Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“Are you hungry, Evie?” Lottie asks as she steps into the room. “We can stroll down to this bistro that I absolutely love.”
Scrubbing a hand over my face to chase away my tears, I smile. “I’m famished.”
Her eyes linger on mine. “You love it here, don’t you?”
I glance over my shoulder for a final glimpse of the Eiffel Tower before I step off the balcony and back into the room. “This trip has been a dream come true for me. I don’t even know how I can begin to thank you.”
“You’ve thanked me at least twelve hundred times since we arrived.” She hurries toward me, reaching for my hand as she nears where I’m standing. “You’ve given me the greatest gift by agreeing to be my maid of honor. I’m the one who doesn’t know how to pay you back for that.”
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m a stranger’s maid of honor, although this trip has laid the foundation for what could be a strong friendship in the future.
As we walked past a centuries-old building that houses one of the best ballet academies in the world, I confessed to Lottie that I was accepted as a student there when I was only seventeen. I never attended, though, because a reckless decision stole that opportunity from me.
She held my hand while I stared at the school and thought about what might have been. As we walked away, I looked back for one last fleeting glance at what could have been the beginning of a different life for me.
Other than that brief moment, I’ve tried to keep my focus on the wedding. When Lottie was taking a bath on Friday night, I skimmed through a bridal magazine she’d left on the coffee table.
The maid of honor checklist I spotted inside of it made my head spin, so I asked her about it over breakfast on Saturday morning. She laughed and told me that she’s far from traditional, so she was swearing off bridal showers and bachelorette parties. To top it off, she didn’t want me to worry about preparing a speech for the wedding.
I breathed a sigh of relief because I was not prepared to take on any of that.
Squeezing Lottie’s hand, I sigh. “I need to thank you one last time for the trip, the dress, and all the delicious meals. I’d thank you for the gift of this view, but words just aren’t enough.”
She glances at the Eiffel Tower. “You can see it from the bistro, so let’s go eat. We have to head back to Manhattan tomorrow, but the fun won’t stop. Are you free on Thursday night to taste the best champagnes New York City has to offer?”
“As long as my boss doesn’t keep me late, I’ll be there.”
“Tell him to lighten up,” she suggests. “Or I can do it for you.”
Something tells me she wouldn’t hesitate to march down to the Vidori offices to give Mr. Hunt a piece of her mind. That’s the main reason why I’ve been sparse with the details about my job.
She’s been the same. I didn’t ask what she does for a living, but she made it clear that she’s devoting almost all of her time to the wedding right now, and after her honeymoon, she’ll throw herself into her career.
When I mentioned I work in finance, she just smiled and switched the conversation to possible floral arrangements for the dinner tables at the reception.
“Do I look presentable enough for the bistro?” I shift my hips from side to side.
She glances at my long red sundress. The color is similar to the crimson blouse she’s wearing. She chose black jeans and black boots to complete her look.
“You look like a million bucks.” Her smile chases away any doubt I had about my wardrobe choice. “I’m going to order a bottle of their best champagne so we can celebrate finding the perfect dresses for the wedding.”
I’m completely on board for that.
The breathtaking view of Paris’s main attraction and a glass of bubbly seems like the ideal way to close out the best weekend of my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Reid
Any curiosity I had about where Miss Starling was this past weekend has been buried under the unraveling deal we tentatively had in place with the Bogners.
They called Baden late last night to tell him they aren’t sure we have the same vision they do for the future of the bowling alleys.
Our vision is clear.
We’ll spruce them up by bringing the interior décor into this decade. We’ll reduce the hourly cost for walk-ins looking to bowl a game since the Bogners have raised their prices repeatedly over the last several years, chasing away families who saw the bowling alley as their Friday night escape from the pressure of work and school.
Adding better refreshment choices and an entire area devoted to video games will quickly increase revenue.