Ava narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“The menu,” said Mac. “The quote. You told them to give me this one.”
Ava smiled, mystified. “I don’t understand.”
“‘Solitude and isolation are painful things and beyond human endurance,’” said Mac, reading the quote aloud. “Come on. How did they know?”
“It was fated,” said Ava, with a wave to the heavens. “How could they have given you any other menu?”
Mac didn’t buy it for a second. On the other hand, it seemed like more than a coincidence. Cue the spooky music. “What does yours say?”
“‘We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.’”
“Interesting,” said Mac, wondering which human laws he might defy and which natural ones held him in check.
“Now let’s do the hard part,” said Ava. “What do you think? Tasting menu?”
Mac read the dishes silently. Lobster. Galette. Langoustine. It was a far cry from bread and sausage. “I’m in,” he said. “But what’s a galette?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” said Ava. “After lunch I thought we could walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, then maybe a light supper at Fouquet’s.”
“Sounds ambitious,” said Mac.
“And you were thinking?”
“A nap.”
Ava shook her head. Wrong answer. “You’re not the only one who’s been given a new lease on life.” She set down the menu and raised her left arm. A year earlier, she’d undergone reconstructive surgery on her shoulder to repair damage done by a high-caliber bullet. “The doctors gave me the all clear. I’m as good as new.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Mac lifted a glass of champagne. “To a full recovery.”
“L’Chaim,” said Ava. “To life.”
“L’Chaim.” Mac signaled for the server and ordered for them both. “And some more champagne. Make it a bottle. We’re celebrating. The Domaine du Roi.”
Ava raised a brow, her lips signaling her approval. “I like a man who knows how to spend a little money.”
“Is that right?” Mac felt something touching his leg, something warm and much too familiar.
Ava ran her toes along his calf. “On second thought,” she said, almost purring. “Maybe a nap might be just the right thing.”
“You ... a nap?” said Mac. Then the light went on. “Oh,a nap.”
Ava narrowed her eyes seductively. “I thought all those naked women in the museum might inspire you.”
“All I have to do is look at you.”
“You’re shameless,” said Ava.
“I’m in love,” said Mac.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
Mac looked around him. It was finally setting in. “Like a free man.”
