Authors: Marie Astor
“Tell me about it.” Lilly took another indulgent sip. “It’s just the way I remember it when I stayed here in college
.
I can’t believe it’s been almost ten years,” Lilly added, frowning. “It’s too bad Jackie is not here
. S
he is a ton of fun
. Y
ou would like her.”
“Well, I think it’s shaping up to be a pretty good trip so far,” Annabel replied gamely. “I’m having a great time,” she added, determined to avoid the subject of last night.
“Honest?” Lilly lifted her eyebrows sheepishly. “I feel so guilty about last night. Can you believe the nerve of that guy? And the fact that you did not want a blind date in the first place makes me feel like a complete jerk. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Already forgiven and forgotten.” Annabel smiled, hoping to finally put the embarrassing incident to rest. Since last night, she had been secretly obsessing over Etienne’s atrocious snub
. D
espite what she said and wanted to believe, she was deeply hurt. And worst of all, she now felt like there was something wrong with her
. S
he had turned into a social leper who sent men scurrying off in panic. Was it her admitting that she did not remember her high school French that sent Etienne fleeing in disgust? Or perhaps it was the way she looked: her face or her hair, or maybe it was her voice? Or worse, her entire persona
? W
ell, she would never find out
. N
ot that she had any desire to learn the exact nature of her
“
offense.
”
She was perfectly fine on her own
. S
he did not need the attention of an incredibly good-looking, dark-eyed Frenchman to validate her existence.
“I mean, I just can’t believe that Simon is friends with that guy
. W
hat could they possibly have in common?” Lilly widened her eyes, clearly unwilling to let go of the topic just yet.
“Well, it could be that Etienne is a perfectly nice guy
,
and it was just my presence that brought out the worst in him,” Annabel braved a joke, which
,
given her previous thoughts
,
was really not a joke at all.
“Stop it! How can you even say anything like that? The guy is a complete brute.”
A handsome brute
, Annabel thought, remembering the way Etienne looked at her across the table.
“Anyways, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Just promise not to set me up on any more blind dates
,
and we’re good.”
“I promise.”
Just then Madam Roux entered the room. She was panting as she carried a giant basket of lilies that was almost half her size.
“Looks like one of you has a secret admirer,” Madam Roux announced
,
as she placed the baske
t
on the table.
“Lilly, you lucky girl!” Annabel sighed wistfully.
“Let’s see!” Lilly jumped off her chair and reached for the card. As she looked at the name on the envelope, her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Wrong guess!” She smiled slyly at Annabel. “These are for you.”
“For me?” Annabel exclaimed in disbelief. “This can’t be
. I
t’s got to be a mistake.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Lilly put the card before Annabel and sat back in her chair. “So, who is it from? Don’t torment me!”
Her head spinning from the sweet aroma of the lilies that filled the room, Annabel opened the card envelope with trembling hands
. N
o one had ever sent her flowers before. Her jaw dropped when she saw the inside of the card:
Dear Annabel,
P
lease forgive me for leaving so abruptly last night
.
I had a previous commitment to which I had to attend. I enjoyed meeting you immensel
y. I
s there any chance I might see you again? I will be at Musee d’Orsay today at noon
. I
t would be delightful if you could join me there. E.
He did not have to spell out his complete name for her to know who he was: the obnoxious jerk who had snubbed her the night before
had
sent her a giant bouquet of lilies this morning
. N
ow, what was she to make of that?
“So???” Lilly rapped her fingers on the table impatiently.
Without a word
,
Annabel handed her the card.
“What do you think I should do?” she stammered, although she already knew the answer to Etienne’s question
. Y
es, she would see him again, if only to find out more about what kind of guy walked out on a date and sent flowers the next morning to apologize.
“This is so romantic!” Lilly exclaimed.
“Well, it wasn’t very romantic last night,” Annabel reminded her.
“Yes, but maybe there really was a reason why he had to leave so suddenly? I think you should give him another chance
. H
e must have really liked you.”
“I liked him too,” Annabel admitted, “a lot.”
Annabel’s heels made staccato clicks as she walked along the
Seine
to the
Musee d’Orsay
. She was wearing a lilac silk dress with a flowing skirt that hit just above the knee
, with
matching lilac pumps
. It was
an outfit she
had
bought at the insistence of a suave saleswoman at a small boutique near her job. It was an impulsive purchase, which Annabel regretted afterwards
. W
hy spend so much money on a dress when she had nowhere to wear it to? She had almost returned the dress, but at the last minute decided to hold on to it and packed the outfit for her
Paris
trip
. N
ow she was glad that she did. She had intended to save the outfit for a special event, but when she read Etienne’s card asking her to meet him, she instantly knew that this was the dress she would wear. Normally, for a museum outing, Annabel would have opted for much more practical attire of jeans and flats, but this was no ordinary museum trip
. T
his was a date with a strikingly handsome, albeit somewhat bad-tempered Frenchman. Or at least she thought it was a date, which made perfect sense
,
given the flowers
. B
ut then again, she had no idea what to expect
. T
he suspense gave her butterflies in her stomach and made her feel like she was a teenager all over again, on the way to her first date.
#
Etienne Gerard was nervously turning the corner of the museum building
. H
e had arrived half an hour early and by now had circled the
museum three times. T
he time was getting close and he checked his watch
. It was
ten
minutes
till noon.
She will be here soon
, he thought, as he resumed his measured pace. That is
,
if she is going to come at all, he thought, which given his behavior last night was not all that likely, flowers or no flowers. But deep down Etienne hoped that Annabel would come
,
because he really wanted to see her again. He had been annoyed at Simon for dragging him out after he had explicitly stated that he was not interested in meeting anyone, not so soon after everything that happened with Amanda.
Discovering
your fiancé
e
having an affair with your work colleague was hu
miliating to say the least
. It was
an experience after which
Etienne intended to stay single
indefinitely
.
Certainly
, he had his distractions, but that’s all they were – distractions
,
and he made sure to keep his distance from any woman who wanted anything more than he was willing to offer.
All of that changed the minute he met Annabel Green, which was why he
had
decided to leave, immediately
, H
e could not afford to fall for another girl right now
,
and one look at Annabel’s sea-green eyes and long, shapely legs told him that she was the kind of girl he would have a hard time forgetting
. H
e
had
decided to cut his losses for fear of getting in too deep. It turned out to be a decision he regretted as soon as he got back to his empty apartment, but he could do nothing about until morning
. H
e had acted like a fool and
had
berated himself for it the entire night. In the morning
,
he called Simon and asked for Annabel’s address, hoping that the desperate flower gesture might do the trick. But now that he was about to see Annabel again, Etienne did not have the slightest idea what he was going to say. He was not shy around women, but the whole business with Amanda had left his heart broken and his pride injured.
#
As Annabel got closer to the
Musee d’Orsay
, she scanned the crowd for Etienne, but did not see him anywhere. Suddenly, a humiliating thought surfaced in her mind: what if he
didn’t
show up? Given his crude behavior the day before, the possibility did not seem t
oo far
-
fetched. What if she had
taken a leap of faith only to be stood up again?
No matter
, she though
t
. T
his is a world-famous museum
,
and I’ll be damned if I let that jerk ruin my day
. Annabel checked for her
City
Pass
in her purse and holding her head high, was about to walk through the museum entrance when Etienne appeared from behind the building corner.
“Annabel! You came!” An expression of pure delight shone on his face.
“Yes.” She nodded awkwardly, her mind a havoc of emotions. “Thank you for the beautiful flowers.”
“I’m glad you liked them
.
I was worried they wouldn’t make the delivery in time,” he added nervously. “I apologize for being so rude last night…” He halted, his eyes locking with hers. “I was wondering…” He shifted his feet awkwardly. “Could we start over?”
“Sure.” Annabel nodded, thinking that she did not have anything to lose. “Why not?”
“Etienne Gerard.” He extended his hand to her.
“Annabel Green.” Annabel felt her pulse kick up as Etienne’s fingers closed around her hand.
“May I accompany you to the Musee d’Orsay today, Annabel?”
“It would be my pleasure,” she answered in kind, amused by his formal English.
“Wonderful. I promise you a full tour.”
Annabel reached for her
City
Pass
, but Etienne assured her that she would not need it
,
since he had a museum membership.
Once inside, Etienne expertly led the way through the crowd of gawking tourists to the collection of paintings in the gallery on the left side. Annabel’s heart jumped as she took in the creati
ons of her favorite painters: Vuillard
, Cezanne, Renoir
. S
he remembered seeing
many of
the paintings
in art
books, but
she
was seeing the originals
for the first time.
“This is amazing,” she whispered.
“I’m glad to see that you are impressed.” Etienne smiled
. U
p until now he had only said a handful of words, but surprisingly enough, the silence between them did not feel awkward.
“Yes, we have almost all of these painters at the Met, but it’s fascinating to see their other work.”
“The Met is wonderful
.
I’ve been there a few times, but
d’Orsay
is my favorite museum – not just the art they have in here, but the building itself and the atmosphere.”
“I have to agree with you there.” Annabel nodded as she looked up at the glass ceiling of the museum building. “What an amazing idea to turn a railway station into a museum!”
“That’s what I always thought. And don’t you just love the light in here? It’s so… alive,” Etienne added after a moment of hesitation.
“Yes.” Annabel nodded, thinking that this was the right world for it. “I went to the Louvre yesterday
,
and it was magnificent, but it was also a bit…”
“Oppressive?” Etienne offered.
“Yes.” Annabel smiled, relieved that he understood.
As they worked their way through the gallery, Annabel could not help wondering if perhaps the main reason why she liked d’Orsay so much was because Etienne was there with her.