“They barely spent a day apart. I’ve never seen anyone fall that hard or that fast.” I think she must mean Eve, so my scalp prickles when she adds, “He gave her his whole heart. Even though he knew their time was limited, he held nothing back. He deserves more than to be used as a pawn.”
Okay, that’s not cool. “Just to make it completely clear,” I say icily. “He started it. It’s just a game to him. He said he’s competitive.”
Lise laughs. “Yep, he’s definitely that. My sister never would have won that medal without him.” Her amusement fades. “It’sjust that after everything he did for her, how he stuck by her through thick and thin…I don’t want him to get hurt.Heshould be the one people fight for. He deserves to bethe onefor someone, you know?”
“He told me he was done with love,” I say quietly.
She shrugs. “Anyway, I’ve said my piece.” Her tone has become brusque. “He’s a grown man, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”
I don’t know how to respond so I say nothing as we carry on toward La Terrasse.
20
It’s the Thursday-night market andtown is even busier than usual. Rows of white market stalls are visible in the park on the other side of the river beneath trees strung with criss-crossing festoon lights.
Mellie will be at hers by now. My heart reaches out to her with a fierce sort of love. I keep offering to help, but she keeps turning me down. She’s handled the stall on her own for years; she adores selling direct to customers.
I said I’d pop by and say hi to her later, but I’m tempted to bypass La Terrasse and go there now. I’m feeling awkward after my conversation with Lise—I’m not sure I can handle seeing Étienne right now.
But Jackson is meeting us and Étienne is supposedlysaving us stools at the bar. It would be weird to just disappear.
Étienne looks up from whatever it is he’s doing as we walk in through the door. His eyes lock with mine. I force what I hope looks like a friendly, collected smile and then avert my gaze, but I can sense him watching my approach.
“How did it go?” he asks as I slide onto a stool and get my phone out of my bag.
“Fine,” Lise replies on behalf of both of us. “They’ll look great when they’re done up.”
I’m not going to stay that long, I text Jackson, needing a distraction as Lise and Étienne make conversation.I want to go and see Mel—
My stool swivels to the right and I jolt, mid-tap, my eyes shooting up as Étienne takes the seat beside me and turns me to face him.
My heart skips a beat.
“Hello,” he says.
“Hello,” I reply.
He’s wearing a gray T-shirt that brings out the tones in his eyes.
He glances at Lise and holds out his hand. She places her camera onto his palm. They’ve obviously just had a conversation about this that I wasn’t paying attention to.
“Drink?” she asks me as Étienne turns on her camera.
“Could I have a rosé, please?”
“With ice,” Étienne interjects without looking up from the digital display.
Lise raises a questioning eyebrow at me. I nod. “Thanks.”
She shakes her head slightly as she reaches for a wineglass from a rack on the back wall.
“So it’s really happening, huh?” Étienne murmurs. He’s scrolling through the pictures.
“The restoration? Yes.”
Lise places a glass of rosé with ice next to me and a beer beside Étienne. I thank her.
Étienne raises his bottle at her and takes a sip, continuing to flick through the shots.
