Beyond Chance (18 page)

It was early evening, and I had just
finished giving my last interview to Seattle’s largest newspaper.
Hanging up the phone with the journalist made me feel revitalized
as I gave my story a voice. If there was one message coming across
loud and clear, it was that I wasn’t hiding any longer, and I
wanted to see justice served. I also made sure that everyone
understood I hadn’t dropped out of law school, I postponed
attending so that I could focus on my recovery. The press didn’t
need to know that Derek almost ripped my life-long dreams away from
me. That could be saved for another day, and I felt that might
detract from what I wanted people to understand, which was that
Derek was a criminal.

The more I defined my story, the more
confident I became in my life. The last several days spent
researching and giving interviews gave me a sense of purpose,
something I’d lost along the way this past year. I found what I’d
been looking for—and I didn’t even know it had been missing—but
that something was finding who I was again. I loved law and didn’t
realize that I was letting my fears define me. I believed in the
possibilities of our justice system to make things right, but I
couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch events unfold.

“You have any other interviews tonight?”
Aaron asked, walking into the kitchen.

I shook my head. “All done. At least for
now. I think I’ve said enough. People will be tired of hearing
about me back in Washington.”

“No one could ever get tired of hearing
about you.” He kissed my cheek and grabbed a piece of
chocolate.

“Are you ready to move the pieces tomorrow?”
I asked.

“I am. I’m actually tired of looking at them
all scattered upstairs. I need to start assembling, or I’ll never
stop messing with them.”

“I can’t wait to see them in all their
glory.” I smiled and broke a piece of chocolate off and nibbled it.
“I also can’t wait to get a little taste of the country.”

For more reasons than one, I thought.
Unfortunately, Tracy had come by the apartment once more, but I’d
made myself scarce. Aaron dealt with her in the living room, and it
had sounded like all business. I hadn’t mentioned our encounter to
Aaron and planned on keeping it to myself. He didn’t need to be
bothered with the wicked witch of Paris’s threats while he was
working hard on his sculptures. I was a big girl and could handle
myself.

He pulled me into him and nuzzled my neck.
“You and me both.”

“You have a one-track mind,” I teased.

“And has that ever been a problem before?”
His eyes stayed on mine, and I felt my cheeks warm just from his
gaze.

“No, and it never will be.”

He placed a kiss on my lips and groaned.
“The chocolate tastes even better on you.”

“You’re certainly smooth.” I playfully
pushed him away and narrowed my eyes at him as I grinned.

“I can’t help it. I’m trapped upstairs for
hours on end. I have nothing else to do but think these things
up.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Somehow I
doubt that.”

“You ready for a night on the town to
celebrate?” he asked.

“Celebrate what in particular?” I’d planned
on snacking on whatever we had in the cupboards topped with cheese
so his plan sounded like a much better option.

“You making up your mind about law school.
That’s huge, Brandy, and all it took was a week in Paris.”

Ha! A week in Paris and a visit from Tracy
to remind me what it’s like not to have a voice.

“I think sometimes it takes being taken out
of my comfort zone to put things in perspective,” I replied.

“I know how that goes.” He smiled and took
in a deep breath before glancing at his phone. “There’s a
restaurant a few blocks away that I think you’re going to
love.”

My stomach tensed as I watched him text
someone back and shove his phone in his pocket. I hated the
feelings that erupted every time he picked up the phone. We hadn’t
really discussed Elizabeth since I told him what I thought about
the situation, and I certainly hadn’t mentioned Tracy because
anything that might come out of my mouth wouldn’t be pleasant.
Either way, I was always on edge when his phone buzzed. I couldn’t
help but wonder if he was still communicating with Elizabeth every
day.

“So what kind of French food is it?” I
asked, trying to distract myself.

“It’s authentic, and I’d say the best
Chinese food I’ve ever had.”

“Wait. Are you serious?” My brows pulled
together.

“Totally. The chef makes the noodles right
at the front of the restaurant. People can watch him make them as
they’re walking by. That’s what snagged my interest. Anyway, the
chow mein and almond chicken is incredible.”

My smile widened at the thought of some
delicious Chinese food, and I couldn’t think of a better way to
celebrate. Well, maybe one other way…

“What’s that goofy look on your face?” He
shoved his wallet into his front pocket.

“Nothing at all.” I felt my cheeks redden
and he laughed.

“I hope to explore
nothing at all
later,” he teased, and my pulse quickened as his gaze stayed on
mine a beat longer than anticipated. He really knew how to throw me
over the edge, and I loved every second of it.

“Let me go change, and I’ll be ready for
some rockin’ chow mein.” I gave him a quick kiss and the stubble on
his cheek tickled my lips in a wonderful way.

“It’s not a fancy place,” he called after
me.

“I think the least I can do is upgrade from
shorts to a skirt.”

I walked into the bedroom and immediately
felt at ease. I’d really grown fond of this room. It always felt
refreshing and peaceful, and I vowed to recreate it when I got back
to Washington. With law school, I would need a consistent
sanctuary.

Pulling open the armoire, I scanned the
dresses and skirts in front of me and decided on a grey knit skirt.
It was completely casual and would allow for an extra helping of
almond chicken. I kicked off my shorts and flip-flops and slid on
the skirt. I found a pair of sandals and buckled them around my
ankles. I decided to trade out my oversized shirt for a
lightweight, gauzy blouse. Glancing in the mirror, I gave myself
the once over and was satisfied, considering how exhausted I felt.
Between all the research and interviews, it felt like I was about
at my tipping point, but I didn’t want to miss out on tonight’s
celebration. Paris and I were starting to get used to each other,
and I didn’t want to lose the momentum.

“Well, you look stunning,” Aaron said,
standing in the doorway.

I spun around and kicked my heel up as I
laughed. “Remind me to put a skirt on more often.”

“It’s not the clothes,” he said, shaking his
head. “You have your sparkle back.”

“I do like to sparkle. My hope is that will
confuse them in the courtroom.” I grinned and tried to squeeze by
him in the doorway, and he seized the opportunity to place a soft
kiss on my forehead as we stood in one another’s arms.

I felt his body respond to mine, and I
wondered if we’d even make it to the restaurant, but then my
stomach growled so loudly I couldn’t help but burst into
laughter.

“Can’t get any sexier than that,” I
muttered.

“No. It really can’t. After you.” He
motioned through the door, and I slid through the doorway with
Aaron following close behind.

We decided on the elevator and bumped into a
couple returning from a day out. We said our awkward greetings in
English as they returned theirs in German.

The street was noticeably quiet compared to
the activity I’d grown accustomed to on the streets of Paris. Very
few tables were filled as we walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.
Apparently on Tuesdays the locals stayed in. It was about the only
day of the week that seemed to happen.

We walked slowly down the street, stopping
every so often so I could peer into the windows of the shops and
bakeries. Things felt different and new and I wished I could bundle
the feeling for when things might suddenly change.

I stopped in front of a boutique that had
the prettiest purse dangling from a silver hook. The rest of the
store was almost empty, except for three more purses on the back
wall. If they could somehow afford the rent off of only three
purses, I couldn’t even imagine the price per bag.

“Do you like that?” Aaron asked, draping his
arm across my shoulders as he peered into the window.

“It’s gorgeous, but my guess is that it
would cost the same as my tuition.”

Aaron laughed and shook his head. “I doubt
that.”

“I don’t.”

We started walking down the sidewalk again
and turned at the crosswalk. The buildings were just as regal as
the ones from the prior block, but the vibe changed drastically. It
wasn’t until about twenty feet down the road, when I started seeing
boutiques exchanged for flashing signs and darkened windows.

“Uh. Where the heck are we going?” I asked,
as I saw several women congregating at the entrances to the
mysterious storefronts. They were dressed in skimpy outfits,
giggling and whispering as we passed.

“I think I made a wrong turn,” he
laughed.

“You don’t say.”

He slipped his hand into mine as we
continued to walk down the block taking in the blinking signs and
graffiti splattered limestone buildings. It was such a
juxtaposition of worlds as neon winked its invite to a seedy
underside of the city.

I heard a few whistles and was pretty sure
they weren’t directed at me, but it made me hold Aaron’s hand even
tighter. We were in it this far and there was no point in turning
around. If we kept walking, eventually we’d get to the end of the
street and could figure out where we wanted to go.

“This is certainly fun,” I laughed, as I saw
the shadow of a woman dancing on the second floor.

“Glad I could entertain you.”

“I had no idea there was a red-light
district in Paris.”

“Me either. Learn something new every
day.”

“It certainly looks more classy than the
Mustang Ranch in Vegas.” I wriggled my brows and his jaw dropped.
“What? I had cable growing up.”

Aaron’s laughter roared down the street, and
I loved the fact that I could still surprise him after a year of
dating.

We came to the end of the block at a busy
intersection. “I think we should be one street over. We turned
right too soon,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he tried to examine
where we needed to go on his phone.

“Sure we did.” I grinned.

Smiling, he shook his head and led me in the
direction of the mysterious restaurant.

“It’s amazing how on one street, there’s a
high-end store selling a bag for thousands and the next street over
there’s, well…”

“Yeah. It’s pretty crazy.”

Aaron came to a stop and I crashed into him.
I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going. I was having
too much fun studying all of the architecture.

“Found it.”

I looked up and saw the restaurant. Just as
Aaron had explained, a chef was kneading dough, preparing to string
noodles.

“It smells delicious. How did you find the
place?”

We walked inside and the hostess led us to a
table in the back. She handed us the menus and began speaking to us
in French. I had to admit that I was kind of excited that she
thought I might actually speak French fluently. It wasn’t until I
attempted to order a beverage that she smiled and quickly switched
to English. She left and I opened the menu to see pictures of the
food and knew I’d found my new favorite place.

“So how’d you find this restaurant?” I asked
again.

“Elizabeth recommended it. She thought you
might like it.”

Of course she did.

“Oh, well, let’s hope she’s right.” I smiled
and took a sip of water, attempting to cool off. For some reason it
felt like my entire body was on fire, and I had to use the menu to
fan myself off.

Aaron let out a deep breath and shook his
head. “I guess I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No. Don’t be silly. That would be weird not
to.”

“Let’s not make it a thing.”

“Sounds good to me.” His gaze sharpened as
he glanced around the restaurant. I wanted to know what was running
through his mind with an expression like that, but there was a part
of me that was afraid to ask.

“I bet this would be a fun surprise for Lily
and everyone when they visit. We can take them here the first
night. Gabby’s been talking nonstop about eating all the French
food she can. It might be kind of fun to mess with her.”

“And crush her dreams of nightly coq au
vin?” Aaron teased.

“Someone’s got to.” I smiled, pushing away
the unease that was creeping up. “I’m really looking forward to the
opening.”

Aaron shrugged and his gaze dropped to the
menu.

“What’s up with that?” I asked. “You’re not
excited?”

“Not particularly. No.”

“You’ve always been thrilled when your
pieces have been on exhibit… What’s changed?”

“I’m not sure.” He brought his gaze up to
meet mine just when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He maneuvered
his cell out of his pocket and glanced at the voicemail alert, and
my heart thumped in my chest. Was it Elizabeth?

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’ve got to go return this call. If
she comes back, make sure to get two orders of the chow mein. The
only downside with this place is the serving size.”

“Okay,” I said, my voice hoarse as he walked
away, leaving me alone in the restaurant. Just when I was going to
follow him outside to see who he was on the phone with, the server
came over to check on us.

I muddled through ordering and wasn’t
actually sure what all we’d be getting, but at least it distracted
me from creating a problem where one might not exist. Or where one
might exist. I let out a sigh and watched him wander through the
restaurant. I noticed several women smiled and cast glances his
way.