Chapter 14

14

PRESENT DAY

Usually there was a point in an evening where Blake was more than ready for it to end. She’d start yawning, or lose interest in the conversation and wish she were curled up in bed with a book. But not tonight. There was something about being with Henri that made her feel as if they’d known each other forever, while at the same time fluttering at the newness of it all. They’d talked about everything and anything, easy in each other’s company.

And then there was the way he’d pause and glance at her mouth, as if he were about to kiss her, only he never did, which had made her heart positively thunder in her chest all evening from anticipation.

They’d nibbled on eclairs that were so good she’d laughingly told him that she desperately needed another, forgetting all about how full she was, which had sent him running back to the little café before it shut. Then they’d strolled to get coffee from somewhere that was surprisingly still open despite the late hour, and now they were sitting on a bench as the late night stretched into morning.

‘Tell me something that you’ve never told anyone else,’ Henri said, his fingers gently stroking her hair as she nestled into his shoulder.

‘I’m afraid of life just passing me by,’ she said, without even thinking. ‘And you?’

‘I’m afraid I’ll never be able to step out of my family’s shadow.’

She considered his words, wondering who his mother or grandparents were, and how they were involved in the fashion industry, but she chose not to ask.

‘Life goes by so quickly, Blake,’ Henri said. ‘You need to enjoy every moment.’

His arm closed around her shoulders and she tucked herself even tighter against him.

‘You’re making that sound as if it’s so easy,’ she whispered, as she turned slightly so she could glance up at him, her palm against his chest. But it was easy with him. He’s already made me feel as if I’ve enjoyed every second of being in Paris .

Henri didn’t answer her, but he did at last lean in, kissing her not on the mouth but gently on the cheek, his lips brushing against her skin.

‘See? It’s not so hard to enjoy every moment, is it?’

She laughed and leaned back against him, listening to Henri talk about his work, about the city, about his family. By the time he started to tell her about their chateau, and how desperately he was looking forward to spending part of the summer there, she was lying with her head in his lap, looking up at him as he stroked her hair and told her all about his favourite place. She could have listened to the soft lilt of his accent for days, closing her eyes as she imagined how beautiful the chateau was, and how incredible it would be to have longer to explore France.

‘Tell me, Blake, where is your favourite place in the world?’

She looked away, out on to the street, as another couple passed by wrapped in each other’s arms. In some ways, it was the hardest question she’d ever been asked, and as easy as it would have been to say that it was wherever her family was, she chose not to.

‘I don’t think I’ve found it yet,’ she said honestly.

Henri’s fingertips brushed back and forth across her arm, and Blake looked up at the night sky, wondering if all dates in France were like this, yet knowing instinctively that it wasn’t possible. It was as if somehow, by a stroke of fate, she’d been destined to cross paths with Henri, and she knew that she only had her great-grandmother to thank for bringing her here.

Maybe Paris could be my happy place?

Blake had only just taken out her keycard to open the door to her hotel room, still feeling as if her skin was on fire after Henri had embraced her in the lobby, which had only made her even more anxious to know what his lips would feel like on hers, when her phone vibrated in her bag. She fumbled for it as she pushed open the door, expecting it to be either her sister or her editor wanting an update, before realising that it was barely 5a.m. Who would be calling her at this time of the morning?

Henri . She smiled as she saw his name on her screen and swiped to answer it.

‘Hello?’ she said, half expecting him to tell her she’d dropped something.

She kicked off her shoes and crossed the room, going straight to the window and staring out at the beautiful, sparkling city. It truly took her breath away.

‘I wanted to thank you for an unforgettable evening,’ he said.

Blake grinned. ‘I couldn’t have imagined a better night in Paris, so it’s me who should be thanking you.’

She turned and walked to the cocktail bar, hoping to find a bottle of water. But it was the box she’d left on the countertop that caught her eye, reminding her that she didn’t have long to discover what she’d come searching for.

‘Blake,’ Henri said, ‘do you have plans for this weekend?’

She held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she reached for her plane ticket, wishing she had longer, that she’d added on some time to travel and explore rather than race back home for work. Against her better judgement, she wanted to stay anyway.

‘No, I don’t have any plans.’ Her heart began to pound as she realised that she was about to say yes to something that would mean she’d miss her flight.

‘Would you like to join me at my family’s chateau? I keep thinking about what you said, about not finding the place you love yet, and I wanted to show you mine.’

Blake should have said no. She should have told him that she was flying back to London on Saturday morning, that she had work to return to, that unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to change her flight. She also should have considered the fact that they’d only been on one date, albeit a date that was the length of multiple dates rolled into one. But somehow all rational thought left her mind as she smiled into the phone.

‘I’d love to.’