He was that guy.
He’d called me out several times, because he knew something was up, and I’d finally told him everything.
So of course, I started at the only place that felt right.
Cutler Heart was not only my best friend—he’d always been my safe place as well.
I pushed the door open, relieved to be home after a long shift at Le Café, the restaurant right below my apartment where I currently worked.
I glanced around the small space, reaching for the pink heart sitting on my nightstand.
CH + GR
Cutler Heart plus Gracie Reynolds. My best friend had made it for me when we were just kids, and I’d always kept it with me. It was like having a piece of home with me. I held it against my chest as I took in a couple of boxes that I’d packed up to ship back home.
Home.
Where even was that now?
I’d had an amazing apartment in Los Angeles, and a fabulous job at J&J Interiors.
And Gabriel Laurent had been a client of the firm’s. I hadn’t worked with him directly, but he’d been at several events we’d thrown, and he always found his way over to me.
The man oozed charm and sex appeal. At least initially he did.
He was older than me, and his perfectly coiffed salt-and-pepper hair definitely worked for him. He was always impeccably dressed in designer suits, and he carried himself with an abundance of confidence.
I was flattered that he’d been so relentless about taking me to dinner after we’d met. We dated for several months—he had a home in Los Angeles and a home in Paris.
It was a whirlwind romance, one that had me ignoring everyone’s advice and throwing caution to the wind.
I’d never been impulsive, but it felt like the right time to follow my heart.
I made decisions that were so out of character for me.
And at the moment, I regretted every single one of them.
Which was why I was struggling so much with my current situation.
I’d always had a plan.
I’d always been independent and driven.
But Gabriel was so convincing. He’d encouraged me to start my own business. He’d told me about all the contacts he hadback in Paris, and that it was a perfect place to start a design business of my own.
To work for myself, which was what I’d always wanted.
We were both going to support one another.
He was a talented artist, very well known in Paris, and he had a collection that would be coming out early next year. He wanted to be here, and he wanted me with him.
He’d said we could both chase our dreams in la Ville Lumière, as the locals called the City of Lights.
And hello, who wouldn’t want to be an interior designer in a city with so much history and beauty?
This city epitomized my love for design with its endless character.
It’d taken some convincing, but once I’d agreed to go, I’d defended my choice to everyone I loved.
