Page 11 of Angel Eyes

“Paris Bike Tours,” I read aloud.

“Interested? We give discounts to students.”

I scanned the list of locations included in the tour. It did look pretty interesting. Plus, it would be an efficient way to get the lay of the city before tackling it one museum at a time.

“This doesn’t look half bad.” Simone flipped the flyer over to read the back. “I say we go for it, Juliet. I’m free tomorrow afternoon if you are.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said with an answering nod. “We’ll do the Saturday afternoon tour.”

When I looked up again, Nora was staring at me so intently, it was a wonder she hadn’t managed to bore a hole in the side of my head.

“Sorry,” she said, cocking her head to one side. “Didn’t quite catch your name.”

I exchanged a quick glance with Simone, whose wide-eyed expression told me she’d also picked up on the odd shift in conversation. “I’m Juliet, and this is Simone.”

“You don’t say?” Her eyes brightened. “Well, unfortunately, our Saturday afternoon tour is already full. But Saturday morning is wide open.”

Simone frowned. “Well, that blows. I’m not much of a morning person, so I’ll pass.”

I didn’t miss the look of annoyance that flitted across Nora’s features before she recovered herself. “And what about you, Juliet?”

“Um …” I darted another glance at Simone, and she lifted one shoulder in a shrug before taking a bite of her raspberry scone.

“Tell you what,” Nora said, fishing her sunglasses from the neck of her shirt before donning them again. “If you decide to do the tour tomorrow morning, it’s on the house.”

“Wait, really?” This woman knew how to drive a hard bargain, but I still wasn’t particularly keen on going alone. “That’s incredibly nice of you, but I’m not sure if I can make it.”

She peered at me over the rim of her sunglasses. “Oh, yeah? Well, that’s a shame. Gabriel will be so disappointed.”

My mouth fell open with a pop.

She couldn’t mean my Gabriel. Not that he was mine because he wasn’t. In any case, there had to be dozens of Gabriels in Paris, and there was no way she could be referring to the same guy who kept bumping into my thoughts every time I let my guard down.

But why did she mention it, then?

I fidgeted with the napkin in my lap. Just ask her, Juliet. But did I even want to know? If I asked her and it turned out to be someone different, I didn’t know if I could bear the disappointment. But if I asked, and it turned out to be him …

My stomach fluttered.

“Thanks for your time anyway.” She pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose. “You ladies have a pleasant afternoon.”

She left as swiftly as she’d appeared, weaving through tables and dropping a handful of flyers by the door before pushing out into the street.

“Well, that was crazy,” Simone said. “For a minute there, I could’ve sworn she knew you.”

I chewed on my lip, eyes still fixed on the door. “Yeah, me too.”

“A bike tour, Jules? Please tell me you’re joking.”

The frenzied sounds of New York City filtered through the phone as Ember hailed a taxi, her heels clicking a quick staccato on the pavement just before a car door slammed.

“The Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue, please,” she said to the driver. “Now, about this bike tour, you can’t seriously be thinking of doing it.”

I shrugged, the lavender-scented water of the bath lapping around me. “How else am I supposed to get to know the city? Plus, did I mention it’s free?”

“I don’t care if it’s free. Bike tours are for families with kids and retirees on holiday. You’re a beautiful single gal in the City of Lights. You should be exploring it on the back of some hot guy’s Vespa.”

The specter of Gabriel flickered through my mind. As much as I wanted to believe Nora had been referring to my—no, not my—Gabriel, I wasn’t going to get my hopes up only for them to come crashing down like a punctured balloon.

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