Tales From a Broad (21 page)

We ended the call, and I straightened my legs
on the ground and exhaled. I was alone, once again, in the city of
love. What a difference a day made.

I took out my notebook and inhaled the sweet
scent of the yellow daffodils that surrounded me. My eyes swept
around the Tuileries, first at the flowers and then the pairs of
people scattered throughout. I wondered how many people got engaged
here each year. It looked like a Mecca for people who were in
love.

One, two, three, four ... I counted at least
two dozen couples locked together, one way or another. Hands, arms,
lips.... Paris really did bring out the romance in everyone.

I let out another wistful sigh and tapped my
pen to my knee as I thought about some of the places I’d visited
earlier that day. Then I began to write out one of the ideas for
Janice that had been brewing in my mind.

The Best Places to Kiss in Paris

By Lucy Banks

It has been said that Paris is a kissing
city and the romance of the City of Love is contagious. Pretty much
anywhere is a good place to lock lips, but whether a sidewalk café,
street corner, or park, don’t forget that a kiss is not just a
kiss. It is where everything begins or ends. The following hot
spots will make that special moment even more unforgettable.

* Take it to the top. The Eiffel Tower will
get your head in the clouds and provide a panoramic view of the
city.

* The Pont des Arts was the backdrop for an
epic scene in
Sex and the City
. Carrie and Big shared their
fairytale moment on this pedestrian bridge that crosses the Seine
River.

* Set on a hill, Montmarte offers
breathtaking views of the city. This quaint village has starred in
many movies, including
Amelie
,
An American in Paris
,
and
Sabrina
.

* On top of the Arc de Triomphe is an open
terrace, which overlooks the famous Champs-Élysées. For those who
find shopping to be an aphrodisiac, this is a must-see.

* The Pont Marie is known to be the Bridge
of Lovers. Legend has it that a kiss under the bridge will make any
wish come true. Sail into the sunset on a riverboat cruise.

* Once the backyard of royalty, the Jardins
des Tuileries is one of Paris’s most visited gardens. Stroll arm in
arm on your way to the Louvre or cozy up on the grass with a
romantic picnic for two.

* My personal favorite is the Catacombs of
Paris. An underground ossuary is not traditionally known for
romance, but will send the message to live for the moment. There’s
nothing like your own mortality to make you take a chance on
love.

Chapter
Ten

Last mango in Paris.

Facebook Status June 10 at 7:00pm

On my way back to the hotel, I stumbled on a
store that made its own soaps and bubble bath. It wasn’t until Tess
mentioned Simon and his souvenir shopping that I realized I had
forgotten all about Morgan in my travels. She had sent me to
Europe, so the least I could do was send a little Europe to
her.

I chose an assortment of bath products and
threw in an extra bottle of mango bubble bath for myself. I
couldn’t wait to get back to the room and run a bath. This was our
last night in Paris and in a real hotel, so I wanted to soak up the
luxury while I still had the chance.

Plus, I really needed to relax. It had taken
a couple of hours to organize and write out my ideas, and my head
pounded from too much thinking. It wasn’t the writing that had
gotten my brain in a twist; it was the two men tangled up in my
thoughts.

The first thing I did when I got back to the
room was run a bath. I took off my clothes, climbed into the deep
tub and submerged my body in the warm water.

The bubbles rose to my shoulders. “Ahhh.” I
sighed. “Never underestimate the healing powers of a bath.”

I closed my eyes and rested my head on an
inflatable pillow that hung from the back of the tub. I knew I
should apologize to Simon, but I wasn’t sure what to say exactly. I
stuck my head under the water and gripped the bottom of the tub to
keep myself from floating. Maybe I should stop at his room with a
bag of treats. I could bring salt for his wounds and a muzzle for
my big fat mouth. I should also throw in a filter while I am at it
since I never seem to say the right thing.

I came up for air and heard loud knocking at
the door. I sat up with a start and reached for my glasses that I
had thrown on the floor.

“I’m coming,” I called out. It had to be
Simon. Suddenly, I was a big fan of the pop-in visit.

After using the robe for a towel, I threw it
on and tied the belt around my waist. My wet hair clung to my head
as I ran to get the door, but shockingly I didn’t even care what I
looked like. Now was not the time to be vain. We were leaving in
two days and this would probably be my last chance to make things
right with Simon.
Carpe Diem.

I took in a breath and smiled as I opened the
door.

My heart sunk when I saw that it was
Tess.

“Surprise,” she said in a sarcastic tone.

I hate surprises
.

“I am
so
upset,” Tess whined, charging
past me.

“You and me both,” I muttered under my
breath. “What happened?”

“You’re not going to believe this. Mark is
such a jerk!” Tess shook her fists and started to cry.

My hand flew to my chest and a sinking
feeling washed over me. “What did he do to you?”

I ran over to Tess and looked her up and
down. My mouth had gone dry, and I nervously licked my lips. “Did
he force himself on you? I swear to God, I will kill him. I
should’ve learned my lesson with Pierre.” I clenched my fists and
my nails pierced into my palms. “I should never have....”

“No, no! He didn’t
do
anything to me.
That would’ve meant that he actually showed up. He blew me off,”
Tess sniffed. She brushed her cheeks with the backs of her hands,
leaving mascara streaks behind. “I sat at the bar for oh,
forty-five freaking minutes.”

“What?” I giggled with relief. “Tess, there
has to be an explanation.”

“Oh, there was.” Tess’s eyebrows were knit so
close together they had practically become one.

“Okay.” I walked over to the mini-bar and
pulled out a bottle of water for Tess and a can of Diet Coke for
myself. “Sit down,” I ordered while I handed the bottle to Tess.
“Now tell me what happened.”

She reluctantly took a seat on her bed.
“Well, I had been waiting so long I finally decided to text him.
Get this one. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he didn’t feel well.
Uh, was he planning to tell me?” Tess looked at me with wild
eyes.

“Okay, calm down. It sounds like he caught
some sort of bug. Maybe he was too sick to call or text right away?
Then again...” I frowned and stroked my chin. “He could’ve still
texted, even if he were hanging over the bowl. But you know men.
They’re such babies when they’re sick.”

Tess clasped her hands behind her back and
simply stared at me.

I raised my shoulders. “It’s true. Your
father’s the same way. Let’s just hope we don’t catch it. I once
came down with something so bad that—”

“Aunt Lu, there was no bug,” she said
pointedly. “I left my key here and figured you were probably out,
so I went to the front desk to get a new one. That’s when I saw
her
.” Tess’s bottom lip trembled, and she pressed them
together.

I froze with the can of soda mid-air. “Her?
Who her?”

“His ex,” she spat.

“Shut up!” I slammed the can down and some
fizz spilled over the side onto the top of my laptop. “How do you
know? Are you sure?” I pulled out the desk chair and sat down.

Tess framed her face with her hands and took
a deep breath. “Positive. When I got to the front desk, there was a
girl about my age already being helped. I heard her. She was all
like ‘I just flew in from Chicaaago, and I believe my boyfriend
left a key for me. Mark Anderson?’ Ugh.” Tess groaned as she stuck
out her tongue.

“This can’t be,” I said, shaking my head from
side to side. “There has to be two Mark Andersons.”

“Well, it seems there are. One is a charming
phony, and the other happens to be a total dick. C’mon Aunt Lu.
What are the odds that two women from Chicago know a Mark Anderson?
I’m such a fool.”

“No.
He’s
the fool. Did you call him
out on it?”

“No, but I texted him right back. I was like
‘how about I bring you some soup or maybe we can watch a movie
together?’”

“Good for you. Make him squirm.” I nodded my
approval.

“Well, I don’t know how much squirming he
did. He wrote back before I could even get to the elevator. He said
he was going to lay low tonight. Oh! And tomorrow, too.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath, thinking fast
how to reassure my niece and get back at that slime ball for
hurting her. “You need to let him know that you know what he’s up
to.”

I may have sounded calm, yet I felt anything
but as I jumped up from the desk and began to pace. “This is all my
fault. Again. Had we stuck together you would never have gotten
your heart broken.”

“Oh, come on. I’m a big girl, Aunt Lu. He
seemed great. So did his brother. They could be serial players for
all we know.”

“You’re right. Maybe they are. How would we
have known?” I stood still and pinched the bridge of my nose. A
thought occurred to me. “Is he even aware tomorrow’s our last full
day in Paris?” I wondered if Simon was.

Tess nodded her head sadly.

“So you mean to tell me that after all the
time you spent together, this is it? This is how he chooses to end
it?”

“Oh,” she said with a face. “He thinks we’re
meeting up in Rome this weekend.
Whatever
.”

“He does?” I took a sip of soda to hide the
smile that teased my lips. I let the soda bubble on my tongue
before I swallowed the fizz.

“Yeah. It came up this morning. They planned
on going to Italy so they figured they’d meet us in Rome before we
leave to see Landon in Florence. I figured you wouldn’t mind since
you and Simon were looking pretty chummy.”

I blushed and hid my face behind the can.

“So, that’s how he left it. ‘I will see you
in Rome,’” she concluded. A lone tear rolled down Tess’s cheek, and
I got up to hand her a tissue.

“I really liked him, Aunt Lu.” Tess paused to
blow her nose. “He was different from most guys. I know we only
spent a few days together, but I never felt that way before. I hope
for your sake that Simon is different,” she said with a sigh.

I rolled my eyes and made a frown. “That,
whatever it was, is done too.” I told Tess about the real reason I
left the Catacombs. I happened to leave out the part where I called
Cooper back. Minor omission.

“Aunt Lu, it sounds to me like Simon
completely overreacted. We all have a past, and it’s not your fault
that yours is still a tiny piece of your present. Your break up
just happened.”

“I know,” I agreed reluctantly. “I did send
mixed messages though. Regardless, it never would have worked out.
It’s not as if I liked him the way you liked Mark.”

I got a funny feeling in my stomach and
wasn’t sure why. I held it in tight and then slowly released the
muscles. That move was supposed to be a tension buster, but today
it did little to alleviate the strange sensation inside me. I
reached my hand into the bag of chips that Simon had brought last
night.

“I don’t want to see him in Rome, Aunt Lu,”
Tess whined.

“No, no, no. I agree, totally.”

“Thank you. You’re okay with rerouting?”

I was momentarily taken aback. I had meant
Tess should avoid Mark. I wasn’t talking about a reroute, but it
was my duty to protect my niece. I certainly didn’t need for her to
get mixed up with a boy like that.

“Of course,” I said.

“Okay, so we’ll stop in Munich like we
planned, but then how about we go right to Landon in Florence? The
only guy I want to hang out with right now is my brother,” she
sniffled. “Can we please get out of here in the morning? I would
die if I saw them together, and since you don’t seem to care about
Simon...” Tess trailed off and looked at me with pleading eyes. The
look on her face reminded me of the one she had worn the day she
begged me to take the trip.

“Right,” I said through gritted teeth, my
stomach churning even more. Simon and I would never have worked
out, so of course we should go straight to Florence. I put my hand
on my middle and shifted on the bed in an attempt to get more
comfortable. What was up with my stomach? Suddenly it was bubblier
than the bath I’d left behind.

“Thank you, Aunt Lu.” Tess crossed the room
and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “We make a good team. To hell with
cowardly men. First I discover Jack is dating through a Facebook
status and then Mark disses me on text. Is there anyone out there
who has enough balls to end something face-to-face?”

I thought about Cooper as I smiled back at my
niece. He, at least, had the decency to look me in the eye when he
broke my heart. Was I a coward for avoiding a face-to-face meeting
with him? Or was I just protecting myself?

“I’m going to call my mom,” Tess said as she
opened the door to the balcony.

“Okay,” I said absently.

Tess and I made a good team, but I knew we
wouldn’t be together until death did us part. What I needed was a
real partner, the kind that would stay with me for life.

I picked up my phone and fell back onto my
bed. After I’d reread the email from Cooper, I rolled onto my
stomach and rested my chin in my hands. For a moment, I allowed my
mind to drift down memory lane. Cooper and I really did have some
pretty fabulous times together. Yes, he acted like a total jackass,
but what if he really was the one for me? What if this break-up was
just a speed bump in what was to become a very long road ahead of
us? Would we laugh about this one day, like on our twenty-fifth
wedding anniversary? Or our fiftieth?