Page 18 of Angel Eyes

“So, do you have a girlfriend?” A second after the words left her mouth, her face bloomed with color. I watched her as she made every effort not to look at me, arranging the chicken in the pan with all the precision of a brain surgeon.

“Are you asking because you want to know if I’m single?” I pressed my lips together to smother a chuckle as the shade of her cheeks graduated from a rosy hue to full-blown crimson.

“No, nothing like that,” she said, nearly upending the skillet. “I don’t even know why I asked. My filter must be broken today.” She rapped one knuckle against her forehead, and I lost the battle as a laugh fell from my lips.

I wondered if she had any idea how adorable she was.

A long stretch of silence passed until I realized she was still waiting for an answer. I folded my arms over my chest, keeping my tone even. “No, I don’t do relationships.”

And here we go.

We had finally reached the part in the proceedings where most women would give me a disappointed look and try to gauge how serious I was. Not that I’d made any effort to become romantically involved with anyone since coming to Paris, but I had chatted with women at bars and art openings, women who made no secret of the fact that they found me attractive. Every one of them had been convinced they could change my mind on the matter.

So far, no one had succeeded.

Although, I thought as I dragged a hand over my jaw, I wouldn’t hate to see Juliet try.

She blinked at me, her shoulders relaxing. “Oh, well, that’s good.”

My mouth fell open. “Pardon?” Did she just say that’s good?

Before I could get to the bottom of whether I was hallucinating, a ringtone blared from the phone I forgot I was holding. The screen lit up with a picture of a girl who looked suspiciously like Juliet, the name Ember scrolling across the top.

“Um, someone named Ember?”

“Crap, it’s my sister.” She lifted her hands, covered in chicken seasoning. “Can you grab that while I wash up?” Without waiting for an answer, she swiveled toward the sink, flicking the faucet on with an elbow. I frowned, hesitating for another beat before answering.

Ember appeared on the screen a second later, followed closely by a chorus of car horns and bits of conversations from passersby as she walked down a grungy-looking sidewalk.

“Hey, Jules,” she said without looking at the screen, taking a sip from a gargantuan coffee cup as she maneuvered through pedestrians.

I watched in stunned silence. This girl looked so much like Juliet that it was jarring. Her eyes were the same shade of green, but unlike her sister’s, they were ringed with dark eyeliner, as if she were getting an early start on a night out or never went to bed.

Something told me it was the latter.

And her hair—her hair was definitely different. Instead of the soft chestnut waves I associated with Juliet, Ember’s hair was a river of gold flying carefree over her shoulder. Her bare shoulder. My brows pulled together as I leaned closer to the screen. Was she wearing a black mini-dress? I was fairly certain it wasn’t even noon yet in New York.

I stared at her, feeling awkward, but also fascinated. It was incredible seeing another person who shared Juliet’s likeness in almost every way and yet was so other.

A man sporting a colorful collection of tattoos pushed past her, clipping her shoulder roughly. Without missing a beat, she whirled and shouted, “Watch it, needle dick.”

Yeah, definitely other.

Juliet rounded the kitchen island, wiping her wet hands on her shorts and reaching for the phone. But before I could hand it off to her, Ember’s gaze landed on me, her eyes widening.

“Who the fu—”

“Hey, Em.” Juliet plucked the phone from my fingertips, throwing me an apologetic look. “Um, this is my tour guide, Gabriel. We were just having a late lunch and—”

“Your tour guide? Hell’s bells, Jules, what kind of tour was this? I had no idea bike tours came with that kind of man candy.”

Juliet winced as I smothered a grin behind my fist. “Um, I’m just gonna take this in my room. Be right back.” She darted down the hall, almost losing her balance as her socks slid against the hardwood floor. As soon as the door clicked shut, I shook my head, expelling a laugh.

This day was turning out to be nothing short of unbelievable. I’d gone from not having a prayer of seeing Juliet again to being in her apartment, getting eyed up by her sister.

I supposed crazier things have happened.

I moved into the kitchen and stopped in front of the skillet, inhaling the aroma of herbs and spices as my stomach growled appreciatively. After I lowered the fire, I busied myself with finding plates and cutlery to set the table.

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