Shark Out of Water (15 page)

When he made it to the kitchen, he found the promised dinner and took it to the living room to sit with Warren. The little boy curled up next to him immediately and turned his attention back to some kind of animated teenage super hero show. By the time Guy finished his meal, Warren’s eyes were half closed. He was awake enough to pull one of Guy’s arms around him and snuggle in closer. Guy meant to usher Warren off to brush his teeth once the show ended, but the long week quickly caught up to both of them and they were asleep before the teen heroes completed their mission.

Chapter 17

Le Baiser

Guy watched in amusement as Warren bounced up and down in his chair, filled to the brim with excitement. He was fascinated by watching the airport employees load the last of the baggage into the cargo area of the plane. He kept asking if it was all going to fit and whether or not any bags were going to be left behind. Then he turned his attention to where another airplane was landing on a nearby runway. He launched into another round of questions about how such a big plane could fly in the air, what if the wings fell off, and why Guy kept calling everything the wrong names.

“Does he always have this many questions?” Guy asked Charlotte.

“Always,” she laughed. “Why do you think I made you sit by him?”

Guy shook his head. The nonstop questions continued until the flight attendants gave the cursory explanations about emergency exits and air masks. The monologue inspired a new slew of questions for Guy to answer. By the time he finished, Warren was beginning to get bored.

“Why don’t they let me get up and play?” Warren whined. “It’s not fun to sit here all the time. I can only see clouds out the window now and clouds are boring!”

At the sound of his whining, Charlotte grimaced. Guy had spent much of the week working, but what free time he had was spent at Charlotte’s helping her get everything ready for the trip. He knew she was worried about having Warren cooped up on the plane for such a long time. She tried to remind Warren that he had toys to entertain himself with in his backpack, but he said they were boring as well. Guy smiled, thanking Carmody for warning him about how difficult small children could be on long trips.

Leaning down to reach his bag wedged under the seat, Guy yanked it out and placed it on his lap. That simple action halted Warren’s whining. He had learned that Guy enjoyed surprising him with more than just burnt French toast over the past week. His eyes were glued to the bag as he unzipped the main compartment. He was even more intrigued as Guy pulled out a separate bag and folded down Warren’s tray table to hold it. The poor child was near bursting when Guy looked over at him.

“You want to know what is inside,
oui
?”

“
Oui! Oui!
” Warren called out, giggling to himself immediately after. Like Lily, he thought the French word for “yes” was especially funny when repeated. “I want to know, pleeease!”

Guy shook a finger at him seriously. “You must promise not to whine and upset your
maman
any longer.
D’accord
?”

Warren nodded frantically. “I will. I promise. Please?”

“You may look inside,” Guy said finally, releasing the bag and watching Warren tear into it like one of the dinosaurs he enjoyed so much. Both he and Charlotte laughed as Warren pulled out activity books, travel-sized board games, books, and several new plastic dinosaurs. The last to be extracted was an iPad in a thick case that promised to be nearly indestructible.

“Guy,” Charlotte chided when she saw the iPad.

“It is mine,” he told her, “but Warren is welcome to use it while we travel.”

She eyed him suspiciously, but did not argue. In truth, Guy had contemplated buying Warren his own, but he worried about doing something like that without asking Charlotte’s permission. It was usually later in the evening when Guy finally made it over to visit with Charlotte, due to work. He spent less than an hour with Warren before it was time for him to go to bed.

He had not considered asking Charlotte’s opinion on such things as video games and Warren having his own tablet, but he knew she had strict limits on how much television Warren was allowed to watch. Video games had not come up in conversation yet. He reminded himself to do so later. For the time being, he simply wanted to enjoy her company. They both knew their relationship seemed stalled at friendship for the time being, but it did not stop Guy from reaching for Charlotte’s hand, nor her from accepting it and leaning her head against his shoulder.

By the time they finally landed in New York for their layover, Warren had begun to tire of his bag of surprises. Thankfully, a chance to run around the airport and stretch his legs and eat renewed him for the next leg of the trip. He once again dug into his bag once they were flying, this time settling on the iPad and the games Guy had downloaded for him. It was not long, though, before the activities of the day wore him out and he fell asleep with his head on Guy’s lap. Charlotte was not far behind in her tiredness. Guy was not surprised, but he still worried.

“You are feeling all right?” he asked.

“Just worn out.” She yawned and leaned against him more heavily. “I’m glad we’re not going straight to your parents’ when we land.”

“Why
?
” Guy asked. “Are you nervous to meet them?”

She shook her head at him as though it were a silly question. “Of course I am. I would be nervous to meet them looking my best. I’m almost sick thinking about meeting them looking like a cat on its last life.”

Guy chuckled at her phrasing. That was at least an idiom that made sense. Shaking his head at her, he stroked her hair softly. “They will adore you. Please do not worry.”

She frowned up at him, but as usual, did not argue. Instead, she let her exhaustion pull her into a deep sleep. Guy felt oddly content with Warren’s head resting on his legs as he slept and Charlotte curled under his arm. He had made the same trip many times since leaving home at eighteen years old to go on what he thought would be a grand adventure at the time. He had enjoyed living in Chicago, enjoyed the freedom of being on his own and the sense of achievement doing things for himself provided. What he had not enjoyed was the trip home every few months to parents who disapproved of his choices and told him over and over that his place was with them. As Warren drooled on Guy’s pant leg, he wondered if his reception would be different this time.

Guy was not sure when he fell asleep, but the gentle nudge of a flight attendant telling him he needed to buckle Warren into his seatbelt for landing woke him. He felt bad lifting Warren into a sitting position and strapping the belt around his middle. He had not woken up, but his little body looked awkward and uncomfortable as he slumped against the window. Charlotte only murmured in her sleep a few times as his movements jostled her, but she did not wake, either. Guy was the only one to see their descent into his home country. He looked on its beauty with a smile, for once, feeling like coming home instead of coming to his own trial.

Once they landed, it took Guy several tries to wake Charlotte and help her get her bags down from the overhead compartment. They each had two carry-ons, plus Warren’s. Charlotte tried to gather her son’s as well, but he knew she would not be able to carry everything. A flight attendant finished helping another passenger and turned toward him. Guy immediately put on a smile he knew would do the trick. She gave him her full attention immediately. “
Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous nous aider avec nos bagages, s'il vous plaît?
”

“
Oui, monsieur
.”

Guy handed her Warren’s two bags with his thanks, and then lifted the sleeping boy into his arms after donning his own messenger bag. His right hand was free to wheel his suitcase as they walked. As soon as they were back in the airport, the young woman was quick to call for a cart and someone to assist them. Guy thanked her graciously before she returned to her duties. It was not until they were seated in their rental car that Guy noticed Charlotte’s subdued manner. He had assumed she was just fatigued, but the expression on her face said she was more upset than tired.

“
Ma chérie
, what is wrong?”

“Do you always flirt with women to get what you want?” she asked.

Guy was mildly surprised by her honesty, but amused as well. He pulled out into traffic and headed toward their hotel. “It has always proven effective,” he said, “but if it bothers you, I will not do so any longer.”

She looked over at him with a wry expression. “Guy, I don’t know if you know how to
not
flirt with women.”

“It is just politeness and flattery, not interest,
ma chérie
. I would not be taking you to meet my parents if I were interested in anyone else. You are the first to make this journey with me, and I would do nothing to spoil your trip.”

“You’ve never brought a girlfriend to meet your family before?” she asked.

Guy grinned. “Are you my girlfriend now?”

“I…well, that’s not really the point,” Charlotte balked, her cheeks coloring.

“
Oui
, I think it is. You would not be so jealous of me flirting with the flight attendant if you did not feel you had claim to my attention.” Guy pulled up to the hotel entrance, but did not immediately get out for the valet to take his keys. He pinned Charlotte with his eyes and he had no doubt she felt the pressure of his gaze even though she refused to look at him. He took her chin firmly in his hand and made her look at him. “How shall I introduce you to my parents? As my girlfriend, or my friend only?”

Frustrated, Charlotte threw up her hands. “I don’t know, Guy. How can you call me your girlfriend when we haven’t even kissed, when we can’t have sex because I can’t risk a pregnancy during treatment? Things would be so different if I weren’t sick, but I am, and I just don’t know.”

“We do not have to be having sex for me to consider you my girlfriend,
ma chérie
. The kissing, though,” Guy said with a grin, “that I can remedy, if you would like.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, but before Guy could fulfill his promise, the valet appeared at his door expectantly. Guy may not have ever noticed him if Charlotte had not pointed out his arrival in relief. Breathing out slowly, Guy forced himself to open the door and address the man cordially. He handed over his keys and moved to the backseat to retrieve Warren, who was still asleep.

Charlotte started toward the trunk for their bags, but Guy caught her arm gently. “They will take them up to our room. Do not worry.”

She looked at the car uncertainly, but shrugged and allowed Guy to guide her into the lobby. Because Guy never liked to drive out to his parents’ estate immediately after a long flight, he stayed at this hotel three to four times a year and they knew him by sight. The stately gentleman at the desk addressed him by name.

“
Monsieur Saint Laurent, c'est merveilleux de vous revoir
.”

“
Merci, Édouard.
”

He then surprised Charlotte by turning to her and saying, “Mademoiselle Brooks, we are pleased to have you and your son with us as well and we hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Oh, um, thank you. I mean,
merci
. I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

The rest of the check-in process was carried out in French and concluded quickly. By the time they made it up to the room, their bags had already arrived. Guy took little time to appreciate the room, but he enjoyed watching Charlotte take everything in. She had not asked him about accommodations during the trip, but Guy suspected that was because she was too worried about a dozen other things to consider it.

He saw worry in her eyes as she glanced around the room and saw only one king sized bed. Still carrying Warren, Guy took Charlotte’s hand and led her to a door on the west side of the room. It looked no different than the door that led to the bathroom, but when Guy opened it, Charlotte could see it was a bedroom.

“I wanted you and Warren to have some privacy.”

Charlotte’s hand tightened around his. “Thank you, Guy. That was very thoughtful of you. I was so frazzled trying to get ready, I completely forgot to ask you about this. I just assumed you would book two rooms, and when the man at the desk only mentioned one, I wasn’t sure what to think.”

“You understood our conversation?” Guy asked.

“I know the difference between
une
and
duex
. I was listening when you were teaching Warren to count to ten in French.”

Guy pulled Charlotte in closer. “Hmm, I will have to teach you more words. I would very much like to hear you speaking French.”

“Later,” Charlotte said firmly, yet there was a smile hiding on her lips. A moment later, her expression turned pensive. “What about when we get to your parents’ house?”

Releasing her momentarily, Guy set Warren down on the bed and pulled the blankets over his body. He immediately began drooling on the pillow. A sudden coolness on his shoulder made Guy realize he had been drooling on his shoulder also. Charlotte saw the damp spot as well and grimaced.

“Sorry, he’s always been a drooler.”

“It is fine. Lily tends to use me as her napkin when we eat together.” Guy shrugged off the drool and took Charlotte into his arms. “At my parents’ home, your room will be next to mine. Warren can stay with you, or in the nursery with the other children. There will be several
nounous
on hand to make sure the children are watched over.”