Page 36 of The Matchmaker's Melody
She was so swept up in the atmosphere she didn’t notice Jean-François until she almost walked into him.
“Bravo.” She greeted him first with words, and then with the traditional Québecois double cheek kiss. “We were amazing tonight. That was so much fun.”
“Yes, it was,” he agreed with a brilliant smile. “I will miss this group next year when I am back in Montreal. But my secondment to the Toronto office ends soon, and I will return home.”
This was a pity, but completely expected. Halli would be disappointed, although, seeing the effort the two of them made for their, ahem, friendship, Emma doubted it would be an insurmountable problem. The cities were a morning’s drive apart, and the internet brought everything closer together.
Then Jean-François stepped to the side, revealing a very attractive woman who had been just behind him. Her hair was almost black and twisted into an elegant chignon, and her clothing looked like something from a magazine fashion shoot. He guided her forward and said, with pride, “Emma,je voudrais te presenter ma femme. Please, meet Joelle, my wife.”
Wife.
He had a wife.
Jean-François was married. With a wife.
Oh.
My.
God.
Halli.
Did her expression go blank? Did she stagger backwards? Did she scream a little bit? No, it seemed not, because Jean-François had the same smug expression on his traitorous face. “Joelle doesn’t speak English very well, so she has not been here to visit. But you speak some French, do you not?”
Words. French words. Right.
“Mais oui,” Emma managed to reply. “Je parle un peu français. C’est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance.” Her efforts were rewarded with a smile.
How she was able to keep up a short conversation, she didn’t know. All she could think about was Halli. Sweet, innocent, lovely Halli, who had admitted an infatuation, perhaps more, with an unnamed man who must be Jean-François. They had spent all that time together, meeting for coffee and chats around her classes and his work schedule, building what seemed to be the foundations of a good relationship.
Where was Halli? She had to be told. Emma scanned the room and found her, chatting once more with Gordon, while Rob hovered nearby. She had to get there and break the awful news.
Mercifully, her conversation with Joelle and Jean-François came to a natural end before long, and Emma excused herself. She made her way to where Halli was now standing alone near the table with the treats, and called her over.
“Great concert,” Emma began. “But there’s something we need to talk about. Something I need to tell you.”
The younger woman’s face clouded.
“No, not you!” Emma assured her. “You’re perfect. But some news I just learned.”
They moved out into the hall. If Halli broke down, Emma didn’t want anyone to see her.
“I was just talking to Jean-François,” she began.
“He’s just lovely, isn’t he?” Halli’s eyes shone.
“No, not so lovely. The woman he’s with—”
“Joelle? His wife? She’s beautiful. I could never look so elegant. Is it a Montreal thing?”
What?
“You knew? You know her?”
Halli laughed. “I met her once before, when she came with Jean-François to meet for coffee. She’s an engineer, too, and she was interested in what I’m studying. My high school French is pretty bad, but we still managed to talk. She’s so patient.”
“But—” The world was swirling a bit. “But, a while ago, we were talking. You told me you were sweet on someone, and I thought…”
