“That’s not healthy either,” he said. “It’s a temporary coping method, at best. I know I haven’t met your parents, but if you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.”
She squeezed his hand, then murmured a thank you. Silence fell between them, leaving Jean-Paul unsure how to transition to another topic. Hugo hopped up and licked at their joined hands, which brought a small smile to Delphine’s face.
She nodded toward the port’s towers. “Have you been to the top?”
“I haven’t had a chance yet,” he replied, grateful to have their conversation going again.
“Do you think you’re up for it? It should only take about thirty minutes.”
Had he known what he was getting into, he would have rethought agreeing to the outing. “Are you sure there’s an end?” he asked as they climbed what seemed to be a never-ending winding staircase to the top of the Tour de la Chain. Poor Hugo didn’t last long, so Jean-Paul scooped him up. When they reached the deck area, it was just them and a few others milling around. The view of La Rochelle was incredible, but it was the oceanside with the setting sun that was stunning.
“Admit it, the view was worth the climb,” she teased.
“It’s stunning,” he said, although he was referring to more than just the view from the tower. The way the rays of the sun glinted off her hair and bathed her skin in a warm glow took his breath away.
Delphine took out her phone, and he pulled her close as she snapped a few selfies of them together. The first few were silly, but then she leaned close and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The surprised look on his face combined with her kiss resulted in a comical photo.
“No fair,” he said. “You didn’t give me any warning.”
“You need a warning before a girl kisses you?” she teased.
“Just for the first kiss,” he replied, leaning in closer. The tip of her tongue darted out, wetting her lips as she tilted her head up in an invitation to continue. His hand slipped to the nape of her neck as he slowly lowered his head, the feel of the fast pace of her pulse against his thumb matching his own.
“Ahem,” someone coughed, interrupting them when Jean-Paul was just a breath away from meeting Delphine’s lips.
Delphine jumped, knocking her head into his. “Ow,” she exclaimed, stepping back and rubbing the sore spot.
“Pardon, but the tower is closing. You need to start your descent, please,” the attendant informed them.
“Merci,” Jean-Paul said, nodding to the man. He picked up Hugo, and they made their way back down the staircase. They were almost to the bottom when his cell phone rang. The phone number was from Simply Bella.
He apologized to Delphine and answered the call, then quickly wished he hadn’t.
“Jean-Paul.” Angelique’s voice came from the other side. “The new product lines aren’t uploading to the website correctly. We are desperate for your help.”
“I’m away from the office, but I’ll make my way back now. I’ll call you in about twenty minutes,” he promised before he disconnected the call. “I’m sorry,” he said, turning to Delphine. The phone call lasted long enough that they had exited the tower. “There’s a problem at work and I need to get back.”
“I understand. I’ll just take Hugo and get back to work too.”
Jean-Paul handed Hugo back to her, then hesitated, trying to figure out what to say next. Not only was their potential first kiss ruined, but so was the end of their date. “I’ll see you Friday, right?”
“Absolutely. Be sure to wear steel-toed dancing shoes,” she replied lightly, sending him off with a quick bise kiss.
As he rushed back to the office, he received a text message from his secretary.
Mme. St. Germain has arrived at the office. Said she talked with you about some emergency work that needs done. I was just getting ready to close up. What would you like me to do?
He couldn’t work with Angelique distracting him. He quickly typed a reply back, begging Helena to stay until he could make a plan with Mme. St. Germain, then they could both leave at the same time. He received a thumbs up as a reply.
When he walked into the office, Helena was serving an espresso to Angelique.
“Jean-Paul,” Angelique exclaimed, setting the drink aside and quickly rising from her seat. “Thank goodness you’re here. I thought it would be best if we work through these issues side-by-side.”
“Why don’t we go into my office so we can review the situation.” He motioned for Angelique to enter ahead of him, averting his eyes from the way the flowy material of her very short dress swished around her bare upper thighs. Instead, he caught his secretary’s attention, widening his eyes and mouthing a silent plea for help. Thankfully she nodded, then picked up her notepad and pen and followed them into the office. Following her cue, he said, “Helena will be joining us to transcribe notes.”
Angelique tried to mask her disappointed expression, but she didn’t do a very good job at it.
“Let’s pull up the website, then you can explain what’s happening,” he said. This was all work he would normally do with Perkash, who was Simply Bella’s technical representative. He wondered how Perkash felt about Angelique going over his head.
“This may take quite a while. Perhaps Helena could order dinner to be delivered,” Angelique suggested.
“It should only take a few minutes to identify the problem areas, then I can email you progress updates.” Once the website was up, he turned the screen around so they could all view it, then pushed the mouse toward Angelique to navigate.
“I don’t know which pages the issues are on,” Angelique admitted after clicking through some of the links and not finding error results. “Perkash was the one who reported the problems when he was updating the stock.”
If Perkash couldn’t figure it out, then that worried Jean-Paul. “Let me call him and we can go from there.”
Once he was connected with Perkash, it only took about ten minutes of conversation for Jean-Paul to figure out which area needed tweaking. He navigated through the back end of the website to find the code that was giving Simply Bella fits. It was a situation Perkash would have eventually figured out, but it went faster since Jean-Paul was able to identify the specific section they needed to adjust.
“There you go, everything is back on track,” Jean-Paul said, ending the conversation with Perkash and turning his attention back to Angelique.
“That was much faster than I expected. You’re so talented,” Angelique said, batting her eyes in a fashion that was probably meant to be alluring, but instead it came off as if she had a speck of dirt in her eyes.
Helena bit her lip as if trying to hold back a laugh before excusing herself to type up the notes from the meeting.
Jean-Paul stood and extended his hand across the desk to Angelique. “I hope your new clothing line reveal goes well.”
Angelique stood in a smooth motion and placed her hand in his, not letting go. “The evening is still young. It would be nice to go out and catch up personally. No Simply Bella talk.”
Her smile was flirty, but her eyes revealed a clashing mixture of pleading. Man, it made him feel like crap. They may not have grown up as best friends, but they were friends, and Angelique had gone out of her way to help him as a newbie in the area. At the same time, he knew her new lifestyle, and her attachment to him made him uncomfortable. How could he find a balance between their friendship and not leading her on romantically? “I appreciate the invitation, Angelique, but I had a dinner date earlier.”
Her smile faltered, and she twisted her fingers around the strap of her hand bag. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were involved with anyone.”
He rocked back on his heels, trying to distract himself from the awkwardness of the situation. “You might remember her from the evening at the Musée d’Art. I introduced you to each other.”
Her nod was slow, as if she were pulling together a picture of his date from the files of her mind. He wondered if Angelique had actually p
aid attention to Delphine at all that evening or if it was as Delphine suggested, that Angelique dismissed her as chopped meat. If so, that was Angelique’s loss.
She shook her head. “That night was a little crazy, as we had been celebrating CeCe’s birthday. I do remember running into both of you, but I honestly don’t remember her name.”
Out partying with her friends was just one element that could explain Angelique’s bizarre behavior that evening. She didn’t exactly run with a calm crowd these days. “Delpine Baudry. We met a few weeks ago and so far, everything has been pretty fantastique.”
“Then I’m happy for you, Jean-Paul,” she said, blinking her eyes and looking away. “I should let you go. I hope you have a good remainder of the evening. Thank you for your quick problem-solving skills on the website.”
He was thankful when Angelique said good evening and finally left. Was it really that simple, that all he needed to do was be clear and she’d move on? There even seemed to be a small glimmer of the real Angelique coming through. He shoved his hands in his pockets, pushing past the nagging guilt of hurting her. Instead he hoped for good things for his friend, especially if that included finding someone who helped her return to her true self.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Friday, October 6th
IT WAS TWO O’CLOCK in the morning, and the discothèque was in full swing. The DJ pumped out his mashups, and the disco ball and flashing lights lit up the dance floor. True to her word, Viv had reserved a prime booth where Pablo and Delphine could hide from the crush of bodies doing their dance thang, but Jean-Paul was able to whisk Delphine away for several dances. He especially enjoyed getting her on the floor during the slow songs, where he was able to put all those dance classes his mother forced on him to good use. Being a strong dance lead, he could guide Delphine, adding in twirls and dips to keep her on her toes. Hearing her laughter bubble around them was the highlight of his evening.
He quickly discovered that Viv and Henrik were dance floor hounds. They knew all the moves and how to put them to good use for various tempos. Once Viv knew Jean-Paul not only enjoyed the discothèque but could also dance, she and Henrik commandeered him for all the fast songs he could handle. Delphine was content to huddle in the booth with Pablo, talking shop and plotting books.
“Viv has worn me out,” he said, sliding into the booth next to Delphine. “Rescue me before she hauls me away again.”
Delphine slid her hand into his. “You’re not the first, my dear. Frankly, Henrik is the only person I’ve ever seen keep up with her.”
“And even he will bow out around three-thirty or four o’clock,” Pablo said before draining his wine glass. “Viv is making her way toward us. Why don’t you both head over to the bar for another bottle of wine?”
“Good plan,” Delphine agreed, nudging Jean-Paul out of the booth. He took her hand, and they weaved through groups towards the bar. They didn’t make it far when Jean-Paul heard a familiar voice.
“Jean-Paul, mon cheri, how marvelous to see you here. Now the evening can truly begin,” Angelique said, throwing her arm around his neck and placing a kiss, not on his cheek, but square on his lips.
From the way she clung to him, hanging on his body as if to keep herself upright, it was obvious she had been drinking way too much. Jean-Paul nudged her back toward her group of friends gathered nearby, being rowdy and making jokes about the people on the dance floor. Angelique fit right in with her ripped jeans sitting dangerously low on her hips and a top that featured strategically placed strips of fabric over the bare essentials of her chest, not leaving much to the imagination.
“Angelique, nice to see you again.” He nodded toward the familiar faces from the art gallery. “You remember my date, Delphine, I presume.”
“Ah, yes, the little author.” Angelique giggled in a high-pitched, very annoying manner. “I Googled her, you know.” She turned to her friends, linking arms with one of the similarly dressed women. “She writes books for children. Isn’t that sweet?” she asked in a decidedly not sweet fashion.
Jean-Paul bristled from Angelique’s uncharacteristic rudeness. He eyed the richie rich friends she was with, knowing their presence was a major influence on her behavior. “Actually, Delphine writes best-selling science fiction novels for young adults.”
“It is nice to see you again, Angelique,” Delphine interjected, taking hold of Jean-Paul’s arm. “We were on our way to get more wine before returning to our friends’ table. We hope you have a fun evening.”
Jean-Paul was impressed that Delphine had the sense of mind to neutralize the situation. It certainly wasn’t worth the effort of trying to educate this drunken group of misfits. He took a deep breath and followed her lead, saying goodbye to the group.
But Angelique did not give up so easily. As soon as Delphine turned and took a few steps away, Angelique followed and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn back to her. She placed her hand on his chest and leaned in close, lowering her voice to a level for just the two of them. “Jean-Paul, don’t make this mistake. She’s very nice, but don’t you see that I love you? If you would just give us a real chance, I think you would feel the same.”
Overwhelming guilt and sympathy swelled within as she pleaded her case. This was the moment he had wanted to avoid, yet here he was, facing it in a very uncomfortable and public way with her vicious friends trying to glean any tidbit they could. Jean-Paul wrapped his arm around her bare waist and pulled her a few steps away for a little more privacy before releasing her.
“Angelique, you have been a great friend to me, and not just since I moved to La Rochelle. We share many childhood memories that will last our entire lifetimes. You will always be my friend, but who is this person you’ve become? You used to be so confident and showed your integrity through your actions and your fashion designs. Now I see a woman who is confused and trading her self-worth for a spot with a crowd of people who hold no value in society. You are worth infinitely more than that.”
She jerked away from him, hot anger pouring through her movements as she poked her finger hard into his chest. “So you don’t love me because of the way I dress and the people I associate with? That’s as weak as your accusations about me being confused.”
“You’re deliberately twisting my words around. I’m dating Delphine and am so happy with her. Think about what I just said, about your convictions. Am I wrong? Take a snapshot and look at yourself at this precise moment. Your face is hidden under a mountain of makeup, your chest is about to burst from that barely-there top, and you’ve had too much to drink. Your so-called friends are like hyenas, making fun of anyone they deem as less than them. I bet you a thousand euros that whatever they’re texting furiously over there is gossip about the scene we’re making right now. You have become the exact person you detested in lycee and university.” He took a deep breath to calm his tone before continuing. “I do care for you, Angelique. Enough that I want to see you have the future you always talked about.” He motioned from her head to toe. “This is not it.”
Angelique stepped back, opening and closing her mouth like a fish searching for air. Someone snapped a picture, the bright multi-layered flash blinding him. Jean-Paul blinked several times before all the spots cleared from his vision, only to capture a brief glimpse of Angelique’s back as she disappeared into the crowd. He swore softly, disappointed with the change in their friendship.
He turned, anxious to find Delphine. He discovered her a few paces away, wide-eyed and glued to her spot as people surged around her this way and that. Not wanting to be the subject of any more drama, he took her hand and led her the remainder of the way to the bar, quickly placing an order for a bottle of red and a bottle of white.
“You picked me,” Delphine said when he turned to face her again. “She’s super model gorgeous and I’m just messy, clutzy me.”
He cupped her face with his hands and dropped a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Earth to Delphine . . . I plan to always choose you.”
*****
“Hey, sleepy head, we’re here,” Jean-Paul whispered to her, but all she wanted to do was snuggle in closer and breathe in the scent of his cologne. Mmm, that was the smell of happy dreams filled with meadows and tantalizing kisses.
Something sharp pressed into her side, making her eyes fly open.
“Wakey, wakey, Delphine.” Henrik pressed his elbow into her side again. “Let’s get a move on. If I’m not in bed before the sun comes up, then I just can’t get to sleep.”
“Okay,” she slurred. “I’m awake.” She looked up at Jean-Paul and smiled. “Or at least partly awake,” she said, closing her eyes and putting her head on his shoulder again.
“Oh lordy, that girl isn’t going to make it up to her apartment before she’s back to sleep again. Go get her inside, then hurry back, Jean-Paul.”
The car door opened, and she tumbled to the car seat when Jean-Paul slid out. She stuck her tongue out at her friends, who were laughing at her expense, then slid across the seat to join Jean-Paul on the sidewalk.
The chilled early morning air bit through her cardigan as he took her hand and led her into her building. “Just follow me and take care to not trip on the stairs.”
“Okie dokie,” she said, allowing him to lead her along. And really, the view of Jean-Paul from behind was not an ounce short of A+. The man could talk science, he got her whole nutty writers brain, and he could dance. He could even make it look like she could sort of dance. That was quite the feat in itself. And he liked her. Not that crazy Angelique. Her, Delphine Baudry, geeky chick who could craft words on paper but stumble over them in real life. Sigh. She almost felt like she was living in an alternate reality. She wanted to stay there forever if it meant being with him.
“Oops,” she said, giggling when she bumped into him from behind. Oh, look, they were at her apartment door. That took a lot less time than she remembered. Or maybe it was just her sleepy brain malfunctioning.
Once Upon a Wish (Destined for Love: Europe) Page 7