Read Under My Skin: A Contemporary Romance Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème Book 2) for Free Online Page B

Didier.
    ***

The wine and cheese idea had been a stroke of genius, Jeanne thought
without false modesty. First, it allowed them to test all the new cheeses
they’d ordered from Normandy and quickly gauge which ones were more popular
than others. Second, it didn’t require the service or even the presence of the
chef tonight. Claude had been feeling under the weather all week, so Pierre
told him to go home early and watch a comedy. The proprietor, whose joie de
vivre was indomitable, persisted in hoping depression could be cured by a
night off and a comedy. However, he had learned his lesson from Claude’s
previous bouts and made arrangements in case the chef was a no-show tomorrow.
    Mat had come alone.
    “Girlfriend too busy again?” Jeanne had asked after they greeted each
other.
    “Yeah,” he said, avoiding her eyes.
    She gave a few instructions to Amar , who was helping her tonight, and turned back to Mat. “The cheeses over there
are the ones we ordered in Baleville . ”
    “It fills me with immense pride that our products are good enough for
refined Parisian palates.”
    Jeanne smirked and turned her attention to other guests. She spent the
next three hours slicing cheese, pouring wine, and taking orders. Mat spent his
time talking to Amanda and Patrick. Amanda cruised from one small group to
another, joking and laughing and looking the happiest Jeanne had seen her in a
long time.
    A little before midnight, Jeanne realized that Amanda was the last person
left in the bistro, not counting herself and Amar .
    So, Mat left without saying good-bye.
    Her heart tingled with disappointment, but it was better this way. For
everyone.
    Amar began to clean up while she went over to Amanda to exchange a cheek
kiss. Amanda threw her arms around Jeanne in a bear hug. “Thank you for this
lovely evening, Jeanne! Everything was perfect.”
    Jeanne patted her on the back. “It was a pleasure
and . . . I think you’ve had too much wine tonight.”
    “Why do you say that? Do I look drunk?” Amanda released Jeanne and
whipped out a pocket mirror from her purse. “Do I sound drunk?”
    Jeanne chuckled. “Neither. It was the hug that gave you away. You don’t do hugs.”
    “Oh.” Amanda grinned, relieved.
    “Let me call you a cab. You shouldn’t take the métro in this state
and at this hour.”
    Ten minutes later, Amanda was gone and so was Amar . It was time to close up and haul herself home. Jeanne
loaded the remaining glasses into the dishwasher and removed her apron. She was
about to put on her parka, when someone pushed the back door open and stepped
in from the bistro’s courtyard.
    It was Mat—coatless and shivering.
    Spotting Jeanne, Mat sighed with relief and congratulated himself on his
perfect timing. Had he waited a few seconds longer, she would’ve left, locking
him in.
    “What the . . . ,” Jeanne said, stopping in her
tracks.
    OK. He owed her an explanation. “It got too stuffy in here, so I went out
for some air.”
    “And fell asleep?” She gave him an I’m-so-not-buying-it look.
    “I smoked a cigarette,” he said, blushing like a schoolboy. “A first in
six months . . . And I lost track of time.” Another shiver ran
through his body.
    Jeanne hung her jacket back on the hook. “Come on. Sit by the heater
while I make you tea.”
    “Don’t trouble yourself,” he said, leaning his back against the
blissfully warm heater.
    She gave him a shoulder glance. “I won’t have a customer catching pneumonia
after an evening in my charge.”
    A few minutes later, she placed two steaming mugs on the table in front
of him and sat down. She was unbearably attractive even in the masculine shirt
and wide pants of her bistro uniform . He forced himself to look away.
    “If you leave in the next half hour, you can still catch the last métro ,”
she said. “I suppose you’re staying at Rob and Lena’s?”
    He shook his head. The heater against his back and the tea in his stomach
were