giselle than here drinking beer, but it’s an opportunity to get to know Gabriel. Who knows? He might help me to convince Giselle that I’m the man for her.
CHAPTER22
GISELLE
The joy of being with all my family members again floods me as I glance around the living room at my mom, my dad, Josephine, Gabriel, and Maddie as we begin our Christmas Eve dinner with aperitifs. We arrived at my parents’ apartment in the sixth arrondissement a week ago. It has been total bliss returning to the house I grew up in. My parents didn’t change a thing in my bedroom, which I shared with Jo. Now I have it to myself as my sister has her own apartment a few blocks away.
