by Judy Angelo
When the words left the man’s mouth a strange look passed over Celine’s face. She bit her lip and looked down at the ground. It was obvious that whatever he’d said had upset her. When she finally looked up her serene expression had fled and her brown eyes flashed with unmistakable anger.
She replied to the man’s comment, her tone curt. She nodded and said her goodbye then she pasted a smile on her face and turned to Kylie and Pierce.
“I guess you two must be hungry now. Why don’t we head home?”
They’d been walking in silence for a few minutes, Celine seeming lost in thought, when Pierce decided to question her change in demeanor. She’d gone from cheerful and bubbly to quiet and somber in the space of minutes, all because of a conversation she’d had with her old teacher. There was obviously something worrying her because she kept biting her lower lip and frowning. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing that.
“What’s up?” he asked. “That guy obviously pissed you off. Want to talk about it?” She looked up at him then, a startled expression on her face. His question must have jerked her out of her reverie. “I…” She shook her head and looked away and Pierce could swear he saw the glint of tears in her eyes.
What the hell had the man said to her to upset her so much? “Celine, tell me,” he urged. “Is there anything I can do?”
She took a deep breath and gave him a brave little smile. Then she shook her head. “Thanks for asking but no…there’s nothing you can do.”
Not wanting to push, he continued walking by her side. Then he felt a soft hand on his arm.
“Maybe…if I talk to someone about it, it might help.” Her voice was soft, hesitant, and there was a hint of pleading in her eyes. “Can we talk…later?”
“Of course,” he said, searching her eyes for a hint of what could have caused her such distress. Could it be something to do with her family? Was it something that money could fix? If so, he had lots of it. For some reason that he couldn’t quite explain he felt protective of her, almost as if she were…his.
Later that evening after a meal of salad, baked fish, bread and Camembert cheese, Pierce left Kylie with the boys and walked down to a nearby stream with Celine. They sat on the soft grass of the bank and Celine, her voice low and subdued, began to speak.
“It’s very difficult to speak about this and I’m sorry to burden you,” she said with a rueful smile, “but I think my behavior earlier requires some explanation.”
She looked down at her hands then back at him. “I was engaged once, to the son of the gentleman you just met. The grocer.”
Pierce felt his heart lurch in his chest. It was like she’d told him she was about to die, his reaction was that violent. Why had her words affected him like that? Hell, he’d known her less than two months. Still, her words had given him a real jolt.
“We’d gone to high school together and then when we ended up going to the same university in Paris. In senior year we got involved.” She seemed to be deliberately avoiding his eyes, looking down at the ground where she pulled distractedly at the blades of grass. “We planned to get married right after graduation but then he said we should wait until after graduate school.”
She heaved a sigh then lifted her face, the strain showing in the tightness of her lips. She swallowed. “I waited. He wanted to get his MBA at INSEAD. He knew that a degree from the top business school in France would open doors for him. He didn’t want to start a family just then so I supported his decision.” She shrugged. “I wanted to do my Master’s too so I thought I’d do my graduate degree while he did his, and then we’d get married afterwards. Another year or so shouldn’t matter, right?”
Pierce said nothing, sensing that all she wanted to do just then was talk. She needed to get whatever was bothering her off her chest.
She gave a bitter laugh. “The problem was, he went back to Paris but I went to the United States. I wanted to be part of an excellent Psychology program so I applied to Harvard and was accepted. That was the beginning of the end.” She slid her legs up, wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees. “I came home at Christmas, still wearing my engagement ring,” she said her voice cracking, “to learn that he was going to be a father in two months.”
So that was it. The bastard had cheated on her. No wonder she didn’t want to talk about it. Then Pierce frowned. So why was his father talking to Celine in a tone that made it seem like she was the one at fault? Something was not adding up.
His confusion must have been obvious because Celine began to speak again and this time she was offering an explanation.
“Monsieur Girard, he knows that after my Master’s I went back to America to do my PhD because I didn’t want to be around Giles, the memories and the thought of what could have been.” She began to worry her lip again. “He’s upset because…” she paused and drew in a long breath, “because Giles wants me back and I won’t say yes.”
What in the blazes?
“Hold up. You lost me.” Pierce held up his hand. “He wants you back? What about the other woman? What about the child?”
Celine shook her head. “That’s the thing. He keeps saying it was an accident.” She gave a laugh full of disbelief. “Yet he married her and they settled down right here in Thomery.”
“And so you left.”
Celine nodded. “I had to.”
Pierce got up and brushed the grass from the seat of his trousers. This story was getting even more confusing. “I still don’t get it. You said he wanted you back.”
She laughed dryly. “Yes. Funny, isn’t it?” Then she shook her head. “He and his wife were divorced a year ago and he’s been hounding me ever since.”
Son-of-a-gun. “Now he wants you back?”
She nodded. “Now he wants me back.”
For a moment Pierce was silent. The nerve of the jerk. He felt like if he had the chance he’d punch this Giles guy in the gut. As much as it was none of his business he was pissed at the situation.
More than that, he realized with shock, he was alarmed. What if Celine still had feelings for the guy? What if he tried to weasel his way back in? Where the heck would that leave him?
He raked his fingers through his hair and stared out over the water. Things were getting really complicated. Here he’d thought he was making things better by choosing Celine’s hometown as their vacation spot but he’d dropped her right into a hornet’s nest.
He turned to face her. “So what does this guy’s father have to do with all this? Where does he come off tackling you about this?”
“Monsieur Girard always wanted us to get married. I was his favorite pupil. He still wants me to consider renewing my relationship with Giles.” She shrugged. “He means well.”
“Yeah, right.” Pierce response was cold. “He needs to mind his own business and not pressure you into something you don’t want to do.” He looked at her as he said the words. Was it really something she didn’t want to do? Or did she still have a soft spot for her ex?
As if sensing the direction of his thoughts Celine got up and threw her handful of ripped up grass blades into the bubbling water. “It’s getting cool out here. I guess we’d better go back to the house.”
Well, that was an effective end to the conversation. It seemed he’d touched a very sensitive nerve. Pierce looked at Celine, trying to gauge her feelings but she’d already turned, effectively shielding her face from his gaze. She was heading up the bank, leaving him to follow.
Celine’s reaction was not a good sign and now he was worried. Very worried.
CHAPTER SIX
Days passed and neither Pierce nor Celine brought up the subject of their conversation. Without words both of them seemed to have agreed to focus on Kylie and her amusement.
When Pierce saw the rosy cheeks of the child as she raced about outdoors with Sylvan, Marc and a little puppy they’d acquired he knew he’d made the right choice in taking her here. No trip to Disney World could have done for Kylie what
her new friendships had done for her. Without pampering her the boys took full charge of her, taking her on long walks from which she returned exhausted but brimming with stories of the birds she’d seen in the woods, the flowers she’d picked and the bugs she’d caught.
“Bugs?” Celine wrinkled her nose when Kylie first told her about her new found interest. “Yucky.”
Kylie only giggled and ran off to find the boys she now seemed to view as her big brothers. Obviously she wanted to be like them and if collecting bugs was what they loved to do then she’d do it, too.
A whole week passed and Pierce’s life settled into a comfortable rhythm that had him wondering how he would adjust to the fast paced world of business when he got back to the United States.
He had competent managers at his software development firm so he was not worried. Still, he knew he couldn’t stay away for too long. He’d get rusty and when it came to business and negotiations you didn’t want to do that. Still, he was enjoying the down time and he knew Mrs. Simpson was glad for the time off to visit her grandkids.
One evening after picking up a steak from the butcher shop Pierce returned to find that the magic bubble he’d been living in had suddenly burst.
As he rounded the corner and strolled toward the cul-de-sac where Celine’s house was nestled he realized that she was standing at the bottom of the gravel driveway and she was not alone.
Standing mere inches away from her was a man, tall and blonde and what you’d call handsome in a ‘Brad Pitt’ sort of way. He was deep in conversation with Celine and as he spoke he moved his hands expressively as if trying to make a point. At one point he even reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She seemed to flinch and he pulled it away.
Pierce slowed his pace as he approached, taking his time so that he could observe Celine’s reaction to the man he assumed was her ex-fiancé. Her head was down and her shoulders drooped as if she carried the weight of a nation on them. When she lifted her face to respond to a comment Giles made her eyes flashed with anger. Or was that the gleam of unshed tears?
Pierce felt like a hand encircled his heart, squeezing hard, making him feel almost physical pain. Were they going to kiss and make up?
He was almost upon them now and as one they turned and looked at him. Now he could see it. Yes, those were tears in Celine’s eyes. What the hell had the jerk said to make her cry? Pierce turned to him and he knew his face was set in a dark scowl but he didn’t give a damn. If the man was harassing Celine he’d better be prepared for a fight.
He walked up to them and mere feet away. His eyes skimmed Celine’s flushed face and came to rest on the long lean face of the man he now considered her tormentor. He glared at him.
The man took a quick step away from Celine. He frowned as he stared back at the newcomer. He looked back at Celine, his eyes uncertain.
Before Pierce had a chance to think what to do next he felt slender arms sliding round his waist and looked down to see Celine smiling up at him. In her eyes was a look of relief. “Mon amour, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her voice sweet and low and seductive.
Pierce almost sucked in his breath but caught himself just in time. God, she sounded sexy when she talked like that. And the look she was giving him. This must be what they called ‘bedroom eyes’. Whatever they called it, it was having a hell of an effect on him. He could feel himself harden in his trousers.
“I came back as soon as I could,” he said and returned the smile. “You know I can’t stay away from you for too long.” Okay, so that was corny but she’d caught him off guard. No time to think of sophisticated lines. But no matter, their act was working. A pink flush began to creep up the neck of Gyles whatever-his- name-was and soon his face was totally red.
“Ex.…Excusez-moi,” he spluttered then backed away and as Pierce held Celine close with one arm and cradled his package of meat with the other the man turned and practically fled down the road back toward his father’s house. As soon as he was out of hearing distance Celine released her breath in a whoosh and pulled her arms from around Pierce’s waist, then she stepped back and out of his reach.
He felt the loss. He’d enjoyed having her warm body, her sensuous curves, pressed against his torso and he wanted more. But short of reaching for her and hauling her back into his arms like he wanted, he had no choice but to abide by the distance that she’d created between them.
“Thank you so much,” she said with a smile. “You came just in time.”
“For what exactly?” he asked, searching her face. What was she feeling at this moment? And what had caused her to put on that act?
“I’m sure you know who that was.”
“Yeah, I guessed,” Pierce replied. “Your ex.”
“Yes. He’s been here for the past hour trying to get back on Maman’s good side. He was so persistent that I could see he was getting on her nerves.” She gave a little laugh. “I thought I’d make things better by suggesting I’d walk him out to the road. That’s when he started bringing up old memories, all the good times, trying to convince me to take him back.”
“Remembering… was that what made you cry?”
She chuckled softly. “How did you guess? I kept telling him not to bring them up but he kept going on and on. My tears were partly out of sadness at what we’d lost but also out of sheer frustration. I couldn’t get him to shut up. I just wanted to smack him.”
Pierce laughed at that. “You? Smack someone? I’d love to see that.”
“Oh, I’m quite capable,” she said with a laugh which told him her cheerful spirit was back. “Don’t try and test me.”
Pierce smiled but said nothing. Oh, he was tempted to test her. He wanted nothing more. He wanted to test those lips so soft and pink and pliable. He wanted to nibble his way down her neck then down lower to those delicious breasts-
“I’m glad I came on this trip.”
Celine’s words jerked Pierce out of his reverie.
“In spite of the stress?” he asked. Then he said, “Of course, seeing your family makes it worthwhile.”
“Yes, that goes without saying but that’s not I meant.” She gave him a smile, obviously amused when he frowned at her in confusion. “I’m glad I got to see Giles again.”
Pierce felt like she’d kicked him in the stomach. Now what the hell kind of game was she playing? Hadn’t she just said that she didn’t want to talk to him?
“I’m glad because all this time I’ve been blaming myself for our break up. I’ve been so wracked with guilt that half of the time I couldn’t stand myself.”
Pierce gave her a sharp look. What was she talking about now? She was like a pendulum that kept swinging from one confusing side to the other. “Okay, I can see this is going to take some explaining because right now you have me confused as hell. “What say we drop off this meat in the kitchen and head down to the stream?”
She seemed to like that idea. She was smiling as they walked up the pathway to the house and her step was light. It looked like she dropped a ton of troubles off her shoulders.
Pierce couldn’t wait to get down to the stream to hear what Celine had to say. She was the most baffling woman he’d ever met. A soon as he got there he flopped down in the grass. “Now put me out of my misery,” he said, looking up at her as she stood above him in her sexy pink halter top and even sexier skinny jeans. “Spill it.”
She dropped into the grass beside him and wrapped her arms around her legs then dropped her chin on her knees. It seemed to be a favorite position of hers. “What I was saying was, I don’t feel guilty anymore. For the first time I feel as if I’ve been set free.”
“And what, pray tell, were you feeling guilty about?” Pierce pulled up a blade of grass and used it to tickle her shoulder.
She laughed and shrugged it off. Then her laughter died away and a more serious look settled on her face. “I’ve never shared this with anyone but somehow I feel as if I can trust you.” She turned her face awa
y and looked out at the water.
That statement got his attention. He wiped the grin off his face and sat up, the better to give her one hundred percent of his attention.
“Giles and I were in a relationship for all of senior year in college and throughout a whole year of graduate school. During that time he’d asked me…many times if we could…make love. I told him no. I wanted to wait till marriage.”
Pierce frowned, almost not believing what he was hearing. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
“When he got Amelie pregnant I was devastated. I was hurt and confused but I also felt it was all my fault. Maybe if I hadn’t denied him he would still be with me, maybe even be my husband right now.” She turned to Pierce, her eyes earnest. “But you know what? It wasn’t until this trip back home that I realize what a jerk he really is. I’m glad he didn’t wait for me.’
For a moment Pierce was silent, letting it all sink in. So what she was saying was, for the whole two years of her relationship with this man she’d remained a virgin? In the twenty-first century? Was that even possible?
He shook his head knowing that he was the one being the jerk right now. Good thing he wasn’t stupid enough to blurt his thoughts out loud.
“So what was it that made you realize he’s a jerk? You’ve known him for years.”
“Pierce, do you know what that man said to me? When I asked why he wanted me back, why he hadn’t stayed with his wife, he said he’d never wanted her in the first place. He’d only married her because he got her pregnant.”
Pierce nodded. That was a stupid and insensitive thing to say. Still, he wouldn’t be the first man who said something like that. Lots of men got women pregnant and married them just to save face. There had to be something more to make Celine so incensed.
“And when I asked him about his son, the poor little one caught in the middle of this, he said he can always get other children. He wants to have children with me.” Eyes flashing with outrage she released her legs and stood up, apparently too agitated to stay still. “I couldn’t believe he would say something like that. If he can talk like that about his own flesh and blood can you imagine what he’d do with me when he got tired of having me around? The pig.” She spat the words out, not hiding her disgust.