One Summer in Paris(50)

Mimi would be proud.

“I’m staying in a hotel right now, and—well, it isn’t quite the way I planned it.” Grace didn’t elaborate. “I’d prefer the freedom of an apartment, and I can’t think of anything more perfect than living above the bookshop.”

Elodie put her bag back down on the desk. “You are able to cancel your hotel?”

She thought about the terms of her reservation. It was possible they’d charge her for tonight, but that would be all. “Yes. When would the apartment be ready?”

“It’s ready now. I was preparing for a short let, so the bed is already made up with clean linen, and there are fresh towels in the bathroom.”

“Perfect. I’ll move in this afternoon.”

Elodie seemed surprised. “You should perhaps see it first? The apartment is probably nothing like your hotel.”

Thank goodness.

Grace thought of the staff, constantly asking when David would be joining her. “It will be exactly what I need.”

She joined Elodie on a quick tour of the apartment. It was charming, with high ceilings and tall windows overlooking the street.

Elodie flung open a window. “Whoever lives here has to care for the plants on the balcony.”

There was a balcony?

Grace followed Elodie into the small kitchen and it turned out that there was indeed a balcony. A jungle of plants crowded around a small table with intricate ironwork. She imagined herself drinking her morning coffee out there, or sipping a cool drink in the evening.

“It’s perfect.” Grace pulled out her phone. “I’m going to contact the hotel now and cancel my reservation. I’ll also ask them to pack up my things.” And it would be the last time the hotel staff folded one of her shirts.

After she’d made the call, they dealt with the finances and Elodie handed over the keys.

Grace felt a little dizzy. A couple of hours ago she’d been contemplating how to spend her time in Paris. Now she had an apartment and was volunteering in a bookshop.

She could come and go as she pleased.

Audrey was hovering. “So—er—you’re living here now?”

“Yes, and I have you to thank for it. I never would have thought of renting an apartment if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Er—you’re welcome? Although I don’t think I had much to do with it.”

“You had everything to do with it. And now we are going to do something about your French so that you can always handle the basics. We’ll start with greetings, so you can dazzle people with the warmth of your customer service the moment they walk through the door.”

Elodie finally smiled at Audrey. “I wait to be dazzled.” She gave Audrey’s shoulder a squeeze, perhaps more relaxed since she’d witnessed Grace’s affection for the teenager. “We will try this again, no?”

As the door closed behind her, Audrey stood with her arms folded, a wary look on her face. “So now what? I suppose you want me to get paper and pens or something.”

“No paper. No pens. No writing or reading, at least not to begin with.”

“I thought you were going to give me a French lesson.”

“I am. But that isn’t going to involve writing, reading or any of the other things you find hard. We’re tackling this a different way.”

Audrey’s eyes narrowed. “What way?”

“Are you always so suspicious?”

“Yeah, it’s called being street-smart.”

Grace wondered what her life had been like that she constantly felt she had to watch her back. “We’re going to have a conversation. And don’t tell me you’re not going to be able to do that, because I haven’t noticed you holding back when it comes to talking. For the rest of the morning, we are only going to talk in French.”

“In that case it’s going to be a quiet morning.”

Grace had a feeling Audrey was going to surprise herself. “First you’re going to learn to greet someone and ask how they are.”

“What if I don’t care how they are?”

Grace laughed. She’d laughed more since she’d met Audrey than she had in the entire six months previously. “You’re going to pretend.”

“What if they answer me and I don’t understand?”

“We’ll get to that. I’m going to speak and you’re going to repeat what I say.”

Normally before a lesson she made a detailed plan, but nothing in her life was the way it used to be. Later she’d think about techniques she could use to help Audrey, but for now the best thing seemed to be to just get started.





Audrey


“Oh, my God, the view is insane, although I don’t see what any of this has to do with learning French.”

It was five days since she’d almost lost her job, and she and Grace were at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Grace took a photograph. “You bought the tickets in French.”

“True. I’d forgotten about that. And mine cost less because I’m jeune.” It was weird, Audrey thought. With Grace, she learned without even realizing she was learning.

She peered down. The whole of Paris lay at her feet. “If you’re sick, how long do you think it takes to hit the ground?”