Jezebel (13 page)

“Is he repping Damon?” she asked.

“Not a chance. His words—not mine,” Madison answered. “Hey, tomorrow . . . want me to come along again?”

Annabelle thought about her offer for a second. “Naw. No offense. I just think two visits in a row might be pushing my luck. Don’t want to get caught.”

“Cool. That lady is freakin’ pushy and weirdly wise. She made my head spin,” Madison admitted.

Annabelle grinned and nodded. “I think that’s why I like her so much.”

~
***
~

Annabelle practically skipped to Jezebel’s room. She was excited to see her. The week since her last visit had been long and stressful and today would be a nice reprieve. Today she came armed with something she hoped Jezebel would find fun.

“Jezzie,” she sang as she pushed into the woman’s room. Instantly she was concerned. Jezebel was lying on her side in bed staring out the window. Annabelle noticed a faint but thick scar that crept out from her tank top near her shoulder blade. Annabelle wondered what could have left such a mark. “Jez? Everything alright?”

“Hello darling. Fine, fine, just a bit under the weather I’m afraid.”

“Should I . . . do something else today and let you rest?” Annabelle stuttered out. She didn’t want to do anything else and she hoped Jezebel would still let her sit with her.

“God no! Please, I’ll die of boredom if you leave. Drag that chair over so you’re closer. It’s just my stomach.” Annabelle scooted her usual chair close to the bed. Jezebel looked flushed and she wondered if she was more sick than she let on.

“Okay. Well.” Annabelle pulled her nail kit from her bag. “I thought maybe we could paint each other’s nails today while we talk?”

Jezebel’s face lit up with excitement and it made Annabelle happy, a warm heat spreading throughout her chest. “I’d love that! Do you have Harlot Red?” Jezebel asked.

Annabelle burst out laughing. Only Jezebel would ask something like that. Rummaging through her container of polishes, she pulled out a vibrant red color. “This work?” she asked as she held it up. Jezebel grinned and nodded.

“Let’s dive in,” Jezebel said as Annabelle pulled out a file and nail scissors. Jezebel gently placed one hand in hers and Annabelle happily started working on the woman’s nails. “Paris, nineteen eighty-six.”

Chapter 14

Celeste

Paris 1986

Their clothes were spilled across the bedroom carpet, along with the decorative pillows from the bed. Celeste lay beneath the sheet catching her breath. They’d kicked off the covers and the down comforter.
She ran her fingers over Gabriel’s chest. He kissed her sweetly and rolled onto his side to get out of the bed, but she reached for his shoulder and pulled him back down. “Tell Monique I’m sorry you were late,” she winked, rolling on top of him and feeling him harden beneath her.

After their morning quickie, she lay on the bed watching him dress. The scent of his masculine cologne filled the room. Gabriel adjusted his tie and padded over to her. “Good luck today,” he said and bent over placing a gentle kiss to her temple.

“Thanks love.” She sighed.

“I’m sure you’ll get the job. The man would have to be an idiot not to see how perfect you are.” He grinned, bearing the dimple she loved so much.

“Well he’s hiring me for the gardens—not because I’m perfect,” she laughed.

“Regardless of why—he’s hiring you. Or . . . he’d better.”

She laughed and shooed him off. “You’re already late. Get going Mr. Fontaine.”

“True. Monique will have my hide Mrs. Fontaine.” He laughed and headed downstairs.

Celeste tried not to let it bother her, but she wasn’t a fan of her husband’s assistant. Monique was a tall, beautiful model-esque woman who also happened to be an intelligent blood specialist. They spent more time together than she and Gabriel got to and it made her flutter with insecurity. She saw the way Monique looked at him when she thought no one was watching and she saw the jealous glint in Monique’s eyes whenever Celeste showed up to see her husband. It made her uneasy to say the least. She trusted Gabriel with her soul, but she didn’t trust Monique, not one iota.

Celeste applied mascara, a little eye shadow, added a touch of perfume to her wrists and neck, and headed downstairs to the smell of bacon and coffee.
Gabriel
.
She sighed and smiled. He’d taken the time to leave her a pile of bacon—her favorite—and a half pot of hot coffee. He was always doing things like that. Grocery shopping, he’d carry in six bags to her three. In the winter she’d go outside to a cleaned-off car, warm and running, just waiting for her.

Even cleaning the house he helped out more than she had expected, and she’d noticed that even her hairbrush was always hair free. At first she’d thought it was odd that he’d do
that
for her but over time she figured he just liked his bathroom clean and hair free and she
did
shed a lot. When he shaved he always cleaned up the mess immediately, so it made sense.

Flowers die,
Celeste had told Gabriel that when they first started dating. Not because they weren’t welcome or beautiful but because they weren’t everlasting. They contradicted everything her soul felt about love and her husband. So he began sending her plants. Within eight months, their garden was reminiscent of the
Butchart Gardens in Canada. Every single time she looked out a window facing the backyard she smiled. The flowers and plants had bloomed and grew and spread over time, much like their love and relationship had. She smiled at the back yard and set her empty coffee mug in the sink—she needed to leave.

At the heart of Villiers sur Marne, in a private location enclosed by a stone wall, a charming Napoleon III property
rose up
from the hillside. The main house looked to be at least 400 square meters, with two Baltard pavilions renovated to the highest standards she’d ever seen. Matteo was Dr. Basle’s veterinarian. He’d been hired just over a year ago after graduating, and he’d taken a real shining to Dr. Basle. When the doctor had mentioned his groundskeeper leaving, Matteo had set Celeste up to meet with him in hopes she could replace the man leaving. She had been over the moon at the prospect.

Driving through the gate she passed by a sparkling pool accompanied by a cottage style pool house. The grounds were covered in trees and a French garden. She passed a gatehouse and various outbuildings, a tennis court and small stables, kitchen garden and greenhouses. A prestigious property on a human scale, full of historical charm. Matteo had been humble in his description of the place. She was thrilled that if everything worked out, she’d not only see Matteo regularly again but also have the job she’d always wished for.

Celeste climbed from the car, insects dancing and buzzing about her
, and she started down
a stone path in a rich-green lawn that looked and smelled like it had been freshly mowed. An older man stepped out from an alcove.
A monk’s ring of hair and a full brow that seemed perpetually furrowed greeted her. “Ciao. You must be Celeste.” He looked rail thin. Thick lenses magnified his eyes and made them appear watery. She stepped closer.

“Yes. Dr. Basle?” she extended her hand now that she was close enough. Peering through his thick lenses, the doctor gasped. He laid one hand over his heart and stared at her. “It can’t be! The resemblance is amazing.”
“Is everything alright sir?” Celeste asked.

He shook his head and blinked. “I’m sorry.” He smiled but it looked forced. “Yes, yes. I’m Dr. Basle, but please, call me Leo.” He jutted his hand outward towards her. She took it. His shake was firm and brief. “Come, let’s sit in the kitchen.” He motioned to the door. Celeste followed.

Celeste noticed a tremor in his hands when he unzipped his jacket and hung it on a hook inside the door. She followed as they entered a den that flowed into a kitchen with a table and chairs, granite counters, bar stools, and ornate lights that hung from the house’s intricate box-beam ceiling.

Leo filled a kettle at the faucet before setting it on a burner.
“Can I help with something?” Celeste offered. He waved her off, pulled two mugs from a cabinet and dropping in tea bags and lumps of sugar.

Steam whistled from the spout of the kettle, and Leo shuffled about to fill both mugs. Celeste declined milk. Leo set the mugs on the table and sat across from her dunking his tea bag. The mug shook when he raised it to take a sip.

“So, Matteo tells me you’re a fantastic gardener.”

Celeste blushed. Her green thumb was worth bragging about but she didn’t. It was her passion and she didn’t really care if she was good at it or not—she did it because it made her heart smile. “I’m flattered he would say that. I suppose my talents in the garden are
nothing to sneeze at
.”

Leo chuckled. “Well my dear, Matteo vouches for you and the grounds are too big for me to keep up with. I have an immediate need. The garden around back is where I need someone. The grounds are mowed by a crew every week, and Matteo takes care of the stables, not just the horses but the surrounding area as well. He’s a dear man. I’ve told him it’s not his job but he won’t hear it.”

“I’ve known Matteo for years, he’s definitely a good man.” Celeste grinned. She liked that Leo was fond of Matteo.

“The garden spans about an acre. There are all kinds of plants and landscaping to maintain but you’d also have
free reign
to add more as you see fit. Also, I’d like to do more around the pool eventually.”
Celeste nodded. A dog padded over and stuck his head in her lap, a sign of affection. “You need some attention?” she asked, and gently caressed the dog’s head.

“Careful. He’s a master manipulator. What Max wants is some table food.” Leo said. She scratched Max behind the ears. Leo snapped his fingers and pointed, and the dog dutifully went into the next room and lay on the rug.

“Honestly Dr. Basle, the job sounds wonderful and I’d love to be a part of the crew here.”

“It’s Leo, please. I’d like to do a trial run. See how we both fit together and go from there, yeah?” Celeste beamed at him and nodded her agreement. “Fantastic. Come tomorrow, eight a.m. sharp, and I’ll give you the official tour of the grounds and introduce you to the others.”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity, Leo. I promise I won’t disappoint,” she rushed.

“I’ve no doubt. I’ll see you out to the stables. Matteo is here today and he’d think poorly of me if I sent you away without visiting him first.”

Celeste laughed and finished her tea. It had been a few weeks since she last saw Matteo and she couldn’t wait to hug him and thank him for thinking of her for the job.

Matteo sauntered lazily from the barn as she and Leo approached. He looked handsome in his blazer, jeans and muck boots. When he caught sight of them he picked up his pace. Celeste beamed at him and jogged to meet him. He wrapped his arms around her and twirled her once. “It’s good to see you fiore mio.”

“You too,” she replied.

“I’ve decided to let her stay.” Leo said in greeting when he finally caught up to them.

“Bravo, Dr. B,” Matteo chuckled. “You won’t regret it. You just watch, you’ll have the most stunning garden in all of France in a year’s time.”

Celeste blushed and shook her head. “Thank you Matteo for thinking of me.”

“I always think of you. Who else has a green charmed thumb of your caliber?” he laughed. She ruefully shook her head at him.

“Has he always been such a charmer?” Leo asked. Celeste liked Matteo’s nickname for him. Dr. B seemed fitting for the man. She turned to him and nodded vigorously.

“He’s hopeless really.”

“Well the animals love him—they’ll have to keep him company until he can find a good woman.”

“Agreed,” she answered. Matteo
did
need a good woman. He was always dating and none of the women seemed to stick. It made her heart pang. She didn’t want him to be alone.

“When will people learn that I’m perfectly happy as I am?” Matteo cut in. Dr. B chuckled and threw his hands up in mock surrender.

“Fine, fine. I’m going to the study, Matteo. If you need me stop in. Celeste, it was a pleasure, I will see you tomorrow morning.”

Celeste reached out and shook Dr. B’s weathered hand and said goodbye. Matteo pulled her into his side as they watched him slowly shuffle back to the house. When he was out of sight Celeste turned in Matteo’s arm and squealed her excitement.

“This is amazing!”

“I’m glad to see you so happy,” Matteo returned.

“Happy? I’m ecstatic! Matteo,” she enthused and twirled around, “look at this place. It’s reminiscent of something from a fairytale.”

Matteo laughed, it was loud and genuine. “Ah, Celeste, your outlook is refreshing as always.”

She pushed his shoulder playfully. “Will you be here tomorrow?” She watched Matteo light a cigarette, the length of it hanging from his lips. She wasn’t fond of the habit but somehow Matteo managed to make it look good.

“No, I’m here about three times a week usually. Good luck tomorrow, not that you need it. You’ll be loved by everyone.”

“Thank you. Alright, I’d better get going. I think tonight calls for a celebratory dinner out! There are reservations to be made, a new outfit to buy and a husband to tell.”

“Then allow me to walk you to your car so you can get going.” Matteo ran a hand through his midnight hair and smiled widely at her. Hooking his arm at her elbow, they walked side by side to the front of the house and Celeste felt the strangest sense of peace.