Page 72 of Never Too Late
‘Where did I go?’
‘Oh,ma chérie, I don’t know but you’re here now! Or at least back on the right path.’
‘Oh. That’s…’ I looked at Tomas, who was grinning. ‘Good to know. I think.’
‘Right,’ Gabby said, appearing to regain her composure. ‘We’ll come back to this later. In the meantime, as much as I would love to let you young lovers sneak off for a romantic meal and stroll along the Seine at midnight, I need my brother to come and be charming.’ She threw him a look. ‘It’s a long shot, I know, but do try, because I have my eye on some to-die-for shoes at Christian Dior and therefore need as much commission as possible.’
‘He was always charming,’ I said, then frowned at the fact words kept falling out of my mouth. Usually, I just stood there and nodded in agreement, smiled, or filled an awkward silence with something inane, depending on what the situation called for, and then went home. Admittedly, I didn’t normally drink champagne. At least rarely more than a glass. But it wasn’t just that. I knew it wasn’t just that. There was something else. Was it my friends? Was it the clothes Gabby had lent me? Was it Paris? Was it Tomas?
‘Once upon a time, he was,’ Gabby said, prodding me from my ponderings. ‘But he turned rather moody and grumpy once you left.’
‘That’s not true.’ Tomas frowned at his sister. ‘It’s not true,’ he repeated, looking at me this time.
She gave a ‘poof’ of disbelief. ‘Come on. I’m not doing all the work.Allez!’
‘It’d be very rude to leave our guest.’ Tomas was stalling. Clearly mingling really wasn’t his thing these days.
‘I’ll look after Kitty,’ she said, tucking her arm around mine. ‘Now, go!’
Tomas hesitated, glanced at me, which was no help as I was trying not to laugh at him being bossed around by his younger sister, the situation different, decades passed, but still so very familiar.
‘I thought you’d be on my side.’
Gabrielle huffed. ‘For goodness’ sake, Tomas! Don’t be obtuse.’
We looked at each other.
‘You have a hell of a lot more making up to do before Kitty’s on your side. Also.’ She tapped the side of her nose. ‘Girlfriends stick together.’ She gave me a squeeze. ‘At least the good ones do. Now go!’
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he finally obeyed and wandered off to be charming.
‘Ooh la la!’ Gabby shook her head. ‘Mon frère!Alors, I have someone very interesting for you to meet. Come with me.’
We began crossing the gallery, arms still linked, me still getting used to the stilettos Gabby had lent me. Thankfully, not as high as hers but certainly more so than the shoes I’d fallen into the habit of wearing at home.
‘I noticed Benoit and Sasha appear to be getting along very well.’ She gestured with her chin towards a corner where Sash was leaning against a wall, her head tilted up as she laughed at whatever Tomas’s godson was saying. ‘He’s one of the good ones.’ Gabby read my mind, just as she always had done.
‘Good to know. Not that she’s mentioned any interest in relationships at the moment. She came out of a long-term one a little over a year ago,’ I filled in my friend. ‘It was unexpected on her side and left her rather bruised but thankfully, she had her work to throw herself into and, although I would never say it to her, I think he did her a favour.’
‘You didn’t like him.’ No question, just a statement.
‘It wasn’t that I didn’t like him, as such.’
‘He wasn’t right for her.’
‘He wasn’t. And I didn’t think he treated her in the way she deserved to be.’
‘Like a princess.’
‘In the good way, yeah.’
‘Absolutely. None of us need rescuing these days but that doesn’t mean we don’t want, or deserve, to be treated like the queens that we are.’
‘Exactly.’
‘So, let’s leave them to it for the moment. I have the most interesting lady I want you to meet. I was chatting to her about the fact we studied fashion together. She used to work at Christian Dior’s atelier.’
‘Wow!’
