Page 61 of All the Gossip from Paris
“I don’t honestly know what he was trying to achieve, but there is one thing I do know. When it comes to Patrice. There is always an agenda.”
Liam took comfort in knowing that Sophie didn’t trust her ex. That an expensive gift would come with its own price. It bothered him far too much to wonder what would have happened if he had not been present. Would Patrice have pressed his luck and forced the kiss on her lips?
The fact that it bothered him, also concerned Liam. He was beginning to experience the sort of feelings for Sophie that he hadn’t felt for a woman in a long time. Not since Brooke.
Don’t let jealousy turn your head.
“Right, so we have the eggs. Now we need to whip the egg whites before folding them into the yolks,” announced Sophie.
Her words snapped Liam out of his green tinged haze. He remembered Brooke teaching him this trick with sponge cakes.
“To make the cake light and airy. Let me try and handle the eggs,” replied Liam.
Along with thoughts of how much he loved being with this stunning delightful woman, he was rediscovering the joy of cooking. It wasn’t yet Christmas, yet Sophie had already given Liam such precious gifts.
CHAPTER THIRTY
A gentle snow was falling as the Royal sisters and Collins brothers set out for the short walk to the nearby village of Marly-le-Roi later that evening.
She might well be missing the warmth of the Caribbean but there was something magical about being rugged up against the winter chill. Walking arm in arm with Camille through the cobblestone streets of the old town, Sophie barely noticed the cold.
Some of the smaller stores had pretty Christmas decorations in their windows. Sophie made a point of stopping to look in each and every one as they passed by.
She was deliberately taking her time. Allowing the gap between them and the Collins brothers, who were walking ahead, to grow wider.
Soon the men were out of earshot.
“So what’s the deal with you and Liam?” asked Camille.
Of course her sister wanted to know. Especially after catching them in that kiss. Camille would be eager to find out every single detail of what was going on between her twin and her new brother in law.
Sophie had had weeks to come up with a plausible explanation about that night in New York. But what had started out as a one night mistake had transformed into something else. She was struggling to put a name to that something else. The only thing she did know for certain was that lying to Camille was never a good idea. Only the truth would do.
“Liam and I spent the night together in New York.”
Her sister’s grip on her arm tightened, and Camille exclaimed. “What! You sneaky pair. That was months ago. And you’re only telling now?”
“Keep your voice down,” whispered Sophie.
The men were well out of hearing range. She didn’t want them to suddenly realize that fact and come back to where she and Camille now stood.
“It was meant to be a one night stand. But we sort of threw the rulebook away once Mama and Papa left. Liam’s a fabulous guy. Though I doubt he is looking for anything serious in the way of a relationship. His former fiancée burned him pretty badly.”
“Yeah, she did a number on him alright. Then again, you might just be in the right place at the right time. I’m a fairly recent convert to that way of thinking,” replied Camille. She was beaming as she gave her swollen belly a rub.
“I don’t know. Things are complicated. He has his career. I am trying to get somewhere with Papa in the atelier. Not to mention that Patrice is still hanging around.” Sophie let out a sigh. She wasn’t sure what to think about anything at the moment.
“I have no answer when it comes to our father. I just know that if either of us were one of the Royal brothers we would have been given our shot a long time ago. And as for Patrice, how can you even consider him to be in the mix?” said Camille.
Pulling up the sleeve of her coat, Sophie revealed the bracelet Patrice had gifted to her earlier that morning. “He gave me this for Christmas. Along with one of those stupid t-shirts we usually hand out on the island.”
She wasn’t entirely sure why she was still wearing the bracelet—it just seemed disingenuous to receive such an expensive gift and not to wear it at least once.
“So does Liam know this thing between you has a definite end date? I’d hate to see either of you hurt,” replied Camille.
“He will be leaving Paris sometime in January. I think we both know that the clock is ticking.”
The men had reached the front door of the tiny restaurant, and were now waiting for them. Sophie turned to Camille. “Just let Liam and I sort things out between us please. We are adults. We don’t need either you or Ryan to start practicing your parental skills with us.”
