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“You need to be social, Nadia,” he started in on me again. “That’s what it takes to succeed anywhere. Talk, smile, compliment. Just put yourself out there. You can’t sit in a bubble and do work.” He told the waiter where he wanted to sit, and when he complied, we had a nice central view of everyone passing at an outside table on the sidewalk, shade, and not that much of the windiness he referred to. Looking inside through the row of windows, it was like most restaurants in Paris, reserve, elegant. Busy. There wasn’t one available seat. But it was the people that made the magic. Not to leave out Hayden, who had been generous with his time. “Thank you very much for showing me around.”
“You’re welcome. Now, what would you like to drink?” he asked.
“Water is fine,” I murmured.
He tutted and ordered a sparkling water for himself, and a hot chocolate for me.
“Hey, I didn’t ask for chocolate.” The waitress hesitated.
He tilted his head. “Hot chocolate is what the place is famous for. You have chocolates on your desk that you replaced a few times.”
I blinked at him and smiled. He noticed that. “I do love chocolates, but I’m also picky. What if I don’t like it?”
He lifted his chin. “You will,” he said with confidence. He ordered croissants, fruit, and omelets for us, too. We thanked the hostess and she left.
“That’s too much food.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re not a woman that worries about your figure.”
I peered at him through my lashes. Was this an offhand insult? We were quiet for a minute.
“You’re upset, no?” His face broke into a grin. “You have a sexy figure. Round, full breasts, firm buttocks, long shapely legs. Your body is enticing.”
My face burned. “Uhm, that was…too much.”
He scoffed. “Too many compliments? Never.” I laughed with him.
The food came, and Hayden insisted I try everything on both our plates. “Take the warm bread, now spread the butter, cheese, ohh. Now eat the fruit.”
It was like having an instructor, but at the same time, the food was good, and so was his fussing. “You mentioned Satre. Are you familiar with existentialism philosophy?”
“Everything is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance. It’s quite bleak.” That was what limited knowledge I’d learned in high school.
“Not so true, but let us discuss.” Hayden was well-versed in every school of philosophy. Although I wasn’t necessarily interested, I enjoyed hearing how passionate he was with his opinions. “You’re a fan of Cubism art, Picasso?”
“It’s not my favorite, but I do like it.”
He huffed and smiled. “You’re a Renaissance romantic.”
“Yes,” I agreed and sipped the hot chocolate, and somehow, I managed to suppress the moan of pleasure at the drop of heaven in the cup. Delicious.
Hayden’s expression turned smug. “You complain about chocolate, but you love it…So Picasso is good, but overrated. I prefer Paul Cézanne—he’s original. The rest of the impressionists are copies.” His confidence was clear, and I liked how his natural expectation was for me to be versed in more than just designs.
“Another smile.” He took another polaroid picture of me. He showed this one to me, and I looked lighter. Happy. I had thought my other days in Paris were my favorites. This one I’ll add to my list.
Hayden insisted on taking me back to my place. I gave him the address and he seemed a bit confused, but we climbed on his bike again and headed off into traffic. When we arrived at the house. He stood gazing at it perplexed. “You live here?”
“Yes…it’s not mine. It’s—”
“Paul Crane,” Hayden muttered. His eyes narrowed and his smile thinned. “I see…I’m sure you’ll be fine here. Au revoir.”
“Uhm…okay, Hayden. Thank you so much for today.”
He gave me a wave and was back on his Vespa and disappeared down the road without a glance back.
I frowned, peering down the avenue after him. Had returning to Paul’s place upset him? I wouldn’t know. He’s often prickly. But his quick exit wilted the day and my mood. I hadn’t thought much of our outing—it was a friendly day with my boss. We both aren’t available…or am I? I still had no word from Paul.
I went in and took a nap, and woke up just in time for the work dinner. Laurence was there to drop me off. I know that he’d seen Hayden, but I was happy that he hadn’t asked me about him. Still, I explained, “Hayden took me out as part of work.”
