Page 36 of Rosé with My Fake Fiancé
Although I am pretty sure the man just cannot help himself with his flirting.
Emma
Good. We love you, have fun and don’t get too in your head.
Watching Luc as a tourist is an odd flip from our meeting. He’s inquisitive, and I find that I miss all the little things he knew about Paris. I want to hear him tell me all the little things about here, too.
He’s also adorable with his grandmother. He helps her with stairs and finds her a seat if she gets tired. In fact, that’s what she talks about the first time we’re alone together, sitting on a bench in a small neighborhood park while Luc runs off to buy a bottle of water for her. While the heat is nothing like Texas, it is an unusually hot day in the low eighties.
“Luc’s always been such a hardworking man,” she tells me. “Always very good at taking care of me. It’s a relief to have him living with me again.”
I snap my head up. “Luc moved in with you?”
“Did you see his apartment? Horrifying. He’s always wanted to take care of me and got it in his head that I needed space. Moving into that apartment was a mistake in the first place—why pay the extra rent when we were perfectly happy living together? Besides,” she leans in to confide with me. “I couldn’t reach the top cabinets in my kitchen without him. It nearly halved my storage space to not have him around to reach things for me.”
I laugh at that. “Do you cook a lot?”
“Of course. My family is from the maritime region, and while there are plenty of fantastic restaurants in Paris, none of them make our traditional dishes quite like home. Or like home used to,” she amends. “Last time I went back to Ile de Re, it was changed. So touristy, so rich. Not like my childhood.”
Luc returns, and after hydrating, we walk the beach—Anouk insists we walk, even though Luc suggests we take a car—to our lunch spot overlooking the marina, where we have a fantastic meal, and Anouk tells me stories from Luc’s childhood that have me laughing so hard, I cry while Luc flushes in embarrassment and avoids eye contact with the both of us while muttering French obscenities.
The food is good, the chilled table wine is even better, and I feel a bloom of friendship for Anouk. Afterward, she excuses herself to go back to their hotel and rest, which leaves Luc and me walking together aimlessly.
“Anouk tells me you moved in with her.”
“I did,” Luc confirms. “I’ve made some other financial decisions lately that I hope will make things easier.”
“Oh?” I say, eyebrow raised. “Like what?”
Luc points at a fishing boat passing by, and we watch it before he gets back to the question. “Mémé has more savings than I thought. I was worried about supporting her throughout her retirement, but it turns out she’s frugal not out of necessity but for the sheer desire to be frugal.”
Maybe it’s because I’m armed with this knowledge, but Luc does seem lighter. He’s always given me a sense of a carefree attitude, but his grandmother had been a source of tension. I can see the relief all over his body as he talks about his grandmother now, and wonder how I could have missed the sore spot before.
“That’s great,” I say.
“While I was slipping her cash every chance I got, she was hoarding it in a safe place for me. When we talked last week, she decided it was time to give me that stash, and I could put it to good use. Treat myself. Like taking her on a trip to the coast to visit a beautiful woman.”
His lips tip up with mischievousness, and I laugh, pushing him gently away from me as we walk side by side.
“I thought we were just friends.”
“We are. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re beautiful.”
Fortunately, we arrive at our destination, the museum, and I can ignore Luc’s words and the flush in my cheeks from his compliments and instead learn about the region’s fishing history. It’s not sexy, but it’s interesting, and that’s what I need right now.
I lose track of Luc in the museum, and when I exit, I check my phone for a message from him.
Luc
I’m here. Take your time.
Attached is a map pin that shows his location a few blocks away at a park. I find Luc stretched out in the shaded grass, eyes closed. I stand and watch him for a few moments, the sunlight dappling his skin and the lines of his face relaxed. It reminds me of last weekend when I left him sleeping in bed and the brief chance to admire him in his sleep.
“I was thinking,” he says, and I nearly jump out of my skin. Luc cracks one eye open and grins while I press a palm to my chest to slow my racing heart. “I want to take Mémé out somewhere nice for dinner. Maybe I can walk you home, and we can meet up again?”
I like that he's not inviting me to dinner just the two of us. Right? Yes, I like it. I like Anouk, I’m definitely not disappointed.
“That sounds great. Did you have a place in mind?”
