Chapter Thirteen Twenty-Three Years
After a few more minutes of talking, Simone pulled out her phone.
"I texted the driver."Camille looked up.
"You did?"Simone nodded."He should be here soon.
" Camille smiled."Perfect."Simone tapped a few things on her screen.
"I can book us a spot at the art studio for an hour from now.
""Really?""Yep."She turned the phone slightly.
"They still have openings."Before Simone could say anything else, Camille stood and walked around the table and dropped into the empty chair beside her.
"So let me see."Simone sat up straighter.
Camille leaned in closer to look at the screen.
Close enough that Simone could smell her perfume.Camille was unaware of what she was doing.
Meanwhile, Simone was having a very difficult time remembering how to act normal.Camille studied the screen.
"Ooh, this one."She pointed."What's that?
""Acrylic painting.""Hm."Camille leaned in a little closer.
Reading the description. Simone's grip tightened slightly around her phone.Get it together.Camille was still looking at the screen.
"This one looks fun."Simone cleared her throat.
"Yeah."Her voice sounded slightly strange.
Camille looked over."You okay?"Simone nodded.
"Yep.""Okay."Camille looked back at the phone.
Simone looked straight ahead. Because looking at Camille right now felt like a terrible idea.A few seconds later Camille smiled.
"Book that one."Simone laughed."That's your final answer?
""Absolutely."Simone clicked the button.
"It's booked."Camille grinned."Look at us.
""What?""We're taking a painting class in Paris.
"That smile again. The one Simone had been seeing all morning.
The one that made her want to stare for entirely too long.Simone smiled back.
"Yeah.""We are."Not long after, a black Escalade pulled up in front of the café.
"Our ride is here."Right on cue. Simone stood, then she looked at Camille and held out her hand.
"Come on."It was something she'd done a hundred times before.
Crossing busy streets. Helping Camille out of a car.Camille stood and took her hand.
"Ready?"Camille smiled."Ready."As they walked toward the waiting SUV, Simone tried to focus on literally anything else.Because if Camille keeps doing things like that, Paris was about to get a whole lot more complicated.Together they made their way across the sidewalk and toward the waiting SUV.
The driver was already outside.As soon as they reached the vehicle, he opened the rear passenger door for them.
"Good morning," he said."Good morning," Simone replied.Camille smiled.
"Good morning."The driver stepped aside.
Without even thinking about it, Simone placed a hand lightly against Camille's back.
"After you." There it was again. One of those little things Simone always did. Opening doors. Making sure she stepped onto the sidewalk first. Checking if she was cold. Remembering how she took her coffee.
"You're welcome. The instructor will be with you shortly." The two of them headed down the hall. As they passed the first door, Camille peeked inside. People were gathered around easels, laughing and talking.
The second room was filled with shelves of supplies.
Paint brushes. Canvases. Paint tubes lined up in every color imaginable.Camille smiled.
By the time they reached the third door, she looked genuinely excited.
Simone noticed."You ready?"Camille looked over.
"Oh, I’m so ready."Simone laughed."Good.
"Then together they stepped into the classroom.
There were already several people there.
Four pairs, maybe five.Some were talking quietly while others were looking over the supplies set out at each table.
A few smiled and said hello as Camille and Simone entered.
"Hello.""Bonjour.""Hi."The greetings came in a mixture of French and English.
"Hi.""Hello."She followed Simone toward an empty table near the middle of the room.
Everything was already set up. Canvases.
Brushes. Paint. Water cups. The whole setup.They hung their jackets on the backs of their chairs and sat down.Camille looked around again. Then leaned toward Simone.
"It looks like couples are here." Simone looked around the room. A man had his arm around his wife. Another pair was sitting shoulder to shoulder.