NATE HAD ASSUMED LIZ WOULD LOSE INTEREST in him the moment Quinn was gone. And for a while she did disappear into the back of the apartment. When she finally came out, he was sure she was going to suggest it might actually be better if he did stay in a hostel, but instead, she said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. You up for some lunch?”
“Oh, don’t go to any trouble for me,” Nate said. He was still sitting on the couch.
“Who’s going to any trouble?” she asked as she walked over to the entryway, then opened a closet door. “We’ll pick up something on the way.”
Nate stood up slowly, confused. “On the way where?”
She pulled out a coat. “Nickel tour of Paris, of course. Unless you have something better to do.”
“Don’t you have to go to school or something?”
“Done for the day. So are you coming or not?”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“God, are you always this difficult? Relax. Someone offers to show you Paris, you say yes.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “Yes.”
He shot Julien a text update from the bathroom before they left, then bundled up and followed Liz out into the city.
She helped him to buy a Metro pass, then they took the train to Saint-Michel. A half block away was the Seine, and just on the other side was the Ile de la Cite and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
“You’ve come at a good time of year,” she said. “Hardly any tourists.”
Nate nodded, then took a step toward the cathedral.
But Liz grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Come on. Back on the Metro.”
“We’re not going to go take a look inside?” he asked.
“You’re here a week, right? I’m giving you the overview so you have an idea where things are and can come back when you want.”
Nate laughed. “Overview, it is. Lead on.”
As they walked back to the Saint-Michel Metro station, Nate caught a glimpse of Julien standing in line at a patisserie. When the big man glanced at him, Nate said to Liz, “Which way?”
“Over there.” She pointed at the Metro entrance. “Same one we used before.”
“Right. Sorry, wasn’t paying attention when we came out.”
He glanced quickly in Julien’s direction. The Frenchman had gotten the message and was headed toward the subway.
It was the tour most locals would give to friends from out of town. The Louvre Museum, Montmartre and the Basilique du Sacre-C?ur, the Eiffel Tower, and finally the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. The only place they actually spent any time at was the Champs-Elysees. There they strolled down the famous street, looking at the shops and restaurants.
“How about a coffee or something?” Nate suggested. “My treat.”
“You’re on,” she said, smiling. She pulled him by the arm over to the nearest cafe.
A couple of hours earlier, the gesture might have been surprising, but now it seemed almost natural. She had been laughing easily at his jokes, teasing him whenever he attempted to pronounce the names on the street signs, and a few times glancing at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice.
If nothing else, Nate decided, she was at least enjoying his company.
The cafe was one of those places that spilled out onto the sidewalk even in the fall. In deference to the weather, a cloth and plastic awning complete with front and side walls jutted out from the building, claiming a portion of concrete. Inside, heaters kept the customers warm.
A waiter looked over as they walked in. He was balding, with a close-cropped rim of dark hair.
He pointed at a small round table. It had been set up in a row with several others. Each had two chairs, both on the same side of the table, so customers could watch people walk by.
Nate and Liz sat down, and soon the waiter returned, looking at them expectantly.
“You want some coffee, or something a little stronger?” Liz asked Nate.
“What are you having?”
“I was thinking about a glass of wine.”
“Sounds good to me.”
She ordered two glasses of Chateau Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estephe Bordeaux.
“Anything else?” the waiter asked in English.
