I turned my phone on and called the office. Diane answered on the second ring. “Duvier International. You’ve reached the office of Eve Lambert. How may I help you.”
“Diane, this is Eve.”
“Oh my God, Eve, where are you? What’s going on?”
“I’m so sorry, Diane. There was an emergency with my grandmother and so I flew out last night. I’m in Paris right now. I was so upset about her that I forgot to call and let you know. I’m so sorry! How are things there?”
“Oh, Eve, I’m so sorry! Is your grandma OK? What happened?”
“She took a spill on the ice, and they admitted her to the hospital for testing. She’s all right. She says it’s just bruising and no big deal, so she didn’t think to call me, but the hospital called to say she’d been admitted. When I couldn’t reach her, I panicked, so Jack and I flew out last night.”
Oops.
“Jack? Jack went with you? Who what when where?? Back up the party bus, Eve, and tell me how he happened to be there last night.”
I should have known Diane would latch on to that bit of information as the most pertinent part of the narrative. Oh boy, how to tell this without her blowing it out of proportion.
“I was freaking out about not knowing what was going on, so…I called him.”
“And…?” she prompted.
“And he made plane reservations and came and picked me up. He’s a friend, Eve. Friends do nice things for each other and support each other.”
“I’ve never had a ‘friend’ fly me to Paris,” she said, and I could just picture her raised eyebrow.
I’d also never had a friend hold my hand across the Atlantic and hold me tightly in the back seat of a taxi. But he was just helping me with my anxiety, right? Like a friend? Sigh. With all the lines that had been crossed, I had no idea what we were anymore.
“Anyway, Diane, I’m calling to let you know I’ll be out of the office for the next couple of days. I’ll try to keep in contact, but I need to be here for at least a few days to make sure Grandmère is OK and to help out however she needs it. Do you think you can handle things?”
“Eve, I’ve got it under control. The Spain people called, and they’re satisfied with the latest agreement you drafted for them, so that pot can be moved to the back burner. There’s nothing else that’s immediately requiring your attention. We’ll be fine. You just take care of your grandma and let me know when you’re coming back.”
“Thank you so much, Diane. You are the best!”
“You know it, Eve. Don’t forget it at Christmas bonus time!”
“Absolutely, Diane. You’ve earned a big one.”
“And Eve…”
“Yes?”
“Have fun in Paris with Jack.” I heard her laughing as she ended the call.
That thought momentarily froze me. Jack and I were together in Paris. The crisis with Grandmère was taken care of. What now? Where did we stand? More specifically, where would we stay? I knew I could stay with Grandmère, but she didn’t have an extra room to put up Jack as well. Sharing a bed was out of the question in my old twin bed. And the last time we’d “slept together” it had been before we’d kissed. I don’t know that I could be in the same bed as Jack now, not without a fire extinguisher between us.
Bernard came out of the door carrying a small tray with four coffees. “Are you finished?” he asked, as I put my phone back in my bag.
“Yes,” I said, gratefully accepting a cup. Coffee was good, but I was going to need to get some food before my stomach imploded.
“I was thinking,” he said as he sipped his beverage, “perhaps Jack could stay with me in my spare room. That way we could all be close. Easier than you going to a hotel.”
“That would be lovely, Bernard. Thank you.” It was a good solution. Cancel that order for a fire extinguisher.
“And I was thinking we could have a little celebration dinner tonight. My famous grilled ham and brie sandwiches?”
“That would be perfect, Bernard! I love those sandwiches!”
As we walked into the hospital room, Jack pulled out of a hug with Grandmère. She seemed to be a bit misty-eyed. They certainly had bonded quickly. But Jack had that effect on people. No period of awkwardness or shyness, just, boom, straight to friends.
