Page 25 of All the Gossip from Paris
Sophie rose from the table. She didn’t trust herself not to offer any more assistance to her mother. People pleasers were fools when it came to limits on what they would do for others. It was a lesson she’d promised herself time and time again that she would one day learn and make stick.
She had just set foot into the hallway when Camille tapped her on the shoulder.
“Are you alright?” asked Camille.
Sophie paused for a moment, then spun round. “Yes. I’ll just go take Rollo for his morning walk. Then I’ll check in with Ryan before I head into the city,” she replied.
Her daily walk along the River Seine with the family dog was one of her few precious moments of solitude and peace. It was rare for anyone to want to accompany her, and Sophie was more than fine with that arrangement.
There were few secrets between the two sisters. The fact that she’d kept quiet about what had happened between her and Liam for the past three months, weighed heavily on Sophie’s conscience.
“Are you sure you’re ok with playing host to Liam? I noticed you seemed a bit reluctant when Mama asked. The two of you got along fine in New York, didn’t you?”
She was tempted to tell her sister. To spill the tea on some of what had transpired on her trip to the US in September.
I really should say something. Then again that might be an incredibly stupid thing to do. Cami is getting married in a matter of days—now is probably not the time to be telling her that I slept with her future brother in law.
She wasn’t entirely sure how her sister or Ryan would react to hearing the news that their siblings had hooked up. Sophie had seen enough rom com movies to know these sorts of things had a nasty habit of ruining weddings.
Better to keep my mouth shut. Stick to the agreement that Liam and I struck. Keep what happened between us a secret.
“Of course Liam and I got on well. I owe him for taking me out that night in New York. Once I’m finished with Rollo, I’ll go to the hotel. I’ll see if Liam wants to visit some of the places where the various fashion week events are held.”
The relieved smile which sat on Camille’s face put paid to any thoughts of telling her about New York. Her heavily pregnant sister had enough things to deal with right now.
What was the thing they always said about Las Vegas? Oh yes. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Wise words indeed.
Sophie brushed a hand on her sister’s arm. “And what are your plans for today, Cami? Papa must be close to being finished with your gown for the wedding reception.” She was eager to change the subject.
Her sister rolled her eyes. “I have another fitting. He is being insufferable. Says the fabric has to drape perfectly, and the drop to the floor must look flawless.” She rubbed her hand over her pregnant belly and softly laughed. “I have tried to explain to him that I’m not the usual size of the clients that he fits gowns for, but you know Papa. He won’t be told.”
Sophie snorted a laugh. She could just imagine her father stubbornly working on Camille’s wedding gown, determined that it was going to yield to his command.
Details of the dress were being kept tightly under wraps. No one, not even the mother of the bride, had been allowed to see it. Only Camille and François knew what she would be wearing at the wedding reception.
“Well enjoy your fitting. I’m going to go find Rollo, then head into Paris.”
A long walk along the river would give her an hour or so to come up with a sensible strategy for dealing with Liam. Hopefully he would be too busy thinking about securing some gigs for Haute Couture Week to be all that bothered with her.
Because if Liam was feeling half as nervous about seeing her again, as Sophie was about seeing him, they were both in for a super awkward day.
This was not how their little mistake was designed to have played itself out. She wasn’t supposed to give a damn about him. Their encounter was meant to have been just about sex.
But as she made her way toward the nearest door, a knot of dread began to form in Sophie’s stomach. All her plans for playing it uber cool with Liam Collins were slowly unravelling.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Royal Resorts Hotel
Central Paris
“Oh Ryan, I thought I’d pee my pants when I saw it!” exclaimed Brenda. Liam couldn’t help but smile as he listened to his normally poker-faced mother explain how excited she’d been at seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. He’d had been busily checking emails in the car when his mother’s squeals of delight had interrupted him. The closer they got the more excited his mom had become.
Ryan was waiting for them when they arrived at their suite at the Royal Resorts hotel. Liam had thought the hotel in New York, the one where he’d stayed with Sophie had been luxurious, but this suite was something else. Luxury on an entirely different level.
There were real crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. And on the wall were paintings which Liam suspected were originals rather than copies. His entire earnings for a year wouldn’t cover the cost of the various ornate vases let alone the stunning flowers which filled each one of them.
