AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes widen, shining in the lights. Is she crying? Certainly the crystal was expensive, but it shouldn't be so great that an American family of means, such as hers, couldn't cover. Why does she look so upset?
"Of course," she says quickly. "It was an accident, and I'm very sorry. And I'm grateful that the journalists portrayed it in such a positive light. But…"
She stops herself.
"We will discuss it later," I say and she nods quickly. A single tear rolls down her cheek.
I’m confused. It's only money. But money is what the restaurant is struggling with, and I need everyone to see me take action. My priority has to be the restaurant. Yet my heart aches at the sight of that tear. Every cell in my body wants to rush through the crowd and comfort her.
"Thank you again for your dedication," I say to everyone. "Please enjoy the rest of your day off, and we'll see you on Tuesday."
Natalie is the first one to leave, running out the door as fast as she can.
"What a child," I hear one of the staff say. “Only an American would cry so easily.”
Another staff member chuckles. "She’s not looking so cheerful today. Finally, something to wipe that smile off of her face."
My blood boils. "That's enough," I snap at them. "Show a little compassion. What she has done for this restaurant is ten times what you've done in the years you've been working here. Watch yourselves."
The staff quickly vacate the place, but it's too late for me to catch up to Natalie. Not only will I have the image of her standing in amongst the crystal burned into my memory, but also the vision of that tear gently falling down her cheek.
I did that to her.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but a quick glance shows it's a text from Simone. Simone, how I wish I could forget her.
This American girl has burst into my life, taking up so much of my mind. Meanwhile, I'm destined to be with another woman.
CHAPTER 12
Natalie
I haven't stopped crying for hours. I didn't know I had so many tears in my body; pretty soon I'm going to be as dry as west Texas.
"Sweetie, it's going to be okay," Chrissycoos and pets my hair. "Maybe it's all just been blown out of proportion." It's easy to see why she's brilliant at her job as an au pair, caring for two very mischievous, very hyper children.
"No," Annelise jumps in, "Type A French people say is what they mean. She's going to have to pay it back. Time to face the music."
Another wail escapes my lips."He said it like I could just pull money out of a hat. He doesn't know anything thing about my situation. Why would he think I have jillionsof dollars to throw away on broken crystal?"
"Jillions? Let’s break this down." Laurasteps in, ever the businesswoman.
I cringe. "Please don't say the word break."
She grimaces. "Good point. Let's look at this in detail."
It's rare that Laura humors me. I must be in really bad shape."You broke a tower of crystal wine glasses. Let’s assess the damage.” She taps on her phone. “Looks like a single glass runs anywhere from a hundred and forty to two-hundred euros per six glasses. Judging by the size of that tower there were maybe a couple hundred glasses max…”
“Thousands, Laura. And those thousands are already thousands more than I've got in the bank. Look at us. Look at the place we're living in. It's because we have no money. I've been breaking my back, trying to help this restaurant turn around, all the while living in a closet—with my five best friends." I add with a meek smile."We've all made sacrifices to be here. I know all of you have. Pretty soon we're going to have to light candles since the electricity is stillbroken. On top of it all, I made a total fool of myself. Pictures of me are in tabloids across the city—holding up an empty wine glass.”
“We know.” Jess scrunches up her nose.
“Look at the bright side,” Gina says. “You wanted to fit in, and now everyone in France will have seen your face."
“Not helping, Gina!”
"Then, there's only one thing to be done," Laura narrows her eyes. "You have to appeal to Olivier's emotions."
“Oh, good one,” Jess nods her head in approval. “I can see it now… Natalie wailing at the feet of the powerful heir to Dubois Estates. He takes pity on her, and next thing you know he’s whisking her off to Monte Carlo for a shotgun marriage while the rest of us finally get to go home.”
