Under My Skin: A Contemporary Romance Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème Book 2) by Alix Nichols Page B

Jeanne. The way he treats customers—it’s
just too mean. He may be one of those guys who turn nasty the moment they think
you’re in their pocket. He’s not a good match for you.”
    Jeanne’s lips thinned. “How come everyone thinks they know who’s a good
match for me?”
    “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to—” Lena began, her eyes
brimming with remorse.
    “It’s OK. I know you meant well. It’s just . . . someone
told me the exact same thing not so long ago.”
    “Mat?”
    “Yes.”
    Lena shook her head. “I noticed the way he looks at you, even with his
girlfriend around. It’s like a déjà-vu from four years ago. The only difference
is that you seem to care this time around.” She stared Jeanne in the eyes,
defying her to disagree.
    Jeanne turned away and began to study the dewy lawn.
    “Oh, Jeanne.” Lena let out a heavy sigh.
    Jeanne shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve always been good at bad timing.”
    “Has he said anything to you?”
    “No.”
    Nothing that would give me hope.
    Lena took Jeanne’s hand in hers. “Please don’t repeat my mistakes and get
involved with someone who’s wrong for you just because you can’t have the man
you care about. It won’t end well.”
    “I know,” Jeanne said.
    Lena nodded and reopened her paperback.
    Jeanne smiled, grateful for her friend’s sense of tact, and opened her
own book.
    The mood at brunch was cheerful and laid-back. Everyone showed up in
casual clothes, looking tired but happy to prolong Lena and Rob’s special day.
The newlyweds didn’t hide their relief that the wedding day hadn’t been marred
by an incident characteristic of gatherings with lots of booze,
especially when vodka competed with champagne.
    Mat and Cécile came down into the garden side by side, both in pale
cotton polo shirts and linen pants. They were a stunning couple. Watching them
together hurt so much Jeanne wished she hadn’t been Lena’s maid of honor so she
wouldn’t have to sit at the central table. She wished she hadn’t been invited
to her best friend’s wedding at all.
    “Did you sleep well?” Didier asked her.
    She nodded. “What about you?”
    “I didn’t.”
    Jeanne gave him a sympathetic look. “Too much vodka?”
    “Maybe. Or maybe something else.”
    “Oh?”
    “I’m a patient man, Jeanne, and I still admire you,” he said.
    She tensed, waiting for the rest of it.
    “But last night . . .” He lowered his voice to a whisper.
“The way you stared at pretty boy , encouraging him . . . I expected better of you.”
    “You’re not my boyfriend,” she whispered back.
    “But I’m your date . ” He
sighed. “I understand the grass is always greener on the other side of the
fence. But that’s the thing—there’s a fence.”
    Shestudied her empty plate.
    “You’re a clever girl. Can’t you see what he wants from you?”
    She could. The problem was she wanted it , too. Badly.
    Wasn’t that a hoot?
    Didier shook his head. “Get real, Jeanne. I won’t wait indefinitely.”
    You can save time and quit now , she itched to say, but she didn’t.
    “Will you pass me the butter, please?” Didier asked, raising his voice to
normal.
    She obliged, avoiding his eyes.
    “Tell me, Mat,” he said, buttering his toast. “Where exactly do the
Greens stand on economic policy? I must admit I don’t have a clue. I only
follow the parties that really matter.”
    Mat half smiled. “We’re in the center. On some issues, we’re center left
and on others center right, but we’re never too far from the golden middle
point.”
    “I would’ve expected the Greens to be aligned with the socialists,” Lena
said.
    “The European Greens’ stance is that environmental politics can’t be tied
to either the left or the right,” Cécile said.
    “Well, I’m glad you’re not one of those ‘champagne socialists’ France is
famous for,” Lena’s dad said. “I find their hypocrisy disgusting.”
    Jeanne felt she had to