A Gentleman's Agreement (17 page)

Eunice could see the
contemplation in his eyes. She’d gotten him thinking. That’s all she’d set out
to do. She offered her hand again. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Bass.” She
smiled and pushed her cart toward the checkout lane.

“Eunice?”

She turned.

“Thank you.”

Smiling, she pushed on.
She was proud of herself. She’d spent fifteen minutes attempting to convince him
to at least consider Blake’s company. The man who’d called her a liar and
deceiver to her face. The man who’d kicked her out on her ass. The man whom she
still loved relentlessly.

Her cart diverted from the checkout
lane. The chocolate aisle is what she needed. There were truffles with her name
written all over them. If she knew nothing else, she had to get Blake out of
her system. Her hips couldn’t take much more.

Word had gotten to
Blake that Trevor was cleaning out Eunice’s office. He’d informed her that her
things would be sent. And he intended to send them. When he got around to it,
of course. Which he wasn’t in any hurry to do. The fact that Trevor was
thwarting his plan irritated him.

He pushed the partially
cracked door open. The essence of Eunice was still present in the room, and it
flooded him with memories. They’d hugged there. Kissed there. Almost made love
there.

He could still feel her
in the room, wrapping her arms around him and making him feel as if he was the
luckiest man in the world. She’d robbed him of the most happiness he’d ever
known. He’d allowed himself to love her and, in the process, he’d let his guard
down. Now, he was paying for the mistake with his heart.

Refocusing, he
approached Trevor. “What are you doing?” Though his actions were evident.

Trevor deviated briefly
from packing the box. “I’m using my lunch hour to gather Eunice’s things. She
asked—”

“I told Ms. Howard her
belongings would be sent to her as soon as they were accessed properly.” He
looked at an already sealed box. “I need my people to verify no Farrington
property is leaving the premises.”

“Well, since I am one
of your people, and I can assure you no Farrington property is being packed.”

“Do you like being one
of my people?”

Trevor eyed Blake
sternly. “Very much. This is a great company to work for.”

He slid his hands into
his pockets. “Good. As you know, with any family, there has to be trust for the
bond to remain strong. Sometimes family members are forced to choose sides,
making—”

Trevor lifted his hand
and Blake stopped as if on cue.

“Are you trying to say
that I have to choose between my friendship with Eunice and my employment at FSM?”

Blake shrugged. He knew
he was being a bastard. His hurt blinded him to the ethical—not to mention
legal—aspect of the request. “What’s more important? Your friendship or your
job? Starve or eat.”

Trevor laughed. Then
laughed some more. Blake wasn’t sure what in the hell was so funny.

“When I came out to my
family, I might as well have been a leper. Family, so called friends all turned
their backs on me. All I had was Eunice. And luckily, she was all I needed. I had
her friendship, her support, her
unconditional
love.”

Blake’s jaw tightened
as he listened to Trevor put the woman who’d crushed him on a pedestal.

Trevor continued, “I
love that woman. She’s the best friend I’ve ever had. The most
loyal
friend I’ve ever had. You don’t take such a friendship for granted. I love
working here at FSM. But if my keeping this job depends on whether or not I have
to choose between working here and Eunice...” He shrugged. “I guess I’ll
starve, because I’d choose Eunice every day, all day. Jobs are a dime a dozen. True
friends like Eunice come around once in a lifetime. Anyone would be a fool to
lose someone like her.”

The jab Trevor had just
taken at him hadn’t gone unnoticed. He felt lower than an earthworm’s belly for
attempting to use a scare tactic on Trevor.
Hurt and pain
, he told
himself. Eunice had been right; he did need to control everything and everyone
around him. He clearly had no control over Trevor. At least where Eunice was
involved.

Trevor lifted a box but
sat it back down. “I have never betrayed Eunice’s trust, but I won’t let her be
crucified when it’s completely undeserved. She—”

“Undeserved?” Blake
barked a laugh. “Clearly, she didn’t tell you the entire story. I trusted her,
and
your best friend
spit in my face. She was spying for Palmer Elliot.”

This time Trevor
laughed. “You just don’t get it, do you?
My best friend
loves you. Even
after the cruel way you treated her, she still cries for you. She would never
do anything to hurt you.”

Trevor’s words hit
Blake in the stomach like an iron fist.
She still cried for him
? He
glanced away. “That’s—”

“You had your say; now,
I’ll have mine. Since…I’m about to be fired anyway.”

Blake arched a brow,
shocked by Trevor’s curtness.

“All those calls you
traced from Eunice’s line was to Palmer Elliot’s company, yes… But she was
trying to find out who was leaking information. She wasn’t trying to hurt you;
she was trying to help you.” He reached for a pen and scribbled something on
one of the purple 4x6 memo sheets on Eunice’s desk, folded it, and passed it to
Blake.

He wondered if it was
some form of a two week notice. “What’s this?”

Trevor picked up the
box and started to the door. “Your rat.” He pulled the door open, balancing the
box in one arm. “And for the record...” he acted as if he were searching for
the perfect words, “…you were a damn fool to lose her. A woman like Eunice
makes a man whole.” With those words, he disappeared through the door.

Blake unfolded the
paper and chuckled at the name scribbled on it.
Sasha
. Why wasn’t he
surprised?

***

Blake sighed when his
assistant, Rose, buzzed into his office. He’d told her not to disturb him and
to hold all of his calls. He had a hundred fires burning and no idea how to
extinguish any of them. If it were business issues, he could handle those with
his eyes closed. These were matters of the heart. They proved much more
difficult for him.

“What is it, Rose?” he
said dryly.

“I know you asked not
to be disturbed, Mr. Farrington, but you have a visitor.”

It better not be Palmer
Elliot again with more of his bullshit
. With Blake’s current state-of-mind,
he’d likely hurt him.

“Send them in.” He
didn’t bother asking who it was. It didn’t matter; he was sure whoever it was,
was there to usher in a headache. Pushing his lids together, he massaged the
bridge of his nose.

Blake could have been knocked
over with a feather when Fredrick Bass ambled toward him. Pushing to his feet,
he moved from behind his desk.

“Fredrick?” He extended
his hand. “This is certainly a surprise.”

“I apologize for the
unexpected visit, but I’m headed out of town and wanted to speak with you
face-to-face.”

Blake motioned to one
of the chairs. “Have a seat.” Instead of moving behind his desk, Blake took a
seat on the edge of his desk.

Fredrick got right down
to business. “We’ve talked recently, and you said some great things. But tell
me why I should sign with Blake Farrington instead of Palmer Elliot.”

Blake folded his arms
across his chest, took a deep breath, and spent the next hour selling himself
instead of his company. When he was done, he analyzed the man in front of him
but couldn’t get a clear read.

Fredrick pushed to his
feet. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I have a lot to think about.”
He checked his watch. “Like I said, I’m on my way out of town, but I’ll give a
lot of thought to your proposal. Give me a couple of days. I’ll be in touch.”

Blake smiled, nodded, and
stuck out his hand. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

The man shuffled across
his floor. “Fredrick?” When Fredrick turned, Blake said, “What made you
question signing with Palmer Elliot.”

He chuckled. “I met a
very convincing woman in the produce section. Eunice Howard. She sold you and
Farrington Sports Management.”

Eunice
? Not his
Eunice. He corrected himself. She was no longer his.

“Is she seeing anyone?”

Fredrick’s words pulled
Blake back into the conversation. “Ah, she’s engaged,” he said with a straight
face.

Fredrick smiled. “All
the good ones are taken.”

Blake chuckled. “Yeah,
that’s what they say.”

“We’ll talk soon,”
Fredrick said, exiting the office.

Dropping into the chair
his potential client had vacated, Blake rested his elbows on his legs and
massaged his temples. Shocked was an understatement. He’d accused Eunice of
something she hadn’t done, hadn’t listened when she tried to explain to him,
and had fired her. Yet, she was still being a cheerleader for him.

Blake snatched up his
keys, told Rose to clear his calendar, sprinted out of the building, and headed
to Eunice’s. Fifteen minutes later, he stood on her porch ringing the doorbell
like a mad man. When she didn’t answer, he peeped through the window.

“May I help you?”

Blake turned toward the
feminine voice. Damn, he couldn’t remember Eunice’s neighbor’s name. He was
sure it started with a T. Or maybe it was a W.
Shit
. Luckily, the woman
recognized him.

“Oh, hey there, handsome.
These old eyes ain’t what they used to be.”

Normally, Blake would
have entertained conversation, but he had an urgent matter. “I’m looking for
Eunice. You haven’t by chance seen her, have you?”

The woman flashed a
quizzical expression. “You’re going to have to look a bit further for her. She’s
in Paris, France.”

 “
Paris
?”

“Yes, Paris. Shouldn’t
you know that?”

The tickets he’d purchased for her.
Damn
.
Paris?
“Thank you.” He rushed down the stairs and back to his vehicle. If
she was in Paris, so was he.

The picture Eunice had
seen online didn’t do Hotel Plaza Athénéé justice. As she followed Élie, her
bellman, into the Eiffel Tower suite, the rich and earthy scent of amber
greeted her. When she took a sweeping view of the room, she pulled her hand to
her mouth.

The expansive living
room—lounge—as Élie had called it, was outfitted in soft pinks, shiny grays,
and creamy whites. The silk curtains hung floor to ceiling, pinned back with an
elaborate holder, exposing the bay window and a view of Avenue Montaigne below.
Chestnut trees lined the well-known shopping thoroughfare.

Exploring the room more,
she ran her fingers over the grand piano keys. Parisian flare flowed throughout
the lavish space. Moving from one end of the suite to the other, Eunice joked
that they should’ve packed a lunch for the hike. She could tell Élie didn’t
understand the joke, but he grinned and nodded anyway.

Inside one of the bedrooms,
a large plasma TV hung on the wall, displaying what she gathered to be the
local news channel. The beautiful woman on the screen was reporting on Paris’s
oldest bridge, Pont Neuf.

“You understand?” Élie
asked, an air of surprise in his tone.

“
Oui
. Yes,” she
translated.

He opened the glass
doors to the terrace as if he were revealing the entrance to Heaven.
Close
.
Gawking at the Eiffel Tower in the distance, she realized she could lounge in
the bed and stare at the tower all day if she wanted. “Wow!”

Blake had done well. She
shuddered to think how much he’d spent on the lavish vacation. How would he
react if he knew she was utilizing the gift?

Élie’s voice reeled her
in. She shook off the thoughts of her once love. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Your pillow selection.
Wheat, de-stressing, beautifying, horsehair, osteopathic, or synthetic?”

Pillow selection
?
She chuckled. “I don’t know. You choose for me.”

Élie nodded and moved
out of the room. She lagged behind. Once they were back inside the main room,
he pointed out the safe, stereo, mini bar and fax machine.

“You’re on vacation,
yes?”

“Yes.”

Élie skimmed the room. “You
are alone.”

It was more of a
statement than a question. “Yes.” Without warning, Élie draped his arms around
her. “Oh…okay,” she said, displaced by his actions.

He pulled away, but not
before placing a kiss on each of her cheeks. “
Une
étreinte un baiser
peuvent gu
érir un coeur bris
é
.”

A hug and a kiss can
heal a broken heart
. How did he know? Only if that were true. But she
thanked him for the kind words anyway. “
Merci
.”

Eunice offered her new
friend eighteen Euro—roughly twenty US dollars.

Élie pushed her hand
away. “
Non
.”

“
S’il vous pla
ȋt
.”
She repeated it in English when he continued to refuse the money. “Please.”
He’d been so kind to her.

Élie finally took the
paper. “If you need anything, I will come. I hope you enjoy your time in
Paris
.”

She intended to. Even
if it wasn’t with the man she loved. Luckily, Trevor would be joining her in a
few days. Until then, she’d just have to make do with being alone in one of the
most romantic cities in the world.

***

The following evening, Eunice
sat on one of the decorative benches in the square watching couples stroll by. Some
held hands, others wrapped in the warm arms of their lover. Lighted trees
glowed around her. The sound of a harp escaped into the streets from a nearby
restaurant. It was the ideal atmosphere for a couple in love.

Love
.

She growled at the
idea, then yanked her pea coat a bit tighter. Even though it was a bone-biting
fifty-two degrees, the fresh air helped to clear her thoughts. All of which
seemed to linger on Blake.

When her cell phone
vibrated in her pocket, she jumped.
Trevor
. Had he sensed her need for
someone to talk to? She pushed the phone to her ear. “Hi, bestie.”

“Hey, baby doll. How
are you enjoying France?”

She looked around. “Nice,
but I can’t wait until you get here.” Alarmed, she asked, “You’re not calling
to say you can’t make it, are you?”

“No, I’m not standing
you up.”

“Thank you. It’s hard
enough being in romantic Paris. Even harder being here alone.” She watched a
couple move past, hand-in-hand. “Can’t you leave right now?”

“If I could, I would
zap myself there.”

“I love you, Trevor. You’ve
always been there for me. Whether it was telling me I’m crazy or drying my
tears.”

“I love you, too, and
you know I only want the very best for you, right.”

“I know.” By his tone, Eunice
had a feeling that if he were there, he’d be giving her
that
look. The
one that suggested he wanted to say more. Trevor had assured her Blake hadn’t
made his life a living hell, but if he had, she doubted Trevor would tell her
because he wouldn’t want her to worry. But something was definitely up. “Is
everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. It’s
what, seven in the evening there?” Trevor asked.

“A little after.”

“Are you out? I called
your hotel suite.”

“I’m sitting on a bench
watching all the happy couples stroll by, wishing it were me. It’s a beautiful
public square. Place de la Concorde. It’s about a five minute walk from the
hotel. You’ll love it. A perfect place to take selfies,” she said to her
camera-loving friend. “Something about it is…soothing.”

“A five minute walk
from the hotel. Hold on a second? I need to grab this other line.”

Eunice listened to the
on-hold message as she waited for Trevor to come back on the line. She felt a
tightening in the pit of her stomach when Blake’s voice danced over the line. “
At
Farrington Sports, we are family
.”

Family
.

“Sorry about that,”
Trevor said as he came back on the line. “It’s a madhouse here.”

“You do know once Blake
finds out you made a call to France from the company phone—especially to me—he’ll
probably fire you, right?

“I’m not scared of
Blake Farrington.”

He should have been.
Because of her, she was sure Trevor had a bull’s-eye painted on his back.

“I hope you’re
representing the USA fashionably well.”

“As a matter-of-fact, I
am. I have on my black pea coat and a black shaker stitch beret. A black cowl
neck sweater, dark jeans, and black calf boots. I’m rocking it.”

“All black. You have—”
He paused. “I’m sorry. Hold on another minute. These people are driving me
crazy.”

“Sure.” She honestly
didn’t mind. She wanted to hear Blake’s voice just once more. Dropping her head
into her hand, she considered how insane that made her.

Trevor came back on the
line. “I’ve got to go, sweetie. I have a fire to put out. Love you.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in—”

The line went dead
before she could complete her thought. “—a few days.” Yeah, something was up
with Trevor.

Eunice allowed herself
another fifteen minutes enduring the visual torture. She thought about the walk
back to her hotel. Maybe she would stop into the chocolate shop she’d passed
and buy all the truffles they had on display. She laughed to herself. When did
she become an emotional eater?

As she was about to
push to her feet, the conversation behind her drew her attention. She was
tempted to turn to see the couple, but kept still as she translated in her head
the apologetic words the man spoke to his companion.

I’m so sorry I hurt
you
.
My life is not complete without you
.

What had he done? Lied?
Cheated? She heard the woman hum a sound she interpreted as bliss. But could
she have pardoned him so quickly? Shouldn’t she have made him earn her
forgiveness.

I would give
anything under the stars to have you in my life again
.

Eunice felt her skin
prickle. The words made her look toward the sky. Blake’s star was somewhere
there, shining down on her. Why— No. She was done with wondering why things had
worked out the way they had. She just needed to accept things for how they
were.

Silence lingered behind
her. Were they sharing a kiss? A hug? Staring into each other’s eyes? Curiosity
was killing her. She was about to pivot when the Frenchman started again.

Your love changed me.
Made me a better man
.
I don’t want to be without you for another moment
.

“
Parfait
!” the
woman said.

Eunice agreed. It was
perfect. She gave a quick swipe at her eye, deciding it was time to leave and
allow them their privacy to celebrate their rekindled love. Milk chocolate
truffles were definitely in her future.

But before she could
escape, Frenchy’s started again. Something held her there.

“
J’ai oubli
é
quelque
.”

He’d forgotten
something? What had he forgotten? Eunice eagerly awaited the answer.

“
J’ai presque oubli
é
de dire Je t’aime. Hier. Aujourd’hui. Toujours
.”

Eunice’s breath hitched
in her throat once she’d translated the words.
I almost forgot to say I love
you. Yesterday. Today. Always
. She pushed to her feet, then slowly rotated.

“Blake?”