Revealing Us (Inside Out #3)(24)

Chantal smiles her sweet smile, which brims with the kind of innocence that only one who hasn’t been burned by life can possess. The kind of innocence Ella has. Or had. I wonder 89



if these past few months have changed her. I wonder . . . No, I will not let myself think bad things. She is ine. Happy. Married and honeymooning.

“I’ve had plenty of people do far worse than you,” Chantal assures me, sitting primly beside me in a black skirt and matching silk blouse, her long, light brown hair a perfect complement to her green eyes and olive skin.

I snort at her diplomacy, meant to comfort me. “In other words, I’m bad, but not as bad as the people who don’t even speak their own language well.”

She grins and says, “Exactly,” and the playfulness in her expression really does remind me of Ella. She reminds me of Ella. Well, in personality. Ella’s strikingly deep red hair and pale white skin are incomparable and, on her, enviable. A knot forms in my belly. Oh, how I miss Ella.

My cell phone rings and I run my hands down my faded jeans and grab it from the cofee table, assuming it’s Chris with the good news that his meeting is over. “Hey,” I greet him eagerly after seeing his number on caller ID.

“Hey, baby.”

“Uh oh,” I say, reading his weary tone. “Your meeting didn’t go well.”

“The museum is having some inancial issues.”

“They want your money.”

“My money won’t solve this. Not until they have someone who actually knows how to manage what they have. They asked me to take a temporary spot on the board to try to solve the problems.”

“Did you agree?”

“I agreed to talk.”

My concern is instant. “Please don’t pull back from this because you’re worried about me. I have a lot to learn, and plenty to keep me busy.”

“I would prefer you do those things with me. That’s why I brought you here. For us to experience Paris together.”

I hesitate only a moment, conditioned to hold back, to fear being hurt—but I’m already all in with Chris. Holding back only hurts us moving forward. “I’m here to be a part of your life, to build one for us, Chris. It’s a not a vacation. We have plenty of time.”

“And yet I always have this sense it’s never enough.” There’s a haunted quality to his voice that shades his words and I want to ask what he means, but he continues, “No matter what, it’s doubtful I’ll agree to sit on the board. My inancial team and I came in and cleaned things up several years back for them, and they’re in the same place all over again.”

I’ve never given much consideration to Chris’s business persona, and perhaps I should have. Despite his claim that he’d sold of his stake in the family cosmetics company, having no interest in sitting in a boardroom for a living, there’s a reason why he’s so rich. He manages his money. He doesn’t just spend it.

“They want me to stay for meetings this afternoon,” Chris adds wearily. He has to be as jet-lagged as I am, or maybe it’s the situation. “Baby, I don’t want to desert you your irst day in Paris.”

I shove aside a pinch of disappointment and irm my voice.

“You need to stay. You said there were people involved who could contribute to your charity, right?”



“Yes, but I can still meet with them outside of this large commitment.”

“You don’t want a great museum to be lost, Chris, and neither do I. I’m completely ine. I haven’t even explored the house yet, and there’s shopping within walking distance. Chantal can direct me where to go for what I need.”

“I can take you,” Chantal ofers eagerly.

“Perfect,” Chris says, obviously overhearing. “I don’t want you running around the city alone. It’s a big city and you have a language barrier.”

I look at Chantal. “Are you sure?”

“I have no plans, and I’d love to go shopping.” She sounds genuinely eager.

“So there you go,” I tell Chris. “I have an experienced Paris shopper as an escort. I’m set for the afternoon.”

Heavy silence ills the line and I can almost hear Chris struggling with himself. “I’m really ine,” I murmur softly.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this.”

“Here’s the thing,” he inally replies. “I could throw every dime I have at children’s cancer, and I won’t beat it. It takes worldwide awareness and involvement to make progress. The museum supports the cause, and this donor is well connected in an international company.”

“Then you need to do this, and if I can do anything to help, I will. So go ix what’s broken and Chantal will keep me company.”

“Tell her we’ll pay her.”

“I heard that,” Chantal says. “And no. I’m not going to take money to go shopping.”

I snort. “You’ll deserve a big bonus if you ind a way to get me to speak French.”

“That bad?” Chris asks.

“Worse,” I conirm. “Maybe some real-life situations will help.”

Chris lowers his voice. “I might have to come up with a reward system for learning new words.”

I bite my lip. “Be careful. I might not let the board have you.”