You're the One (a Bistro La Bohème novella)

Chapter 5: He Always Leaves at Six

“I hate this weather,” Marie said after ordering another cappuccino. “It’s only the beginning of October, but it’s already cold and wet.”

Natalie nodded.

“I feel like eating chocolate all the time, which is bad for my figure,” Marie whined.

Natalie patted her friend’s hand. “Don’t despair. We may still get an Indian summer in a week or two.”

For an emotional person like Marie, weather was a significant variable, interfering with her mood and well-being for better or worse. Right now, definitely worse.

“I haven’t told you the latest. I had a second date with Stephan,” Marie said.

“How did it go?”

“Not well. We spent the evening talking about his work problems, his bitchy boss, and his ex-girlfriend.”

“Ouch.” Natalie wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t bode well.”

“It wasn’t until just before we got the check that he remembered to ask if I’d had a nice week.”

“And?”

“I started telling him how depressed I was about the weather, but he interrupted me and went on about his ex again. Can you believe it?”

“No third date then, huh?”

Marie chewed on her lower lip. “He is kind of cute, in a blissfully self-centered way, you know? As if he can’t see that people might not be interested in him. A bit like your Fred.”

Natalie frowned. “Fred isn’t like that.”

“Oops. Did I say something wrong? Sorry. Of course, Fred isn’t like that.”

In spite of Marie’s emphatic refutation, Natalie felt she needed to prove her point. “He’s swamped with work right now, and when he gets home in the evening, he refuses to talk about it. He doesn’t want to bore me.”

“That’s great,” Marie said enthusiastically.

They fell silent for a moment.

“I’ve got an idea. I’m going to throw a party next Saturday,” Natalie said.

Marie clapped her hands. “Yay!”

“Fred loves parties and having his friends over. He’s been so busy lately he hasn’t seen them much. I’ll call everyone and organize it. We’ll have a great time.”

“Ooh, invite that redheaded colleague of his who was there last time. I’d like to take a closer look at him.”

“Will do,” Natalie promised.

What a stroke of genius, she thought on her way home. A party would cheer Fred up and distract him from work. It would also relax the tense atmosphere between them since the “baby talk.” Not that he had said anything brusque, but she found him snippier and more on edge than usual. Or maybe she was just imagining things.

At any rate, before she went full steam ahead with invitations and preparations, she had to be sure Fred wasn’t working on Saturday evening.

And the only way to find out was to ask him.

Natalie glanced at her watch. It was only six, which meant Fred wasn’t coming home for at least another three hours—a long time to wait. She tried his cellphone, but her call went straight to his voice mail. After a moment’s hesitation, she dialed his office number.

To her disappointment, Fred didn’t pick up his office phone either. Probably stuck in a meeting with his cell turned off. She was about to hang up, when a sweet female voice answered the phone. “Reception. How may I help you?”

“I’m sorry. I was trying to reach monsieur Frédéric Gasque. Is he in a meeting?” Natalie asked.

“He just left the building,” the receptionist said.

“So early?” Natalie blurted.

“Monsieur Gasque always leaves the office at this time.”

Was there a note of mockery in her sweet voice or did Natalie imagine it? Her stomach knotted with unease. Fred always left at six? He used to leave at six, but not for weeks now. The receptionist would have noticed it, wouldn’t she? Was the woman trying to play some kind of stupid joke on her?

Natalie spent the rest of the evening attempting to distract her mind. She tried to read, watch television, and surf on the Internet. All with equally pathetic results.

Fred came home at half past nine. He hung his jacket by the door, declared he was done in, and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.