The Paris Connection (14 page)

“I wouldn’t take it personally.” She pretended to look at her fingernails, blew a breath on them and then acted as if she was shining them against her scarf. “I’m just smart that way.”

He laughed and reached out to tickle her in the side. She squealed and rolled away on the grass. Avery took notice of the laughter and came to join them, vaulting herself against Cole, who fell onto his back.

They lay like that as Avery began singing in French, her voice filled with happiness. Emma was stretched out several feet away, where she had rolled when Cole tried to tickle her. She turned her head and saw him grinning up at her daughter, trying to hum along in snatches to the song.

When he moved his head and caught her eye, she felt as though everything inside her rose up in a swell of happiness and realized that this was what Jacqueline would have called “a perfect moment.”

* * *

T
HEY
STAYED
IN
the seventh
arrondissement
for the rest of the afternoon, sightseeing, shopping and then eating dinner together at a little restaurant along the Seine. When the sun finally dipped below the horizon, they visited the Eiffel Tower again so that Cole could see it lit up at night. It was an incomparable sight, a beacon of brilliance visible for miles beyond, and the view of the city from its observation decks after twilight had fallen was an entirely new perspective.

By that point, Avery was done in with exhaustion, and Cole carried her in his arms as she sagged with sleepiness. Emma led the way toward the RER train lines that would take them back to Batignolles and her apartment. They didn’t speak much on the ride home, but the silence was much more relaxed than it had been when they’d stood in her apartment together that morning. Cole felt completely comfortable in the quiet with her, and he sensed she felt the same.

They didn’t get back to her apartment until almost eleven o’clock. Cole still carried Avery, and rather than place her into Emma’s arms, he offered to carry her to her room. Emma opened the door for him, and he laid the sleeping child on top of a bedspread printed with fairies and flowers.

He took one last glance at Avery’s face, smiling as she worked her little cheeks in slumber, and wondering if she was talking in her dreams. He fondly brushed aside the sweep of dark hair that fell over her forehead as Emma removed her shoes and socks. Then they moved toward the doorway.

“She had a great time today. Thanks for being so patient with her.”

“It was my pleasure. She’s a sweetheart. You should be very proud of her.”

“I am,” she said as she eased the door closed, and they went back toward the living area.

It made him curious about Emma’s ex-husband. What sort of man didn’t take an interest in his own daughter, especially one as sweet and adorable as Avery?

“Can I get you anything before you go?” Emma asked, but he declined with a shake of his head.

“No, I’ll let you get some rest.”

She showed him to the door, but he lingered, as did she, on the threshold.

“You still up for all this sightseeing?” he asked her, not wanting to leave just yet. He wanted to spend just a few minutes more in her company.

She leaned against the doorway. “I am if you are. Am I convincing you, about Paris’s worth?”

She was, but he didn’t want to give in too soon. He wanted more days like this one, more time with her and Avery. He hadn’t known this feeling before, of being part of a family unit, of belonging. His own childhood had never given him that, and despite his relationship with Ophelia, it hadn’t been the same experience as this.

“We’ll see,” he offered, and she reached out to nudge him slightly with her finger.

“You’re already hooked, and you know it.”

He shifted forward after she pushed him, looking into her face. Hooked. Maybe he was.

He leaned in, and the amusement faded from her expression as she grew serious. She eased off the doorway, shifting toward him. Their faces came within an inch of each other, and they stood like that, somehow frozen. He was unable to move, forward or back, caught in her presence. Her hair still held the faint traces of her perfume, something with notes of lavender, along with the scent of grass. He hovered there, his hand reaching out to touch the side of her neck, his palm drawing her a little closer. He waited for her to pull back, but she didn’t. He could see her eyes resting on his lips.

As if testing her willingness, he ran the tip of his nose along hers, and she exhaled so softly that he felt just the barest whisper of breath against his cheek. He took that for assent and tilted his head so that his lips brushed ever so slightly along hers. When she still didn’t resist, he touched his lips to hers once more, lingering a little longer this time, and then he pressed deeper until she responded, and they were kissing fervently. Her back was pressed against the doorframe, and he shifted, trying to give her room to keep her from being uncomfortable. She didn’t move, but she kept responding to his kiss, her fingers tracing along his jaw so that his skin tingled wherever she stroked. Her lips were soft and sweet beneath his, and he thought he could go on kissing her like this forever...until a quiet cough at his back caused him to stiffen.

Emma jerked and peered around him, but he turned more slowly at the interruption.

Melanie stood a few feet away, her face flaming a bright red to the roots of her hair.

“I, um, went back downstairs and came up again, but you were still, er...here.”

He felt a ripple of amusement run through him and nearly laughed out loud until he felt a rush of cold air and turned back, realizing Emma had stepped away from him. She was beginning to flush the same shade as Melanie.

“I’m sorry, Melanie. Here.” She moved back from the doorway so Melanie could enter.

The girl moved forward and gave him a quick glance.

“Sorry, Melanie,” he offered.

If possible, her face reddened further. “It’s okay. I’ll just...” She quickly ducked past him and into the apartment, glancing at Emma before hurrying inside.

He and Emma were left staring at one another, and he could tell by the expression on her face that he never should have kissed her, even if she had seemed willing.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” he apologized for the second time. But then he decided that wasn’t the truth. “No, I’m not sorry. Not for kissing you anyway.” He was sorry she seemed to be regretting it.

“That can’t happen again,” she said, her voice so low he had to move a little closer to make out the words.

She took a step back when he came near, and he stopped. “Why?” he asked. “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

She licked her lips as though testing the memory of his touch. “No, not at all, but...I can’t get involved with you.”

He felt a little relieved that she had at least seemed to like kissing him. Leaning against the doorway, he folded his arms, hoping she would see he wasn’t going to reach for her again if she didn’t wish it.

“You don’t date people you work with, is that it?”

She nodded, looking a little pained. “I can’t. It would make things too complicated, especially since you’re my boss, and with this merger and everything...” She trailed off, and he felt a sinking disappointment. Kissing Emma had been a new experience, unlike the perfunctory kisses he’d known with Ophelia. Was it simply that Emma was someone new, a fresh possibility? He didn’t think so. Emma stirred him in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

Not that it mattered. She had made her preferences clear.

“It’s all right. I understand,” he offered. “We need to maintain a professional relationship.”

“Yes, exactly.” She appeared relieved at his agreement. Not exactly the reaction he would have wished for, but maybe she was right. Things could become complicated very quickly if they took their interest beyond friendship.

“You’re not going to hold this against me, are you? Back out of our bargain?”

“No, of course not,” she hastened to assure him. “There’s so much more to see in Paris. It would be unfortunate for us to stop just because of this...misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding? That was how she was going to label it? “Good. I’d hate to lose the best tour guide I’ve ever had.”

She nodded, the gesture a little too abrupt, he thought.

“I better let you get some rest.” He automatically moved toward her, just to brush a kiss against her cheek, but she stepped back again, as though she didn’t trust him. Or maybe herself.

“I’ll see you in the office, Aquitaine.”

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

He left, feeling slightly awkward with this goodbye, and trying not to let his disappointment get the better of him.

CHAPTER TEN

A
FTER
THEIR
KISS
, Emma worried that things would become strained between her and Cole. It was the very reason she disdained office relationships—the fear that it would affect her ability to do her job. But she needn’t have been apprehensive where Cole was concerned. He behaved the same as always while they were at the office, as though nothing had happened between them. She found herself almost disappointed over the following weeks as things continued with nearly insulting normalcy between them.

Outside of work, matters were slightly different, however. Though they never mentioned the kiss, and Cole made no attempt to embrace her like that again, they still kept up their regular excursions throughout the city. Most of the time, Avery was with them, but occasionally, she would stay home with Melanie, if the au pair volunteered to babysit. Those times were some of the trickiest for Emma, when she didn’t have the buffer of her daughter between her and Cole. It was more difficult to keep from leaning into him when they would walk the streets, more challenging to stop from reaching for his hand. A part of her would feel drawn to him at the most inopportune times—their heads close together as they read a map or looked through a shop window.

She firmly resisted any temptation. Cole was her boss, and she made every effort to view their outings as part of her role as his cultural liaison. Maybe that wasn’t how things had started initially, but she was determined to keep it that way.

Some days were harder than others, though. Such as when he was awed by the Notre Dame Cathedral, and she wanted to slip her hand into his and whisper the magnificent structure’s history into his ear. Or at the Louvre, when his brow furrowed in concentration at the sight of Da Vinci’s
Mona Lisa.
She thought about teasing him and telling him how a girl might get jealous. They visited all the well-known tourist spots from the commercial luxuries of the Champs-Élysées to the ostentatious interiors of the Sacré-Cœur. And through it all, Emma worked to maintain her focus, forever reminding herself that Cole was her boss, nothing could happen between them and that he hadn’t shown any interest since the night they’d kissed.

But hardest of all was trying to hide her emotions when Solene asked about him at their next lunch date. She had avoided her friend for several weeks after the incident with the candidate lists. No more of their placements had been poached, but still, Emma had come up with excuses to avoid Solene for a time. It wasn’t so much a punishment, as Solene suggested after the third week of Emma dodging her, but rather uncertainty. She didn’t know what to say to her friend, and she certainly didn’t know how she felt about the job Solene had offered. She feared she didn’t have the fortitude to resist her developing feelings for Cole in addition to Solene’s hounding her for an answer.

But after a month of these games, she knew that if she wished to keep Solene as a friend, she’d have to give in and meet with her sometime. So they set up a lunch date for the last week in September. The air had turned cooler by then, the final days of summer having gradually shifted into autumn. Solene first asked about Avery, and Emma explained how she was back at nursery school now that summer had ended. Solene commented that she couldn’t believe Avery would be old enough to begin
école primaire,
France’s primary school system, the following year. They chatted about the change in seasons and items in the news, neatly avoiding discussions of work for a few minutes. But as they sipped from their coffee cups, the conversation turned as naturally as the weather.

“I understand you’ve been sightseeing with your new boss.”

Emma straightened, as though preparing for battle. “Who told you that?”

“I called one night when you were out and spoke to your au pair.”

Emma recalled several different times when she had returned home to find messages scribbled down by Melanie, more than a few of which had been from Solene. But the younger woman had never mentioned that she had told Solene such a thing.

Emma forced a shrug and sipped at the espresso she had laced with cream. “I’ve been showing him the city, as part of my job as his liaison.”

Solene raised an eyebrow. “That is not part of your job, Emma, and you know it.”

“Of course it is,” she protested. “He wants to appreciate the city, but he didn’t know where to begin.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s true,” Emma declared, knowing she sounded defensive.

“And what all have you shown him?”

Emma began listing the places they had been, her voice growing quieter as Solene’s eyes widened. “Emma, you’ve shown him more than I have ever seen, and I am a native Parisian.”

Emma shrugged again. “You know I love this city. There’s so much to see and do here.”

Her friend’s eyes narrowed in consideration. “You like him, don’t you?”

Emma dodged her glance by looking into her demitasse cup and swirling around the dwindling espresso.

“Oh, Emma.”

She looked up to find Solene watching her with pity in her eyes. “You’re falling for him, aren’t you? I’ve heard he is very handsome and quite charming, but I never thought you’d succumb to those things, not after Brice.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I am not falling for my boss.”

“Ah. So that’s it.” Solene leaned back in her seat and continued to scrutinize her.

“What’s it?”

“You can’t fall in love with him because you work with him.”

Emma toyed with the handle of her cup and refused to look at Solene. She didn’t want to think about these things. She couldn’t be falling for Cole. It wasn’t possible—she hadn’t known him long enough, she didn’t know enough about him. But secretly, she had to confess the signs. Her heart beat faster when he was nearby, her stomach turned with happiness every time he entered a room and her knees grew weak when he smiled at her. But these were simply signs of attraction, certainly not love.

Attraction could be mastered. Love would undo her.

“Does he feel the same way about you?”

Emma tried to laugh, but the sound came out choked. “Solene, please. I am not falling in love with my boss.”

She had been avoiding looking directly at Solene, but when her friend’s hand fell over hers, stilling its movements, she couldn’t help looking up. She saw both sympathy and understanding and suddenly felt as though maybe it was okay to confess it out loud.

“We kissed. He kissed me.”

Solene’s frown deepened.

“I don’t know that it meant anything,” Emma rushed on, “and I told him it could never happen again. It hasn’t. He doesn’t even look at me that way now. He hasn’t touched me like that since it happened. It was a one-time thing.” She looked away and back again. “Just the once and never again.”

“What was it like?”

Though she tried to stifle it, she felt the smile stretching across her face. “It was...wonderful. I felt...wanted.”

“And you told him it could never happen again?”

She felt her smile shrink. “Yes. Because it can’t. I can’t get involved with him. It would make things too difficult, if it didn’t work out. Especially because he’s my boss.”

Solene gave a thoughtful sigh and leaned back in her chair again. “There is a solution, you know.”

Emma waited.

“Come and work with me at Léon Professional. Then, you will be free to pursue Cole without any concerns. If things do not work out—” she lifted one shoulder in an artful shrug “—you will face no awkwardness at the office.”

“I don’t know.” She was still uncertain about leaving Aquitaine for their rival despite the offer of a raise and greater opportunities for advancement. What would Julien think? And what if Cole saw such an act as a betrayal? “I’m not even sure how Cole feels.”

“Find out,” Solene pressed. “Give him the opportunity you took away. Let him know you might be interested in seeing where things could lead.”

“I’m not like Giselle. I can’t just inform a man when I’m attracted to him.”

Solene laughed, having once known Giselle as well as Emma. “Perhaps not, but Cole does not sound like the sort of man who needs to be told that sort of thing. He will understand the cues well enough if you present them the right way.”

Emma felt a ripple of excitement pass through her at the possibility. But she still hesitated. “I don’t know, Solene.”

Solene tapped a finger against her cup. “Does Avery like him?”

Emma knew the answer immediately. “She loves him. She’s always asking about him, and he’s perfect with her. He’s gentle and sweet and charming. He makes us both laugh. It’s like he fills up all the holes that Brice leaves in Avery’s life.” As she spoke those words, Emma knew that she’d truly begun experiencing deeper feelings for Cole when she’d seen him with her daughter. He treasured Avery. Wasn’t that exactly what every child deserved? But of course, she’d want to take it slow. She didn’t want to weave Cole into their lives and then have to unravel it all later. Although, without intending to, she knew she had done just that. Avery had come to expect their outings together.

Cole was already a part of their lives. This realization alarmed her. “What if this isn’t a good idea?”

“
Chérie,
how will you know if you do not give it a try? Your heart has been closed up since Brice. You have avoided all forms of romance since then. If this man has found his way in, then you should not hold him at arm’s length.”

“I don’t even know if he feels the same way,” Emma protested again.

“Then find out. And if he does, talk to him about the possibilities, and come work with me at Léon.”

Emma didn’t say anything. Solene sighed.

“Do you remember how you were when you first came to Paris? You were brave and romantic, moving here and marrying Brice, pursuing a job with Aquitaine and beginning your career. Be that girl again, Emma. Be the woman who takes a risk on someone. Just because Brice let you down does not mean this man will, too.”

These words stirred her. It was true. She had lost part of that girl when she and Brice split up. She remembered how Cole had called her a romantic. And she had been...once.

She wondered if she could be that same romantic, brave girl again.

* * *

W
HEN
E
MMA
RETURNED
to the office after her lunch with Solene, she found her floor abuzz with energy and whispered conversations. The normally relaxed after-lunch hour was replaced with frantic movement and an air of heightened anticipation. She watched as Marc strode down a hall at a clipped pace, knocking into Aurora, who dropped the sheaf of folders she’d been carrying. Marc kept walking while Aurora gasped in dismay and fell to her knees to gather up the scattered files. Emma moved to join her.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she assembled the papers into a tidy pile.

“You haven’t heard?” Aurora asked.

“Heard what? I just got back from lunch.”

“
She
is here.”

“She?”

“The American boss. Lillian Reid.”

Emma sat back on her heels. Lillian Reid was here? Had Julien or Cole known she was coming? If they had, neither man had bothered to inform her.

“Where is she?”

“In the conference room with Julien and Cole. I think...” Aurora trailed off and then met Emma’s eyes, her own wide and ringed with the same tension that seemed to have everyone at the office on edge. “I think they are waiting for you.”

Emma blinked. “Me?”

She felt a moment’s panic at the same time she heard her name.

“Emma.” She looked up to find Cole approaching. She searched for signs of uneasiness, but he appeared completely relaxed. He was even grinning with amusement, as if finding her on the carpet beside Aurora had made his day. “There you are. You’re needed in the conference room.” And then, belatedly, “What are you doing on the floor?”

“Marc ran into Aurora, and she dropped these files. I was helping her gather them up.” She began to struggle to her feet, but he came and offered her a hand and then another to Aurora.

Aurora thanked him, gave Emma an almost pitying look and moved on. “What’s gotten into everyone around here? They act almost...frightened.”

Cole laughed. “Lillian can have that effect on people, I’m afraid.”

This statement caused Emma to hesitate when Cole tried to place his hand on her back to move her forward.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “She’s brought good news.”

“Did you know she was coming?” She tried to keep her voice from sounding accusatory, but she hated being left out of the loop.

“I didn’t,” Cole admitted, “but apparently Julien did. He picked her up from the airport this morning.”

“Shouldn’t he have told us?”

Cole shrugged. “I guess he wanted it to be a surprise.”

Emma didn’t much like this sort of surprise.

She allowed Cole to rest his palm at her back and guide her along. She knew she shouldn’t have dwelled on how comforting it felt to have the reassurance of his touch, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. Since they had kissed, he rarely placed a hand on her. Feeling his steady touch, she realized how she had missed it. He led her in the direction of the conference room and, once they were over the threshold, dropped his arm. She felt a physical ache at the loss of it.

All such longings were soon forgotten as she stepped into the room, and Julien rose from his seat while Lillian looked up at her entrance. If the woman brought such good news, as Cole said, why was her expression so cold?

Emma moved toward the table, her hand extended. “Ms. Reid, what a lovely surprise. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Lillian inserted her fingers briefly into Emma’s, and the touch was every bit as chilly as her expression.

“Likewise, Ms. Brooks.”

“Please, call me Emma.”

Lillian nodded but gave no such offer for Emma to do the same. She shifted her gaze to Julien, who was smiling rapturously in the older woman’s direction. Huh. Well, that was interesting.

“Emma, why don’t you take a seat?” Emma did as Cole suggested and felt a small throb of disappointment when he took the seat across the table instead of the one beside her.