One Summer in Paris

“You have a daughter?”

“Sophie. She’s eighteen. Traveling in Europe at the moment.”

“So you worry, but you still let her go.”

“You can’t hold on to people.” She’d tried to hold on to David, and that hadn’t worked out, either. “Do you live nearby, Toni?”

He told her where he lived and she did a quick calculation. “It must take you at least half an hour to walk here.”

“Twenty-five minutes.”

“That seems quite a distance.”

Why here? Why this bookshop when Paris was stuffed with so many alternatives?

He focused on his tea. “I like the walk.”

She had a feeling there was more to it than that. “Well, we love seeing you every day.”

He smiled at her. “You are looking better, Grace.”

“Better?”

“The first day I saw you, you had ghosts in your eyes.” He took a sip of tea. “Those ghosts have gone.”

“My life was a little complicated.” The understatement almost made her laugh. She had a sudden urge to tell him everything but managed to stop herself. There was opening up, and then there was oversharing. Toni was delightful and caring, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear the sordid details of her life. “Fortunately, things have settled down. How about you, Toni? Do you have family?”

“I’m widowed. And you have no idea how much I dislike that word. It’s an invitation for pity, and I hate that.” He stood up. “Thank you for the tea. I’ll leave you to sort the books while I browse for a little while.” With a gentle smile, he walked into one of the small rooms at the back of the shop and picked a shelf.

Grace couldn’t help herself. “Are you looking for something specific, Toni? Is it something I can help with? Two pairs of eyes are better than one.”

His gaze softened. “Thank you, but I’m better doing this alone.”

Did a person pick up every book from every shelf if they were browsing? What he did didn’t seem like browsing to her. It looked as if he was searching methodically for something specific.

Still, it wasn’t her business. If he wanted her help, he’d ask for it.

She walked into the back room where all the boxes were stacked and started working her way through.

She checked each book, sorted them into piles for shelving, making sure there was nothing that might be of particular value. Elodie had told her that she’d found at least two first editions in the past few years.

After half an hour Toni said goodbye and left. The shop was empty, and her mind wandered to Philippe. If Audrey hadn’t called when she did, would Grace have slept with him?

She rocked back on her heels and stared at the book in her hands.

Yes. She probably would. She’d enjoyed the evening, the chemistry between them was off the charts and she had to move on sometime. Maybe Philippe was exactly what she needed.

Would she have felt guilty? There was only one way to find out.

Pausing in her book-sorting efforts, she leaned across and grabbed her bag. She was too old for games. Just because he hadn’t called her, didn’t mean she couldn’t call him.

Before she could change her mind, she sent him a text.

Had a good time last night. Sorry to leave early. Had to help Audrey, but all good now. Looking forward to concert.

There. Done.

His reply came almost instantly.