“Things are just too tough right now. All this traveling back and forth, trying to match our schedules...it just isn’t fair to the team.”
“But I thought...thought we...”Might get married. She had been sure he was going to propose.
“Maybe eventually things will calm down.”
Maggie’s throat constricted, the hard lump threatening to choke her. “I see.” She held the receiver away for a moment, fighting for control. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Maggie hung up the phone. Now she knew the truth, that Jake didn’t want her anymore. It happened to women all the time.
She also knew Jake Sullivan had broken her heart.
Maggie walked out of the hotel elevator to find her escort waiting.
“You look gorgeous, Maggie. But then you always do.” In his expensive Italian suit, Dr. Benjamin Jaffe looked pretty gorgeous himself. “How old did you say you were?” he teased, “twenty-five?”
“I’m thirty-eight, and you know it.”
“Well, you look twenty-five.” He extended his arm and Maggie took it. They swept through the lobby, turning heads as they passed. Ben Jaffe was tall and blond, Riviera-tanned and handsome. A plastic surgeon from Florida, Ben was in France on a sabbatical. He’d been lounging on the beach in St. Tropez.
“I’ve missed you, Maggie.”
She’d been dating Ben for almost a month before he’d left for France. They’d discussed meeting in Paris, and Ben had phoned last week to confirm the date of her arrival. She had yet to sleep with him. She should have accepted his invitation for a weekend in the Bahamas. But Jake was the only man she’d ever been with besides her husband. She simply wasn’t ready yet.
And there was Sarah to consider.
Now Ben was in Paris. He’d been patient so far, but she knew he intended to press his suit.
Smiling down at her, he shoved open the glass door leading out to the sidewalk in front of the hotel. With the long line of people pursuing a night on the town, getting a cab was always a problem. Ben had a private car waiting at the curb.
“Always efficient,” Maggie said.
“Just like you.” He smiled, his gaze approving as it moved over her yellow chiffon dress. He helped her into the car, and they set off.
A doorman waited in front of the expensive restaurant on the Rue de Varenne. As he opened her door and helped her out, Maggie felt her nerves beginning to build. She hadn’t seen Jake since the party at the Burbages in North Salem, and only then for a few brief moments. Afterward, she hadn’t been able to eat for three days.
But she hadn’t had a handsome escort then. “Thanks for coming, Ben.”
“My pleasure,” he said.
Inside L’Archestrate, Maggie caught the sound of Avery Whitfield’s raucous laughter before they rounded the first corner toward the dining room. The restaurant was crowded, but the plush brown carpeting and textured beige wallpaper kept the noise subdued. They passed huge sprays of orange gladiolas, and the tables were set with fine china and crystal. The waiters all wore black.
Entering the main dining salon, Maggie spotted Avery seated at the head of a single long table next to a sleek-looking blonde. Avery always preferred blondes, she recalled.
Clay sat on his right next to one of the most stunningly beautiful women Maggie had ever seen. She was nearly as tall as Clay, thin, but not skinny, with a bone structure any artist would love. She had thick black hair coiled in a tight chignon but was surprisingly fair complexioned. Her high-necked black silk sheath with its stark white collar and cuffs reeked of expensive good taste. The entire package was stunning. There was simply no other word for it.
Shep Singleton sat on her left, elegant with his silver hair and black gabardine suit. Ellie Fletcher sat across from Clay next to Flex McGrath, who sat beside Prissy Knowles. Jake Sullivan sat near the two vacant chairs at the end.
Dear God, either she or Ben would have to sit beside him.
Sensing her plight, Ben took control, pulling out the velvet chair next to Shep. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, Maggie stepped in front of the chair but didn’t sit down.
“I’d like you all to meet a friend of mine, Dr. Benjamin Jaffe.” She introduced him to each person seated and surprised herself by introducing Jake with no noticeable inflection. At least he wasn’t with a date.
“This is Gabriella Marchbanks,” Clay said. “She’s here for a photo layout forHarper’s.”
“And this is Chauncey Reed,” Avery added with a leer at the blonde.
They took their seats and Maggie ordered a vodka martini, which she rarely drank. Tonight, she needed all the courage she could get.
