Kiss Me in the Moonlight (Destined for Love: Europe)

by Lindzee Armstrong

  The shower shut off in the bathroom, and Nick rose, grabbing his backpack and preparing for a day of sight seeing and driving. Today they’d leave Brussels and head for Colmar, stopping along the way in Domremy and Vaucouleurs to visit some Joan of Arc sites. Honestly, Nick didn’t care much where they were going. He was here for answers, not a vacation.

  And okay. Maybe he was also hoping to win back Paige.

  He slipped out of the room, not wanting to make small talk with Tyler. He was a nice enough guy, but Nick wasn’t in the mood for anything but a croissant and yogurt. If his stomach wasn’t snarling with hunger, maybe he’d be able to think clearly.

  And maybe Paige would be in the breakfast room.

  She was, sitting alone at the table and reading another newspaper. He winced at the reminder. He’d slipped up, letting her know he spoke French. She hadn’t seemed suspicious the last few days, however—just angry.

  She brushed a strand of copper-colored hair behind one ear, revealing her sharp cheekbones and slender neck. He used to love kissing her neck, right under her jaw line. It had never failed to make her sigh.

  Two girls brushed past Nick, giggling. “Hi, Nick,” the shorter girl said, and then they rushed to the buffet, laughing.

  “Hey,” Nick said.

  Paige intently studied the newspaper, oblivious to everything else. Her complete lack of observational skills had made their relationship, and his many secrets, that much easier to keep. Now he wished she would question something—anything. Give him a reason to share a hint of who he really was.

  She reached for her coffee cup without looking up from the paper and took a sip. Nick shook his head and headed toward the breakfast line, his stomach rumbling at the scent of freshly baked bread. He filled his plate, then looked for a seat, zeroing in on the table with the emo boy and his silent girlfriend.

  “Mind if I sit here?” Nick asked the boy. He hadn’t applied his eyeliner quite as dark today, and his shirt was gray instead of black.

  “Sure,” the kid mumbled. He angled his body more toward the girl, who lifted a spoonful of yogurt and watched it drop into her bowl.

  Nick took a bite of his croissant, ignoring the couple. Sometime yesterday, he’d accepted they didn’t want to be friends with the chaperones. That was fine with him. Right now, Nick didn’t want to talk.

  The flirtatious girls winked at him from the next table. Nick gave a half smile. He wished Paige would look up from her newspaper. Invite him to join her.

  Ryan and Evie walked into the room, their muscles coiled, and faces lined with tension. Nick blinked. He never seen them looking anything less than blissfully happy.

  They headed straight for the coffee, and Evie poured them both a cup. Nick followed them with his eyes as they crossed to a table and sat down. Evie immediately leaned forward and whispered.

  “I’m going to grab some fruit,” Nick mumbled, rising. Emo Boy and Silent Girl didn’t look up.

  At the next table, Ryan scooted closer to Evie, his expression earnest. Nick dropped a scoop of fruit on his plate and walked toward them casually.

  “You can’t seriously be considering that,” Evie hissed.

  “I don’t know how you can not consider it. What’s the alternative, Evie?”

  Nick paused, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

  “It’s not as bad as you make it out to be,” Evie said.

  “You’re right—it’s worse.”

  Evie reached for her coffee, hand shaking. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  Ryan blew out a breath, frustration making his brow furrow. He suddenly looked much older than eighteen, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “We’re not done with this conversation.”

  “Later.”

  Nick’s senses tingled with unease. Something was definitely off.

  Evie flicked her eyes up, meeting his briefly before focusing again on his plate. Nick took a step forward, pasting on a smile. “Hey, guys. Mind if I sit?”

  “Uh, sure,” Ryan said.

  “Thanks.” Nick pulled back a chair. “Are you enjoying the trip so far?

  “Absolutely,” Evie said, her smile forced and overly bright. “Belgium is amazing. I can’t wait to visit the Joan of Arc sites today, though.”

  “Me too,” Nick said. His eyes flicked toward Paige. “I dated a girl who told me a lot about her.”

  “I bet Paige knows lots about Joan of Arc. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.” Evie twirled a strand of strawberry blonde hair around her finger. “Think she’ll tell me some stories at the sites if I ask?”

  “I’m sure she will,” Nick said. “Is this your first time to Europe?”

  “Yup. Ryan’s been a few times, though.” Evie wound the strand tighter, flicking her eyes to Ryan, then Nick, then the linen tablecloth.

  “Just on business trips with my dad.” Ryan didn’t bother to look up from his food. “He never took me to the sites or anything. I mostly just played video games in the hotel room.”

  “Which is why I’m so glad we’re on this trip together,” Evie said. “Ryan needs a little culture.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Right. Culture.”

  Okay, there was definitely something off with the couple. “Did you two get in a fight?” Nick asked. If this was some teenage drama, he’d have to refer them to Layla. He was totally out of his depth.

  “Oh, you know.” Evie waved a hand as though it was nothing. “Ryan isn’t too excited about Joan of Arc. He’s still annoyed I made him watch a documentary on the plane ride over.”

  Nick shifted his gaze back and forth between the couple. Why was Evie lying?

  Ryan gave Evie a meaningful look. “I guess I’m just more excited for the big cities.”

  Evie scowled. “Hurry up and finish eating. I’ve still got to repack my suitcase before we leave.”

  Nick watched the couple leave the room, taking a bite of his fruit. Paige still sat at her table, oblivious to her surroundings.

  He picked up his plate and slipped into the empty seat beside her. “Hey.”

  Paige glared, her eyes wandering to the newspaper. “Hey.”

  “Did Ryan and Evie get in a fight?”

  Paige frowned, looking up at him. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “I just had a weird conversation with them. I heard them arguing about something, but they wouldn’t tell me what.”

  “Teenagers get in fights a lot. Their relationships are rocky.” Paige shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing. But I’ll keep an eye on them today.”

  “Thank you,” Nick said.

  “Sure.” Paige flipped a page on the paper.

  Nick knew he’d been dismissed. But it felt like a victory. The beginnings of being a team once again.

  Paige emerged from the bus, the last one off the vehicle, and her breath caught in her throat.

  Vaucouleurs. Nearly six hundred years ago, Joan of Arc had walked these grounds.

  The ancient stone church was nestled at the bottom of a lush green hill, its gray exterior stained with pollution. The twenty teenagers spread out across the grounds, taking pictures and admiring the structure. It towered before them, large and impressive, especially for what had been a Catholic church for a relatively small French town in the early fifteenth century. The sweeping lines and Gothic arches evoked a reverence even the kids seemed to sense, because they were staying uncharacteristically quiet.

  Evie stopped beside Paige. Her strawberry blonde hair hung over her shoulders, obscuring half of her face, but the awe with which she admired the building was unmistakable. The fact that she was without Ryan made Paige wonder if Nick was right—maybe the couple really was fighting.

  “It’s beautiful,” Evie said.

  “This is where Joan’s mission to save France really began in 1428,” Paige said, keeping her voice quiet.

  “It’s so cool you know the dates right off the top of your head. You’re going to be an awesome professor.
”

  Paige couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve spent a lot of hours studying those dates.”

  “What else do you know about Vaucouleurs?” Evie stumbled over the unfamiliar French word, her pronunciation all wrong.

  “Well, Joan’s uncle lived in the nearby village. She stayed with him that spring, and met the military commander of the area. She tried to convince him to take her to the dauphin—you know, the heir to the French throne—so she could liberate France from her captors and restore the country to its glory.”

  “She was an amazing woman,” Evie said, and her voice took on a wistful quality. “So strong. So sure of her purpose and her journey.”

  “She was.” Paige gave Evie an odd look. Was there more to the fight than typical teenage drama? “Where’s Ryan?”

  “Oh, he’s down there.” Evie pointed vaguely toward one of the pathways around the backside of the church. “We sort of had a fight this morning.”

  “Oh?” Paige tried to keep the surprise from her voice. She hadn’t expected Evie to bring it up.

  “It’s nothing. Ryan just likes to be dramatic.” She smoothed her hair over her shoulders, and Ryan appeared from behind the church. “I’d better go to talk to him. He’s probably cooled down by now.”

  “Good luck,” Paige said.

  “Thanks.” Evie jogged down the small hill. Ryan met her halfway, and they slowly walked away together.

  Paige met Nick’s eyes from across the grass, and he strolled casually toward her.

  “Did Evie say anything?” he asked, his voice low.

  “Just that they’re fighting. She didn’t say about what.”

  Nick stared at the couple, lips turned down in a frown. “Something’s off.”

  Paige pursed her lips. Evie had her arms folded. She leaned away from Ryan while he leaned toward her, his hands moving through the air in animated gestures as he talked.

  Paige couldn’t let Nick be right. “Couples fight—especially when they’re eighteen. That isn’t weird.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Nick’s phone rang, and he glanced at the number. “Sorry, but I’ve got to take this.”

  The phone was already to his ear as he walked away. Paige folded her arms, forcing herself to look away. He’d tried really hard the last few days to resurrect a semblance of what they’d once had. He’d been nothing but kind, brushing off her less-than-friendly behavior as though it were nothing. It was getting harder and harder to keep up her aloof facade. The truth was that she missed Nick. She’d loved him once. Maybe she still did.

  But how she could just forget what had happened and move on? He’d broken her heart and left her completely adrift. She didn’t know if she could trust him again.

  “Hey.” Layla danced up to Paige, her footsteps light and graceful. “Was that Nick I just saw leave?”

  “Yeah.”

  Layla frowned. “You two aren’t fighting again, are you?”

  “I guess not.” Paige stuck her hands in her back pockets, raising her face to the sunlight. A light breeze blew through her hair, calming her soul.

  “What’s the deal with you two, anyway?” Layla asked.

  “We dated. He broke up with me.”

  Layla rolled her eyes. “I know that.”

  “Trust me—it’s really not that interesting of a story.”

  “Except that it is. He obviously still likes you. So why did he leave?”

  That question had kept Paige up at nights. “I wish I knew.”

  “Oh, come on.” Layla thrust out a hand, pointing to Nick’s turned back. He stood underneath a tree, the phone to his ear. “He’s like a scruffier Hemsworth brother. You can’t tell me you don’t want a piece of that.”

  Paige had thought of little else since Nick’s arrival back in her life. He gazed at her so intensely, like she was the only woman in the world. It would be easy to fall back into their old patterns.

  But having Nick back had brought all the things that had drove her crazy about him right to the forefront of her thoughts. His frequent and unexplained disappearances. The business trips that lasted for days, and somehow were always in locations with spotty cell phone service. Vague answers to direct questions.

  He’d read that French article so rapidly, yet claimed to barely know the language.

  “What about you?” Paige said, turning the question around. “You and Tyler seem to be getting along pretty well.”

  Layla smiled, a dimple popping in one cheek. “Yeah, Tyler’s cool. I wouldn’t say no to a summer fling, if he was interested. But I’m not looking for anything serious. Nick, on the other hand …” Layla shrugged delicately. “He might not deserve a chance, but you deserve an explanation. And he seems willing to give it.”

  Paige thought about that as they loaded the bus. The unknowns had eaten her alive for the past two months. Didn’t she owe it to herself to at least hear him out?

  She picked a seat across the aisle from Nick. He gave her a tentative smile, and she answered it with one of her own.

  The bus ride to Domremy was short and oddly familiar—Paige had spent hours looking at photographs of the area. Joan of Arc’s childhood home was plain in the extreme, with its two-dimensional yellow stucco exterior and slanted roof.

  “So cool,” Evie said as the teenagers crowded into the small building.

  Paige waited outside, not wanting to fight the chaos. She heard one of the giggly girls squeal, and then the deep baritone of one of the loud boys.

  “You’re not going in?” Nick asked. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, a crooked smile on his lips.

  “I’ll let the kids see it first.” Paige rested a hand softly on the home’s exterior, the sun-warmed stucco rough against her palm. Six hundred years, and still standing. Amazing.

  “You had that same look on your face when we visited Mount Vernon,” Nick said. “It was the first time I caught a glimpse of just how much you love history.”

  “I think I could stay in Europe forever.” Paige pointed at a steeple, rising above the trees. “That’s the church where Joan was christened as a baby. The entire course of a country changed because a little baby girl was born in this town.”

  The teenagers wandered out of the building, making their way toward the church. Paige glanced inside, seeing only a few of the shyer kids still there.

  Nick nodded toward the building. “Go check it out. It’ll be quiet now.”

  Paige took a step inside, then paused in the doorway. If she wanted answers, she had to start being friendly. “Aren’t you coming?”

  His eyebrows arched, and a soft smile played on his lips. “Yeah. Okay.”

  Paige placed a foot carefully on the tile floor. Joan had grown up here as a child. Probably taken her first steps in this very room. The room was open, with a fireplace along one wall and a statute of Joan in the corner. The last three girls left the room, and Paige and Nick were alone. Sunlight filtered through the heavily paned windows, illuminating the dust in the air.

  “Is it everything you hoped for and more?” Nick asked.

  Paige smiled. “It’s pretty cool.”

  Nick took a step forward, leaving mere inches between them. Paige gazed up into his face, her hand aching to feel the stubble on his jaw. He reached out slowly, his fingers brushing along her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind one ear.

  “I’m glad you get to experience this,” Nick said, his voice husky and green eyes dark. “I’m glad you’re on this trip.”

  Paige took a step back, clearing her throat. Her heart beat painfully, and her stomach felt full of thumb-tacks. “I should go answer questions,” Paige whispered. “Layla said she doesn’t know much about the history here.”

  Thirty minutes later, they boarded the bus, and Nick sat beside her. Paige didn’t say much to him on the road to Colmar, but Nick’s presence felt both reassuring and right.

  They entered Colmar as twilight blanketed the town, casting it in a beautiful glow. Paige sucked in her b
reath as the large bus lumbered through the town. This was what she had always imagined France to look like—colorful picturesque buildings, tall and narrow, lining narrow cobblestone streets. There was even a fountain in the town square.

  The bus came to a halt outside a small hotel, and Layla stood. “Free time for the rest of the evening,” she announced. “Everyone better be in their room by ten p.m. Don’t make me hunt you down.”

  The kids laughed, and the bus broke up into individual conversations as they gathered their belongings and headed off. Paige felt Nick’s gaze on her, as heavy as a blanket. She knew he wanted to talk, and tonight would be the perfect opportunity. But Paige was emotionally exhausted. The progress they’d made today already felt monumental.

  Nick slid out of his seat, then motioned to Paige. “After you.”

  Paige grabbed her backpack and made her way down the aisle, the heat from Nick’s close proximity making her entire body go hot and cold. He was going to ask to talk tonight—she just knew it. She wasn’t sure if she was ready.

  Layla waited just outside the bus, bouncing from foot to foot. “Hey! Tyler and I thought it would be fun to all go out to dinner together.” She flicked a glance between Nick and Paige. “What do you think?”

  “Sounds great,” Nick said. “Paige?”

  She took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay.”

  “Great!” Layla brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “I going to freshen up. Let’s meet in the lobby in thirty minutes. The restaurant is close enough we can walk, and their bread is to die for.”

  Paige’s mouth watered as she remembered breakfast that morning in Belgium. If it was anything like that, she was in for a treat. “You’re making me hungry.”

  “Good.” Layla winked at Nick. “I’m going to order escargot for the table, too. When in Rome … Or Colmar, I guess.”

  “I’m not eating snails,” Paige muttered to Nick.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

  She looked away, face uncomfortably warm.

  In their room, Layla wasted no time strewing clothes across her bed.

  “Are you changing?” Paige asked.

  “I thought it’d be fun to dress up a bit.” Layla held up a sparkly cocktail dress. “Too much?”