Page 35 of Wrapped Up in Christmas Love
“You told him Paris?”
Jaw dropping, Isabelle shushed him. “I can’t believe Cole told you. I thought he didn’t want anyone other than Andrew and I knowing where they were going in case the Butterflies decided to do a French Flutter.”
“A French Flutter?” Zach chuckled. “I’m right about where they’re going, then?”
Her color heightened as she realized she’d been played. “That was a lucky guess.”
“Not really. Paris is considered the most romantic city in the world. Your sister has probably been dreaming of strolling along Avenue des Champs-Élysées, putting a lock on Pont Des Arts Bridge with her true love, and eating crepes to her heart’s content since she was a kid.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “Better be careful. You’re sounding a little romantic yourself.”
“I’m the least romantic guy you’ll ever meet.” Romance had never been a priority. Or even a consideration. When it came to ladies, he was a gentleman—his parents had raised him that way—but romance? Nope. Not his style. Nor theirs, really. “I just saw that scenario happen over and over when I was in Paris.”
“You’ve been to Paris?” There was a light in her eyes that made him think that Sophie wasn’t the only Davis girl who’d dreamed of visiting the city of love.
“I’ve been all over the world.” He’d seen fabulous locales and some that had made him wonder if hell was a place on earth. “For the record, I never stepped foot on that bridge, even when it was legal to put locks on it. Never wanted to.”
“I’m suddenly feeling very small town and uncultured.” She gave a nervous laugh, then bragged, “I went to Florida once.”
The truth hit him. “You went to some magical kingdom because Sophie wanted to go?”
Her expression said he’d hit the nail on the head. “You make it sound as if it was torturous. That’s far from the truth. We had a great time. It’s one of my favorite memories.”
Eyeing her, listening to her wistful, yet defensive tone, he asked, “How old were you?”
“Twenty-one.”
The depths that Isabelle had gone to, to give Sophie a good life, shouldn’t shock him, but his realization about the trip still had him staring at her with renewed appreciation. “You brought your sister?”
“The trip was my gift for her high school graduation. Academia wasn’t as easy for her as I found it. She’d worked hard, made good grades, and deserved a getaway to somewhere completely magical.”
Isabelle set the bar high on sibling standards.
“Where did you go on your high school trip, Isabelle?” That he’d called her by her name instead of Blondie should have told him that the question was too personal.
“I worked at the quilt shop all summer, saving as much as I could, so I guess you could say that my senior trip was to Nashville. It’s a great city.”
Where she’d likely found a job, worked while going to school, and pinched pennies to where she’d been able to take Sophie on her dream senior trip. She’d been looking out for her sister her whole life, but who’d looked out for Isabelle? Battling the protective emotions assailing him, he leaned over and wrotemaid of honornext toWho would make the better Christmas Tree Angel topper?
Glancing at the question, Isabelle snorted. “I’m no angel.”
Zach disagreed. She was Sophie’s guardian angel.
*
“Cole will behere in a few minutes to pick Mom and I up to take us to dinner.” Sophie put her purse and jacket on a chair’s armrest. “Are you sure you and Zach don’t want to go with us? We’d love to spend time with Zach.”
Isabelle had no doubts. Her sister had been talking about Zach nonstop since the shower, going on and on about how much she liked him.
“Not tonight, but thanks.” At Sophie’s disappointed look, she added, “He really wants to learn to sew. I thought teaching him on Grandma Belle’s old Singer would be a great place to start. No bells or whistles, just high-quality basic stitches.”
“I’d wondered why you weren’t meeting him at the shop.”
Because Zach wanted to look at old photo albums of their father. To do that he had to be at their house, and she’d needed an excuse as to why he’d be there. As much as she hated to admit it, his dating ruse had been brilliant in that regard.
It had been so long since she’d dated that maybe this was good practice in case she ever decided to do so for real again. She doubted many men would find sharing her life exciting. Definitely, a man who’d lived on the edge and traveled around the world, such as Zach had, wouldn’t find her routine, small-town existence appealing.
Where had that come from? She liked her life. Who cared what Zach thought of it?
