Stay With Me (10 page)

“Sorry, Zoe, you were saying?” He turned to look at me, and I was struck by his green eyes. So different from Andrew’s.

Andrew. I dismissed his image. Thanks to work, I hadn’t thought about him for an instant. I went back to talking to Lucas.

“I’m done,” I repeated, blushing at the unchaste thought I’d had about his backside.

His face broke into an enormous smile and he hugged me. While he pulled me toward him, my body stiffened. It was the first time we’d ever been in close contact.

It felt strange, but at the same time reassuring. I needed two strong arms to sustain me during this complicated time, and I gave in to the new sensation as he held me tight longer than necessary.

Once we stepped back, Lucas caressed my cheek.

What the hell was going on?

“Zoe, you’re very beautiful,” he whispered, coming close to my face.

I must have skipped a step. How’d we go from finishing cooking to almost . . .

Almost what?

“What are you doing, Lucas?” I whispered, unable to move.

“What I’ve been dreaming of doing since I met you, Zoe.” A flame of desire appeared in his eyes, and . . . he did it.

He kissed me.

Or rather his lips rested delicately on my cheek, causing me to turn red. A simple kiss on the cheek had shocked me.

He moved away as though it was the most difficult thing he’d ever done.

“I’m off on Monday. Will you come to dinner with me?”

His invitation was tempting and had arrived in the nick of time. I needed to forget Andrew, to surrender myself to something new, to turn the page in order to stop suffering.

Was I ready? No.

Did I want to go? Maybe.

Was I going to accept? Yes!

“OK,” I finally said.

He bent over again, and gave me a light kiss on the corner of my mouth.

“I’ll come by to get you at seven.” He smiled and got back to his work.

10

I put on the black dress that I’d only worn once before for the grand opening of my café. It looked good on me, and that evening I felt like being pretty. For the first time in such a long time, I was getting ready to go out with a man. And I was happy, in spite of it all.

I checked myself in the mirror one more time and smiled at my image. That evening marked the beginning of a new phase in my life: Zoe 2, the rebirth. Lucas was going to be my fresh start.

The phone ringing distracted me from admiring my image in the mirror. Wondering who it could be, I looked at the caller display. It was Jenny. She was probably on her way.

I heard coughing.

“Hello?”

Another coughing fit. “Zoe, I’m sorry, but I’ve got the flu.”

Shit! “Jenny, it’s six. Couldn’t you have told me before?”

“You’re right.” Coughing fit. “But I fell asleep at three and I felt fine, but now . . .”

More coughing.

“Alright, don’t worry. Try to rest. We’ll talk in the next few days.”

“Sorry again, Zoe.”

Disheartened, I hung up. Jenny, in three years, had never skipped an evening.

And right when I needed her most, she’d gotten the flu. Alyssa had the night shift at the hospital. Mag and Carl were away until Wednesday.

What could I do?

I could have had Lucas come to our place for takeout pizza. He and Olly knew each other. But I really wanted to go to dinner and allow myself to be wooed.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Olivia asked.

“Jenny’s sick, love, and Mommy has to go out.”

“There’s
Andew
. He likes staying with me.”

Andrew? Could I leave Olivia with him while I went out with a man?

I tried to look for an alternative solution, but couldn’t find one. I could have called one of those numbers where they refer last-minute babysitters, but I didn’t trust them. Leaving my princess with a stranger was not a solution. I’d heard horrible stories, and I didn’t want to risk it.

I mustered up the courage and dialed Andrew’s number.

One ring. Two rings. “Zoe? Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, Olivia’s fine,” I said to reassure him. “And you?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“It’s just the babysitter called to say she has the flu and I’m going out—”

He didn’t even let me finish. “I’ll come over.”

“I need to leave in forty minutes.”

“I’ll be there right away.” Without giving me time to say anything else, he hung up.

I stood there looking at my iPhone for a few moments, reflecting on how funny the situation was.

I was about to have my first date in months, and the man I’d always been in love with was going to babysit Olivia.

“Well, Mommy?” Olivia asked hopefully.

“Andrew will be staying with you.”

“Yes, yes!” she cried out, disappearing toward her bedroom.

She was already crazy about him. She would definitely lose it when we told her the truth. I was certain of it. I knew just from watching how she looked at him when he talked. Charmed, she hung on every word.

I finished getting ready by putting on some eye shadow and a touch of lipstick. I left my hair down. Luckily it was beautiful that night—a rare event to be celebrated. Usually, it frizzed up, but instead it, along with the rest of my body, seemed to have geared up for the occasion of going out with a hunk.

The doorbell rang. Olivia ran toward the intercom to open it.

“Olly, don’t run!” I called, following her into the living room. She got up on her tippy-toes and pushed the black button on the intercom. I noticed the white dress with little flowers had taken the place of the jogging suit she’d had on before. “You changed, love?” I asked.

“Yes, Mommy, so
Andew
will see me pretty and will stay with me.”

It gave my heart a pang to hear those words. My daughter was madly in love with her father. It was something fantastic. My only hope was he’d never let her down.

“Baby, Andrew adores you and he’ll stay with you.”

“Do you promise, Mommy?”

“I promise.”

The door opened and Andrew came in with a giant carton of ice cream.

“Andew!”
Olivia ran toward him. I grabbed the ice cream and put it in the freezer so he could pick her up.

“Hi, princess!”

“
Andew
, I missed you today,” Olivia said.

“But now I’m here, and since Mom is going out, we’ll get to spend the entire evening together.”

“Thanks for coming, Andrew,” I said sincerely as he and Olivia appeared in the kitchen.

“With pleasure,” he answered as he put Olivia down. I noticed his eyes scanning my body. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” Embarrassment descended upon me so I quickly changed the subject. “I left you the number of our favorite pizzeria. Just tell them to deliver everything to Zoe’s house. Luigi knows me well.” I pointed to a Post-it on the refrigerator. “Olly likes double cheese with a decaf Pepsi.”

“OK.”

The intercom rang again, and this time it had to be Lucas.

“Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

Andrew nodded while Olivia came toward me to give me a big kiss. “In bed by nine thirty!”

“Yes, Mommy. I love you!”

“I love you too.”

I grabbed my purse, leaving Zoe 1 behind and stepping into the shoes of Zoe 2.

Lucas opened the car door for me, and we drove to Le Petit Trésor, one of the most popular French restaurants in the city. It looked out onto the sea. One of the classic spots where it took months to get a table. With all of the new restaurants opening and closing in San Francisco, this one could be counted on. A milestone.

The valet attendant approached us, and Lucas gave him the keys to his Mercedes. As we walked inside, I was dazzled by the attractiveness of the place. The predominant colors were white and blue, and they blended with the blue of the sea.

A waitress escorted us to the terrace and seated us, handing us the menus and serving us two glasses of champagne.

“This place is magnificent, Lucas. The view is amazing.”

“I’m happy you like it. I had to kill to get a table here,” he said as he brought a glass to his lips.

He was handsome. His eyes had a sparkle, and his lips, resting softly on the crystal, seemed inviting.

Even though they weren’t like . . .

No, I wasn’t going to think about him, about Andrew, sitting on the couch at my house, with
our
little girl.

I picked up my glass as well and took a generous sip of wine, and went back to paying attention to the man sitting in front of me.

“How did you manage to find a table here in such a short time? It’s not like you really killed someone, did you?” I asked, amused.

“I would have been capable of it, just so I could bring you here,” he affirmed. “But I didn’t have to try that hard. The chef is a dear friend of mine, and he owed me a favor,” he admitted as he opened the menu.

“And is he as good as they say?”

“Yes, he’s the best,” he confirmed with a smile.

I skimmed the menu, but it was in French, and I didn’t know the language. I asked Lucas for his opinion.

“If you’re comfortable, I’ll order for both of us. I know Pierre’s strong points.”

I nodded, happy I was exempt from having to choose the courses, and I listened as he pronounced their names in fluent French, finding him even sexier. Once the waitress had left, I asked him what he’d ordered.

“For appetizers, oysters and snails, so you can taste them. Then baby-back lamb ribs,” he stated. “For the wine, I opted for a cabernet sauvignon . . .”

I looked at him as though he were speaking of an alien invasion. Despite having worked as a waitress for over three years, wines were my Achilles’ heel. I hadn’t even managed to memorize a single one. I only knew champagne and . . . Brunello di Montalcino.

“Red wine, Zoe. You’re not a connoisseur?”

“No, not at all.”

“Have I already told you how beautiful you look this evening?” he asked with a languid look.

“Yes, but I don’t mind hearing it again,” I whispered, blushing.

He took my hand and massaged it. “You’re beautiful. You always are.”

“Thank you.” His words made me nervous, and I thanked God I was sitting down. If I’d been standing, I would have needed to grab on to him to keep from falling down. I felt like a schoolgirl.

“I wanted to invite you to dinner sooner, but you . . .” He shifted in his chair. “You’re so distant. As though you’ve erected an indestructible wall between yourself and the rest of the world.”

“You’re right.” I sighed, looking at my hand in his. I could trust him. He was a good guy, and I knew him. Opening myself up to him felt like the most natural thing in the world. “I try not to let anyone into my life.”

“Is it because of Olivia’s father?”

“Not exactly him . . .” I took a sip of champagne to get rid of the knot that had formed in my throat. “Olly’s father is a consequence. The cause that triggered it was the death of my parents.”

He didn’t say anything. He just squeezed my hand tighter, as if to say:
I’m here; you can let it all out.

And I did.

“My parents died when I was nineteen. My father traveled a lot for work. He was a consultant, and many firms hired him to help resolve personnel issues. That Saturday, he was on his way home from Philadelphia, but the flight attendants were on strike, and the only flight he could find was one to Sacramento. My mother had told him she was going to pick him up at the airport, but our neighbors didn’t want her to go alone. So Paul offered to go while his wife, Josy, cooked dinner.” I had to stop to take a breath to slow down my heart rate. Lucas was still squeezing my hand and I found the strength to continue. “I went to Josy’s house and waited there with her and her daughter, Ashley.”

The waitress arrived with our plates. We both thanked her, but Lucas didn’t take his eyes off of mine.

“Go ahead, Zoe.”

I played with my fork. “Mom called us when they were about to leave Sacramento. It was shortly after two in the afternoon. But by six, there was still no trace of them, and as you know . . .”

“Sacramento is only an hour and a half away from here,” Lucas finished.

“Exactly,” I said. “Josy and I started to get worried and called all of them, but they were all unavailable. Everything remained quiet until 8:26. That’s when the doorbell rang.”

“Josy, someone just rang the doorbell. It must be them,” I announced, hoping the horrible feeling I had in my chest didn’t mean anything.

“Open up, dear. I’ll get Ash.”

I went toward the door, ignoring the annoying voice inside my head saying, “Zoe, why would Paul ring the bell if he has the keys?” But there had to be a million plausible reasons for that, right?

I slowly turned the deadbolt and found two highway patrol officers.

“Good evening, we’re looking for Mrs. Green,” one of the officers said, showing visible discomfort.

And once again, I told myself that probably yes, something had happened, but they were fine. Perhaps in the hospital for some tests.

“I am she,” Josy said, approaching from behind. “Please come in.”

The two large men came in and looked at each other, trying to decide which of the two should speak. The older one with Latin features started.

“Mrs. Green, I’m sorry to inform you that your husband had an accident this afternoon on the I-80, in the Fairfield vicinity. Unfortunately, by the time the emergency vehicles had arrived, he . . . he was already dead.”

Josy burst out crying, followed by Ash. The younger officer helped both of them over to the couch.

“My parents?” I asked, stammering.

“What, dear?” the older officer said.

“My parents were in the car with him . . . they . . .” I still had a glimmer of hope.

“Mr. and Mrs. Evans?”

I only managed to nod. The officer clenched his fists before pronouncing the words that would destroy my life forever.

“I’m sorry, they died at the scene as well. Two of my colleagues are at your house now. I’m sorry . . .”

“How?” I asked without shedding a tear. “How did it happen?”

He breathed in and I could hear Josy stopping her hiccups in order to hear what the man had to say.

“A tractor trailer blocked the lane and the first car that crashed into it was Mr. Green’s. They didn’t realize it. The emergency workers said they didn’t suffer.”

A tractor trailer had taken away my entire family, everything I had, leaving me completely alone. My parents had died, and I would never again see my mother’s smile while making my father’s favorite pancakes, and him kissing her neck to thank her. I would never again hear them laughing at one of Carl’s dirty jokes.

Mom would never take me to look for a bridal gown. Dad would not walk me down the aisle at my wedding.