The restaurant we went to had a line that was around the corner of the building. Adalynn looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she huffed.
“This line is obnoxious.”
“I know, but they have the best food in all of Paris.”
As we stood in the obnoxious long line, I saw Andre, the guy from the fruit stand, approaching us.
“Look, it’s the beautiful American girl.” He smiled.
“Andre, hi. What are you doing here?”
Adalynn kept elbowing me. “Oh, Adalynn, this is Andre. Andre, this is my friend, Adalynn.”
“Another beautiful American girl. How did I get so lucky today? Come with me.” He smiled.
I looked at Adalynn as she twisted her face. “Go, follow him. Maybe he can get us in.”
We followed Andre into the restaurant and were promptly seated. “How?” I smiled.
“I have connections.” He winked.
“Well, thank God for Andre,” Adalynn said.
He sat and ate dinner with us. He was a funny guy and he made me and Adalynn laugh throughout dinner. For a split second, I didn’t think about Ian, but that didn’t last too long. Andre paid our bill, even though Adalynn fought him tooth and nail for it. It was nice to see her lose for once. As we were saying goodbye, Andre smiled at me and asked me for my phone number. I told him I wasn’t sure, but Adalynn grabbed his phone from his hand and programmed my number into it. He kissed her on the cheek and thanked her.
“It was nice to have dinner with you, my beautiful American girl. I will call you to go out,” he said as he gave me a kiss on each cheek.
Adalynn and I climbed into the back of the cab. “Now, tell me how you met him?”
“I met him at the fruit stand this afternoon when I was looking at the apples. I swear, if he calls me his ‘beautiful American girl’ again, I’m going to scream.”
Adalynn laughed as she put her hand on mine. “He’s a distraction, Rory, and you need all the distractions you can get right now.”
****
I spent the next few mornings jogging around the neighborhood. It was beautiful and every time I passed by the fruit stand, Andre would wave and yell, “Good morning, my beautiful American girl.” I would just give a small smile and a light wave. He came over the apartment a couple of times and brought us fruit. He was a nice guy, but I still couldn’t get my mind off of Ian. I couldn’t even say how many times I’d picked up my phone and almost called him, just so I could hear his voice. Everything I did and saw reminded me of Ian. I missed him so much and I started to wonder if I’d ever get over him.
“Adalynn, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it, sweetie?” she asked as she was putting on her makeup.
I bit down on my bottom lip because I was afraid to ask her. She stopped putting on her mascara and looked at me.
“Are you okay?”
“Will you call Ian and put him on speakerphone?”
“What? You’re joking, right?” She asked as she looked at me. “Oh my God, you’re serious.”
“I just want to hear his voice. Just for a minute. Please.”
“Rory, we’re leaving tomorrow. Maybe you should go see him.”
“I’m not going back with you. If it’s okay, I’d like to stay here for a while longer.”
“I don’t like the thought of you being in Paris by yourself.”
“I’m not. I have Andre,” I said as I looked around.
Adalynn sighed and dialed Ian’s number. “I just want you to know that I’m doing this against my will.”
“Hello,” Ian answered.
“Ian, darling, how are you?” Adalynn asked.
“I’m okay. How’s Paris?”
“Paris is fabulous as always. What have you been up to?”
Hearing his voice was music to my ears. As pissed as I was at him, I still found comfort in his voice.
“Not much. I’ve been busy with work.”
Adalynn looked at me and shrugged. “Well, Ian, I just called to say hi and that I’ll be flying home tomorrow. We should have dinner when I get back.”
“Sounds good, Adalynn. Have a safe flight home.”
“Thanks, darling. Bye.”
“Bye.”
“Thank you, Adalynn,” I said as a tear fell from my eye.
She looked at me and cocked her head. “Come here, you poor thing,” she said as she hugged me. “When I get back, I’m going to have a long talk with him.”
“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, and I could never be with someone like him. I just have to get over it and move on. That’s why I want to stay here a while longer.”
“Christmas is in a couple of weeks. You’ll be back for Christmas, right?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want to be anywhere near Malibu when Christmas comes.”
“Well, you can stay here as long as you want. But, I don’t want you alone on Christmas.”
“Don’t worry about me and Christmas. I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself.”
There was a knock at the door, and Adalynn and I looked at each other. I walked to the door, looked out the peephole, and saw Andre standing there, holding flowers in front of his face.
“Hello, my beautiful American girl.” He smiled. “I wish I could take credit for these beauties, but they were just lying by the door when I walked up.”
“Thanks, Andre. Come on in.” I smiled.
I took the beautiful red roses from him, cut the stems, and arranged them in a vase. “There isn’t a card. Are you sure these aren’t from you?”
“I swear, Rory. They’re not. They were propped up against the door when I walked up.”
Adalynn walked out from her bedroom and looked at the flowers. “Oh, pretty. Who are they for?”
“We don’t know. There wasn’t a card and Andre said they were propped up against the door when he got here.”
“Andre, I need to have a word with you.”
“Did I do something wrong, Adalynn?” he asked.
“No, of course not. I’m leaving Paris tomorrow, but Rory has decided to stay for a while longer. I need you to keep an eye on her while she’s here.”
“No problem. I will keep my beautiful American girl company every day.”
I rolled my eyes because he was driving me crazy. “I appreciate that, Andre, but I’ll be fine.”