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in Paris, but she didn’t want to go alone. The only person in her life was him. So would he please, please, please, pretty please come along? She had been so supportive that he didn’t have the heart to refuse. He had said yes and forgotten about it.  
    Clever Mary only reminded him about his promise a week before departure. By then, she had purchased non-refundable tickets, booked the hotel, and signed them up for a cooking seminar. She had also talked to Nancy, his assistant. Nancy had obtained a green light from the dean of the School of Mathematics. Going away for ten days and missing a full week of school between spring recess and finals was highly irregular, but the dean had said yes. Peter was surprised; he didn’t think the dean was so fond of him. Nancy must have been very convincing to talk her into giving him the pass.  
    Unable to use work as an excuse, Peter, who was not one to renege on a promise, had come along without dragging his feet. For a few hours in Ariane’s company, he thought he had been rewarded. He had made a fabulous discovery: he wasn’t all dead.  
    But Ariane had not understood what a miracle she was for him, and she had pushed him away. So after being angry at being numb and dead, Peter was angry at being alive again. Being alive meant having feelings, and feelings could be hurt.
    Could one be angry at being angry? Yep. He was living proof of it!
    Arriving to an empty hotel room was a relief. He was in no mood to talk. He laughed at the note on the pillow. “Don’t wait up for me.”
    Well, Charles had been right. There was something steamy going on there. Peter hoped it would turn out well for Mary. Finding a companion would be so nice for her. She deserved to be happy. She had been fighting hard enough for that. She should be with someone more worthy of her than the drunken fool she had nursed back to sobriety so he could run away with another woman.  
    He had felt sorry for his sister, but he understood why the man ran. The guy wanted a fresh start. Who doesn’t want to be looked upon as a knight in shining armor? Even if he remained sober for the rest of his life, that would never happen for him with Mary. A man can never be a hero to the woman who, countless times, held his head to make sure he didn’t crack it open on the toilet seat with a strong heave.  
    And then it hit him.  
    He had never needed to fight for love. Kristina had always been there. From playground to high school to college, she had always been right next to him. That’s why he’d felt as if he’d lost a limb. So instead of having a pity party, he should be rejoicing. He was still alive, and he’d had his first crack at adolescence.  
    He remembered fondly laughing with Kristina as all their friends learned to deal with rejection. Years ago, when they were teenagers and their summer conquests refused to get past first base, his friends had learned what Peter was discovering: sometimes he’d have to fight to get what he wanted.    
    He was pretty sure Ariane was worth fighting for. He just had to figure out how to convince her to give him a chance before he left on Monday.

    ❦

CHAPTER EIGHT
Charles

    CHARLES WAS THE FIRST TO arrive. Well, the first one after Ariane. She greeted him with a genuine smile. He really liked her; she was fun and caring. She was a good listener, and he wanted to talk about Jean-Michel so badly, he didn’t even give her a chance to say hello.
    “I had such a great time yesterday,” he said with an ear-to-ear grin.
    “Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed the first session of the seminar,” said Ariane, looking pleased.
    “No! That’s not what I’m talking about,” Charles blurted.
    “So you didn’t have a good time? I’m so sorry. I’m glad you came back anyway.”
    “No! I mean, yes! I mean, I had a great time with the class, but then…” He stopped trying to explain when he realized how hard Ariane was fighting to keep a straight face. She had been teasing him.