Rendezvous

by Zondervan

  Fran gets this funny little smile and I can tell she gets what I’m attempting. “You know, that’s not a bad idea,” she says. Although JJ looks a little embarrassed, I can see that he’s pleased too. He nods.

  “I’m sure it’s really photogenic down there,” he says to Fran. “Erin might be right. We could probably use some filler shots.”

  “It’s really gorgeous country there,” Taylor says temptingly. “Especially this time of year when everything is in bloom. I’ll even be taking a camera myself.”

  “Well, it’s up to you guys,” Fran tells JJ and Alistair, but already they’re smiling like it’s a done deal. “Just keep track of your mileage and make sure you make it back by noon on Tuesday.”

  Paige grins at the camera guys. “And I can’t say I’ll miss you boys for a few days. It’ll be seriously fun to trek around Paris without having my personal paparazzi on our heels.”

  “I’m with you,” Dylan agrees. “And I’m a guy who almost never says no to publicity ops.”

  “Hey, I have an idea,” Eliza says suddenly. “Why don’t you all come down to the chateau for the weekend?”

  Paige holds up her hand. “Oh, but I don’t think we—”

  “No, it would be great to have everyone there. And I’m sure you’d love it,” Eliza continues with her eyes fixed on Dylan. “There’s plenty of room for everyone. Your crew could shoot whatever they like, Paige. Dylan might even loan some of his fall line of designs for my mother’s little benefit fashion show. Lots of her rich and influential friends will be there, Dylan. You could do some serious schmoozing, get some publicity, and still have some fun.”

  “There’s a fashion show?” Paige asks with interest.

  “Just a small private affair that Taylor and I offered to model for, but I might be able to talk Mommy into opening it up to your cameras too. After all, it’s for charity—the more the merrier.”

  I can’t say anything, but methinks this girl is trying too hard. She’s too eager. I’m pretty sure it’s because of Dylan.

  “You’re sure your parents won’t mind if we crash in on them?” Fran asks with interest.

  “Actually, my father’s not even there. Mommy won’t even get back from her Rome trip until Sunday night. And, trust me, there’s plenty of room.”

  “That’s true,” Taylor confirms. “I’ve been there and the place is huge. It used to be a castle. And the food is amazing.”

  “It sounds enchanting,” Fran says with raised brows. “And a small private French fashion show could be quite interesting for On the Runway…that is, if your mother doesn’t mind.”

  Eliza looks directly at Dylan. “I think if Dylan is willing to share some of his fall lineup, my mother should be willing to share her show.”

  “Oh, you will, won’t you, Dylan?” Paige asks with enthusiasm.

  Dylan looks slightly hesitant. Then he agrees. “Like I said, I’m a fool for publicity. Sure, why not.”

  But as I’m watching Eliza watch Dylan like a hungry cat eyes a parakeet, I can think of some reasons why not. I saw Eliza’s initial reluctance to the whole idea when I suggested it. In fact, it was only when Paige announced that she and Dylan would spend time together in Paris this weekend that Eliza jumped onto this weekend-party bandwagon.

  It’s not like I can put the brakes on it, but suddenly I’m feeling concerned for my oblivious sister. Not to mention slightly guilty for having brought up this idea in the first place. Hopefully I’m just being paranoid. On the other hand, if it all blows up, I’ll probably be the one to blame.

  Chapter 13

  “Someone’s looking for you, Erin,” Heather whispers into my ear just as I’m about to suggest it’s time for Paige and me to head back to our hotel. Fran left Dylan’s after party a couple hours ago with the excuse that she needed to contact Leah and start arranging travel plans for our weekend at the chateau.

  “Who?” I ask Heather.

  She smiles slyly. “A handsome young man named Gabin. His invitation was through Hermès. Does that ring a bell?”

  “He’s here?”

  “Over by the door. Please, make him feel welcome…if you don’t mind. Dylan’s trying to cultivate good relationships within the French design world. As you know, it’s not easy.”

  “No problem,” I tell her. “Gabin is a friend.” I make my way through the crowd to find him. He seems happy to see me and we embrace. I invite him to come over and sit with Dylan and our friends.

  “If it is no trouble,” he says politely.

  “Dylan would love to meet you.” I take his hand and lead him over. Dylan seems genuinely pleased to meet Gabin and they strike up quite a conversation. In a way I suppose they are competitors, but Gabin acts like a perfect gentleman and expresses his regrets after Dylan confesses that he’s afraid his show bombed today.

  “You know the French,” Gabin tells him in careful English. “One day we are chilly, and then voila, we become warm. Do not be too hard on yourself.”

  Suddenly I realize how late it is, and how tired I am, so I nudge Paige. “Do you think we should call it a night?” I ask hopefully. “Especially since we’ll need to pack and get ready to leave in the morning.”

  Gabin turns to me with concerned eyes. “You are leaving? So soon?”

  Dylan explains our weekend travel plans, then turns to Eliza with a broad smile. “Sweet Eliza,” he says warmly. “What do you think?”

  She smiles back at him. “I would love to have Gabin join us for the weekend.”

  Gabin looks pleased to have been included and says he’d be delighted to come.

  “Eliza and I are traveling by train,” Taylor tells everyone, including JJ, who’s sitting next to her. “That’s because I happen to love trains. If anyone else wants to tag along, our departure is at nine fifteen in the morning. You might need to call ahead to reserve your tickets.”

  “There are lots of trains after that,” Eliza explains. “But we wanted to be there by noon.”

  “Going by train sounds fun,” Paige says to me. “Do you think Fran would mind?”

  “Let’s find out.” I reach for my phone. As I press speed dial I’m thinking of the great photo ops I’ll have along the way. Fortunately Fran is okay with it. “But if you don’t mind, I’ll go in the town car and work along the way. You girls can pack up what you want to take down there—since our rooms here are paid for there’s no need to pack it all up. Leave your bags with the concierge in the lobby and I’ll have our driver load them up before I go.”

  “That sounds great,” I tell her. “Traveling light.”

  Fran offers to arrange for our train tickets and by the time I hang up, it seems to be settled. “It looks like Paige and I will be going by train as well,” I announce.

  Dylan already has Heather busily making arrangements for him and his new best buddy Gabin. I can’t help chuckling at how these guys are hitting it off. It even looks like JJ is going to try to make the train as well.

  “If no one minds, I can shoot some film along the way,” he quietly tells Paige and me. She just laughs then nods, but I can tell that, like me, she’s thinking his camera will be primarily aimed at Taylor. Even so, that would probably make for some good footage. Why wouldn’t our fans want to watch a beautiful fashion model taking the train to Bordeaux in the springtime?

  Finally I insist we call it a night. “Morning is going to come early,” I point out to Paige, and she reluctantly agrees to leave the party.

  “May I offer you and Paige a ride?” Gabin asks slowly and carefully, like he’s practicing.

  “Wonderful,” Paige tells him. “Then we won’t have to wait for a taxi.”

  As Gabin drives us to our hotel, he explains how he’s been working hard on his English skills. “In Bordeaux will be—how you say—a good pratique…language éducation for me.”

  At the hotel we thank him for the ride. “Voyez-vous le matin,” I call.

  “Yes.” He pauses as if he’s thinking hard. “See you the
morning.”

  “He’s sweet,” Paige says as we ride the elevator up. “And Dylan was so pleased that you introduced them.”

  “They seemed to have hit it off,” I say as we get out.

  “And Gabin seems to have his eye on you,” she tells me, pulling out her room key.

  I consider protesting and making my usual disclaimers, but the truth is I’m too tired. I just nod as I dig for my key and tell Paige I’ll see her in the morning. Our plan is to leave the hotel around eight.

  Once I’m in my room, I realize I need to pack for three days and I honestly have no idea what one takes to a chateau in Bordeaux. I have a feeling my usual casual clothing might not be suitable, so I make sure to put in some other things too. Finally too tired to think, I decide I’ll entrust the rest of my wardrobe challenges to my sister. If she doesn’t like how I look, I’m sure she’ll jump in and help me.

  “You’re wearing that?” Paige lifts up her Gucci sunglasses to frown at me once we’re out on the sidewalk.

  “What?” I look down at my hastily assembled ensemble. I thought Paige would appreciate that I wore a skirt. Okay, it’s not French, but it’s Ralph Lauren. A neat little khaki number, topped with a white Lauren polo shirt.

  Her mouth twists to one side. “Where did you get that cardigan?”

  “I found it in a little retro shop down the street.”

  She plucks at the loose cuff and shakes her head. “Well, you should’ve left it there. Did you not notice it’s way too big for you?”

  “But it’s kind of cool today,” I point to the cloudy sky. “And it’s a warm sweater.”

  “Well, it will be warmer down in Bordeaux.” She shakes her head as she grabs me by the arm. “Lose the sweater, Erin.”

  “There’s our taxi, we should—”

  She waves at the driver, yelling in French that we’ll be right back. Once we’re in the lobby, she heads straight for one of her many pieces of luggage that Fran will bring in the town car with her. She unzips the bag and digs until she finds another sweater. “Here.” She hands the navy cardigan to me. “This should be warm enough.”

  “Thanks.” I remove my sweater and stuff it into my duffle bag then pull on the cardigan—a zippered cashmere, also a Ralph Lauren, and it actually feels pretty good.

  “Much better,” she says as we hurry out to the taxi.

  On the way to the train station, Paige seems unusually quiet. Finally, I can’t stand it. “Is something wrong?” I ask her. “I mean, did I do something or was the sweater really that bad or…” I look down at my Birkin bag. Surely she’s not still upset about that.

  She blinks. “No, no, you didn’t do anything, Erin. Sorry, I probably seem like a grump.”

  “What’s up?”

  She adjusts the front of her jacket, a pale pink classic, probably Chanel, then smoothes her pants, which are white and perfect-looking. Paige is the only person I know who can wear white pants on a train trip and probably arrive at her destination looking just as perfect as she does now. Her Pepto-Bismol pumps match her Kelly bag, and she has a pink and blue scarf that is very Grace Kelly-ish. “I need to just let it go.”

  “What?” I persist.

  “Benjamin.”

  “Huh?”

  “Oh, we’ve been texting and, naturally, I told him about our trip to Bordeaux before I went to bed last night. Just making small talk. And I mentioned how Dylan Marceau is being very attentive. And when I read Ben’s text this morning, actually several of them, I can tell he’s feeling bad. He thinks he’s losing me.” She sighs and shakes her head.

  “Losing you?” I frown. “I didn’t think you guys were really together, Paige.”

  “We’re not. Not really. Ben knows this, and yet he keeps holding on.”

  “Oh.”

  “But I’m not going to think about it.”

  “You mean until you get the next text from him.”

  She gives me a half smile. “The problem is I still like him, Erin.”

  “Like him as in really like him, or just like him as a friend?”

  She shrugs. “I’m not sure.”

  “How about Dylan?” I ask out of genuine curiosity.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you like him?”

  “Of course. Dylan is a sweetheart. What’s not to like?”

  “You know what I mean, Paige. Dylan is into you. It’s obvious. Do you feel the same?”

  She holds up her hands in frustration. “I don’t really know how I feel. Mostly I want to be free and just enjoy the moment…and the person I’m with. The show takes up so much time and energy—it’s not like I can even have a serious relationship right now. I wish everyone could get that.”

  I nod. “I get that.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of like that with you too, isn’t it?” She smiles. “Vives et laissé vivre.”

  “Absolutely.” I nod. “Live and let live.”

  “Let’s do that then. The next few days we just relax and have fun. Okay?”

  “While we’re on the subject of fun,” I begin cautiously, “I know that Eliza’s parents’ chateau is part of a vineyard and I assume the wine will flow freely down there.”

  Paige waves her hand. “Don’t worry about me, Erin. A glass with a meal is the most I’ll be consuming.”

  “But what if, like in the past, one glass leads to another and—”

  “Seriously, Erin. You need to lighten up a little…and trust me, okay?”

  “Okay…” Still I’m not so sure.

  “I mean, this is France after all. Do you know what the legal drinking age is over here?”

  “Two?” I tease. I’ve heard that French children drink wine diluted with water.

  She laughs. “No. It’s eighteen. And it’s acceptable to drink wine at even younger ages, if you’re with your family. It’s like it’s no big deal here. Meanwhile in the good old US of A kids think they’re being all rebellious by sneaking alcohol. Over here, it’s like why bother?”

  I consider this and wonder. She might have a point.

  By the time we get to the train station, we realize we’ll need to hurry to catch the train. Thankfully, we have no luggage and security goes smoothly, and so we manage to board just minutes before the train pulls out.

  “You made it.” Dylan gives us both a hug. “We were getting worried, and I was assigned the task to watch for you.” He leads us up to the first class car where Gabin, Eliza, and Taylor are already seated.

  “Did your camera guys make it?” Taylor asks.

  “You mean did JJ make it?” Eliza teases.

  “Hopefully they’re aboard.” Paige reaches for her phone to check. She chats briefly then hangs up. “Their tickets aren’t for first class,” she tells Taylor.

  “But I thought they were going to do some filming,” Taylor says. “Maybe we can get them some kind of a press pass or something.” She offers to go find out.

  Gabin acts as my personal tour guide and, as the train zips along, I attempt to snap some photos as he points out places of interest. Meanwhile, it’s obvious that Dylan’s main interest lies in Paige. The two of them chat almost nonstop about fashion, France, and our TV show, and his plans to expand his line…and occasionally Eliza jumps in. Although Dylan is polite to her, I can tell he wishes he were alone with Paige. And I can tell Eliza knows this—and that she’s not happy about it.

  “Come with me,” Gabin says suddenly. I follow as he leads me through one car and another until finally we get to a car that’s mostly windows. I’m able to snag some pretty cool shots, but after awhile, I feel like we should get back. It might be crazy, but I’m worried about leaving Eliza alone with Paige and Dylan. Something about the look in Eliza’s eyes felt like a warning to me. I have no doubt that this weekend invitation was Eliza’s way of keeping Dylan close by, although I suspect she wishes that my sister was still in Paris. Hopefully Eliza hasn’t pushed her off the train by now. Okay, I know that’s melodramatic on my part—but I also can t
ell that Eliza’s the kind of girl who goes to extremes to get her own way.

  Chapter 14

  To my surprise, Eliza is sitting by herself when Gabin and I get back to the first-class car. With her back turned toward us, it looks like she’s texting on her phone. Hopefully not making arrangements to have my sister kidnapped or anything.

  “Where’d everyone go?” I ask as I sit down.

  She turns abruptly, pushing the iPhone into her lap, then shrugs. “I was just wondering that myself.”

  Gabin and I make attempts at small talk, asking about Eliza’s parents’ place, but then I notice something strange. Her white iPhone looks exactly like the ones that the studio purchased for Paige and me. That, in itself, isn’t so unusual. But her phone, just like Paige’s, has a little daisy sticker on the back of it. Paige did that to avoid the confusion of mixing up our phones after we did that once.

  “Hey, that’s funny,” I tell Eliza. “Paige has that same sticker on her phone.” I point to the pink daisy.

  “This is her phone,” Eliza tells me. “She must’ve dropped it before she left.”

  “Oh.” I reach for it. “I’ll take it for her.”

  Eliza seems reluctant to hand it over, but I don’t back off. “Thanks,” I say as I drop it into one of the pockets of my bag.

  “Nice Birkin bag,” Eliza tells me. “I have an orange one.”

  “Orange.” I exchange a glance with Gabin, who looks like he’s trying not to chuckle.

  “It was the color not long ago.”

  “Erin is more the classique type,” Gabin says with an appreciative smile. “The black suits her.”

  Dylan and Paige return and I hand over her phone. “Oh my gosh,” she exclaims. “I didn’t even know I’d lost it. Thank you!”

  “Eliza found it,” I tell her. Paige thanks her and slips it into her own bag just as Taylor and the camera guys arrive with their cameras running.