him.”
“No, and you won’t mention it,” Sera said. She took her tumbler and they went into the other room. She’d readied her old Formica table for dinner, but couldn’t help adjusting the dishes again, just so.
“Well, I’m glad for you,” Colette said, ensconcing herself on the divan. “Now if only Lise were in town. Did you invite anyone new tonight, someone I can flirt with while I miss my lovely Lise?”
Sera settled on the divan across from Colette. “Edouard is coming with a new girl I introduced him to.” She related her first meeting with Sophie and Sophie’s reaction to Edouard, but she didn’t say a word about her wager with Marc. Colette wouldn’t approve. Not of Marc, not of the wager, and certainly not of playing with someone’s emotions.
“She sounds lovely. And he’d do well to be with someone as little like Paula as possible.”
“Unfortunately Marc’s taken a bit of a liking to her as well,” Sera replied, her tone low, as if she were telling Colette a secret. She might not tell Colette everything, but Colette’s enmity of Marc would come in handy. “We’ll need to keep some space between them so Edouard isn’t upstaged.”
“You’re not sitting me next to Marc, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Colette said immediately.
“I can’t put him between Anna and Jerome. You know how Anna hates to be separated from her husband.”
“Yes, it’s very sweet.” Colette sighed, sounding put upon. “All right, if I must.”
“Thank you.”
The door buzzed and Sera rose to answer. Anna and Jerome came up the stairs, followed closely by Edouard and Sophie. Anna went straight into the kitchen with her salad and Jerome gave Sera a kiss on the cheek before moving to the table to pour himself a glass of wine.
Sophie staggered up to the top step, breathing hard. Edouard was just behind her, a long baguette in each hand.
“You didn’t tell me Sera lived on the top floor,” Sophie accused Edouard between breaths. Her smile belied her stern tone.
“I must have forgotten to mention it when I challenged you to race,” Edouard replied, keeping a straight face.
“In with you.” Sera nudged Edouard into the apartment. “Are you all right, Sophie?”
“I will be.” She followed Edouard into the apartment.
“Did you enjoy your afternoon?” Sera asked.
“It was lovely. We went to d’Orsay, and then the Rodin museum.”
“There’s extra security at d’Orsay though,” Edouard said.
“As if the thieves would go back in,” Colette scoffed. “Edouard, come introduce me to your friend.” Sera gave her head a small shake and Colette rolled her eyes.
“Not my type,” Colette mouthed.
Sera poked her head into the kitchen. Anna was shifting items in the fridge to make room for her salad.
“Will it fit?”
“It should,” Anna replied. “I ought to have brought wine for Jerome—he’ll drink your stash dry.”
“Marc’s bringing more, so it doesn’t matter,” Sera said. Anna looked at her watch.
“He’s late.” She closed the fridge door. The water on the stove behind her steamed.
“Time for the artichokes.” Sera moved to the counter. If she kept busy, she wouldn’t have to think of him. The door buzzer went again.
“I’ll put them in,” Anna told her. “You go answer that.”
“Merci, Anna.” She stepped out the door and leaned over the railing. Her hands tightened on the banister at the sight of the top of Marc’s dark head. He was here. “You’re late,” she called down to him. He laughed. She watched him wind his way up the staircase, taking his time. The moment stretched and she shifted her feet.
“Jerome’s drunk all the wine already, has he?”
“He had the last of it.”
As Marc came up the last flight of stairs, she saw that he had a bag in each hand. She met him at the top and slid her hand into the handles of one bag, over his fingers. It gave her an excuse to touch him. He ceded the bag to her and she nearly
“No, and you won’t mention it,” Sera said. She took her tumbler and they went into the other room. She’d readied her old Formica table for dinner, but couldn’t help adjusting the dishes again, just so.
“Well, I’m glad for you,” Colette said, ensconcing herself on the divan. “Now if only Lise were in town. Did you invite anyone new tonight, someone I can flirt with while I miss my lovely Lise?”
Sera settled on the divan across from Colette. “Edouard is coming with a new girl I introduced him to.” She related her first meeting with Sophie and Sophie’s reaction to Edouard, but she didn’t say a word about her wager with Marc. Colette wouldn’t approve. Not of Marc, not of the wager, and certainly not of playing with someone’s emotions.
“She sounds lovely. And he’d do well to be with someone as little like Paula as possible.”
“Unfortunately Marc’s taken a bit of a liking to her as well,” Sera replied, her tone low, as if she were telling Colette a secret. She might not tell Colette everything, but Colette’s enmity of Marc would come in handy. “We’ll need to keep some space between them so Edouard isn’t upstaged.”
“You’re not sitting me next to Marc, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Colette said immediately.
“I can’t put him between Anna and Jerome. You know how Anna hates to be separated from her husband.”
“Yes, it’s very sweet.” Colette sighed, sounding put upon. “All right, if I must.”
“Thank you.”
The door buzzed and Sera rose to answer. Anna and Jerome came up the stairs, followed closely by Edouard and Sophie. Anna went straight into the kitchen with her salad and Jerome gave Sera a kiss on the cheek before moving to the table to pour himself a glass of wine.
Sophie staggered up to the top step, breathing hard. Edouard was just behind her, a long baguette in each hand.
“You didn’t tell me Sera lived on the top floor,” Sophie accused Edouard between breaths. Her smile belied her stern tone.
“I must have forgotten to mention it when I challenged you to race,” Edouard replied, keeping a straight face.
“In with you.” Sera nudged Edouard into the apartment. “Are you all right, Sophie?”
“I will be.” She followed Edouard into the apartment.
“Did you enjoy your afternoon?” Sera asked.
“It was lovely. We went to d’Orsay, and then the Rodin museum.”
“There’s extra security at d’Orsay though,” Edouard said.
“As if the thieves would go back in,” Colette scoffed. “Edouard, come introduce me to your friend.” Sera gave her head a small shake and Colette rolled her eyes.
“Not my type,” Colette mouthed.
Sera poked her head into the kitchen. Anna was shifting items in the fridge to make room for her salad.
“Will it fit?”
“It should,” Anna replied. “I ought to have brought wine for Jerome—he’ll drink your stash dry.”
“Marc’s bringing more, so it doesn’t matter,” Sera said. Anna looked at her watch.
“He’s late.” She closed the fridge door. The water on the stove behind her steamed.
“Time for the artichokes.” Sera moved to the counter. If she kept busy, she wouldn’t have to think of him. The door buzzer went again.
“I’ll put them in,” Anna told her. “You go answer that.”
“Merci, Anna.” She stepped out the door and leaned over the railing. Her hands tightened on the banister at the sight of the top of Marc’s dark head. He was here. “You’re late,” she called down to him. He laughed. She watched him wind his way up the staircase, taking his time. The moment stretched and she shifted her feet.
“Jerome’s drunk all the wine already, has he?”
“He had the last of it.”
As Marc came up the last flight of stairs, she saw that he had a bag in each hand. She met him at the top and slid her hand into the handles of one bag, over his fingers. It gave her an excuse to touch him. He ceded the bag to her and she nearly
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