Read What If It's Love?: A Contemporary Romance Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème Book 1) for Free Online Page A

to sound nonchalant. “Robert Dumont at your service. Sorry for
not having introduced myself earlier.”
    Jeanne rolled her eyes. “Aren’t we all incredibly well-bred and
courteous? Please accept my sincere apologies for being such a spoilsport, but
you are expected inside, Rob. Duty calls. More specifically, the mop.”
    Rob gave Lena a quick nod and headed to the kitchen. They had officially
met now. It was inevitable and perfect for his purposes, but it somehow made
his little deal with Boris a touch more unsavory.
    * * *

In the cab from the train station
to her place, Lena replayed her eventful day. Her meeting with Professor
Rouvier had gone well, and she had left his office with lots of good advice on
how to revise her thesis. After that she had a coffee with two classmates. Just
before she left the university to visit Ivan and Marta, she ran into Gerhard.
They greeted each other and then just stood there, not knowing what to say. The
thing was . . . she didn’t have anything to tell him besides the
academic stuff they’d discussed over e-mail. Lena wondered at how just a month
ago she thought herself in love with him. Her feelings were so completely gone
it was hard to believe they’d been real.
    Distance is a truly powerful medicine, she thought. A
little distance and time was all it took to free her heart of Gerhard and wipe
him from her mind. Or was that all? If she was completely honest with herself,
could she vouch that a certain Frenchman had nothing to do with it?
    By the time she got home, it was around nine in the evening. After the
mandatory call to her father to inform him she’d returned safely, Lena went
down to La Bohème for a quick bite.
    There wasn’t a single vacant table, inside or outside. She was about to
leave when she heard Rob call to her.
    “Hey, Lena, over here!” He was having dinner with his scrawny pal and a
pretty woman Lena hadn’t seen before.
    As she approached them, Rob pulled out a chair for her. “Come join us.
I’m a free man tonight. Started earlier so I could keep them company for
dinner.”
    His friends smiled, the guy with enthusiasm and the woman tightly. Lena
began to say she didn’t want to intrude, when Clothes Hanger stood up to
exchange a cheek kiss with her. “Hi, I’m Mat, Rob’s flatmate. And this is
Amanda. We all study together, and these two are poised to graduate top of the
class.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.” Amanda waved “hi” without standing for a
bona fide greeting. “And you are?”
    “Lena. I live in this building.” She mouthed thank you to Rob and
sat down.
    “That’s it!” Mat clapped his hand on his forehead. “Now I know why you
look so familiar. I’ve seen you here before.”
    “You’ve got this tiny rustic accent. Are you from Switzerland?”
Amanda asked.
    Lena smiled. “You have a good ear. I’m from Russia, but I’ve lived in
Switzerland for the past seven years.”
    “Russia! How exotic. And what brings you to France, Lena?” Amanda asked.
    Jeanne arrived to take Lena’s order, interrupting Amanda’s questioning.
    When she left, Rob nudged Lena to look at Mat, whose gaze was locked on
Jeanne, lapping her up as she walked away. “Mat here has been desperately in
love with Jeanne for—um, let me see—an eternity? But she won’t go
out with him. She prefers her bad boy biker. It’s a very sad story.”
    Mat turned to face his friend. “Rob, what makes you think I can’t hear
you when I’m not looking at you?”
    “Touché,” Rob said.
    Mat sighed. “I must sound like a total loser to you, Lena. I guess I am.”
    “Most certainly not,” Lena said.
    “Believe me, I’ve tried to move on, like, a hundred times. I try every
day, as a matter of fact. But she’s bewitched me. Must be that lip piercing. It
does something terrible to my brain chemistry.”
    “You are so messed up, my friend,” Amanda said. “Have you considered
seeking professional help?”
    Lena was looking for something