Lattes & Lace

by Annora Green

  “Thank you. I’m pleased about it,” Sophia said, and as she said so, she realized she really was.

  Elle nodded. “Well, my offer still stands, I’d be glad to do anything to help before I leave the store.”

  Sophia nodded. “I respect your decision, but are you sure you don’t want to stay on, even part time? I would feel better leaving knowing that the boutique is in good hands while I’m overseas.”

  Elle took a breath, clearly considering that. “I will think about it. But I don’t believe I’ll want to work in any significant capacity. Maybe very part time.”

  Sophia nodded. “I hope we can work something out. At the very least, I would like you to supervise the transition for the first few months I’m away.”

  Elle nodded. “I would be glad to. We should discuss this... but maybe not now. I should get back downstairs to work. I left Joe from shipping in charge of the store.”

  “Of course. And like I said... I’ll let everyone else know tomorrow,” Sophia said.

  “Is there anything else?” she asked Sophia, standing up.

  Sophia took a deep breath and forced a smile. “No. No, that’s all.”

  Elle nodded.

  “Congratulations again, Sophia,” she said, walking out of the office.

  “You too,” Sophia said quietly as she walked out, a wistful smile crossing her lips.

  As Elle clicked the door shut behind her, Sophia was embarrassed to discover that tears were brimming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

  ¨°¨

  Despite her unexpectedly emotional response during her meeting with Elle, the decision about whether or not she wanted to pursue this opportunity was, in the end, still clear to Sophia. Her real challenge was still telling Ari, breaking the news to the woman that the beautiful, safe little world they had managed to make together in recent months would soon be something of the past.

  She texted Ari, asking her to dinner that night, and Ari enthusiastically accepted.

  ¨°¨

  “You...want to go,” Ari said slowly, realization dawning on her face.

  They were at dinner.

  Sophia had taken her to one of their favorite places to tell her. It was a beachfront restaurant, about a thirty minute or so drive out of town, along the coast, located in a sleepy, coastal town.

  The restaurant was not busy, although there was live music - a type of jazz - and tonight there was a special on one of Ari’s favorite foods, an appetizer called beachy keen cheese poppers, little puffs of cheesy, garlicky goodness that were shaped like sand dollars.

  But the cheese poppers had been largely ignored once Sophia started telling Ari her news.

  And as Ari sat across from her, her blue eyes studying Sophia, reading her, oscillating from happy and excited and congratulatory to heartbroken and torn and sad - all of the emotions hitting her at once as Sophia explained the conditions of the offer - Sophia felt the pang of sadness and guilt and hurt hit her, too. The very reason she had never wanted to get into a relationship - those conflicting feelings she had felt in her early days with Ari, having drinks with her and stating that they could never be more than friends - all of her reasons for not wanting to get into a relationship suddenly felt perfectly justified again, because here she was, sitting with Ari and feeling absolutely ashamed that she was making another human being feel so poorly.

  She was feeling quite poorly herself.

  “You got the offer, and you want to take it,” Ari repeated, knowing the end of the story before Sophia had finished.

  Sophia looked at her nervously. “I really do.”

  Ari nodded, her eyes narrowed and forehead crinkled in concentration.

  “Any reason you didn’t tell me sooner?” There it was, that edge, that bitterness that Sophia so dreaded hearing coming from her, as deserved as it was.

  “I only got the offer mid-week last week. I had to take a few days to think about it, plan things out, and decide. I didn’t want to leave you in the dark for too long,” Sophia said, looking at her hands in her lap, nervously playing with her bracelet. “I knew I had to tell you by today.”

  Ari nodded, relaxing slightly, though her brow was still furrowed in concentration.

  “Well, you should take it.”

  Sophia looked up at her, slightly startled by her sudden and straightforward assessment of the situation.

  Ari smiled, slightly sad, but yet a smile that was filled with genuine warmth.

  “You’ve clearly worked hard, built a wonderful career. Now it’s time to go where you are meant to go after all of this hard work.”

  “I never wanted it to end like this. To do this to you,” Sophia said. “I tried not to fall for you. Because I knew in the end, it would be...”

  Ari reached across the table and took both of her hands in her own.

  “I know. And you warned me not to get involved with you, and I went against your warning anyway,” Ari said, smiling. “You said to me that this was an impossible game. But I chose to play anyways.”

  “And I’m glad you ignored me,” Sophia said, half-laughing, half-teary eyed. “I really am. These months have been some of my happiest.”

  “But ultimately, life is more than just the two of us,” Ari continued. “You should do what’s best for every aspect of your life. This is for Percy, too. It sounds like this will give you a more normal job, more time to spend with him.”

  Sophia nodded, clenching her jaw. “I’ve thought everything through. They didn’t give me much time to decide, but I really did think about every aspect.”

  “I know you did,” Ari said. “And I don’t want you to stay here on my account. I think you might regret that. And eventually, you would resent me for holding you back.”

  “I don’t want that, either,” Sophia admitted. “But I didn’t know how you’d react to all of this. I’m so sorry, Ari. If I were you, I’d hate me right now. You have every right to be mad at me. I have treated you... in a way you don’t deserve.”

  Ari shook her head. “No. This is bigger than just the two of us. This is life.”

  “It’s a futile game, isn’t it? Trying to mesh two human adult lives together in a way that makes sense for both,” Sophia said.

  “Well. There’s no sense in dwelling on the situation.” Ari’s eyes locked onto hers. “I don’t want you to go, if that’s what you want to hear. That’s the truth. But I also want you to be happy. In the end, that’s what counts... for us to both be happy.”

  Sophia took a deep breath. “Like I said, these past few months have been some of the happiest of my life. Truly.”

  Ari smiled. “I’ve been happy, too. And I’ve learned a lot from you, by the way.”

  Sophia laughed. “Please. I’m the one who owes you everything.”

  Ari shook her head. “I know how to balance my books now, I have a slightly better idea of which wines go with what food, I have a vague sense of why people would spend a month’s salary on a designer bag, and I’ve gone back to making art. And displaying it in The Little Cafe. And even making a bit of pocket money from it.”

  “You hung some of it up?” Sophia asked, realizing she hadn’t been into the cafe in about a week.

  Ari nodded proudly. “Even got an offer on a painting yesterday, and a decently favorable write-up by some local art blogger.”

  Sophia smiled. “That’s great.”

  They were silent for a moment, the jazz music in the restaurant ending after a song, a few tables clapping politely.

  “I suppose we’ve both learned a thing or two this year?” Ari asked quietly.

  “That we have,” Sophia said, smiling back and squeezing her hand.

  “Any chance you’ll be opening a Paris The Little Cafe any time soon?” Sophia asked a little while later.

  Ari laughed. “Probably not. But maybe it’s time I look into finally getting a passport.”

  14. Fallen

  Ten Months Later

  “I thought I was just going to hang out
with you after work, not actually go with you to all of your fancy events,” Ari said to Sophia over breakfast one morning.

  Sophia had met Ari at her hotel and had just informed her of their plans to attend an event that night.

  After arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport two days ago, and being picked up in a driver that Sophia had sent for her - not a taxi, not some sort of app car share service, but a bona fide, suit-wearing, luxury towncar-driving driver - Ari had spent her first 48 hours wandering Paris while Sophia was at work, walking around, going to museums, sketching, and taking pictures of the buildings, scenery and the river, observing the people.

  “It’s no pressure, trust me,” Sophia said. “I just want you there.”

  She seemed stressed nonetheless.

  “I’ll be there,” Ari said.

  “Good. Can you be ready at about 7:15? I should pick you up in the lobby here soon after 7. The dress code is fairly dressy.”

  “Dressy?”

  “Nearly black-tie, I’d say,” Sophia said.

  “Um, sure.”

  Sophia waved Ari goodbye in the lobby after they ate, leaving her in a cloud of perfume. A few moments later, Ari stepped outside and called Rachel.

  “How’s the city of loooove going?” Rachel asked.

  Ari could hear music in the background.

  “Don’t say it like that,” Ari said.

  “Say it like what? Luuuuuhhhrve,” Rachel said, emphasizing it even more.

  “We’re just friends at this point,” Ari said, rolling her eyes impatiently. “Look, Rachel, I need help. I have kind of a fashion emergency. Sophia’s asked me to go with her to some work thing - industry thing, I assume - and I have no idea what to wear. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even bring anything dressy enough.”

  “What’s the event? What’s the dress code?” Rachel asked, growing serious.

  “Sophia just said it’s cocktails and dinner and ‘fairly dressy.’ Nearly black tie, whatever that means,” Ari said, stopping near the river and sitting down on a bench facing the water. A group of American students walked past her, speaking loudly in English.

  “Hmm. Okay, I think my cousin might be able to help. He’s got some friends at a big department store there. Lemme text him, tell him you need something to wear to some fancy Paris event...”

  “Should you really be bothering him for this?” Ari asked.

  “Trust me, he lives and breathes for fashion emergencies like this. Texting him now. Hopefully he can reply right away, but you never know with him. It could be now, it could be in two weeks.”

  Ari squeezed her eyes shut and crossed her fingers.

  Rachel paused for a minute, then spoke.

  “So while we wait for his reply, how are you lovebirds doing on the Continent? What’s it like following her around to all of those glamorous places?” Rachel asked.

  “It’s different,” admitted Ari. “You know me. I’m not really this fancy. Her apartment is like something out of a magazine, and she put me up at this insane hotel, it’s like something from another era, but every day she works longer hours than she did back home.”

  “Really? I thought she moved there because it would give her more family time with Percy,” Rachel started, but she was interrupted by the faint ding of a text coming in.

  “Oh! It’s my cousin,” Rachel said. “Okay, he’s got instructions for you. Go to Maison de la Tour - it’s on Rue du Commerce, it’s a small department store. You should be able to hop on the metro and get there. Ask for a guy named Dominic Aubin. He’ll be able to fix you up with something. And he’ll be expecting you.”

  “That was fast,” Ari said, beelining towards the nearby Metro sign. “I’m on my way. I feel like I majorly owe your cousin. What should I do? How do I pay him?”

  “Just give me your eternal gratitude, and a Saturday off when you get home, and as for my cousin, if anyone asks you what you’re wearing, just drop his name and say he is your stylist or something. And post a picture of your outfit and tag him on all of your social media. Something like that. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Thanks. You two are kind of like my fairy godmothers right now.”

  “Get moving, lady. Let me know how it goes tonight.”

  ¨°¨

  Ari couldn’t help but feel a bit like royalty.

  From box store bargain bin to couture, she thought to herself, stepping into a private dressing room at a department store that had a stained glass dome ceiling and looked more like a place of worship than a place of commerce.

  Rachel’s cousin’s friend, Dominic, greeted her at the store with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Welcome,” he said to her warmly.

  “Thanks,” was all she could say before a rack full of clothes was whisked over to her.

  “What you think of Paris? You have been before?” The man asked in a thick French accent.

  She shook her head. “This is my first time here.”

  “Well, this is the most beautiful city in the world, and you are standing in the most beautiful store in the world,” he said, holding up a dress and stepping back to analyze his selection.

  She nodded in agreement, and could only watch in awe as he set to work, pulling pieces for her to try on.

  Ari obediently tried a few dresses, skirts, and shirts. They were handed to her so quickly she could not even stop and think about the choices; she was just ushered over to change behind an antique screen. After a few tries and quick peeks at the outfits in the mirror, she (or rather, Dominic), settled on a pair of slim fitting leather pants.

  “I much prefer this to a dress,” she said.

  “It’s chic with a little edge,” he said approvingly, studying her, stepping back, making her turn around, studying her some more.

  He gave her a top, a soft red blouse with lace at the hem, and lent her some accessories.

  “I’m not really the jewelry type,” she said hesitantly as a box of sparkly pieces were pushed under her nose.

  “Everyone is a jewelry type,” he countered, holding up a simple, but pretty, pair of gold earrings and a gold cuff bracelet with a light blue stone set in the middle.

  She tentatively reached out to take them.

  “I suppose I could try these on,” she said, admitting to herself that they were actually not too bad, as far as jewelry went.

  Dominic smiled as she put them on.

  “See?” He said as she admired them in the mirror.

  Dominic capped off their little Pygmalion re-enactment by presenting her with what he called “the most important part of any outfit,” brandishing a pair of French designer heels with their trademark red soles under her nose and instructing her to try them on.

  “They are perfect with your outfit,” he said.

  She slipped them on obediently.

  “There. A masterpiece,” he said, smiling, admiring his work. “How do you feel?”

  “Actually...” she glanced over at her reflection in one of the mirrors. “I feel good. I thought I was going to be uncomfortable, but this all actually feels like me.”

  “It is most important to me for the client to feel good and like herself. You won’t look good on the outside unless you feel good on the inside.”

  “I like how you think,” she said, smiling.

  Dominic gave her two kisses this time, one on each cheek, and apologized, saying he had to run to another appointment.

  “Their mouths will all be on the floor tonight!” He said to her as he breezed out the door, waving goodbye.

  She laughed.

  “I think he meant ‘jaws,’” she said to the redheaded woman who had been helping with the clothes, and now presented her with a piece of paper for her to sign. “Their jaws will be on the floor.”

  “Maybe he meant they would be kissing the ground you walk on?” The woman laughed, speaking in an Irish accent. “He does believe everyone should worship that very pair of shoes, after all.”

  The outfit was on loan, and they were go
ing to send someone to collect everything from her the next day at her hotel, the woman from the store went on to explain.

  “Fine by me,” Ari said, signing the paper. “Not a lot of places I can wear all of this to back home.”

  The loan thing was also good because the designer leather pants and blouse were just a little out of her budget. And by “little,” she was pretty sure they were worth more than her car. And possibly all of The Little Cafe.

  Before she left the store, she was ushered to a cosmetics department, where a French woman who looked like she had walked straight off of the set of every stereotypical French movie - she had a sleek black bob, a colorful silk scarf tied around her elegant long neck, and a black shirt - applied a light layer of makeup as Ari sat still in front of a brightly lit mirror.

  And so, at exactly 7 on the dot, Ari was polished and primed for her big Parisian business outing with Sophia.

  When Sophia knocked at her hotel room right on time, Ari opened the door to her room and Sophia looked at Ari, slightly stunned, her mouth falling open (though not, as Dominic had predicted, quite all the way to the floor).

  “Wow. I’ve never... you look amazing.”

  Ari grinned. “Hey, you can’t always have the monopoly on fashion, you know.”

  “You’re beautiful,” Sophia said, her eyes still wide, stepping into the room and setting down her leather laptop bag and her purse near the door. “I mean, you’re always beautiful, but you look particularly amazing. How...?”

  Ari shrugged. “Rachel, and her amazing connections. What can I say. Other than I can’t spill anything on this outfit tonight, because it’s on loan and I’d have to mortgage my house in order to pay them back if I do.”

  “Well,” Sophia said, taking a step towards Sophia, her eyes glimmering with just a hint of mischief, “Perhaps we should take everything off, then, just to make sure you won’t spill anything.”

  Ari laughed as she drew Sophia drew close to her.

  Sophia ran her hands lightly down Ari’s sides, her fingertips grazing her hips, her smile tentative.

  That was how it had been for the past 48 hours.

  They’d fallen back into old patterns, as though they’d never been apart. Flirting, touching, tension in the air between them.