Pardon My French Read online

  When they reached their destination and emerged blinking against the afternoon sunlight, Nicole’s eyes turned immediately to the twin towers of the Gothic cathedral soaring toward the blue autumn sky. “Notre Dame. This was one of the places on my list to take Nate,” she said. “I figured it’s something he knows about, so he would probably think it was cool to see it in person, you know?”

  Luc nodded. “It is a beautiful building. Much history.” He laughed. “And then of course there are the gargoyles....”

  “What’s so funny about gargoyles?” Nicole asked distractedly, still lost in her own thoughts.

  “When I was a small child, we had a—erm, what do you call it? School trip? In any case, we came here to visit as a class,” he said. “When we went up to the bell tower, I went sneaking away from the group. I then sat crouched upon a bare spot pretending to be a gargoyle. When my teacher returned, very angry for my desertion, and tried to make me come with him, I did not move. After all, I was made of stone. How could I go with him as he asked?” He grinned. “Eventually the teacher had to lift and carry me back to the bus himself. He was very angry—all those steps....”

  Nicole couldn’t help laughing despite her mood. “That’s cute,” she said. “Did you get in trouble?”

  “Not exactly.” Luc shrugged. “My parents, they heard all about it from the teacher, of course. I think they found it funny. But to punish me, they made me play gargoyle on the front steps of our building. I squatted there for two hours, until my legs fell asleep.” He grinned at her as she laughed again at the image. “See? Does not your heart feel better when you smile?”

  Nicole’s expression immediately reverted. “Give me a break,” she muttered.

  “Aha!” Luc cried. “That frown—it is exactly the one I wore upon my gargoyle face!”

  He imitated her scowl, which made her smile again in spite of her problems. “Okay, okay,” she said. “Very funny.”

  They wandered around through the gardens surrounding the cathedral for a while, not talking much. Just being there, with the chilly, fresh breeze blowing in off the Seine and the multilingual chatter of tourists all around her, made Nicole’s problems seem a little smaller. She still felt a pang every time she thought of Nate. Was he hanging out with that bleached-blond little toad, Sherri Michaels? The very thought made her skin crawl.

  But she also found herself distracted by Luc—and by Paris itself. There was a certain energy that always seemed

  to spark throughout the city like an electrical current. Sometimes Nicole found that energy exhausting. But that day, she was grateful for its demands.

  The two of them climbed the hundreds of steps to the bell tower. By some chance there was nobody else up there except an employee, making the place feel a little like a private oasis in the busy city. As Luc looked out at the view, Nicole found herself staring at one of the gargoyles in particular, a grim-looking, hunched-over little fellow.

  “You know, when you first look at that guy, he’s totally weird and ugly. But in a way he’s actually kind of beautiful, too, isn’t he?” she mused.

  “Many things are like that, I think.” Luc walked over and stood beside her, close enough that their sleeves brushed. “If one keeps one’s eyes open, it is possible to see things in many different ways.”

  She glanced over at him with a smile. “Now you’re talking like my Artist’s Eye teacher.”

  He held her gaze. “Oh? Is that a compliment or an insult?”

  Before she could answer, a group of tourists burst out of the stairwell, chattering away in what sounded like German. They swarmed through the tower, snapping pictures and consulting tour books as a harried-looking tour guide attempted to get their attention for a lecture.

  Luc grabbed Nicole by the hand. “I think that is our cue to leave, eh?”

  Nicole nodded and allowed him to lead her toward the stairs. They paused at the top, allowing a couple of stragglers from the tourist group to climb the last few steps, and Nicole closed her eyes for a moment, pretending that the hand she was holding belonged to Nate.

  But it didn’t work. She opened her eyes, pulled her hand away, and started down the steps.

  “Come on,” she called to Luc, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to fall. “I think I need a cup of coffee.”

  so whats new w/u? write back soon,

  luv,

  annie

  Nicole sighed and deleted Zara’s e-mail without bothering to respond. She clicked save on Annie’s, even though she wasn’t really in the mood to hear more chirpy news about her friend’s latest admirer. Almost a week had passed since Nate had dumped her, and Nicole was getting annoyed by the way none of her friends even seemed to remember that it had happened. Sure, they had all been sympathetic at first. But after a few e-mails, it was clear that Zara had started to consider the matter old news. Aside from Patrice, Nicole’s friends had barely mentioned Nate since then.

  It’s not them I should be mad at, she reminded herself, staring moodily at the computer screen and kicking at the leg of the tiny desk in her bedroom. Nate’s the one who did this to me, not them. He’s the one who’s still being a coward and avoiding my calls, not answering my e-mails....

  Still, she couldn’t help letting a little of her annoyance spill over onto her friends. What gave Zara the right to make fun of her for learning French? “She’s the one who practically flunked out of Spanish last year,” Nicole muttered under her breath, brooding over her friend’s e-mail. “If it wasn’t for me helping her write that essay...”

  Nicole sighed. She needed to stop letting Zara get to her. Her friend didn’t know everything about everything even if she liked to pretend she did.

  It was a thought that never would have crossed her mind three months earlier. Back then Zara had been the most worldly person she knew. But now...

  She shook off the thought, reminding herself that it didn’t really matter. When she got home she could share what she’d seen and learned in Paris with her friends—maybe help to open their minds a little bit.

  But first, she had to get through this crisis. And apparently she was going to have to do it without her best friends. It was a depressing thought, and she decided it was time to distract herself from thinking about it.

  Clicking off her computer, she glanced at the school bag she’d slung over the bed frame. She had vocabulary lists to memorize for French class, problem sets to do for calculus, and she really needed to write in her class journal before she forgot everything she’d seen on the latest Artist’s Eye field trip to the Catacombs.

  But she wasn’t in the mood for homework at the moment. Somehow, reading her friends’ messages had left her feeling more restless and unsettled than ever. She wandered out of her room, wondering if it would be rude to drop in at Marie’s apartment for a chat so close to dinnertime. Or maybe she should just go for a brisk walk through the neighborhood....

  She was still trying to make up her mind as she stepped into the front hall just in time to see Luc pulling on his leather jacket. His book bag was at his feet and Nicole could hear the sound of the Smith kids chattering at their mother in the kitchen nearby.

  “Oh! Are you leaving?” Nicole asked Luc.

  He reached back to straighten his collar. “Oui,” he said. “I was just thinking of going for some dinner. Would you like to join me? It is my treat, of course.”

  Nicole only hesitated for a second. “Sure,” she said. “That sounds cool.”

  Luc looked surprised but pleased. “Bon...génial—that would be very cool. Shall we go, then?”

  Nicole was already wondering if she was being an idiot. What would Nate think if he knew she was going out on a dinner date with another guy?

  She shoved the guilty thought aside. Why would he care? He’d broken up with her, after all.

  Besides, it wasn’t really a date—despite Luc’s offer, she would make sure to pay for her own meal just so that remained perfectly clear. She and Luc were friends, not
hing more, and she planned to make sure things stayed that way. This was no different than going out for pizza with Patrice back home.

  That settled it. Not only was she going to go, she was going to do her best to forget all about Nate for a little while and have a good time. She needed the break.

  “Okay,” she told Luc. “Just hold up while I tell Mrs. S where I’m going....”

  A few minutes later they were heading for the métro station. “I know we could eat here in the neighborhood, but I want you to try my very favorite bistro in Paris,” Luc told Nicole as they walked. “It is rather close to your school, I believe. If you like it, you can go there with your class friends, d’accord?”

  “Sounds good,” Nicole said. “I need to find some new places to eat over there. The crêpe guy is starting to look at me funny ’cause I’m there so much.”

  When they reached the restaurant in question, Nicole had to admit that it was charming. The place was small and cozy, with burnished dark wood and gleaming brass everywhere. Several of the people working there seemed to recognize Luc, including a couple of pretty young waitresses.

  “My, my,” Nicole teased in a whisper as they took a seat at a table near the window. “You certainly seem to know all the hot chicks in Paris.”

  “You mean those girls?” Luc shot the closest waitress a disinterested glance. “What need have I of looking at other girls? I have the prettiest girl in Paris sitting across from me already.”

  Caught by surprise at the compliment, Nicole blushed. She was searching her mind for a witty comeback when she heard someone call her name. She looked over her shoulder and saw Annike waving from a nearby table.

  “Hey, there’s my friend Annike,” Nicole told Luc. She saw that Annike was sitting with one of the Australian girls from their Artist’s Eye class, the dark-haired, birdlike Janet. “Oh! And Janet, too. Let’s go over and say hi.”

  “Isn’t it funny to see you here?” Annike called with a smile when Nicole approached her table. “Janet and I looked for you after class to see if you wanted to come with us. But you were already gone. Perhaps you read our minds!”

  Janet giggled and nodded. She and Annike were both casting curious looks at Luc, who was right behind Nicole.

  Nicole glanced back at him. “Oh, this is Luc,” she said, suddenly feeling awkward, as if she’d been caught in some kind of clandestine affair. “He’s my host family’s nanny. Um, and my friend,” she added.

  Annike and Janet introduced themselves. “Why don’t you two join us?” Janet suggested brightly. “We haven’t even ordered yet—everything on the menu sounds so good we can’t make up our minds!”

  “Oh, if nothing else, you must try the pommes frites,” Luc said. “They are easily the best in Paris.”

  Soon they were all sitting at a larger table in the corner. As Nicole unfolded her napkin she cast a sidelong glance at Luc, who had ended up sitting across from Annike.

  Annike laughed at something Luc had said. Luc smiled back at her. She was looking particularly lovely that evening—her blond hair was slightly windblown and the aqua-colored sweater she was wearing set off her clear blue eyes. Her long, slim legs were equally flattered by her short black skirt.

  Story of my life, Nicole told herself ruefully. Now Luc would surely turn all of his attention to Annike. Even Nate, if he were here, would be doing the same thing—checking out Annike’s legs while pretending he wasn’t.

  But to her surprise, that didn’t really happen. While it was clear enough that Luc admired the Swedish girl’s beauty, he spent as much time talking to the much plainer Janet as he did to Annike. And whenever he caught Nicole’s eye, he seemed to have a special smile or a wink just for her.

  The four of them barely stopped talking long enough to eat the delicious food that Luc ordered for them. They discussed the girls’ classes, Luc’s college courses, travel, politics, sports, music, and just about every other topic under the sun. Normally, Nicole wouldn’t have felt comfortable contributing much to the conversation, but for some reason her shyness seemed to have disappeared. She spoke up eagerly, arguing playfully with Annike over which of them was the worse French cook in their culinary-arts class and discussing France, fashion, and philosophy with Janet and Luc.

  Even after they’d eaten every scrap of food on their plates, they sat there for a long time over cooling cups of coffee. Finally, though, Janet glanced at her watch.

  “Sorry to shoot through so early,” she said reluctantly. “If I don’t rack off soon, my host family will likely call out a search party.”

  As she started to stand up Luc jumped to his feet and pulled out her chair. “À la prochaine—until we meet again,” he said. “I always assumed that Nicole would have charming friends. Now I know it is true.”

  Blushing slightly, Janet grinned. “Too right, mate!”

  “I should go, too.” Annike took one last sip of coffee. “I have heaps of homework to do tonight.”

  “Ugh! Don’t remind me.” Nicole groaned. “Oh well, even if I’m up till morning doing it, this was fun.”

  “Definitely! You should bring Luc along more often.” Annike smiled at him. “Au revoir, guys. Nicole, see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye.” Nicole watched them go, then glanced at Luc. “We should probably hit the road, too. It’s getting kind of late.”

  Luc sighed. “I suppose you are right,” he said. “But maybe we have time for just a short walk first? To help us digest.”

  Nicole knew she should say no. It really was getting late—at least if she wanted to get even half her homework done. But she wasn’t quite ready for the pleasant evening to end yet.

  “Well...okay,” she said, relenting. “Maybe a short walk isn’t such a bad idea.”

  They strolled along the street side by side, hands buried in their jacket pockets against the chilly night air. There was no moon, which meant the only light came from the buildings around them and the tall streetlights, which cast their pale yellow glow upon the sidewalk and divided the whole scene into light and shadow.

  “So how did you like the girls?” Nicole asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them since leaving the restaurant.

  “They are both very nice,” Luc replied. “Very intelligent, too. You have good taste in friends.”

  Nicole smiled at the compliment. “So,” she added casually, “Annike is awfully beautiful, isn’t she?”

  Luc glanced over at her. They happened to be in a shadow between streetlights at the moment, so his expression was difficult to read. “Of course,” he said. “Qui se ressemble s’assemble.”

  Nicole pursed her lips. “What does that mean?”

  They stepped into the next puddle of light, and Luc stopped and turned to face her. “Ah, your French is so much improved lately, I forget you do not speak it as a native.”

  Nicole blushed. “Thanks. So what does it mean?”

  “It is a French proverb. It says in English, erm, ‘Those who resemble, assemble.’ I think another way you might say it is ‘Birds of a feather, they will flock together.’”

  “Oh!” She knew he was exaggerating a little—nobody with two functional eyes would ever say she was as beautiful as Annike. Still, it was nice to be flattered.

  A sudden flash of anger washed over her. Nate might throw around the occasional “beautiful” or “hot stuff” or whatever, but how often did he actually pay her a sincere compliment, one he had to think about a little?

  Not very often lately, she realized. Not for a long time, come to think of it.

  “Come,” Luc said over his shoulder, moving down the sidewalk. “I want to show you something. It’s just ahead.”

  Nicole hurried after him, still brooding over Nate’s behavior. She was so deep in thought that she almost bumped into Luc—he had stopped rather abruptly at the next corner.

  “Look,” he said softly, pointing over and up.

  Nicole followed his gaze. There, rising in the air, so close it seemed alm
ost larger than life, was the angular metal skeleton of the Eiffel Tower. White lights picked out its every curve and strut, making it stand out against the dark sky.

  “Oh!” she gasped in surprise. “It’s—it’s beautiful!”

  She had seen the Eiffel Tower many times, of course—it was difficult to go anywhere in the center of Paris without coming upon yet another view of it. But from this angle it looked like a whole new structure, looming and strangely mysterious, almost alive.

  Becoming aware that Luc was watching her rather than the Tower, she turned and met his gaze.

  He smiled. “I thought you would appreciate it,” he said. “You, I think, have the ability to see what is special, what is important.”

  His face moved closer. Nicole stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the guileless, undemanding appreciation she saw there. So different from the way Nate looked at her most of the time.

  She did nothing to stop Luc as he bent down and kissed her. His lips felt soft and warm against her own, and she let her eyes fall shut as she pressed against him.

  Nicole was still shaking a little as she let herself into her room forty minutes later. She flopped on her bed and stared up at the ceiling with no thought for the homework that still awaited her.

  “Idiot,” she hissed at herself. “You’re such an idiot!”

  She still couldn’t believe she’d done it again. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it. What was wrong with her, anyway? No matter what was going on between her and Nate at the moment, she wasn’t ready to write him off completely just yet. And that meant she had no excuse for kissing Luc again. One time might be excused as a mistake, just a silly impulse in a weak moment. But twice?

  She shuddered, remembering the way her arms had snaked around his neck and pulled him closer. What might have happened if that noisy taxi hadn’t come along the quiet street and interrupted them? Would she still be standing there kissing him without a second thought for her boyfriend of two years?