“I’m sure you make a wonderful scone, but these are gluten-free. I make them with my own flour mix. Try one.”
The innkeeper pinched a bite from the pastry on his plate. “Not bad,” she said, chewing slowly. “Not as good as mine, but not bad. Do you want to try some, Piper? Piper?”
“Huh?” Piper looked up from her coffee to find John and Mrs. Lester staring at her.
“Sorry,” Piper said. “I’m trying to concentrate, but my head doesn’t want to cooperate.” It was too busy thinking about a stubborn idiot who didn’t—no who couldn’t—love her.
“Still out of sorts, are ya?”
“Afraid so.” She was beginning to think she would be out of sorts forever. “Maybe I should have stayed in Paris.”
“And do what?” the older woman asked. “Finish at that snooty cooking school?”
“No. Chef Despelteau and I parted ways for good.” Quitting school was the one decision Piper didn’t regret. Frederic was right; Patience didn’t care whether she stayed enrolled or not. On her way out of Paris, Piper had texted her sister and asked that very question.
All I’ve ever cared about is you being happy, whatever you decide to do, her sister had texted back. Is everything okay?
Piper gave her one last lie and said everything was fine. This time it wasn’t to appease her sister, but to avoid feeling worse. Her sister and Stuart had repaired their relationship and were in a serious honeymoon phase. Piper was afraid hearing the happiness in her sister’s voice would cause her to break down.
“I don’t think it’s the school she’s missing,” John said.
“I keep thinking if I stayed in Paris, I might have been able to convince Frederic he was being a stubborn idiot.” She couldn’t believe how much she loved him after such a short time.
“People gotta work out their demons for themselves,” Mrs. Lester said. “You stickin’ around waiting on him won’t make the process go any faster.”
“True.” In a way, staying where she wasn’t wanted would be as bad as staying out of obligation.
Staying with Mrs. Lester might have been a mistake as well. Everywhere she looked she saw some kind of reminder of the weekend she spent with Frederic. Even the damn kitchen wasn’t safe. Nights were worse. She lay in bed reliving the ones they had shared.
“Why don’t you come stay with me?” John said when Mrs. Lester went to answer the front doorbell. “We could experiment with grain-free recipes.”
Piper smiled. “You are a very sweet man, Mr. Allen, but I think I’m better off staying here.” Perverse as it was.
“For the last time, call me John, and if you change your mind, the offer will always be there. It’s the least I can do for a fellow Ana lover.”
Just then, Mrs. Lester called from the front hallway. “Piper? Could you come here a minute, dear? I need you for something.”
“Coming, Mrs. Lester.”
She found the innkeeper standing at the base of the stairs waiting for her. The older woman had the oddest expression on her face. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“You tell me,” Mrs. Lester replied, nodding her head toward the entryway.
Piper gasped. “Frederic?”
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Was he really standing in Mrs. Lester’s doorway?
At the sound of her voice, he took off his sunglasses. Piper saw that his hand was trembling. He looked as bad as she felt, with circles turning his eyes dark and gloomy.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“You were right,” he said. “I was blind.”
“You were?” She had to ask to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. When she walked out of his house, she was certain she would never see Frederic again. Now he was here, and echoing the words she left behind... It was all too unreal.
Frederic stepped closer, stopping just short of her arms. “I thought the only way I could avoid being like my father was to shut myself off. If I didn’t need anyone, then I couldn’t drive them away. I didn’t see that...” He let out a breath. “I thought I was protecting you. Instead I was doing exactly what I swore I would never do. And that was drive the woman I love away.”
“Do you mean that?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mrs. Lester disappearing into the kitchen to give them privacy. It was just her, Frederic and the declaration he made.
“That I love you? More than I thought possible. And I was an idiot for pushing you away. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Piper. I never should have let you walk out the door. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I...” She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Could she forgive him? “You put me through hell,” she reminded him.
“I know, love. And I understand if you can’t forgive me. I took too long to come to my senses.” He lowered his head. “Perhaps if I hadn’t been so stubborn...”
“I can’t believe you came to England,” Piper said. She wasn’t quite ready to forgive him, but she also didn’t want him to leave.
“I would have gone twice as far. I had to come. I had to let you know that while I don’t deserve your forgiveness—not for one second—I... I need you.”
That was all she needed to hear. Before he could say another word, Piper was in his arms, lost to the warmth of his embrace.
“I missed you so much,” he whispered against her cheek. “My world was dark without you. Please, please tell me you forgive me.”
“I forgive you,” she whispered back. She had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep the tears back.
Frederic’s eyes were as wet as hers. “There’s a lot we have to work out. Being with a blind man isn’t going to be easy.”
“I know.”
“There might be days when the frustration gets to me, and I become a selfish boor.”
It wasn’t funny, but Piper had to laugh. “You mean more so than these past few days?”
“I only want to make you happy.”
“Then...” She took his hand. “Then be strong enough to let me help you. Don’t push me away.”
“Never again,” he said. “But you have to promise that if you are ever unhappy...”
“I will let you know, and we’ll work on a solution together.”
“I love you, Piper Rush, and I want...no, I need you by my side.” Cradling her face, he kissed her, a kiss so much like the one they shared at the abbey, and Piper gave up battling the tears.
“Please don’t cry, love,” he said, wiping at the dampness. “This is a happy time. Besides, I don’t have a handkerchief.”
“Maybe we can steal a paper towel from Mrs. Lester,” she said with a laugh. It felt good to feel light again after all these days. She sniffed back as many tears as she could. “And I am happy. More than you can imagine.”
* * *
Frederic looked wonderful in his tuxedo. He balked at renting one at first, but Piper insisted. If I’m wearing a gown, then you’re wearing a tuxedo, she told him. After all, the man was born to wear black tie. Especially for his wedding.
It wasn’t a real wedding ceremony. Two weeks was way too soon for any kind of official ceremony, especially when neither of them knew what the future held. Frederic had a lot of adjustment ahead of him. Preparing for a sightless future. And Piper needed to figure out what she wanted to do with her life now that she’d parted ways with French cooking. She and Mrs. Lester had talked about maybe opening a small bistro in Paris specializing in classic comfort food. There would be plenty of expatriates looking for a home-cooked meal.
One thing she was certain of, though, was that Frederic owned her heart and that, when the time came, she would be thrilled to make their commitment legal. In the meantime, she was more than happy with being his makeshift bride.
They “married” themselves in the field behind the a
bbey. Frederic’s idea. “I want to watch you walk down the aisle,” he said. “In case...” He didn’t need to finish his reason why.
Frederic held her hands in his. “I promise to never push you away again,” he said. “I will accept your help, and I will never let you lose yourself.”
“And I promise to never act out of obligation,” Piper replied. “Whatever happens in the future, we will face it together.”
She smiled a watery smile at the man she planned on loving forever. Funny how things worked out. She came to Paris with one dream and found another. One that was far better. As for the future...they would simply have to figure it out as they went along. Time was theirs to make what they wanted. So long as she and Frederic stood together, they would be fine. More than fine. She’d be happier than she’d ever imagined.
And to think it all started with Ana’s missing portrait.
“Oh, no!” The exclamation burst from her mouth, disrupting the moment and turning Frederic pale.
“What’s wrong, love?”
“I never called Patience. With everything going on between the two of us... It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve talked to her.” Her sister hadn’t called her, either, a point she would make if Patience complained. “She has no idea what’s going on.” She held out her hand. “Can I borrow your cell phone?”
“Married for two minutes, and already you are pushing me aside for your sister? I have not even kissed the bride.”
Piper kissed him long and slow, a promise of what was to come. When they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his. “That better?”
“Perfect.”
“Good. Give me your phone.” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Patience! Did I wake you? I’ve got good news and I’ve got more good news. The good news is we found Ana’s portrait and the owner’s willing to talk to Stuart about selling.” Legs bouncing, she waited impatiently for her sister to relay the news. Frederic laughed and kissed her forehead.
Finally, Patience’s voice came back on the line. “You said there’s more good news. What is it?”
“I got married!” she exclaimed.
And, holding her husband’s hand, she filled her sister in on her happy ending.
Christmas Day
Ana knew something was up from all the looks Patience and her nephew exchanged during Christmas dinner. Of course, she assumed they planned to announce their engagement, so when Stuart asked her to close her eyes, she was confused.
“Why do I have to close my eyes?” she asked him. “We’ve already opened the gifts.”
Stuart gave her one of his annoying smirks, the one he reserved for when he had a secret. “Maybe not. Maybe there’s a surprise present.”
Goodness, how could there be more gifts? You could barely move around the room as it was, what with the tree and all the presents.
A slender arm wrapped around her shoulders. It was Patience, her nephew’s partner in crime. “Please, Ana. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
“Oh, all right.” She couldn’t say no to that girl if she tried.
Although she should have pointed out that no matter what the surprise, she couldn’t possibly be disappointed. Certainly not after such a wonderful Christmas celebration. In addition to Patience and Stuart, Patience’s sister was visiting from France along with her boyfriend. Boyfriend, Ana chuckled. Frederic was no boy. Her Nigel would have said sa grande passion, the way the two of them lit up whenever the other entered the room. But then, he would use the same phrase for Stuart and Patience as well.
How wonderful it had been to spend the day surrounded by love. To see the people she loved in love. It thrilled her to know that while she had lost her chance, others had not. She ran her hand over the cat nestled in her lap. Sweet Nigel. He’d be thrilled, too. He used to say it was love that gave his art life. For a man who claimed to be a rebel, he was a hopeless romantic.
“Okay, babushka. Open your eyes.”
No... It couldn’t... Ana’s heart leaped to her throat. “How...?” Her legs were shaking so hard, she was afraid they wouldn’t hold her.
Patience was at her elbow, supporting her. “Piper and Frederic tracked her down in England,” she said.
“Turns out a man named Gaspard Theroux held out on Grandpa Theodore,” Stuart told her. “He never told him that he owned one of Nigel’s works.”
“Dear sweet Gaspard. He believed in Nigel’s talent before anyone else.” She ran her trembling fingers across her younger self, along the brushstrokes she remembered so well. Nigel painted with such vitality, such passion. “He was so proud of this work.”
Time turned backward, and she was in Paris, stretched across the velvet settee. “Don’t move, mon amour. The light on your skin is perfect. I want the whole world to see you the way I do.”
She would have lain in place forever if that’s what he needed.
A tear ran down her cheek. “Please don’t cry,” Patience said.
The dear girl didn’t understand. These were happy tears. Nigel’s work survived. In spite of all Theodore’s efforts to erase it, proof of their love lived on.
Leaving the tears to fall, she turned to Piper and Frederic. “Thank you.”
“No,” Piper said. “Thank you. If not for your painting, Frederic and I would still be...”
“The two loneliest people in Paris,” Frederic supplied, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Your Nigel brought us together.”
He would have been so glad to know that. Ana turned back to the portrait. The years hadn’t diminished its strength. She could still feel the emotion in every stroke. I miss you so much, my darling.
“We’ll be together soon enough, mon amour.”
In the meantime, she would celebrate. She would bask in the love shared by the young people around her, and give thanks for the happy endings she knew would be theirs.
With Nigel close by. “This moment calls for a celebration,” she said. “Lapushka, go get some champagne from the wine cellar. And you, my furry rascal...” Reaching down, she scooped up the cat she’d unceremoniously dumped when she stood up. “Let us toast to your namesake. And to happy endings.”
It was exactly what Nigel would have wanted.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from NEWBORN ON HER DOORSTEP by Ellie Darkins.
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Newborn on Her Doorstep
by Ellie Darkins
CHAPTER ONE
LILY TUCKED HER pencil behind her ear as she headed for the door. She almost had this website design finished, with a whole day to go before the client’s deadline. She was privately amazed that she’d managed to get the thing done on time, given the chaos in her house. Even now she could hear chisels and hammers and God knew what else in her kitchen, as the builders ripped out the old units ready for work on the extension to start.
The ring of the doorbell had been welcome, actually. When she’d glanced at her watch she’d realised that she’d not taken a break since settling down in her home office at six. She was overdue a cup of coffee—and no doubt the builders would appreciate one, too.
A glance through the hallway window afforded a glimpse of a taxi heading up the road, but she couldn’t see anyone waiting behind the frosted glass of the front door. Strange... she thought as she turned the key and pulled the door open.
No one there.
Kids? she wondered, but she’d lived in this house almost all of her life, and she couldn’t remember a single case of knock-door-run.
She was just about to shut the door and head back inside when a kitten-like mewl caught her attention and she glanced down.
Not a kitten.
A Moses basket was tucked into the corner of the porch, out of the spring breeze. Wrapped tight inside, with just eyes and the tip of a soft pink nose showing from the yellow blanket... A baby.
Lily dropped to her knees out of instinct, and scooped the baby up from the floor, nestling her against her shoulder. Making sure the blanket was tucked tight, she walked down to the front gate, looking left and right for any sign of someone who might have just left a baby on her doorstep.
Nothing.
She moved the baby into the crook of her arm as she tried to think, her brain struggling to catch up with this sudden appearance. And as she moved the baby she heard a papery crackle. When she pulled the corner of the blanket aside she found a scribbled note on a page torn from a notebook. The writing was as familiar as her own, and unmistakable.
Please look after her.
Which left all the questions she already had unanswered and asked a million more.
She walked again to the gate, wondering if she could still catch sight of that taxi—if she had time to run and stop her half-sister before she did something irreversible. But as much as she strained her eyes, the car was gone.
She stood paralysed with shock for a moment on the front path, unsure whether to run for help or to take the baby inside. What sort of trouble would her half-sister have to be in to do this? Was she leaving her here forever? Or was she going to turn up in a few minutes and explain?
Beauty & Her Billionaire Boss Page 15
