A French Affair

  Sydney glanced at her watch to make a mental note of the time. ‘Deal. See you then.’

  With that, they headed into the shop, staying fairly close to one another to start with, then gradually drifting apart as the various sections caught their attention. Sydney picked up, flicked through, and replaced several books in turn, enjoying the experience of being in the famous shop as much as she was the contents themselves. She moved on, and spotted the stairs heading to the next level. The entire shop was endearingly higgledy piggledy and the staircase was no exception. Fortunately, the climb was worth it. Another, albeit smaller, level awaited her and she enjoyed perusing weighty tomes and more manageably-sized paperbacks until something made her check the time. Damn – her half an hour was up. She could scarcely believe it had gone by so quickly, but at least it meant it was time to go and get something to eat and spend some more time with Harry.

  The thought of him hurried her on, and she moved through the shop as fast as she could without looking like a shoplifter, emerged into the daylight. Harry stood with his back to her, looking out at the side view of the Notre-Dame. She couldn’t resist – she crept up behind him and grabbed his waist, digging her fingers in and tickling him.

  He swore loudly, then turned and grabbed her, only releasing his hold when he realised it was her. ‘Sydney, you crazy woman. I thought you were a pickpocket.’ His face softened, and he gave her a playful jab with the end of his finger. ‘You’re lucky I didn’t rugby-tackle you to the ground.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have thought a self-respecting pickpocket would have announced their presence by tickling you. You knew damn well it was me.’

  ‘After a second I did. My first instinct was to put up a fight.’

  ‘Then you grabbed me anyway.’

  ‘Can you blame me?’ He winked at her, then held out his arm. ‘Come on, we’ll head into the Latin Quarter for lunch, if that’s all right with you. Did you enjoy it in there?’

  She mock-sighed. ‘You’re a very bad man. Yes, the Latin Quarter is fine. And yes, I definitely enjoyed it in there. I could have stayed there for hours.’

  He began to walk away from the bookshop, with the Notre-Dame on their right. ‘Me too. It’s just as well we had a time limit, huh? Plus I didn’t fancy carrying a load of books around. Though I think you can buy stuff and have them ship it to you, which saves a load of hassle.’

  ‘I can imagine it does.’

  They fell into a companionable silence as they made their way deeper into the Paris streets, before eventually moving into a very narrow street lined with shops and restaurants. Harry stopped outside an establishment which had very bright signage, proclaiming it to be a French restaurant.

  ‘Wouldn’t you think they’d just call it a restaurant, since we’re in France?’

  Harry laughed. ‘I never thought of it like that. You OK with eating here? They’ve got a pretty good variety, and it’s delicious too. I come here quite often.’

  ‘No problem. I’m not fussy.’

  Harry raised his eyebrows, and she quickly added, ‘About what I eat.’

  He grinned and led her into the restaurant, greeting two of the staff with familiarity. Sydney trailed behind, smiling shyly at the people he’d spoken to and murmuring a barely audible “Bonjour”.

  ‘Where do you want to sit?’ Harry asked, turning to her.

  ‘I don’t mind. Here is fine.’ She indicated the table they stood next to.

  Harry gave a nod then moved around to pull out a chair, gesturing her into it. She thanked him and sat down. He helped her push the chair under the table, and only then did he go and sit down opposite her. A waiter came over and put down a carafe of water and two glasses, leaving them with a menu each and saying something before he left.

  ‘What did he say?’ Sydney asked. ‘My French is very basic.’

  Harry looked up. ‘He just said he’d be back in a few minutes to take our orders.’

  ‘Oh, fair enough. Can you recommend anything in particular?’

  ‘That’s a tough one. I like pretty much everything on this menu. What do you like? Meat? Pasta? Salad?’ His gaze flicked over the menu, and Sydney found herself staring at him once more, the harsh lighting showing that his hair wasn’t quite as dark as she’d previously thought. At his temples were the lightest touches of grey beginning to show, and she suspected that in a few years he’d be sporting a very fetching salt-and-pepper look, much like George Clooney.

  It was only when he looked up and met her gaze that she realised she hadn’t answered his question. She cleared her throat hastily, and replied, ‘I like them all, but definitely prefer meat to salad.’

  ‘OK,’ Harry replied decisively, seemingly unaware of, or unaffected by, her pause. ‘Then you’ll like the Boeuf Bourguignon. Shall I order that for you?’

  She nodded, happy to let him take over, rather than her stumbling over pronunciation and having to resort to pointing at items on the menu.

  After a few minutes, the waiter left with their order and returned with the wine Harry had requested.

  ‘I can only have one glass,’ he said, pouring hers first, ‘because I’ll be driving us back home, but they’re pretty relaxed here. What we don’t finish, they’ll let us take away with us.’

  ‘Really?’ she said, taking the glass he handed to her. ‘Thank you. That’s excellent – it seems the restaurants are as laidback as the builders in this country.’

  Harry nodded emphatically. ‘Yes. In a restaurant, it’s a good thing. In builders, not so much. I’ll be honest, the whole renovation of the barn has been a pain in the arse and I’ll be glad when it’s over and done with. Especially since I can start making the money back that I’ve spent.’

  ‘Well, it’s definitely been worth your money and agony. My half of the building is very comfortable, pretty and spacious. I’d definitely use it again – as long as you can promise there will be no more workmen.’ She winked to show she was teasing – a little.

  ‘If it means you’ll come back, I can definitely promise no workmen. Even if it means leaving it unfinished. Or you could just come and stay with me – for free.’

  ‘W-with you? Do you have a spare room?’

  ‘Yes. The place is pretty big – even when the children are with me. But I didn’t mean in the spare room.’

  Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

  ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘you’re not really surprised, are you? Now you know I’m not attached, surely you realise I’ve been flirting with you because I like you, not because I’m some kind of two-timing scumbag?’

  ‘Um … have you been flirting?’

  ‘You know damn well I have! Come on, Sydney, don’t be all coy. At least put me out of my misery and let me know if the feeling is mutual.’

  Sydney remained silent for a few seconds, her mind reeling. Once she was alone, she’d been planning to spend some time figuring out how to tell Harry she liked him. But that idea had been for the future, maybe for that evening when she went to bed. And now it seemed that he was saving her a job, and for some reason she couldn’t answer him. Mentally berating herself, she picked up her glass of wine and downed a couple of mouthfuls. Placing it down again, she sucked in a breath.

  ‘Yes, Harry, the feeling is mutual. Very much so.’ She didn’t say anything else, mainly because she didn’t know what to say.

  ‘Well.’ He paused, taking a sip of his own drink. ‘That’s good. Excellent. I’m sorry I was a little direct, but as you’ve probably realised, I’m extremely out of practice when it comes to flirting with women. Since Shelly passed, I’ve never even wanted to. Until you came along, that is. It’s crazy, I know, since we barely know each other. But I’d like to get to know you better, see if there’s something between us. I probably didn’t say it very well, but you get my meaning, right?’

  ‘Yes.’ She grinned. ‘I understand you perfectly, Harry. Now I know you’re not attached, I’d lik
e to get to know you better too. I think we’re doing a pretty good job already, don’t you? I think I’ve talked more to you in the past few hours than I have to anyone for … I don’t want to think how long.’

  ‘Why is that, Sydney? You can’t have been single for long, surely? I’m ashamed of the rest of the British male population if no one’s asked you out on a date.’

  She shrugged. ‘You don’t need to be ashamed. I have been asked out – probably a couple of months ago now, but since my last relationship I just haven’t felt that, you know, spark with anyone. The guys who have tried to chat me up have been nice enough, but I haven’t felt anything beyond platonic. It hasn’t bothered me too much, really. I’d rather have no relationship at all than one I feel “meh” about.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more. Though if you don’t mind me asking, what happened in your last relationship?’

  Chapter Five

  Sydney’s heart sunk right into her shoes. Damn, she should have known that question was coming, prepared for it somehow. Unfortunately, though, she hadn’t seen it coming and therefore sat there, opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, unable to form the words and make them leave her lips. Eventually, she let out a heavy sigh, then drained the rest of her wine.

  ‘I think you’d better fill me up,’ she said, holding her glass out to Harry. ‘We appear to have got to the sticky part of us getting to know each other.’

  ‘God, I’m sorry,’ he replied, quickly taking her glass, filling it up, and handing it back. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just thought it was a pretty natural question to follow what you said.’

  She took a long, slow sip of her wine to buy her a few seconds to formulate a response. ‘No, it’s OK. It was a natural question, and one you’ve got every right to ask. I should have expected it, but it’s just that everything seems to be moving so fast. One minute I think you’re married and I’m trying to be friendly but on a purely platonic basis, and the next I learn that not only are you single, but you like me as much as I like you. My head’s spinning a little, if I’m honest.’

  Harry nodded slowly, and sipped his own wine. It seemed despite the awkwardness of their conversation, he was sticking to his guns and only having one glass and therefore was trying to make it last. ‘I know what you mean, and I’m really sorry if things have moved at warp speed. It’s just that I had a head start, if you get what I mean, because obviously all along I knew I was single, and that I liked you. For me there was no barrier, no reason to be at arm’s length. Also, Shelly dying so young has made me appreciate life more, and really hit home for me that life is short and we should grasp every moment of fun and happiness we possibly can.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more. Though I hasten to add that I have been happy and having fun without a man.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it. I’ve been happy single too, though of course I still miss Shelly every day. That’s not why I haven’t been with anyone, though. In fact, when she knew the end was near, she forced me to promise to find someone else, not to be alone. It’s just that, until now, there hasn’t been anyone I wanted to fulfil that promise with.’

  God, she really had to answer his question now, didn’t she? Harry had already spilled a great deal of personal information and emotional stuff. The least she could do was tell him a little bit about her last relationship. Plus, they’d agreed not to talk about depressing topics today, so although that plan had clearly gone out of the window, maybe the sooner they got the baggage out of the way, the sooner they could continue having fun.

  ‘She sounds like a wonderful woman. Unfortunately, my ex wasn’t wonderful at all. We were together for just over a year and everything was great …’ Sydney could see the growing confusion on Harry’s face as she spoke. ‘That was, until I found out he was married. As in, not even separated. Still living with his wife, as man and wife, and as far as she was concerned, they were happily married. Neither of us had the slightest inkling about the other. Needless to say, I ditched him as soon as I found out. I felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest and fed into an industrial shredder. I’ve never felt so betrayed and lied to in all my life.’

  Harry’s expression went through a series of changes. Shocked, angry, disbelieving, and finally sympathetic. ‘Christ, what a wanker. Sorry, Sydney, I apologise for my language, but really that was quite mild compared to the words I’m saying in my head.’

  ‘No need to apologise. I’m sure I’ve already called him all the words in your head, and then some. Plus I don’t mind swearing, anyway. You go for it.’

  He reached across the table and took her hand. ‘Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all that. Now I totally understand why seeing my wedding ring made you back off. In fact –’ he reached down and grasped the band encircling his finger ‘– I’m going to take it off. I mean no disrespect to Shelly, but I’m doing my best to follow her wishes, and if this helps, then I know she won’t mind.’

  ‘You don’t have to do that,’ Sydney replied. She didn’t know why she’d believed Harry from the beginning, when he’d said he was widowed, but for some reason she did. Despite what he had done to her – and his poor wife – she trusted Harry. Possibly because he’d already invited her into his home – albeit his holiday home. Her ex had never done that, and it had taken her 13 damn months to find out why.

  Harry’s words pulled her from her reverie. ‘I know I don’t. But knowing what I know now, I don’t want to give you reason to doubt me. I’m kind of stuck over here until the renovation of the other half of the barn is done, but when it’s finished and I come home, I would love for you to meet my kids. Providing things are going well between us, that is. I don’t want to confuse them by bringing a woman into their lives if we’re not serious.’

  ‘I understand,’ she replied. ‘And I guess we should see how things go. I mean, we haven’t even kissed yet. You might be a lousy kisser!’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, but she suspected her subconscious had conjured them up, fed up of the dismal conversation and wanting to lighten things up.

  Harry laughed long and loud, startling a couple of the other diners, and drawing amused glances from the staff. Just then, the swinging doors from the kitchen opened and a waiter came out, carrying a few plates and heading in their direction.

  Harry leant over the table a little and lowered his voice. ‘Just so you know, this conversation isn’t over. You’re going to pay for that comment. Not to mention I’m going to prove it’s not true.’

  His words and the look in his eyes sent a delicious shiver through her. She was happy for the distraction from the unpleasant part of the conversation they’d just had, and clung onto it, hard. If anything meaningful was going to happen between them, then they both had to let go of the past and move on together. She was sure it wouldn’t be easy, especially as there were children involved, but they’d never know unless they tried.

  She managed to give him a cheeky wink just before the waiter arrived at their table, then she turned her attention to the man, giving a polite smile and murmuring words of thanks as her meal was placed before her. It looked delicious, but she had no idea where she was going to put it all. The serving was huge. She continued to stare at her plate, hardly noticing their server had gone.

  ‘I hope you’re hungry,’ Harry said, pulling her attention back to him.

  She grinned. ‘I am, but I don’t think my appetite will stretch quite this far.’

  He shrugged. ‘Just eat what you can. No sense in making yourself feel sick. Just enjoy it.’

  ‘I intend to.’

  They shared a smile, their gazes lingering a while, before they picked up their cutlery and began to eat. They were silent for some time, except for the sounds of knives and forks scraping on plates, and the occasional pleasure-filled noise as the delicious food exploded over their taste buds.

  Sydney managed to eat about two-thirds of her plateful before admitting defeat. She put her cutlery
down and picked up her napkin, surreptitiously checking out Harry as she dabbed delicately at her mouth. He was still demolishing his lunch and looking thoroughly happy to be doing so. It was nice to be able to study him fairly close up without him realising.

  He really was worth looking at. His thick, slightly too-long hair; his eyes, an unusual blue-grey mix that twinkled with mischief; the laughter lines that surrounded them. She was suddenly very glad he had those laughter lines. Not only did they add to his charm, but she was pleased that even though he’d had a hard time of it, things weren’t all bad. He’d had enough smiles in his life to create those lines, and she really hoped that, together, they’d have even more.

  ‘More wine?’ she said, realising he’d finally finished his. Her second glass was still half full.

  ‘No, thanks,’ he said, holding his hand over the rim of his glass. ‘I don’t want to risk drink-driving. The French roads are dangerous enough when you’re sober. I’d love some water, though, if you don’t mind pouring it for me.’

  ‘Of course not,’ she replied, reaching for the carafe. ‘You carry on eating. I’m done, I’m afraid. That huge dish of deliciousness has defeated me.’

  ‘Nice alliteration.’

  ‘What can I say? I’ve got a way with words.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said as she slid the glass of water towards him, picking it up and taking a gulp. Her gaze was drawn to his Adam’s apple as it bobbed up and down, and she was in danger of falling into a smutty daydream about him when he dragged her attention back to the present.

  ‘So, what do you want to do when we’re finished here?’ he asked.

  I’d really like to go back to your place and get naked and horizontal was her first thought. She bit her lip to avoid the smirk that threatened to emerge, and tried to turn the gesture into looking like she was thinking. A few seconds later, she spoke, ‘I really don’t know. There’s just so much to do in Paris, and because I’ve never been before, I just don’t know where to start. What would you advise? You totally hit the nail on the head with the Notre-Dame and Shakespeare and Company. I loved them both.’