Page 254 of The Holy Grail
“That looks amazing,” she said. “I can’t wait to get there.”
“And we can’t wait for you to get here,” Evan said, adjusting the camera back to his and Malcom’s faces.
“So, what are you guys doing for the rest of the day?”
“Just walking around,” Malcom answered. “Maybe buying matching berets …”
Jules shook her head in amusement, trying to picture them wearing matching berets, and actually hoping they did it, then sent her a picture.
“What do you have planned?” Evan asked.
“La lessive, connards,” she answered.Laundry, you assholes.
Instead of being offended by the comment, Evan smiled and told her, “You know, your accent is actually getting pretty good.”
The two men spent the next week viewing apartments. In America, they likely could have seen them all in three days, but in France, things were a little more … leisurely.
They didn’t get into any apartments before 10 a.m., after which it was lunchtime, and that could take almost two hours.
It was on the fifth day, naturally, that they found the apartment they wanted. Colette had proven to be very discreet when it came to the cost of each apartment, and unbelievably, Evan never once inquired about it.
Divine intervention? Possibly.
The fourth floor apartment was located on the Rue de Ponthieu, one street over from the Champs-Elysées, and not far from the Seine. At almost 1,400 square feet, it was the largest one they looked at, with three bedrooms and two baths (one with a tub), and a fully equipped kitchen.
It wasn’t quite as luxurious and modern as the hotel accommodations, but it was the quintessential French apartment.
The floors were a dark, chevron patterned parquet, with rugs in every room. The ceilings were high, with plush curtains flanking every window, as well as the French doors leading out to the two balconies. The walls were painted a light mocha color, broken upby rectangular, off-white decorative picture frame molding that added an element of style. Matching off-white crown molding with baroque carvings, drew attention to the ceiling and the crystal chandelier.
From the black-and-white patterned chairs in the living room, ornate marble fireplace, and impressionist artwork on the walls, to the antique dining room table, Louis XVI chairs upholstered in gold and cream striped fabric, the bronze and ice blue floral damask wallpaper in the bedrooms, and views of the tree-lined boulevard below, it screamed French charm.
It was exactly what Malcom was looking for, and he didn’t even think twice before signing the lease later that day.
Upon finding out that a woman would be living with the two men during the lease signing, Colette had responded to the news with friendly interest, asking questions about Jules, how long the three of them had been together, and finally asking who was the boss in theménage à trois.
When both men just blinked at one another, Colette smiled and said, “The woman is always the boss. That is the correct answer.” Then, after giving Malcom copies of the lease, she added, “She will love you even more when she sees the apartment.”
Afterward, he and Evan decided to go out and celebrate, so they walked along the Seine, holding hands while looking for a place to eat. Since their arrival, Malcom had noticed the vibe was different in Paris, with the two of them drawing hardly any attention, and when they did, it was usually because they were American and not because of their sexuality.
They found a small bistro to eat at, and decided to text Jules the pictures and video they’d taken of the apartment. She immediately FaceTimed them, and while they ate, told her about the apartment in French. They’d been speaking it for most of the week, especially when out in public, and had found being really immersed in it not that difficult of a transition.
When the conversation was over, and Malcom was setting his phone down, he caught the eye of an older man at a nearby table.
“Vous êtes Américains?” he asked with a friendly smile.
“Oui,” Malcom answered.
The man gave a welcoming tilt of his head. “Bienvenue à Paris.”
Chapter 90
Bon Voyage
The two weeks Jules spent without Malcom and Evan were extremely busy.
Instead of selling the house, they had decided to make it a rental property, and were using a management agency to oversee everything, although getting everything packed up in the house was her responsibility.
Even while using professional packers, it took a lot of time, and at the end of each day, she felt a sense of sadness at seeing a little more of the house being dismantled—everything which had made their house a home relegated to boxes, or, in the case of furniture, being wrapped in blankets and shrink wrap for placement in the storage unit.
