Page 77 of French Martini

“Tell me the truth, Lowen. Please.” Gerard’s pleasant expression crumbles. “Do you still love him?”

Lowen pulls his head back. “Who? Alain?”

Gerard nods. “Because if you do, I just want to know.”

“Absolutely not. Why would you even ask me that?”

“Because all he ever does is talk about you. How brilliant you were, even though your head got too big, and how the work you did was stellar, even though you needed him to get the really big accounts.”

“What?” Lowen is incredulous. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I wondered if you might still talk to him.”

“God no.”

“Sometimes I think he wishes I were you instead.”

“Oh no,” Lowen says. “This is awful.”

“Why?” Gerard asks. “Is there something I should know?”

“Yes, sweetheart. There’s something you should know.”

TWENTY-THREE

LOWEN

This is sonone of my business, but I can’t let this poor kid make the same mistake I did. Not without trying to set him straight.

Oakley rubs my back, reminding me of his unwavering support, and in turn I reach for Gerard’s hand, holding it in mine.

“Listen, Gerard, what I’m gonna tell you is not really my place, but I wouldn’t feel right not saying it.”

Gerard nods, looking at me with his pretty doe eyes. “I’m listening.”

“You remind me of myself in a lot of ways, when I was young and navigating the Paris design scene. I was so impressionable and desperate for information and guidance. When someone like Alain comes into your life, it feels like a dream, like you found buried treasure.”

Gerard nods like a bobble head. “It does.”

“And professionally, it can be wonderful. That doesn’t mean…” I pause, glancing over my shoulder at Oakley, who nods in encouragement.

“What, Lowen?” Gerard asks.

I exhale slowly, sorting through how to word this. “One of the things we learn as designers is how to follow our vision and listen to our instincts, right?”

“Right.”

“What does your instinct tell you about Alain?”

His features quickly cloud over. “I’m not sure.”

“Yes, you are. He wouldn’t have picked you if you didn’t have a bright mind.”

“I’m worried he picked me because I remind him of you.”

“Is that what you deserve?”

He shrugs, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip.

---