Page 12 of Forgiving Paris
Even a boy as incredible as Gabe.
He held the door for her and bought their coffee and they found a sunny table outside, near a flower box of petunias. Their spot, it had become lately. He leaned across the table, his eyes locked on hers. “Now… tell me about this dream you had. How you’re never going back to the States and how you want to grow old with me here in Paris.”
She laughed. He was always making her laugh. “That’s a dream for another day.”
“Okay.” He settled back in his seat, the apple-cheeked college boy once more. “Then tell me about your aunt Ashley. Why is she coming here?”
Jessie loved talking about her aunt. More times than she could count, her mother had given her the greatest compliment. “You’re just like your aunt Ashley, Jessie. Just like her.” All Jessie knew was that Ashley had an incredible marriage, a beautiful family, and the greatest gift of creating art Jessie had ever seen.
And now that gift lived insideher. Ashley had told her so back when Jessie was only thirteen. “You’re talented, Jessie. Stay with it. You’re going to be a great artist one day.”
Words her own mother had often echoed. She grinnedat Gabriel. “Wait till you see my aunt Ashley’s paintings. She’s so talented. And…” Jessie paused for effect. “I just found out. That gallery you like to visit—Light of the Seine… she’s doing a show there. Right here in the fourth arrondissement!”
“That’s incredible.” Gabriel set his coffee down and stared at her. “They almost never host American artists.”
“I know!” Jessie could hardly contain her joy. “And one day my work will be featured there, too.”
Gabriel’s eyes softened, but his smile remained. “I believe it will, Jessie Taylor. If anyone can do it, you can.”
“Thank you.” She thought about Aunt Ashley’s life and how it hadn’t started out with Parisian art shows. “Ashley was here once before. Did I ever tell you that?”
“No. I thought… She lives in Indiana, right?” Gabe extended his hand and took hold of hers. His tone kept things light.
“She does. But she lived here for almost a year… when she was twenty.”
“Was it a school program?” He drank his coffee, but his attention never wavered from her. “Like you?”
“No.” Jessie had never talked about this with Aunt Ashley. But her mother had told her what happened. Most of it, anyway. “Back then, she came here to escape her life in the States. All the bad things that had happened to her.”
“Bad things?”
Jessie told Gabe about the car accident. “They were ten minutes from his house when a drunk driver veeredacross the center line and hit them head-on.” Jessie looked down. “The man was driving a delivery truck.”
“That’s terrible.” Gabe set his coffee down. “What happened?”
“Aunt Ashley was badly hurt, but she made a full recovery. The boy was in high school… he died a few days later.”
Gabe took a few minutes before saying anything. “That’s a lot.”
“It was. My mom told me no one knew whether my aunt would survive.” Jessie’s heart ached for Aunt Ashley, for all she had suffered that year. “So, she came here. To try to live again.”
“Did things get better?”
“Worse.” Jessie took a deep breath. “When she came home, she was pregnant with my cousin Cole.”
“Hmm. My mom’s story is a little like that.” Gabe thought for a moment. “Very terrible beginnings.”
Jessie hesitated. “I guess we all have a story. Even me.” Her smile felt sad. “I’ve told you a little about it. And my aunt Ashley’s story… that can wait for another day.”
“Fair enough.” Gabriel finished his coffee. They talked about class, and when they left the café, Gabe took her hand. “Jessie… do you have a sturdy pair of trainers?”
She felt her smile become a laugh. Gabe was beyond proficient in English, but many times the French word was entirely different from what she would say back home in Bloomington. “Trainers?”
Gabe held his foot out. “Trainers. Shoes.”
“Like tennis shoes?” She was wearing a low boot today. But, of course, she had other shoes back at her dorm.
“Not for tennis.” Gabriel grinned, but he was serious. “You’ll need something sturdy. And jeans. Strong jeans.” Clearly, he was struggling to get his point across. “You know what I mean, Jessie. I have a surprise for you. I want to take you somewhere.” He gave her ponytail a flick. “Come on… it’s only ten in the morning.”
