‘You think he’s hot,’ Keeley replied, her h’s coming out as d’s, her nostrils still held closed.
‘Don’t you?’
No, she didn’t. She could see that Louis was an attractive man but he wasn’t attractive to her. Unlike Ethan. Even that name was sexy. Not quintessentially French, perhaps, but sexy all the same. She shivered then, probably in reaction to the blood loss…
‘Where did you go?’ Rach asked, suddenly cramming an éclair in her mouth.
‘I told you,’ Keeley said. ‘For some fresh air.’ She swallowed. She might have had a little cry if she hadn’t had her feet taken from under her right outside the entrance. It only went to prove that she was hanging a lot on this connection with Silvie Durand, maybe more than she should. Why was finding out about Ferne feeling almost crucial? Should it be?
‘Listen, we both need to chill,’ Rach said through her mouthful of pastry and cream. ‘We’ve had a big day and we’re train-lagged. Your woman probably thought she’d give us a treat with this tea and let you settle in before she meets you. I’m sure she’ll make contact tomorrow.’
Keeley nodded. What else could she do? She was the visitor here. What happened next was up to Silvie.
‘Have a cake,’ Rach urged. ‘And a sandwich. And tell me what my best outfit will be for loitering around a hotel looking romance-ready.’
‘The elf costume,’ Keeley said, finally feeling able to take the tissue away from her nose. ‘Or, if we’re testing your “looking for a long-term boyfriend” theory, maybe your pyjamas.’
‘Did you see they’re setting up some kind of Christmas-themed ice rink in the bar area?’
Keeley shook her head. Her body had been aching so much when she got back inside she hadn’t really seen anything.
‘Antonie was there and another guy who looks like a slightly chubbier version of him. They were both being all stiff and French and telling children not to touch anything.’
Keeley tried to stifle a yawn. She was tired. She hadn’t been sleeping that well lately and she had been taking out her frustrations with Lizzie’s overprotectiveness at the gym, maybe deliberately pushing things too hard.
‘Listen, Keels, you can tell me if there’s anything wrong, you know, with your health.’ Rach had leaned forward now, her sleeve dropping into the jam pot.
‘You said I wasn’t allowed to mention my kidney,’ Keeley reminded.
‘Out loud,’ Rach said. ‘In company. You know, as a meet-and-greet.’
Keeley smiled and picked up a delicious-looking egg sandwich from the silver platter. ‘I’m fine, honestly. Nothing to see here.’ Except a little part of her was wondering if there would be a map for hidden Paris waiting for her at reception later…
Seventeen
L’Hotel Paris Parfait, Opera District, Paris
It was morning. A cold frost had coated the streets of Paris overnight, but, despite the plummeting temperatures, a bright blue cloudless sky spelled wintry sunshine to come.
Ethan had skipped into the restaurant half an hour ago and was delighted to see the festiveness coming together in the flagship hotel. There were wreaths of blue and silver flowers hanging from every available space that wasn’t taken up by their traditional artwork, there were ornate posies of icy branches and royal blue pearls in small glass vases on every table and there was a decorated tree in reception, thankfully slightly smaller than the one he had removed to the Tour Eiffel hotel.
Sitting at a table for four, he took a sip of his black coffee almost giddy with excitement. He was back in control. Thanks to a penguin. Laughing quietly to himself, he replayed in his mind the video he had filmed of the chaos ensuing after Louis had found Pepe in his bedroom last night. He supposed some might think it juvenile to pay one of the maids to let the animal in, then capture Louis’s distress for Ethan’s personal viewing pleasure but… it felt good. Whatever scheme Louis and Silvie had cooked up between them with regard to the hotels, it would not hurt to have his nemesis feeling wrong-footed from the outset. And, Ethan would get to see just how out-of-sorts Louis was this morning, as Silvie had arranged this breakfast get-together.
‘Bonjour, Monsieur Bouchard.’
Ethan looked up from his croissant and coffee and smiled at Noel.
‘Bonjour, Noel. It is a beautiful day to be alive, non?’
Noel looked a little confused as if he was trying to decide if Ethan’s words were a sarcastic prelude to an official warning.
Ethan laughed. ‘What is wrong? This hotel is looking great! The Tour Eiffel hotel is looking great! The others all have plans to implement this week…’
‘You are too full of cheer,’ Noel admitted. ‘It makes me uneasy.’
‘Well, my friend,’ Ethan said, raising his coffee cup in the air, ‘perhaps it is something for you to get used to. I intend to fully embrace the season this year and that is to begin with smiles on the faces of all Perfect Paris employees. But, as with every good business, the management shall take the lead.’ Ethan cleared his throat, then, adjusting the lapels of his suit jacket, he smiled wide, holding it then elongating it until he felt like he was impersonating The Joker.
‘If you were not my boss, I would tell you that that was terrifying,’ Noel replied, deadpan.
‘You can tell me,’ Ethan said, taking a drink of his coffee. ‘I will take it only as a compliment.’ He watched Noel wrap another brightly coloured scarf around his neck and fasten his coat as if he was leaving. ‘What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?’
‘That is why I am here. To tell you I have been drawn away on other business this morning.’
Drawn away on other business? ‘What?’ Ethan asked. ‘Drawn away by who?’
‘Madame Durand. She has VIP guests staying at Tour Eiffel she wants me to take on a tour today.’
Ethan felt the first turn in his good humour. He was the manager. What his staff did – particularly his right-hand man – was down to him, not Silvie. And who were these VIP guests? Could it be someone they were bringing in to replace him. A hotel manager out of the family who would be only too willing to obey Louis’s orders? Ferne had never wanted the hotels to be without family management overseeing the core of the chain. Yet again, his best friend’s ethos was being challenged now she was out of the picture.
‘Was there something you needed me to do?’ Noel asked.
‘I wanted to go through the accounts with you.’ Ethan hadn’t exactly planned for that, but it would be a good idea to get Noel’s take on where they could be saving a little more or spending a little less.
‘Well, I told Madame Durand, quite politely, how much I had on my list of things to achieve today, but she was insistent that I do this instead. Very insistent, in fact,’ Noel elaborated.
The coffee on Ethan’s tongue felt completely bitter now. Again, it felt like he was being played.
‘I should go,’ Noel said. ‘You can call me if you require anything urgent, but I would prefer it if you did not. Sometimes I can completely lose my flow on a tour when that happens and if these guests are important to the hotel then…’