Plot Twist

11. baby steps

I was currently spending my morning repeating last night's events all over again in my head, but they all seemed too blurry for me to see them clearly. The whispering, the magical words that Sébastien had said to me, his raw honesty. If Seb was a drink, that would make me hungover today.

Too wrapped up in my own thoughts, I jumped up in a jolt in my seat when I heard the doorbell ring.

After I mustered the courage to get up and walk all the way to the front door, I found Nicole standing outside. I looked down at me, still in my pyjamas, looking terrible in comparison to Nicole's nice clothes.

"Nic!" I said, sounding every bit as surprised as I truly was. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't come and visit my sister in law?" She asked while walking inside, not even bothering to wait until I gave her permission to. Not that she needed it, by the way.

"I was actually in the neighbourhood. I had a breakfast meeting at that café by the park." She explained, her words mixing with the sound of her heels clinking against the wooden floors.

"Wow, you look like hell." She said after turning in her heels to face me, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her honest words. "What happened to you?"

"If you must know, I went out on a date last night."

Saying it out loud only made it more real, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed to admit it. I'm a mom, in her thirties, sounding like a teenager.

"Oh, is he still here?" She asked in a low whisper, her expression giving away a hint of embarrassment about dropping by unannounced. "I can leave and come back another time."

I laughed and closed the front door behind me before rolling my eyes at her. "No."

"Oh, so it didn't work out, uh?"

"It's... complicated."

"I know all about complicated." She took a seat on the sofa and patted on the empty cushion next to her. "Tell me everything."

I quickly grabbed two large mugs from the cabinet and filled them with fresh made tea that had been sitting on the counter for a while now. Following Nicole's orders, I sat next to her, handing her her drink before taking a sip of mine.

"Remember when I told you and Lucas about that customer I had at the restaurant that knew L'Amour?"

She nodded in agreement after trying the tea.

I filled her in on everything. How he kept showing up at the restaurant, how he kindly let me and Lexi bake in his kitchen, how he showed up at my doorstep unannounced to try my chocolate cake and how he didn't save up on compliments about me and my food. When I told her about what he did at the restaurant the last time he was there, she opened her mouth in shock.

"Mel, that guy seems to be totally smitten by you!"

"Oh, shush!" I pushed those thoughts away. "He's French, and you know how they are with food. They take it very seriously." Another gulp of the tea, before I added, "And you know, it's worse for him because he cooks too! He's got his own bakery in Paris."

"Honey," Nicole said, her voice soft while she rested her hand on top of my knee, covered by the lilac pyjamas. "I think it's adorable that you're not seeing this the way I see it. Really, I do. But as your friend and sister in law, I feel the need to warn you that he is into you."

"I can agree that last night was a date, even if he didn't tell me, but I don't think he's into me. I think he just..." I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. "Wants to get to know me better, that's all."