Call of Water (Madame Tan's Freakshow #1) - Marina Simcoe Page 0,6
searching mine.
The “bed” would be my sleeping bag on the floor of Fleur’s room. Both seemed so far from Le Loup Solitaire right now, as if in another dimension.
“I wasn’t thinking about that yet.”
“Good. Because I’m not, either. How about a small adventure?” He arched an eyebrow. Teasing? Tempting? Both?
“Adventure?”
“Yes. Isn’t that what people all over the world come to Paris for?”
Well, I came to visit a friend and to research possibly moving to this city next year. One of Fleur’s three roommates was moving out, and Fleur got the idea of me moving into the vacant room after New Year’s. This trip, I was not merely a tourist. My goal was to assess this city as a potential place to live.
Tonight, however, it could be all about an adventure with Zeph.
I couldn’t believe how easily he got me to agree to anything. And maybe that should have concerned me. But every minute spent with Zeph was rich and delicious, and I simply wanted more.
“What kind of adventure?” I felt compelled to clarify.
“Oh, nothing crazy.” The playful smile returned to his handsome face. “Maybe we’ll get some ice cream?”
“Sounds wild.” I laughed.
“Right.” He joined me, laughing merrily and openly. “I’m taking you on a wild ice-cream-eating adventure.”
His enthusiasm was just as contagious as his smile.
“I’d love that,” I agreed, once again.
Chapter 4
“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE you been to Paris?” Zeph asked as we walked along Boulevard de Clichy.
He kept the pace slow, and I liked the leisurely stroll. Fleur had told me not to hurry back to her place when she left Le Loup Solitaire on the arm of the dark-haired man, Louie, who didn’t leave her side all evening. I assured her I would take my time, and I was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.
“I’ve been to the city about five or six times,” I replied. “But I’ve been to France more often than that, under the language exchange program. Fleur’s family lives in Bourges, south of here. They used to host me under the program. They took me to Paris on a few occasions. Now that Fleur is in university, she lives here, and I stay with her when I visit.”
I didn’t want to discuss my possible move with Zeph, since nothing was definite yet. Also, I was certain my life details wouldn’t be of interest to someone who had a voice of an angel and sang on stage at a cabaret.
“You must have seen all the touristy things by now, then?” he asked.
I nodded. “Pretty much. I’ve been exploring this city left, right, and center.”
“How about up and down then?” He tilted his head, gazing at me with those mesmerizing eyes.
“Um...” It wasn’t easy to focus with his attention directed at me this closely. “What exactly do you mean?”
“Come.” He tugged me by my hand to a small door leading to a basement, around the corner off Boulevard de Clichy.
“What’s here?”
“A wine bar, though not what you may expect. They don’t serve Champagne here. Instead, they have sparkling wine infused with strawberries. Lero would call it ‘in poor taste’. He doesn’t allow such cheesy stuff in his classy establishment. But I find it tastes delicious.”
THE STRAWBERRY INFUSED sparkling wine tasted delicious.
“I told you.” Zeph beamed at me when I confessed how much I liked it.
“Lero is missing out.” I giggled, the effervescence of the fragrant bubbles seemed to have risen from my glass to my brain.
“Lero is an old snob.” Zeph huffed a laugh. “And extremely old-fashioned. To him, things only have value if they have been properly aged. Wine, cheese, liquor, music... Even clothes.”
“Well, his clothes seem fashionable.” Lero’s smart three-piece suit came to mind. Visually, he didn’t appear to be much older than Zeph. But there were people born with old souls, weren’t there?
“He prefers a classic cut to his clothes.” Zeph shrugged. “Which doesn’t change dramatically over time.”
He had left his own suit jacket back at Le Loup Solitaire. The night was too warm for it, anyway.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Lero.” Zeph raked his hand through his silky blond hair, suddenly making me wonder what it would feel like between my fingers if I did the same. “He just makes himself such an easy target for jokes by being an insufferable snob about everything. Just try to call any sparkling wine ‘champagne’ in his presence, you’ll see the face he makes.”
“How long have you been working for him?” The relationship between these two seemed to be closer than that of an