“Well, it’s a bit intrusive to draw someone’s portrait without asking.”
“And yet you did it anyway.”
“I enjoy watching her pass my easel . . . so I wanted to capture the woman who puts a smile on my face every morning without fail.”
“Could I put my head on your shoulder? Without complicating things?”
“Sure. My shoulder never complicates things.”
Together, they gazed in silence at the thinly veiled moon that shone in the sky over Paris.
At two a.m., the caricaturist cleared his throat.
“I wasn’t sleeping,” said Mia.
“Neither was I.”
Mia stood up.
“Perhaps it’s time to say good-bye,” she suggested.
“Good night, then,” the caricaturist said as he got to his feet.
They left Place du Tertre and went their separate ways.
5
Daisy liked to walk through the quiet streets just as the sun came bursting over the horizon. The concrete smelled of cool morning. She stopped at Place du Tertre, stared at an empty bench, and shook her head before continuing on her way.
Mia woke up one hour later. She made herself a cup of tea and sat down opposite the bay window.
She lifted the cup to her lips, then caught sight of her friend’s computer and crossed over to the desk.
First sip. She checked her inbox, skimming through everything that reminded her of professional obligations.
Second sip. Not finding what she’d hoped for, she closed the laptop.
Third sip. She turned to look down at the street below and thought of her moonlit jaunt the night before.
Fourth sip. She opened the laptop again and went straight to the dating website.
Fifth sip. Mia carefully read the instructions for creating a profile.
Sixth sip. She put down her cup and got to work.
CREATING A PROFILE
Are you looking for a relationship? Definitely, No Way, Let’s See What Happens.
Let’s see.
Your marital status: Never Married, Separated, Divorced, Widowed, Married.
Separated.
Do you have children?
No.
