A Perfect Paris Christmas - Mandy Baggot Page 0,84

but all true. Keeley jutted her chin out a little. ‘I didn’t do any of those things.’

‘Wow,’ Rach said, looking a little impressed. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ Keeley replied. ‘He doesn’t even know I have to look out for symptoms of gout. Now, can we get inside because it’s turned freezing out here.’

Thirty-Seven

Keeley wasn’t sure what she was even doing here, meeting up with this mysterious man, a child who could be a runaway and a dog who had defied all the usual life/death rules of engagement. She also wasn’t sure about Rach being here either. Inviting Rach into this odd situation was giving the whole scenario validation and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It made her slightly odd friendship with Ethan less throwaway and more what-might-this-be-like-if-we-carry-on-meeting-up. And the reason she was supposed to be in Paris was for Silvie not for seeing potential mates. She swallowed as she pushed the door to enter. Was that how she saw Ethan? As a potential mate?

Her insides told her yes, that’s exactly how she thought of him, particularly now, looking at him sitting in a snug corner of the unconventional café-cum-bakery-cum-bookstore. There were so many books and things pickled in jars amid the books. It was like being part of a fairy-tale, perhaps Alice in Wonderland, where items were calling out ‘drink me’, ‘eat me’ or ‘read me’. And there was Ethan, dressed in that familiar business suit with waistcoat looking smart, but also somehow beatnik and avant-garde. He was completely fitting in with his surroundings though, wiping a serviette over Bo-Bo’s chin as the revived dog threatened to dribble on the table.

‘Is that him?’ Rach asked.

‘Yes,’ Keeley breathed, knowing she was sounding dangerously fangirl.

‘Well,’ Rach said, no nonsense, ‘you’d better introduce me.’

Keeley watched as Rach went striding off towards a table by the counter. It took a second for her to realise what was happening and she scuttered across the floor, reaching out to grab Rach’s jacket.

‘Rach! No.’ Keeley pulled her to a halt.

‘What?’ Rach asked. ‘You can’t have second thoughts about me meeting him now. I’m here and I want to see this guy you’ve hidden from me.’

‘I know,’ Keeley said. ‘But you’re going the wrong way.’ She turned Rach around a little, pointing her in the direction of Ethan, Jeanne and Bo-Bo. ‘They’re there.’

‘Oh,’ Rach said, her tone faltering a little.

What did that ‘oh’ represent? Keeley suddenly felt extraordinarily protective over Ethan. ‘Who were you expecting?’ she asked Rach. ‘Patrick Dempsey?’ She immediately felt guilt for sniping. And Rach wasn’t answering straightaway. Until:

‘If he was Patrick Dempsey I’d fight you for him,’ Rach answered with a sniff. ‘Come on then. Introduce me.’

Before either of them could make a move, Bo-Bo jumped down from the chair he was sitting on and came bounding over, leaping up at Keeley, all long limbs and energy, attempting to lick her face.

‘Oh! Oh, no, Bo-Bo, don’t lick my hair,’ Keeley begged, trying to get the pet to calm down. ‘Rach, help me. He’s already had one near-death experience, I don’t want him poisoned by the traces of hair products.’

‘Bo-Bo, down!’

It was Ethan, coming to their rescue, Jeanne rushing up behind him with the lead and a cross look on her face.

‘Don’t shout at him,’ the girl ordered, snapping on the lead and somehow managing to bring him to heel.

‘Bonjour,’ Ethan said, directing the greeting and those incredible eyes at Keeley.

‘Bonjour,’ Keeley answered, her cheeks heating up like a roaring log fire.

‘Bo-Bo’s alive,’ Jeanne announced, all teeth that looked like they were coated in cake.

‘I can see that,’ Keeley said, smiling and petting the dog’s head. Her touch only made Bo-Bo all excited again and she retracted her hand in a bid to stop the jumping that had to be distracting for those customers trying to have a relaxed time.

‘Bonjour, I’m Rach,’ Rach said, sticking her hand out to Ethan.

Jeanne grabbed hold of it first, shaking hard. ‘Jeanne.’

‘Jeanne,’ Ethan said. ‘Take Bo-Bo back to the table and give him some more cake.’

‘We might need another cake if these two are going to want to eat,’ Jeanne suggested. She grinned again and pulled Bo-Bo back towards the table in the corner.

‘Ethan Bouchard,’ Ethan said, taking Rach’s hand in his and giving it a shake.

‘Is that your daughter?’ Rach queried.

‘No,’ Ethan said quickly. ‘God, no.’

‘Then who is she?’

‘She’s a friend,’ Keeley jumped in. ‘The daughter of a friend. Did you say there was cake?’ She headed into the deeper warmth of the café, enjoying the eclectic mix