One Summer in Paris

“Green is good for you.”

“Not everything green is good for you. Caterpillars are green, although you’re probably about to tell me that the French eat them.” Audrey tucked into her food. “So today in the salon I learned five new words, and tomorrow I have a date so I need you to teach me a few very specific words for that.”

“You have a date? That’s exciting. Who with?”

“It’s private, Grace. I don’t ask you about your sex life.”

“I don’t have a sex life. I’m a sad, soon-to-be divorcée, remember? But I hope you have fun on your date. Not that you want my opinion, but I think Etienne is pretty cute.”

Audrey put her fork down. “How do you know it’s Etienne?”

“I hope it’s Etienne.” She caught Audrey’s eye. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you. When you’re both in the bookshop at the same time it’s like a lab experiment.”

“He looks at me?”

“You know he does. And then there is the fact that he jumped to your defense when Elodie wanted to fire you.”

/>

“She did fire me.” Audrey fiddled with her fork. “He defended me? What did he say? You never did tell me.”

“He reminded her what it was like to be a student and short of money. I was impressed that he was willing to risk his own relationship with Elodie to support you.”

“Yeah, I’m impressed, too.” She wondered how far Etienne would have gone. “So if I killed someone do you think he’d hide the body?”

“Let’s not put that to the test,” Grace said. “Where are you going on your date? Dinner? Dancing?”

Audrey acknowledged the generation gap with a grin. “You mean like tango and stuff? I don’t think so.” Although a naked tango had come to mind more than once during the week. Grace was right that she and Etienne had exchanged a few long, lingering glances. She was fairly sure he was interested, and she was definitely interested. She’d never felt this way before. Grace had caught her grinning at nothing a couple of times, and that had been embarrassing although also nice in a way. Grace noticed things.

She wondered what Etienne had planned for their date. Would they grab a drink and then go back to Etienne’s place for crazy sex? And what about alcohol? She didn’t drink, but she didn’t want Etienne to think she wasn’t cool.

She felt a ripple of nerves. Her sex life so far involved a few deeply unsatisfying encounters on top of a pile of coats at house parties. Deep down she was terrified there might be something wrong with her. What if her messed-up childhood had messed up other parts of her? She could never let go and relax. She was so bad at it she ended up thinking about something else or worrying. Anxiety about her mother had been a permanent burn in her insides. “I guess we might go to a club. Or maybe back to his place.”

On the other hand if the sex was terrible, that might be awkward.

Still, the idea that she could finally do whatever she wanted without having to think about her mother or anyone else left her feeling breathless. This was the type of freedom she’d been longing for. She had an apartment. A job. An almost boyfriend. She was in Paris.

What could possibly go wrong?

“He has his own place?”

“It’s his parents’ place, but they go to the south of France in the summer.”

“Wait—” Grace put her fork down. “So they won’t be there?”

“No, and that’s good. I’ve known him, like, five minutes. We’re not exactly at the ‘meet the parents’ stage.” If she didn’t meet anyone else’s parents, then they wouldn’t expect to meet hers.

“Well, he seems like a lovely guy. I’m sure he’ll bring you home after, but if he doesn’t you can always call me and I’ll meet you.”

Audrey was thrown. No one had ever offered to meet her before. She imagined Grace being mugged on her way to save Audrey from the best sex of her life.

“You’re doing that because I remind you of your daughter?”

Grace frowned. “No. I’m doing it because you’re a friend. Take my number.” She scribbled it on a paper napkin. “If something happens, call me. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”

Audrey put the number in her phone. Not that she was going to use it, but if it made Grace happy—

“It’s a date. I hope something does happen.”