Page 48 of That Weekend in Paris
“Okay,” I say. “Please call me, okay?”
She hangs up without answering.
I put my phone on the kitchen counter, place both palms against the molding, and drop my head forward, letting out a long breath. I want things to be the way they used to be, before I let Dillon down so badly and before my stupidity with Leanne. Dillon and I had a good life together. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good. And if she’ll give me a chance, I will make her remember that as well.
Dillon
“No matter what the work you are doing, be always ready to drop it. And plan it, so as to be able to leave it.”
?Leo Tolstoy,The Journal of Leo Tolstoy
I WALK BACK into the bedroom, sure that I look as confused as I feel.
“Is everything all right?” Klein asks. He’s sitting on the corner of the bed, pulling on a pair of running shoes. His hair is wet from the shower.
The simple act of setting eyes on him sends a zing through my center. “Yeah, I guess so. That was Josh.”
“Ah,” Klein says. “Anything in particular that he called about?”
“He saw that picture of us, and I don’t know what he started thinking. He asked to see me when I get back to Nashville.”
Klein keeps his gaze on the shoestrings he’s tying and then looks up at me, his response measured.“Do you want to see him?”
“I don’t know,” I say, lifting my shoulders in a half shrug. “No, not really. I’m angry at him and can’t imagine what else there is for us to say to each other. But he did apologize, and he sounds like he really meant it. A part of me thinks I should hear him out.”
“Would you consider going back to him?” Klein asks, his voice neutral.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “All the things that were broken between us aren’t fixable.”
“But you loved him at one time.”
“Yes, I did, or at least I thought I did. I thought he loved me, but that didn’t pan out when times got tough. I just know now that I don’t want to be with anyone who can’t be there for me through all of it.”
“You’re right to want that.” Klein looks as if he would like to say more, but he doesn’t. He stands and changes the subject. “So, where are we headed today?”
“I’ve always wanted to see Versailles,” I say.
“Then Versailles it is.”
~
IT’S MIDAFTERNOON by the time we finish touring the grounds. I could have stayed so much longer, fascinated by the history, the wealth that must have been needed to build such a palace. It’s actually unimaginable that so much could have been put into a home for the king.
We’re leaving the grounds when I wonder out loud, “Don’t you think it’s amazing that the people of that time would be okay with so much of the country’s wealth going into the king’s residence. Surely there was poverty that could have been lessened with some of those resources.”
“Yeah. I’ve wondered about that myself,” Klein says. “I guess people take pride in their country and want their heads of state to be an example to the world.”
“I think if I were king, I wouldn’t feel too great about living in a place like this when there were people in my country who didn’t have a roof over their heads. I guess it’s like most things human though. We convince ourselves that we deserve certain things even when we really don’t.”
We take an Uber back to the hotel. It’s almost two o’clock by the time we get to the room. We consider room service for lunch because we’re both tired from our late night. But then I think of all the wonderful places to eat on the streets surrounding us. “Why don’t we walk and see what we find?” I suggest.
“Sounds good to me,” Klein says. We leave the hotel, decide to turn left in the square. It’s been a beautiful day, and the sun is still bright above us, the sky a vivid, cloudless blue. We walk in silence for the first few minutes. I’m content to take in our surroundings, shops, small local groceries, cafés where people sit outside.
A few blocks from the hotel, we pass a place to eat that looks particularly inviting. “What about this one?”
“Sure,” Klein says.
We wait at the entrance podium until a young woman comes and leads us to a table under the outside awning. We’re seated with our menus when I look at Klein and say, “Is everything all right? You’ve been kind of quiet.”
