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I smirked. “And you speak from experience?”
He put down the cup of his coffee. “Yes, I do. When Cecil and I split up while we were dating, we still had sex. Then she realized she was wrong, and we got married. Oh, and by the way, Cecil would love for you to visit us at our home in Saint-Tropez when it’s all done.”
I beamed at him. “I’d love to go.”
“If we go out there, you can definitely find a lover for the night.” We both laughed. “See? You like it. This is your time. Enjoy yourself.”
“I am, but I can’t be with anyone else when I still love Paul.” I stared down at my trembling hands.
“Then find out what he is too afraid to ask you for. Only fear would keep a man away from the woman he loves.”
I didn’t believe it to be so. “Paul knows I’d never deny him anything.”
Tomas leaned over and kissed my cheek. “You’re in love right now, but with time, it will get easier.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Thanks…merci.”
“Good. Alors, let me tell you what you need to know about the fashion shows.” Tomas went over the way the shows run, and they were similar to what we did in New York—just with more press to make me even more nervous. The foreign press was less interested, but if I increased my public profile in Paris, would that change?
“The fashion show will be over quickly, and you’ll be exhausted.”
“And I’ve got to get up to start the internship tomorrow at eight a.m.”
“Yes, you do,” Tomas affirmed. He had the interns on a tight schedule, with much practice in sewing, design, and observation, as well as administrative needs around Paris. We wouldn’t have much downtime, and I was happy about it.
“Lose yourself, Nadia. I want you to not hold back. You work for it, and you can live the dream.”
I can live the dream. It already feels as though I am.
The possibilities in Paris could lead to opportunities in my future. But with everything else going on in my life was I up for the challenge?
Laurence arrived at Renault’s, and Tomas rose and kissed my cheeks. “Nadia, à bientôt.” He shook Laurence’s hand before he sat down. Elise came and cleared the table before handing us dinner menus.
“Merci,” I said to her. “So, how was the apartment?”
He wrinkled his nose and shrugged. “It was cozy, but it was a walk-up on a dead-end street. If you ran into paparazzi there, you wouldn’t be able to get away, and with the lawsuit, we need to be careful. We can’t depend on social reason when people are faced with losing everything.”
I understood what Laurence meant. The press had become relentless with what had happened on the yacht. Paul and his team had worked overtime to protect our family, but the media never stopped prying. Mainly because it prompted a fifty-million-dollar lawsuit from the mysterious and private Paul Crane. My miscarriage was something I wanted to put behind me, but everywhere I turned back home, I was constantly reminded of the event. Why couldn’t the press focus on the fact that Trevor had disappeared and Landon’s pending criminal charges? It didn’t seem particularly fair that the press kept connecting their losses to me.
“But I signed an agreement.”
“I’ve settled it. Trust me, it’s fine.”
I did trust Laurence, and was so thankful that he was here, helping me navigate Paris.
“I…I can’t stay at the duplex,” I whispered.
“I didn’t think you’d want to, so I arranged one of the other houses here. It’s a bit more formal, but it’s not too far from your internship and more centrally located. Movers are already transporting the trunks you sent ahead of time.”
“Thank you so much, Laurence.”
“You’re welcome.”
Elise returned, and we both ordered the sole meunière. A few minutes later, she brought us warm bread.
“Paul’s in Europe?”
“He’s performing in Germany and working at a studio there. He, like you, needed a break from the US press.”
