Page 58 of Love on the Vine
“Are you at work? I can call back later.”
“No, a vicarious sexual thrill is just what I needed to take my mind of this new asshole chef they brought in. Hold on.” Her voice was briefly muffled by her hand over the phone. “Okay, tell me everything. I just stepped outside.”
“I don’t know where to start.” I told her the whole story, from the terrible beginning of the day to the boneshaking orgasm followed by the surprise birthday dinner.
“Liv, I can’t believe you fooled around in public. Never in a million years would I have pegged you for an exhibitionist. He must have lost it when you took your top off,” she cried. “Wow, I wouldn’t have the guts to do that. Look at you going after what you want!”
I shook my head and laughed, amazed at my own brazenness. Ithadfelt amazing.
“I haven’t seen him yet this morning. Lucie and Spencer spent the night.” I bit my thumbnail, wondering if they’d already started the photo shoot.
“So? Jump on him as soon as they leave.”
“I’m afraid this will give him too much time to overthink things. He always pushes me away when he’s had time to feel guilty.” I wandered over to the window and pulled back the curtain. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
“Not this time. I think you’ve convinced him that he’s ready for some fun. The question is: are you going to be okay with that? I know you. You get attached so easily.”
I had thought about that. Sure, in the beginning, I’d just been lusting after him, excited by the idea of being with someone more experienced. I never really believed anything would happen. But now, I’d started to care about him, and it would be so easy to fall in love with him.
I could still reconsider, but who was I kidding? I wanted him too much. “I’ll deal with feelings later.”
“Hmm, famous last words,” Callie warned. “Oh shit, chef’s here. Gotta go! Love ya.”
I was still deep in doubt when, a few minutes later, there was a knock at my window. Jumping from the bed, I threw on my robe and, heart fluttering, opened the door. Lucie stood outside with a big cup of coffee in her hand.
“Good morning! Jake said you take your coffee black.” She beamed up at me as she handed me the cup. Even after the late night we’d had, she was elegant in a striped shirt tucked into white linen pants, her understated gold jewelry glinting in the morning light.
I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I knew that there wasn’t anything between her and Jake anymore—Lucie was getting married after all—but I didn’t want to imagine him with her, or anyone else for that matter.
I gestured toward the little table outside. “Do you have time to join me?”
“Yes, gladly,ma belle.” As soon as we sat down, Sly appeared out of nowhere and, with a plaintive cry, began to weave around my legs.
“C’est incroyable!” Lucie cried. “Is this the same cat that’s been hanging around the past two years? He was always so furtive before. You tamed him!”
“Oh, tame is a big word. I’ve been buying him off with fresh sardines and cans of tuna. His affection is entirely self-interested. I don’t think it has anything to do with me,” I said as I stuck my nose into the coffee cup and took a sip.
“I don’t know about that. He gave me a nice scratch when I tried to pet him before. I believe you know how to make people—or in this case, animals—love you.” She slid her oversized sunglasses off and placed them on the table. “So, tell me, are you still coming back to Paris this summer? Or has the situation here with Jake changed?”
I choked on my coffee. “Sorry?”
“It’s all right, you can tell me. I won’t gossip. Actually, I would be disappointed if you came. I can see that you’re already making a difference in Jake’s life, and that’s exactly what he needs. We’ve been worried about him.”
Too stunned to speak, it took me a minute to decide how much I wanted to share with her. “Who’s been worried about him?”
“Jin and I. Even Chantal—well, she worried that he no longer had any appetite. He thinks he’s fooling us, but we all see he has lost all passion for life, just hides in his work now. But these things are all linked to his father’s death last year.” She lit a cigarette. “Do you mind?”
I shook my head. “I thought he and his father weren’t close.”
“No, not at all. He’s not close to his mother either. From what I understand, his parents were cold as an Arctic winter.” She exhaled and waved the smoke away. “That’s why he doesn’t celebrate his birthday, you know. He once told me they always forgot or just ignored it. Terrible, isn’t it?”
I nodded. Every time I thought of him as a lonely little boy, my throat ached. “I wish I had known it was his birthday.”
“I should have called you. I’ve just been so busy working on this issue of the magazine. I want it to be a wild success.” She glanced at me sheepishly and admitted, “I’m afraid I didn’t playfair with Jake last night. He can’t stand it when a woman cries, and I pulled out the water fountain. Is that how you say it?”
“Waterworks. Yes, I know what you mean.” I hesitated to ask her for more personal information about him, but now was my chance to figure out how much of my heart I could risk. “Can I ask you something? Has Jake ever been in love? Jin mentioned a Magali.”
“Ah, Magali. No, I don’t think he was ever really in love with her.” Lucie shook her head and put out her cigarette. “He was hurt more by Thomas in that instance. He saw him as a kind of brother. A competitive brother, yes, but still he trusted him. He doesn’t trust easily, Jake.”
