19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Carlton led me out of the club.
Joining us was a bodyguard the size of the Arc de Triomphe.
“There’s a little café just around the corner that stays open late for the clubbers who need some coffee and sugar to counter the booze,” Carlton explained as we rounded a soft bend in the road to stumble upon a tiny area with four tables under a narrow canopy with fairy lights.
One couple sat at a table, whispering and smoking, the smell of rich tobacco smoke reminding me of Claude instantly. “How does this look?”
He motioned to a table by the open door to the coffee shop. Soft strains of a throaty soprano flowed out of the shop. What she was singing about I couldn’t tell but it felt like a love song. Lots of angst. Which, yeah, described falling for someone pretty damn well.
“Hugo, please have a seat inside and order what you wish,” Carlton told his bodyguard.
“Oui,” the dark-skinned hulk said before having to duck to enter the café proper.
A frail looking older man in an apron appeared at our table.
“Would you like me to order for us?” Carlton asked.
I bobbed my head as a light rain began to fall, fat droplets hitting the tarp in a slow rhythm.
Carlton fell into a short but friendly sounding conversation with the server in French that left me to study the rain just starting to drip from the awning.
I hurried to send my mother a text to let her know I’d stepped out for some air but would be back soon. She sent me a big thumbs-up emoji.
“He’ll bring us two espressos noisette and two pains au chocolat,” Carlton said after the server went inside.
“Sounds good. You speak French well for an American,” I commented and got a gruff chuckle.
“Well being married to a Frenchman certainly helped but my accent is gross according to the natives here in Paris.”
“Where are you from in America?” I was stalling as well as I could. I did not want to sip coffee and discuss whatever it was he was so intent on discussing. Claude I was sure.
“Andover, Massachusetts. If you listen closely I still drop my R’s on occasion.
” He gave me a wink then leaned in to place his arms on the table.
Given his suit was probably worth ten grand easily putting his sleeves on a questionably clean table seemed risky.
Then again he was a very rich man. “You look like you expect me attack you at any moment. I’ve not asked you here to condemn you in any way.
To be honest I’ve asked you here to make you an offer. ”
“Oh?” The server arrived with our coffee and croissants.
Carlton thanked him profusely then waited for him to dart back inside before returning his attention to me.
The rain was still light. Just enough to make the street glisten.
The French singer’s recording was still playing, the song scratchy but still heartfelt.
This could be very romantic with the right man.
“The board of the Barrons Academie would like to offer you a scholarship. It seems one is available,” Carlton tossed out nonchalantly as if he handed out free passes to education every day. Maybe he did. What the hell did I know?
“I…that’s…why? I thought you hated Claude,” I said before I could stop myself. “Sorry, that was really rude. I’m…it’s been a day.”
“No, it’s fine. And this has nothing to do with Claude, although he did agree that passing the scholarship along to the second place winner seemed a fine idea. Thought he is no longer sitting on the board his input was important to me.”
“Oh, so you’ve spoken to him?” I asked trying my best to sound as if I didn’t care.
“A few hours ago, after I spoke to the rest of the board when Mr. Blake turned down the scholarship.”
“Oh, right, sure.” My head was spinning. This was…unreal. This whole day, hell the whole experience, was mind warping.
“As to your comment about hating Claude that’s far from the truth.
I loved him at one time but we grew apart.
I know he cares for you and wishes for you to have this chance.
There are several ways we could work things if you wish to accept.
What we could do to make it less difficult personally should you attend in the spring would be to set up an off-campus internship with Claude which would keep you enrolled but on the school’s dime.
You’d be removed from the campus environs which might be touchy given your close relationship to the founder.
This way you could work with Claude and be able to date privately but freely until the scandal dies down.
” Not knowing what to say I dunked my croissant into my coffee then took a bite.
Just to give myself time to think or try to think.
“I know it’s a lot to process after the day that you had. ”
“It’s…I need to consider my options.”
“Of course. The offer stands until the next season of the show starts. You should have a better grasp of which direction to take by then. Think it over, discuss it with Claude. We could easily get you into the spring semester if the international student office can wrangle the paperwork in time. You’d get academic credits while being paid, be able to work under and learn from Claude, and be with him without the prying eyes of the board members.
Many are uptight twats who are clutching pearls already so this would erase that pressure on campus.
By spring there will probably be a new scandal the world is wrapped up in and this little bit of salaciousness would have been forgotten anyway.
Still though, take your time to think on it.
Perhaps Claude or another designer will hire you outright.
You could do much worse than to intern under Claude Barrons. ”
“Why offer this to me?” I picked at a soggy bit of flaky crust as the rain pit-patted down.
“Because you have talent. We on the board saw how well you created fantasy today and wish to help you become a world-renowned name. Adding Kinder Graham to the list of our other prestigious graduates makes the school look good.”
“As if the academie needs my name to look good,” I scoffed then dunked again.
“Every student that goes on to renown makes the school look good. You’ve got vision.
You’re young. You’re hip. You’re conscientious about the environment.
You’re incredibly handsome.” I rolled my eyes.
“And humble. Those are great qualities. But you don’t need me to tell you how attractive you are.
Claude surely waxes on about your beauty.
” I shrugged. I was not going to confess anything that private to his ex.
“Think on the offer. The world will be your oyster on the morrow, Kinder. Take your time, consider all the opportunities, and let us know when you know.”
“Thank you very much. It’s very generous and I’ll consider it with all the respect the offer deserves.”
“Excellent.” He rose, leaving his coffee and his croissant untouched. Hugo arrived at his side instantly as Carlton laid two twenty Euro notes on the table. “Tell Claude I wish him all the happiness in your arms that he couldn’t find in mine.”
I stood, shook his hand, and then sat back down to watch him disappear into the damp Parisian night.
I ate his croissant and mine, drank his coffee too, and then walked back to the club, head down, rain dampening my hair, with a mind filled to capacity but only one thing of great import.
Finding Claude. Everything else had to wait.
School, jobs, all of it was secondary to seeing him again.
***
I spent two days with Mom seeing the sights.
It would have been longer but she had to get back to work and the twins and I, as she kept telling me, had the love of my life to speak with.
In person. If she said in person once she said it a dozen times.
I had no intention of talking with Claude on a phone.
No facetimes, no texts. This was too important to drop into a stupid text.
Also, I wanted to see him. No. I ached to see him.
At the airport, amid more tears, hugs, and promises to be home as soon as I could, I took a moment to watch my mother head off to get her boarding passes. She waved one final time. I did the same then turned and nearly collided with Enzo.
“Oh hey,” I said, smiling weakly at him then his family behind him. “Heading back home?”
“Yes, no point to paying for another night at a hotel,” he replied. “Listen, can I talk with you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
He spoke to his family who all nodded pleasantly before we made our way to a corner for some sort of privacy. Not an easy thing to find in a major airport like Charles De Gaulle.
“Please, I wanted to take a minute to explain myself,” Enzo said, shoving his hands into the deep pockets of some beautifully distressed jeans.
His dark eyes darted about until he found the courage to look at me.
“There were two reasons that I acted so shitty to you. One was your talent making me jealous. Second, the producers wanted a villain.”
“Ah, yeah, that tracks,” I said, watching a few people eyeballing us with recognition.
The show was just now going into editing but the promo for it had been huge.
It felt weird. Like, I knew that we would be known.
People had tagged me as being a contestant on the plane ride over so yeah no surprise there.
I guess it was the shock of stepping back into the real world after being sequestered for so long.
“Guess every reality show needs a bad guy.”
“True, and it was easy for me to play since I really felt lots of jealousy over your designs. Sorry for making things so terrible.” He offered me his hand. Obviously I took it. “You did well. I hope you have much success.”
“Thanks you too.” His family called his name with some added incentive in Italian to get moving, or so I assumed.
“Right, our flight is coming up. Again, sorry to be a dick. I hope you and Claude have a good life together. Ciao!”