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A few minutes later, we’re walking toward the metro, when my sister decides to bring up a somewhat… sensitive subject.
“Alma?”
“Yes?”
“Next time, could you wait until after dessert?”
I burst out laughing. She doesn’t.
“Mom had made a pink praline tart. You don’t mess around when it comes to praline, Alma. Never.”
I gaze at her profile. Her little, upturned nose, her blonde hair, her plump cheeks flushed red from the cold, her rainbow scarf… Everything about her is adorable.
“Lily?”
“Yes?”
“I’m so happy to have you in my life.”
She looks at me with teary eyes, and then we go to “our” home to finish this day properly. Niels joins us for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival night, and for a few hours, I almost forget just how much I miss a certain someone.
***
At the office, finding Josh Harvey’s replacement has become the top priority. Kate is flying to L.A. this morning, determined to find the actor who can bring the hero of French Kiss to life.
Meanwhile, I sit through one meeting after another without much enthusiasm, have lunch with Sophie and Clarence without really following the conversation, and spend a whole screening thinking of nothing but Vadim.
And then, there he is, in the lobby of my building when I get home. He’s leaning against the wall, his head bent over the phone in his hand. In his black pants and long, gray coat, Vadim looks like he’s just stepped straight out of the pages of a fashion magazine. I could admire that perfect profile for hours.
“Did you miss me, Lancaster?”
His striking, gray eyes lock onto mine.
“Not much.”
I watch a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth, and I head over to him. I pretend to put my arm around him, but really, I’m just reaching out to press the elevator button. My little joke makes him chuckle softly. Then, he leans in and steals a quick kiss.
“A week without you feels like a fucking eternity, Alma.”
His husky voice flusters me.
“You’re the one who sent me away, remember?”
Vadim steps back to look at me better, then pulls out the bouquet of little, light purple flowers he must have been holding in his other hand. Silently, he mouths “sorry,” and I melt.
“So, you give me some pretty flowers and I forget everything, is that the plan?”
“They’re asters, but I’ve heard them called autumn stars. I found that poetic… and it made me think of you. Everything beautiful makes me think of you, Alma.”
His words dazzle my stupid heart.
“Alma?”
“Vadim.”
“You discovering my secret like that was… brutal.”
I give him a sad smile, and he returns it, before nestling his big, solid body against my much slighter one.
