Rendezvous

by Zondervan

  “No, that’s fine,” Paige assures her.

  “Gabin will be in the Laurant Room and Dylan will be in the Xavier Room.” She continues rattling directions off as if she’s quite comfortable playing hostess. Then, and not surprisingly, she offers to help Henri in showing the guests to their rooms. “And since the Laurant and Xavier rooms are near mine, I’ll take the guys over to the east wing. Right this way, boys.” The sound of victory rings in her footsteps as she leads the male guests up the stairs.

  The guys are turning off their cameras now and Fran tells Paige and me that she’d like to have a short meeting with us and the crew before dinner. “Eliza said dinner’s at seven thirty, so how about six at the farm house.” With that settled, Henri shows us up two flights of stairs to our room on the third floor. “I will send someone up with your luggage later,” he says a bit breathlessly. “May I get you anything else?”

  Paige thanks him in French and closes the door. “I almost started to tip him,” she whispers.

  I chuckle. “Yeah, this feels kind of like a hotel.”

  “A five star hotel.”

  We pause to look at the delightfully round room, a result of the turret roof. Unlike the other parts of the house we saw, this room is furnished in a charming traditional French style.

  “Now I feel like I’m really in a castle,” I tell Paige as I peer out a window to see the courtyard below.

  “Hopefully Eliza won’t lock us up here and throw away the key,” Paige teases as she heads for the bathroom. “Hey, it is nice in here,” she calls out.

  I move onto browsing the bookshelf next to the fireplace. It’s fairly well stocked with a selection of novels, mysteries, and biographies that could keep me occupied for a couple of weeks. “As long as they served us food, I might not mind being imprisoned up here,” I call to Paige.

  I go over to the pair of full-sized beds, admiring the matching pale blue bedding, which feels like silk, and the blue velvet canopies with gold corded trim and tassels. I sit down on a bed and look around, taking in the gilt-framed oil paintings and other decorative touches. “This room feels very French,” I tell Paige as she emerges from the bathroom.

  “And the accoutrements in the bath aren’t bad either.” She holds up a wrist for me to smell. “Christian Dior.”

  “The perfect place for a pair of imprisoned princesses.”

  For the next hour or so, we both enjoy our “incarceration,” but then it’s time to go meet up with Fran and the crew. On the way across the grounds, we see Dylan and Gabin coming our way.

  “Hey, we wondered if you girls were ever going to come back out,” Dylan says as we stop to chat.

  “We were just settling in,” Paige tells him.

  “And now we have a meeting for the show,” I explain.

  “Eliza gave us a private tour of the winery,” Dylan says as the guys walk with us toward the farmhouse. “It was really interesting.”

  Gabin nods. “And délicieux.”

  “So you did a little tasting too?” Paige teases.

  “How could we not?” Gabin asks.

  “We’ll see you later,” I say as we reach the front door.

  “At dinner,” Paige calls.

  We meet with Fran and the crew in the living room. And, although Eliza made it sound that this space wasn’t much, I’m thinking it’s pretty swanky for a “farmhouse.” With overstuffed chairs, and charming antique accents, it would actually make a very nice home.

  “Now I realize that this little jaunt to the country isn’t our typical On the Runway episode, but I think if we keep the focus on the fact that it’s two professional models, an American designer, and Gabin from Hermès, well, it’s not a bad lineup. Right?” Fran asks.

  Paige nods. “Absolutely. I think our fans will be very interested.”

  “So, don’t worry too much about trying to stay fashion focused,” Fran tells us. “Just be yourselves, hang with your friends, and forget the cameras are running.”

  Paige looks a little uneasy now.

  “But what if things get sticky when Benjamin arrives tomorrow?” I ask.

  “Let them get sticky.” Fran smiles.

  “But what if—”

  “Erin,” she says to me, “this is a reality show, is it not?”

  “Yes, but…for Paige’s sake, it seems we should keep things from going nuts. I mean, fans expect Paige to be kind of in control. After all, it’s not like we’re turning into Malibu Beach, right?”

  Fran seems to be considering this. “Even so, just relax and let whatever is going to happen, happen. We can always cut later. And you girls know how Helen Hudson feels. She has a certain vision for this show and she won’t allow any scenes that take away from Paige’s persona. We respect that Paige is what makes this show work.”

  “Okay then.” I nod with uncertainty, reminding myself that it’s not like I’m Paige’s manager.

  “It’ll be fine,” Paige assures me. “Not to mention interesting.”

  And so I figure, what am I worrying about? No one else seems the least bit concerned. For the rest of our meeting, we discuss logistics for catching some good film without taking all the fun out of the weekend. Mostly the plan is to have cameras around and ready to roll when needed.

  “It’s very gracious of Eliza to invite us,” Fran says finally. “But we don’t want to wear out our welcome.”

  I try not to roll my eyes at this. The fact is I’m not sure that we’re as welcome as Fran assumes. I’m pretty sure the only reason we’re here was to get Dylan here. But I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong.

  “Eliza invited everyone to the big house for dinner,” Fran tells Paige and me as we’re getting ready to leave. “She didn’t mention whether this was a formal dinner though.” She nods over the crew, who as usual are dressed very casually. “Do you know?”

  Paige shrugs. “No one said anything about formal to me. It probably doesn’t matter.”

  I look at Paige, who although not dressed “formally” looks more than presentable in the new Gucci dress that she picked up in Paris, and think it’s easy for her to say it doesn’t matter.

  Fortunately, she’s right. Dinner does turn out to be fairly casual, although Eliza, like Paige, looks like she put some effort into her appearance. She’s also put some effort into the seating arrangement, flanking herself with Gabin and Dylan at one end of the long table and placing Paige and me on the other end with Taylor and the camera crew in between. Not that I care, but I can tell Paige is a bit miffed and I do find it interesting. Eliza seems quite pleased with herself, acting almost as if she thinks she’s the queen of the castle and we’re all here at her beck and command.

  As expected, the wine flows freely during dinner. To my relief, Paige only has one glass of pinot noir, which she barely touches. However, everyone else, except for Taylor and me, seems to be enjoying the “fruit of the vine.” After awhile, they start getting a little silly so I decide to excuse myself and set out to explore the house. I wind up in the billiards room and, since it looks like a pretty cool table and Eliza has said to make ourselves at home, I decide to try a few shots.

  “Not bad,” Taylor says as she enters the room in time to see me sinking two balls in the corner pocket.

  “Thanks.” I smile self consciously. “I’m actually not very good at this.”

  She laughs. “That sounds like an invitation to clean my clock.”

  “Hey, this is where the action is,” JJ says as he and Gabin join us. “How about a game?”

  Gabin looks a little unsure. “I am not expert in billiards.”

  I chuckle. “I’m not either.”

  “How about girls against the guys?” Taylor suggests. As it turns out, this makes for a more competitive match because Taylor and JJ are both pretty good. After best two out of three, Taylor and I win.

  “When does Benjamin Kross get here?” Taylor asks me as we’re putting the balls and pool cues away.

  “I’m not really sure,” I admit.


  “Is Paige okay with it?” she questions.

  JJ laughs and I shrug. “I guess she’s okay. But it still seems weird that Eliza invited him. I mean especially the way she did it.”

  “By using Paige’s phone?”

  I nod. “It felt kind of underhanded to me.”

  Taylor makes a half smile. “Unfortunately that’s just how some people work. And to be honest, I’ve been pretty deceitful myself in the past.”

  JJ looks skeptical. “You seem like a straightforward person to me.”

  She laughs. “That’s because I’m trying to change my wicked ways. With God’s help, that is. Trust me, I used to be a little devil. And I don’t like to sound gossipy, but Paige should probably keep her eyes wide open this weekend.”

  “Hey, if anyone can hold her own, it’s Paige Forrester,” JJ assures Taylor. “We’ve all seen that girl under fire before and she’s usually pretty cool.” He nods to me. “And when she’s not, little sister steps in. Right, Erin?”

  I sigh. “Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”

  We hang around and visit for awhile longer, but finally JJ admits that he’s exhausted from getting up extra early to get the van packed to come down here and that he’s ready to call it a night. The rest of us follow suit and since the house is fairly quiet, we assume the others have turned in as well. Not that this is surprising since it’s past midnight.

  I’m surprised to discover that Paige isn’t in our room yet. I consider calling her cell, although we’ve promised not to use our phones unnecessarily since it’s pretty expensive, but when I try to turn on my iPhone, I realize the battery is dead—and I forgot to pack the charger cord. So I get ready for bed. I tell myself that I’ll stay awake until Paige gets in, but before I know it I’m dozing off.

  Chapter 16

  When I wake up, the sun is shining in the window and Paige is in her bed. I tiptoe around the room, quietly getting dressed and ready to go out with my camera. I want to do some exploring around the estate and get some photos while the light is still good.

  All seems quiet in the house and, feeling kind of like a thief, I make my way outside and into the gardens where the grass is still wet with dew. With all the blooming trees, green shrubbery, spring flowers, sculptures and fountains, it feels incredibly magical out here—and heavenly too. Like if I listen hard enough I might hear God whispering to me. I turn off my camera and sit down on a secluded bench. And with nothing else pressing in on me, I decide to spend some time alone with God. I thank him for all that he’s done and is doing in my life, pray about the day ahead, and ask that he’ll use me in some special way. Finally I just sit there quietly waiting, relaxing…breathing…and feeling that God is very near.

  After awhile, I hear someone approaching and look up to see what must be the gardener, clipping a hedge. I decide it’s time to move on. But the moment remains with me, inside of me, and I think it will help get me through this day and the weekend. It’s a good reminder of how important it is to take times like that—even when my schedule is hectic and busy. In fact, probably even more so then.

  I continue around the estate, getting photos of whatever suits my fancy and just thoroughly enjoying myself, when suddenly I hear a male voice calling my name. When I turn to see who it is, I nearly fall over from shock to see Blake walking toward me. I blink and look again, thinking maybe I’m hallucinating, but, no, it’s Blake.

  “What are you doing here?” I demand as he runs up and hugs me.

  “Didn’t you get my message?”

  “What message?”

  “Oh, never mind,” he says as he releases me from his embrace, then looks slightly dismayed. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”

  Now I’m not even sure how I feel, but I can tell I’m grinning. “I guess I actually am glad,” I admit. “But surprised.”

  “So you really didn’t know I was coming?” He frowns.

  “No. I had no idea. Seriously, what’s going on?”

  “Well, I was with Ben the night that Paige invited him to come. We’d gone out for coffee to celebrate the settlement with Mia’s family. Ben was so jazzed about coming here, and, out of the blue, he insisted that I should come with him—he even offered to pay my way.”

  “Really?” I shake my head, still trying to take this in.

  “Yeah. At first I was kind of like, no way, that’s crazy…but Ben kept begging me to come, saying how I’d been such a help to him and that he needed someone to travel with…and I thought, why not?” Blake holds up his hands and grins. “And so here I am.”

  “This is just so weird,” I say as I turn off my camera and slip it into my bag. “You and Benjamin are both here—”

  “You’re okay with that, aren’t you?”

  “Sure. Of course. Does Paige know Benjamin’s here yet?”

  “Yeah. She sent me out to find you. I guess breakfast is almost ready.”

  “Maybe we should go back then.”

  “Yeah. I’m starving.” He puts his arm around my shoulders as we walk back. “Man, it’s so great to see you, Erin. And your hair looks fantastic.”

  I reach up to touch my short hair. “Oh, yeah. I’d almost forgotten. Thanks.” I smile at him. “And welcome to France.”

  “That was one long flight,” he tells me as we walk. “I thought I’d want to hit the hay as soon as I got here, but now that I’m with you I feel totally energized. This is quite a place. Who knew you girls traveled in such style? I’m thinking maybe I should sign on with your show to carry your bags or give you pedicures or something.”

  I laugh. “Actually, this is Eliza’s parents’ place. I suspect the only reason we got invited here was so that Dylan Marceau would come.”

  “Huh?” Blake looks confused.

  As we get closer to the house, I explain about how Dylan is kind of into Paige, but Eliza is kind of into Dylan.

  “Oh?” His brow creases. “What about Paige?” he whispers. “Who’s she into?”

  I shrug. “You’d have to ask her.”

  The dining room is set up like a buffet this morning and when we go in there, some of the guests are already starting to fill their plates.

  “We’ll be eating outside,” Eliza explains to everyone. “Tables are set up by the pool.” She looks directly at me with a puzzled expression.

  “Have you met Blake yet?” I ask her.

  She shakes her head. “I haven’t had the pleasure.”

  I do a quick introduction, explaining his connection to Benjamin and the last-minute invite. “Hopefully there’s room.”

  “Not as long as Benjamin doesn’t mind sharing.” She smiles as she shakes his hand. “Are you a reality TV star too?”

  Blake looks slightly embarrassed. “No. I guess I’m just part of the Benjamin Kross entourage.”

  “And my good traveling buddy too,” Benjamin adds as he comes into the room.

  “There you are,” Eliza says happily. “Did you get settled in okay?”

  “Yeah.” He smiles at her. “Thanks.”

  “Hopefully you won’t mind sharing with Blake.”

  “Not at all. There’s plenty of room.”

  Blake and I fill our plates then go out to the pool where several round tables are set up, each with four places as well as place cards. “Looks like we have assigned seating again,” I tell Blake. This seems kind of weird to me, but I don’t want to be rude.

  “You’re over here,” Taylor calls out to me. I go over to where she and JJ are already starting their breakfast. “Who’s the new guy?”

  As I’m introducing Blake, Gabin comes out with his loaded plate and JJ calls him over to join us, pointing out his place card which is right next to mine—like we’re a couple. “You sit here, buddy,” JJ tells Gabin.

  Eliza comes out and invites Blake to join her at her table. Blake gives Gabin and me a curious look then goes over to sit with Eliza. As I sit down it becomes clear to me that Eliza has arranged the seating. Paige and Ben are seated together. Mean
while Dylan and Blake sit with Eliza, where she is acting like the Queen Bee again. It’s hard not to laugh at how ridiculous this is—like does she honestly think that her arranged seating will somehow arrange people’s affections?

  Then I notice how Dylan’s keeping what seems a wary eye on Paige and Ben. Paige, as usual, is being her normal charming self, happily chatting with Ben and Fran and Alistair as if there’s no one on the planet more interesting. The gift of gab. As breakfast winds down, Dylan excuses himself and walks over to Paige’s table, waiting as Paige introduces him to Benjamin.

  “Do you still want to explore Bordeaux with me?” Dylan asks Paige.

  “Absolutely.” Paige nods and lays her napkin next to her plate.

  “Are you coming too, Erin?” he calls over to me. “Eliza told us about some must-see places last night. And Gabin has offered to drive and serve as our guide as long as you come along.”

  “That’s right.” Gabin nods to me. “You will come, no?”

  Okay, this is awkward at best. “But I—”

  “I didn’t have a chance to ask Erin about it yet,” Paige says quickly. “And we didn’t know Blake was coming with Ben so maybe—”

  “It’s okay,” Blake says quickly. “You guys go ahead with your plans. I know I kind of caught everyone off guard by crashing in on you like this.”

  “I’m sure we can find something around here to interest you,” Eliza says pleasantly to Blake, but her expression is hard to read. “In fact, I’d be happy to give you and Benjamin the grand tour of the estate.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.” Paige smiles at Benjamin. “After all, it was Eliza who invited you here. I’m sure she’ll find something interesting for you boys to do.”

  I suspect, by Benjamin’s expression, that he knows about Eliza swiping Paige’s phone to set his visit up. Just the same, he doesn’t look too happy about Paige’s nonchalant attitude.

  “Ben and I probably won’t last long anyway,” Blake says. “It feels like it’s been a week since I’ve seen a real bed.”

  “You came to the right place,” Eliza says in a flirty tone.

  And just like that, it seems settled. I’m going to Bordeaux with Gabin, Dylan, and Paige. Everyone else appears to be staying here. I tell Blake I’ll see him later, then after Paige and I go to our room to get some things, I mention my suspicions—that I think Eliza is up to something.