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Paris looking for her, but it had been too late.
    Moved, she reached out a hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. Realizing what she felt beneath his cuff wasn’t a watch, she pushed back his sleeve.
    A braided red cord encircled his wrist. No, not a cord, but hair. Her hair.
    Her breath caught in her throat as memories assailed her. The morning before they’d headed for the airport, she’d cut a lock of hair and braided it into a bracelet. She’d tied it around his wrist and had nearly broken down when she’d asked him not to forget her. He’d sworn he wouldn’t. Apparently he’d kept his word.
    “R-Raffie?”
    He smiled at her, sadness pulling down his features. “An eight-year-old keepsake,” he told her. “I had it reinforced with silver so I wouldn’t lose it, lose my last tie to you. I never forgot, Macy. How could I?”
    “Oh God.” Tears flooded her vision. She’d been wrong. She’d been so wrong all these years. The last bits of her anger and defenses fell away, leaving her shaken and light-headed. “Oh God, Raffie, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
    He turned his wrist, recapturing her hand. “I’m sorry, too, that I made you think for evena second that I’d turned my back on you. Have dinner with me tonight, Macy. Dinner and conversation, that’s all. I want us to catch up on each other’s lives and to mend fences. I miss my best friend. I want her back.”
    God, how could she refuse him? Especially when she still owed him an apology and an explanation. “Tomorrow. It’s my turn to close the restaurant tonight, so I won’t be leaving here until late. But tomorrow I’ll be over at Lovelace and I’m usually out of there by five, barring any kitchen emergencies.”
    “Tomorrow night it is.” He gave her a brilliant smile as he took out his smartphone to take down her contact information. She could only hope he’d have reason to smile at her again after she confessed everything that happened in Paris.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Late the following afternoon, Raphael strolled into the entrance of Lovelace, Macy’s other restaurant. It was down in the Arts District, surprisingly within walking distance of the converted warehouse he’d bought for his New Orleans digs. While he could convince himself that transitioning JerTech and DJD Holdings to NOLA had kept him far too busy to explore, guilt hounded him as he realized how close he’d been to her all along.
    He had a lot of things to make up for. Right here, right now was the beginning of making things right.
    A young blonde in black jeans and a black T-shirt bearing the restaurant’s name approached him. “Hi, welcome to Lovelace. Will you be dining with us this evening?”
    “Actually, I’ll just sit at the bar.” He couldn’t resist adding, “I’m meeting Macy when she’s done for the day.”
    “I see.” The hostess gave him a quick assessment, then smiled. “Feel free to take a seat at the bar, and I’ll let Macy know that you’re here, Mister … ?”
    “Raphael.” He smiled at her. “Thank you.”
    She blinked at him, then turned and made a beeline for the back as he settled onto a comfortable barstool that gave him a good view of the entire floor. After ordering a whiskey neat, he surveyed the restaurant. It was still early for the dinner crowd, but the bistro wasn’t empty. A mixed college-aged group took up the lounge area in front of the window, plowing through a large swath of appetizers and beers. A scattering of couples and groups dined at the tables.
    Lovelace had a casual vibe far from Choux’s upscale, expensive ambience. Warm colorsanchored the relaxed atmosphere, underscored by the lounge areas placed near the bar and the front window. It had a familiar feel to it and it took him several moments to realize what it was. Lovelace’s felt like home, the Lovelace home that he’d all but grown up in after his mother’s death. Choux may have represented the sophisticated Macy who’d lived in Europe for several