Chapter 5
5
3 NOVEMBER
The next morning, I’m rifling through the kitchen, wishing I’d thought to bring basic supplies like a French press and ground coffee. We stored our belongings at Manon’s maman ’s house without putting much thought into what we’d need here.
I search the cupboards but don’t find anything resembling a French press or even a kettle. Maybe they’re upstairs in the kettle graveyard, languishing under layers of dust.
‘ Bonjour? ’ A red-headed woman in her mid-twenties wanders in with a wave. ‘I’m Juliette, one of the backpackers from Avignon. The others have already left for breakfast, but I heard you in here and wanted to say good morning and thanks for letting us stay.’
‘ Bonjour! I’m Anais. It’s lovely to meet you in person. I’m sorry, I don’t have any coffee to offer you. I’ll get some today.’
She waves me away as if it doesn’t matter. ‘Around the corner is Café Madame where we have café et croissant for only five euros.’ An espresso coffee and buttery croissant sounds good right about now. ‘Would you like to join us for petit déjeuner? We can walk there in only a few minutes.’
‘Breakfast would be great. I’ll grab my scarf.’
I hurry back to my suite and don a jacket and woollen scarf. We meet in the lobby a few minutes later and head out into the dark of the dawn. There’s something magical about Paris so early in the morning, where there are very few souls in sight. The air is foggy and the streets deserted as if even the city itself is sleeping.
‘What do you all do for work?’ I ask as I push my hands deeper into my coat pockets and blink against light drizzle.
She tucks an errant strand of red hair behind her ear. ‘We do walking tours for tourists. It’s slowing down now as the cold weather creeps in so we’re just hoping there’ll still be enough tourists who are willing to brave the elements so we keep some money coming in. Some days we do really well, other days we do tours but don’t get tipped at all.’
‘Ah, I see. The weather would really factor into your work.’ Walking tours are plentiful in Paris, and a great way to learn the history of the place for a minor cost. Most tours offer a ‘pay what you wish’ tip system, so their income can fluctuate wildly, especially if people take advantage of that. ‘You must know a lot about Paris.’
She grins. ‘I do now. There was a lot of cramming in the beginning and, while I’ve learned a thousand facts about the city, there’s always more to learn. At first, I was terrified, having to speak to the groups like I’m an authority on such things, but now I really enjoy it. We aim to make it fun and throw in unique and silly titbits as well as the history about each sight.’
I smile at Juliette. There’s a real warmth to her and I love that she’s made her tours memorable for visitors. ‘I bet it’s fun. So where to next?’
She shakes her head. ‘We’re going to stay for Christmas and then we’ll move on to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and beyond. It’ll depend on where we can find work.’
‘What an adventure.’
‘It will be. Although we were supposed to leave Paris a couple of months ago.’ She laughs. ‘None of us factored in that we’d fall in love with the first city we stopped at, in our own country. We made a pact we’d stay until we’d explored every part of Paris. Will we have the same issue everywhere we go? I didn’t know you could fall in love with a place. It can capture your heart just like a person.’
‘ Oui , Paris is like that.’ I should know. After I finished university in Bristol around sixteen years ago, I came to visit Manon for a holiday and never left. I can’t see myself ever returning to Britain long term. ‘So which suite are you staying in?’ I can’t help but wonder if Juliette is the tidier of two couples, or if she lives more like Manon, where chaos reigns supreme.
‘My boyfriend Timothee and I are in suite eleven. And Zac and Kiki are in twelve.’ As suspected, Juliette is in the tidier suite.
‘I hope it’s OK – we had a quick peek in to see what work needed to be done.’
‘For sure. We’re grateful to be able to stay in such a central location.’
‘ Merci .’
We arrive at Café Madame and introductions are made with Juliette’s fellow backpackers. There’s her boyfriend Timothee and their friends, the other couple Zac and Kiki. They’re a jovial bunch and energetic despite the early morning. Kiki talks a mile a minute and has a machine-gun laugh that is contagious. She’s animated and speaks fast compared to a quieter and more softly spoken Juliette. The strong friendship is evident in the way they complement each other and offer a squeeze of an arm or a tap on the hand when slinging words back and forth.
‘Have you got a tour lined up early?’ I ask after placing my order for café et croissant. The sun is slowly rising but it won’t be light for another hour or so.
‘ Oui , the first one is at eight thirty. We run the tours twice a day and also offer private guided outings for tourists who want the privilege of an exclusive one-to-one experience.’
Kiki says, ‘And what about you, Anais? Are you planning to renovate the hotel yourself? I can see you wielding a hammer for some reason, as if you’ve got a lot of pent-up emotions that need to be expressed.’
My eyebrows shoot up. ‘Uh – well, how do you…?’ Am I sitting Nutcracker stiff? Shoulders up around my ears? Wearing that resting kill face I can’t seem to dislodge, no matter how much I massage my cheeks?
Kiki breaks into a loud cackle that makes the birds flee from the horse chestnut trees. ‘ Désolée , I read about your divorce in Paris Scandale , and if it were me who suffered through a marriage with a man like that, I’d become a hammer-wielding, revenge-seeking, je ne sais pas , maniac.’
I take a moment to process Kiki’s words, not sure at first whether I feel offended or completely understood and decide it’s the latter, and that she’s quite possibly my spirit animal.
‘The thought has crossed my mind once or twice, Kiki. In fact, I’m having a little trouble writing romance after his many infidelities, and I must admit there are times when I do have murder on my mind.’ Juliette’s eyes widen in fright while Kiki gives me a slow nod of understanding. ‘ Fictionally , at least. But isn’t living well the best revenge?’ I quickly add and give Juliette what I hope is a reassuring smile and a pat on the hand. Would a killer do that? Non , they’d delight in their audience being uncomfortable.
Our breakfast arrives and I take a much-needed sip of coffee before I fill them in on our plans for the hotel, including that we aim to do as much of the work ourselves; well, as much as our capabilities allow. ‘The hotel will be designed around a literary theme.’
Juliette dances in her seat. ‘Ooh, perfect for the 6th arrondissement, which I’ve found to be the most literary of all!’
‘ Oui ,’ I say, my mind going to all the magnificent libraries and bookshops in the vicinity. ‘Maybe I should make a literary map for guests…’ I muse as the idea takes shape. Not only can we offer a literary haven inside the hotel, but we could provide a detailed map of all those hidden gems that most people miss because they don’t know to go looking for it.
Juliette clicks her fingers. ‘I can take you to a couple of special places for your literary map that are very close by and are the best-kept secrets.’
‘I’d love that.’
‘I’ll have a look at our bookings and let you know what day I’m free.’
‘ Parfait .’
‘Soo…’ Kiki says, smirk at the ready. ‘How are you finding your new neighbour, Noah? He had quite the list of complaints when we moved into the hotel. We had to explain many times we weren’t there for maintenance.’
That man! Just what is his problem? How exactly does the hotel impinge on his business aside from the fact it’s a little rough around the edges? Is he bored?