Page 7 of It Happened In Paris

I sidled closer, the faint scent of vanilla drifting towards me like an irresistible temptation, inviting me to feast. “Vivian. Job well done tonight.”

“Thank you,” she clipped, pressing the up arrow while keeping her eyes fixed ahead.

“The salted caramel cupcakes were my favorite. Good…So good.” I dropped my voice to the lower decibels, while my eyes trailed down the side of her body. “And was that a hint of ginger I detected?”

Aside from the grand cake, Rex had ordered tiers of every flavor of cupcakes from Vivian, too. Plus he’d arranged for a table full of pies baked by Chelsea’s mother, which made his bride happy. I understood that was the name of the game for a successful marriage.

With a warm smile softening her features, betraying her passion for baking, Vivian turned toward me. “They’re one of my specialties. I can hardly keep them in stock when I bake them at my shop.”

“I bet. With such delights, business must be booming for you in that small town.”

“I do okay.” She shrugged. “Every now and then, I even whip up somemille-feuilleortarte tatin.”

“Bringing a bit of French culture to your hometown?” I teased, raising an eyebrow as my mouth watered, dying for a taste—of the delicacies.

Her lips twitched. “Perhaps. Next time you visit, stop by. I’ll treat you to whatever you fancy. I owe you for saving me and the cakes tonight.”

Oh, I’d definitely stop by—for a taste ofher.“I rarely venture out that way; the city is more my scene.” But I could make an exception to spend more time with her. Though Rex might kill me if I toyed with Chelsea’s cousin—the temptation was just too real.

Her phone rang from her purse, and she fumbled to retrieve it. “That’s a shame. Holly Creek might not be as glamorous as Paris, but it has its own charm.”

“Speaking of Paris, the offer still stands. A week away. The finest spa treatments. Fine dining. Wine. And me…” I longed to run my fingertips down the creamy skin of her arm, and test the electricity between us, though she hardly seemed to notice, absorbed as she was in her phone.

“Oh. Excuse me. I have to take this.” She hurried off, and I frowned—did I have competition? A rival for her attention? Or was it about her daughter? After all, Rex said she was a single mother, a fact that should ward me off but strangely didn’t.

Compelled, I followed at a respectful distance to eavesdrop.

“Ramona? Is everything okay?” I heard her ask. “A fever? Oh dear. I should take her to the doctor soon. She’s had several lately. I have some children’s pain reliever in my bathroom cabinet. Could you start her on that?”

I edged even closer, intrigued.

“Yes, put her on… Hi,ma chérie. I’m sorry to hear you don’t feel well. Ramona’s going to give you some medicine, and you’ll feel better soon. I’ll leave right now and be home as soon as I can… Yes, you can watch a princess movie in my bed until I get there.”

She shifted and caught sight of me, her eyes wary, then she walked a few feet further away. “Listen, put Ramona back on. Be good and take the medicine. Mommy loves you… Hello again, Ramona. I’ll rent a car and come home. I’ll be there in a few hours… I know I’m supposed to stay the night… Yes, I know Chelsea treated me to the suite tonight and the morning massage would be Heavenly, but how can I when my daughter’s not feeling well? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

After clicking off the call, she tucked her phone into her shoulder bag. I had somehow come within a foot behind her, drawn to her like a magnet, when she turned and collided with my chest. I caught her by the arms, staring into her face, my breath taken away by her beauty.

“You’re leaving?” I asked.

“Yes. My daughter is sick.”

“Oh. Um…”

She smirked, cocking her head. “Guess that Paris trip is off the table for a single mother like me, huh?”

“Vivian—”

“Viv,” she sighed in frustration, as if exasperated. “Enough of this. You must not remember how we first met in Paris, Richard. I was Adrien’s girlfriend back then. My friends called me Viv.”

My head snapped back, and, this close at last, I stared with my mouth agape, squinting, taking in every detail of her face. Those expressive blue eyes broke through me—like they had long ago. “Your hair was blonder back then, wasn’t it?”

She huffed, left my arms, and returned to the elevators.

Fragments flooded back of that night long ago… The deal with Adrien for his Club Aces expansion across Europe could’ve made me a fortune. But I walked away from it because Adrien raised his hand to strike her—and I stepped between them to stop it.

I left the club with her, believing I had dodged a bullet. But dammit, I wished the haze of the drug that had been put into my drink that night would clear out like the sun repelling the fog. All I knew, the next morning when I awoke, Viv was dressed and headed out the door. I never saw her again.

“This is unexpected to meet once again after all these years,” I said, reaching her side, scrubbing the back of my neck. “You know, that morning you walked out on me in Paris? If you’d have stayed, I would have liked to have seen where we might have ended up.”

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