One Summer in Paris(42)

The suites were on the top floor of the hotel, identifiable by the names outside each door.

She was squinting at a set of letters when a door opened along the corridor and Grace appeared.

“There you are! I was on the balcony and saw you arrive.”

Hiding her relief, Audrey loped along the corridor and into the suite.

The first thing she noticed was how tidy it was. She thought about her own apartment. All the outfits she’d tried on were still strewn over the bed. She’d have to clear them up before she went to sleep. She knew for a fact she’d left two pairs of shoes on the floor, and she hadn’t washed up her breakfast bowl.

Her apartment looked well and truly lived in. Trashed, even. This place looked as if no one had ever stayed here.

Grace closed the door. She was wearing a tailored dress and looked as if she was about to go for a job interview. “I’m pleased you came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

If she’d understood the state of Audrey’s finances, she wouldn’t have been in any doubt.

How much was it okay to eat without looking rude?

She wondered if she could drop a couple of bread rolls into her bag unnoticed.

“This place is like a palace.” Audrey gazed up at the ornate ceiling. “Not sure I’d want to do it in the bed with all those babies staring down at me.”

“They’re cherubs.”

“Whatever. It’s unnerving.”

Grace smiled. “Are you hungry? We should probably go ahead and order. It might take a while for them to bring it if they’re busy in the kitchen.”

“Sure.” What Audrey fancied was a juicy burger with everything on top but she was pretty sure a place like this wouldn’t do burgers. They probably only served fancy food where you were given a mouthful of something and expected to drool over how beautiful it was. “How is your ankle?”

“I’ve rested it today, so not too bad. It would have been a whole lot worse if it hadn’t been for you.” Grace held out a menu. “Take a look and tell me what you’d like to eat.”

Audrey recoiled as if someone had handed her a live cobra. “I can’t read French. You choose.”

“This menu is in English, so you’ll be fine.”

Audrey took the menu and stared at the page in her hand.

The words swam, jumbled in front of her eyes.

The one time in her life she could pick anything from the menu, and she couldn’t even see her options. The more her stress levels rose, the more elusive the words, and in that moment she realized that her nightmare hadn’t ended with school. She hadn’t left it behind. It was going to come along with her for the rest of her life. Every time she met a guy she liked. Every time someone handed her a menu. Anytime someone asked if she’d read a certain book—

She thought about Etienne. What’s your favorite book?

No one was going to want to be with someone as stupid as her.

Audrey blinked. She wasn’t going to cry. She never cried in public.

Just take a guess, Audrey.

“I’ll have the steak.” There was bound to be steak on the menu. This was France. “And chips. Fries. Whatever they call them here.”

Grace glanced at the menu over her shoulder. “Which steak? Which sauce?”

Surely steak was steak.

Audrey thrust the menu back at Grace. “Whatever. You choose. Thanks.”

“What about a starter?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“I’m having escargots. Snails.”

“Snails?” Audrey felt her stomach roll. “That’s gross. Who eats snails?”

“They’re a delicacy. I know it sounds strange, but they really are good. I’ll order, and you can try one.”

Over her dead body. And if she ate a snail she would definitely end up as a dead body.

“Soup will be great.” Thank goodness she hadn’t picked something randomly from the menu. Being confronted by a plate of snails would have been a low point even for her, and she’d had her fair share.

“Take a look at the drinks menu.” Grace pushed it across to her, and Audrey started to wish she’d never come.

“I’m pretty thirsty. I’ll have anything fizzy.”

“In that case I can get you something from the mini bar.”

She expected Grace to hand her a sugary drink of some sort, but instead she mixed juice with sparkling water, added crushed ice and a few slices of fresh orange and handed it to Audrey.

“I always find sparkling water refreshing in this hot weather, and the hotel leave slices of fresh fruit. Try that.”

Audrey poked at the orange slices. “I don’t eat fruit.” She saw the shock in Grace’s eyes.

“You don’t like fruit?”

Audrey shrugged. “It’s more that I can’t be bothered.”

“What about vegetables?”

“I eat tomato if it’s on a pizza. And peas. I like peas.”

“Right, well—” Grace recovered slightly. “Try the drink. The orange sweetens it, that’s all.”

Audrey sipped. “It tastes pretty good. What about you? This is France. Aren’t you supposed to be drinking a full-bodied red wine or something?”

Grace prepared herself the same drink as Audrey. “I’m not much of a drinker.”