A second later, my phone vibrates in my coat pocket, and I slide it out.
I sigh as I reply:I stubbed my toe on the door, but I’m fine. Thank you for checking.
His reply comes back right away:
Bill: Good, I was about to call the cops to report a very ungraceful thud.
I smile wide and reply:
Me: Ungraceful? I’ll have you know I managed to stay on my feet, and I was rather light-footed.
Bill: Wish I could have seen it.
I grin even wider, my cheeks starting to fatigue from the amount of smiling tonight.
Me: Maybe I need to keep some things secret. You know, keep you interested.
There’s a long pause before he replies:See you in the morning.
I press the phone to my chest, my heart racing long after the light dims.
The rich aroma of dark coffee drifts through the downstairs restaurant as I slide into the booth across from him. Feeling extra feminine when I wake up, I slip on my other dress. It’s linen, but I’m smart and slip on thick tights underneath. Then I take a few extra minutes to curl and pin my hair up, leaving a few loose tendrils to frame my face. When I see myself in the mirror, I hardly recognize the face staring back, but I don’t have time to ponder as Bill texted me he had a table for us.
“Good morning.” His voice carries a bit of a sleepy rasp. “How’d you rest?”
“Well,” I say, recalling not waking even once until my room was filled with sunlight.
His eyes twinkle as he motions to the cup in front of me. “I already ordered coffee with extra sugar. They had a breakfast sampler with all sorts of things that looked nothing like a proper meal, so I ordered that too.”
Shaking my head, I can’t help laughing. “Am I that predictable?”
He raises an eyebrow. “No, I just pay attention.”
I tuck my hands around my cup, feeling the warmth seep in. I watch him watch me. Somewhere along the way, we’ve developed this hidden language that has no words, but we understand each other with just a look.
The waiter comes and places a huge platter between us. If France could sit on the table, this is exactly what it would look like. There’s a small mountain of buttery croissants in the center. A perfect spread of apple slices curves along one edge, winding their way down until they brush against a scatter of plump berries.
My stomach releases a very unladylike groan when I spot the fat wedges of Brie daring me to tear off a piece of bread and try it. Beside the Brie, there are more chunks of cheese and a pile of round crackers so high, I could eat on that for a week.
The selection goes on for days, as squares of dark chocolate spill over onto a row of roasted red pepper strips glistening with olive oil. The sweet-salty aroma wafts in my direction, and I slide to the edge of my seat, as my taste buds beg for flavor. “Wow, it does feel like you understand the way to my heart. This looks amazing.”
“I wanted something for us to enjoy our morning. You know, nothing to rush over.”
My eyebrows tug upward as I struggle to not gush. This is a lot to take in first thing in the morning. I’ve never been spoiled like this ever. “This is perfect”
He laughs playfully as he reaches for a croissant. “I agree. Waking up to have breakfast with you is everything.” He bites off the edge of his croissant and smiles through his chewing. My heart flutters hard against my chest as I feel a layer of my shield chipped away. I don’t have much guard left around him. It’s hard not to want to share myself openly with him when he’s so open and generous with me.
“Is something wrong?” He quirks an eyebrow and stops mid-chew. “I’ve never seen you hesitate around food this long before.”
“No.” I shake my head and reach for the serving spoon to scoop berries. “Nothing is wrong at all.”
twenty-two
Bill
The cobblestones crunch with more new snow that arrived early this morning, but it does nothing to slow us down as we stroll hand in hand through the winding streets of Old Québec. I’vebeen here many times, but it’s never been as exciting as this time. I love the way Ruth’s eyes light up at every corner. It feels like I’m seeing the city again for the first time through her eyes. “On today’s guided tour,” I tease as I gesture forward, “you will see a chocolate shop and a bookstore on this side of the street, and an art gallery over here.”
She laughs, nudging me with her elbow. “I vote for all the snack places.”
