Mother's Day Babies (Holiday Babies Series) (3 page)

Still she blinked at the sight of
Lou, in brown pants and beige polo shirt, looking the perfect executive on
vacation. Very at-home in the lavish lobby lit with crystal chandeliers and
decorated with huge vases of fragrant flowers, the TV News Director paced the
marble floor.

Suddenly shy, Barbara froze in
her tracks next to a column and wondered for the hundredth time why this
confident, stunning man had invited her.

“Mom, I have to rush to the
office.” Roxanne kissed her on her cheek and walked straight to her boss. “Lou,
I’ll see you tonight.”

 “I need a thorough report.” He
gave her a few names. “They may try to avoid the Press but I want you to reach
them somehow and shoot your questions. Try to get me an exclusive,” Lou said
with an authoritative voice Barbara had never heard him use before. The frown
creasing his brow matched his gruff tone. “I know you can do it, Roxanne. And
keep me informed.”

“Will do.” Not a bit impressed by
her boss’s stiff manners, Roxy hitched her chin toward her. “Mom is here.”

Lou’s face brightened with a big
smile. He came toward her and held both of her hands. “Good morning, Barbara. I
was wondering if you were too tired and preferred to rest today.” Uncertainty
underlined his voice. Was this the same man who’d ordered his employee to work
hard?

“I’m rested and ready to visit
Paris, but...” She bit her lip. The few words he’d exchanged with her daughter
echoed in her ear. “I imagine you must have tons of things to do at your office.
So don’t worry about me. With a good map, I’ll find my way around.”

The corners of his mouth
twitched. “Officially, I’m on vacation, but I’ve already contacted my staff.
They are reliable and know their jobs. They’ll call me if they have any
questions.” His tone hardened again as he mentioned work.

She arched her eyebrows. “Lou,
this isn’t a way to start a vacation. No wonder you’re always stressed.” The
man was in serious need of coaching on how to relax. Even without her supply of
coffee and cookies, she could help him chill out, if only for the two weeks
they’d spend in France. “A real vacation should take your mind off your daily
chores, not hassle you with problems every hour,” she chastised with a gentle
smile

“I count on you to show me how to
forget work and enjoy my time off.” His gray eyes gleamed and her pulse raced.

What was wrong with her? She
hadn’t felt this confused in years. Not that Lou was to blame. The man strove to
be the perfect companion. She shrugged off the alien feeling.

“Would you like to eat? It’s
almost eleven,” Lou said. “They serve brunch in the courtyard and the weather
is gorgeous today.”

“Forget the brunch. We should
take advantage of the clement temperature and walk to the Eiffel Tower. Roxanne
mentioned it isn’t too far.”

His gaze roamed over her face.
Had she said something wrong? Oh maybe Lou was hungry. A trim man couldn’t skip
meals the way an overweight woman did—although she’d shed so many pounds in the
last month, she’d graduated from the
Overweight Group
before her trip.
“Why don’t you grab something at the cafeteria while I stop by the information
desk?”

Amusement crinkled the corners of
his eyes. “I’m just concerned about you. But you’re right, we can’t waste
another minute. We’ll have lunch at the Eiffel Tower or at one of the sidewalk
cafés.” They stopped by the concierge desk, grabbed a
Plan de Paris,
and
asked for directions.

“Finally walking the streets of
Paris.” They strolled for a moment. Barbara inhaled a deep breath. The lemon
scent of Lou’s aftershave mingled with the new smells of Paris, and stirred a
bubbling happiness in Barbara’s chest. Her first time overseas with a gorgeous
man. Why on Earth had she dreaded the trip? She repressed a satisfied smile and
surveyed the classy buildings along the elegant avenue lined with maple trees.

Lou waved to an old church and to
a sumptuous mansion. “The American Cathedral of Paris, and the Spanish Embassy.
In this street, every building and every house have a story.”

Barbara admired the various edifices
but focused on her goal. “Wait a minute. Hold this with me.” She opened the map
the concierge had given her and tapped on a point. “This is George V Street. It
should take us directly from our hotel to the river,
La Seine
, and the
bridge,
Pont de L’Alma
.” With her nail, she traced the blue line representing
the river. A chuckle interrupted her deliberation.

“Look there,” Lou pointed up.

“Oh my God,” Barbara’s chin
hitched up and her jaw sagged at the sight of the famous French landscape. “The
Eiffel Tower. Now I know that I’m in Paris.” She couldn’t contain her
enthusiasm. The most celebrated monument in France soared toward the sky in a
special greeting. “Walk faster, Lou. Should we go straight?”

Lou tucked her hand in the crook
of his elbow. “Straight ahead to the river.”

Tall buildings hid the monument. They
passed shop windows with nude silhouettes. Lou explained the history of
Le
Crazy Horse de Paris
, a famous cabaret, but Barbara accelerated her pace
until they reached an open plaza. “We are at the
Place de L’Alma
. See
that flame? It commemorates Princess Diana’s death.”

“It’s not mentioned on the map.”
Barbara paused to look at it closer. The top of the Eiffel Tower had reappeared
but she wondered how to reach it and checked her Paris plan again.

“We’ll continue along the
Seine
until the next bridge,
Pont d’ Iena
.” He showed her the directions on
the map and they resumed their stroll.

“You know the place well.”

“Not really. I come here on
business and spend my time at the KNR office or at official events, meeting
with the personalities we interview. I usually travel by car and never have
time to walk through the streets.” A frown of regret scrunched his forehead as
he scanned the area. “But last night, I studied the map on my laptop while you
were sleeping in the plane. I didn’t want to get lost while I show you the
city.” He winked at her like a young boy pleased with his special
accomplishment. But his mischievous smile created havoc in her heart.

See, he’s doing his best to be
a good friend
. She scolded herself, annoyed at the palpitations she
couldn’t control.

They crossed a busy street,
strolled along an alley, and—

“Oh my God, we’re there. At the
Eiffel Tower.”

“Stand here. I’ll take you a
picture.” Lou shoved his hand in his pocket and extracted a tiny camera and
clicked on it a dozen times.

She laughed. “One was enough.”

But Lou stopped a passerby and
asked him to take a shot of him with Barbara.

He casually wrapped an arm around
her shoulders, pressing her against him. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She
winced, her smile frozen on her lips. Good Lord, she hadn’t paid attention to a
man for years.
Not
in that way
.

“Merci, Monsieur. Thank you,
sir.” Lou freed her to retrieve his camera. “Let’s go take the tickets.”

She nodded and followed him. Her
pace unsure, she tried to analyze the unsettling feeling that had overwhelmed
her a moment ago. Why make a big deal out of it? Many men liked to put their
arms around the woman at their sides in photographs. David did it all the time.

Yeah, but David had been her
husband. No one else had ever dared take such liberties with her. His jealous
streak often on alert, David would have objected. After his death, her male
friends still thought of her as David’s wife and treated her that way.

“I have the tickets.” A frown
revealed Lou’s disappointment. “Barbara, what’s wrong? You’re miles away.”

“On the contrary.”
Trust me. I
was here. Much too close to you
. “I’m trying to memorize every minute. I’ll
have so much to tell my daughters.” She plastered a lively smile on her lips
and met his gaze. Little stars sparkled in his gray eyes.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying your
visit. And it’s only the beginning.” His hand flattened on her back, guiding
her toward the elevators.

Her senses spiked in awareness.
It’s
only the beginning?

Of what?

Chapter Three

Lou suppressed a smile at the
wary glance Barbara cast at the huge Eiffel Tower elevator.

“Is this machine safe?” Her face
paled and her eyes widened as they started the ascension.

“Very safe. They test it
regularly.” To reassure her, he encircled her back. They soon exited on the
first floor and toured the displays showing the memorable moments of the Tower’s
history.

On the second floor, Lou directed
her to a wide circular gallery from which she could spot all the Paris sites
and monuments. Not wanting to waste time, she refused to have lunch at the
expensive restaurant but bought tee-shirts for her grandchildren at the souvenir
shops.

Lou insisted on more pictures
with various views of Paris in the background. While Barbara eased out of his
arm after each picture, she was the one who grasped his hand when they started
the ascension to the third floor in a glass elevator.

Although she almost broke his
fingers, he stifled a smile and didn’t utter a word. If that calmed her fear,
he wasn’t one to complain.

At the top floor, the magnificent
view of Paris unfolding at their feet enthralled her. She forgot her panic and
squealed with delight. “We really need pictures here, Lou.”

“Absolutely.” Her enthusiasm delighted
him. To think he’d forgotten about work in the last three hours. His gaze roved
over her graceful figure. Molded in a black and white printed jersey dress and
a black little jacket on top, she looked like a French aristocrat. A row of
pearls at her neck and clips on her ears added an elegant touch to her outfit.

A gasp escaped her as they edged
near the rail and she glanced down. “Good God, it’s really high.”

Lou chuckled. “One thousand and
fifty feet high, same height as an eighty-one story building.”

“Oh.” She grasped his fingers
tighter.

He solicited a security guard and
asked him to photograph them together. This time she didn’t stiffen when he slipped
his arm around her back. He was the one who almost closed his eyes as her
perfume enveloped him. After a series of shots, the man handed him back his
camera but Lou didn’t let go of Barbara. They visited the little museum of Gustave
Eiffel, an office with wax models of the famous engineer and his illustrious
guest, Thomas Edison, sitting at a desk and conversing.

The descent proved to be easier
on Barbara’s nerves if her relaxed smile was any indication. Too bad she’d
stopped squirming closer to him. Still she released a sigh of relief when they
exited the lift.

“Happy to be back on solid
ground?” He chuckled and ushered her toward the magnificent park extending at
the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

“You bet. But it was worth every
minute of discomfort. Where are we heading now?”

“We’ll take a stroll in the park in
front of the Eiffel Tower.”

“The French call it
Champ de
Mars
. The expanse of grassland was used as an exercise ground for the
cadets of the military school.” Her gaze surveyed the big rectangles of green
lawns ahead of them.

“You did your homework. I’m
impressed.”

“I wanted to soak up the history
of this country and I read several books on Paris before coming.” She strolled
along the alley separating two rectangles.

His phone rang. Annoyed to be
disturbed, he checked the caller id. Damn it, Monica.

“Excuse me, Barbara. I must take
this but I’ll be quick.”

 He drifted away from his companion
and followed her, admiring her swaying figure enhanced by the scenery
surrounding them.

“Yes. What’s wrong now, Monica?”
he said in the phone.

“I need your help.” The pitiful,
teary voice didn’t stir him. The last time she’d called she’d practically
insulted him.

He snorted. “Of course, you
wouldn’t be calling otherwise.”

“No, seriously, Lou, I’m in
trouble. A big mess.” A series of sobs burst on the line. “Please, come and
help me.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t now. I’m
in France and very busy. Where are you and how much do you need?”

“I’m in New York. Let me
explain—”

“I said I don’t have time now.
Call me at night. We are six hours ahead here.”

“But—”

“I’ll wire five grand to your
account. I hope it helps whatever mess you got yourself into this time. Bye.” He
jabbed the off button. His fingers fisted around his phone, he heaved a deep
breath, willing his heartbeat to slow down.

Barbara turned toward him.
“Problems at work?”

He nodded, afraid his voice would
betray his anger if he uttered a word. Problems all right. The type he’d never
learned to handle with a cool head. Heck, his blood boiled every time he got a
call like this. No wonder he’d never been able to trust a woman in the last
twenty-five years. Only someone as sweet and serene as Barbara could make him
forget
this
problem.

“I can smell the roses. Look at
these bushes of flowers. Aren’t they beautiful, Lou?” Her question pulled him
out of his glum mood and her smile restored his calm. He wouldn’t let the past
spoil his special moment—an exceptional moment with the lovely Barbara next to him
at this romantic landmark.

“Very beautiful,” he said as he
admired her blond silky curls fluttering in the breeze and her turquoise eyes
twinkling with happy stars.

“I want a picture with the Eiffel
Tower in the background. It will be a picture to frame.”

“In that case, I want to be in
it.” He stopped a man in jeans and sneakers. “Do you speak English?”

“I do, but not with your Southern
accent.” The American tourist burst out laughing and shook hands with Lou.