Free Best Laid Plans by Elaine Raco Chase Page A

Montmartre , down from the bulbous white
basilica of Sacré-Coeur's sacred site to Pigalle , the hotbed of
the gaudiest nightlife in town.
    Watching the lovers, Amanda had felt
very singular indeed. She refused to join her female classmates in the
rollicking Leap Year festivities that bubbled in the streets. Instead Amanda
had spent the entire day in her wicker chair at L'ècole's, doodling the
most outrageous designs on an endless supply of paper napkins and keeping warm
with a carafe of Beaujolais, crusty fresh baked bread and sizzling
grilled sausages.
    Late that afternoon she realized that
the heady red wine had rendered her quite intoxicated. There could be no other
explanation for the appearance of that familiar masculine figure that zigzagged
among the outdoor tables.
    As Amanda's rose-tinted lips curved
in a reminiscent smile, she suddenly became conscious that the same familiar
man was headed toward her today. She repeated what she had said eight years ago
in Paris: "Lucas, of all the bistros in all the world, what are you doing
in mine?"
    His rich laughter rose above the
noise of the growing number of tourists who clustered on the sidewalk. "I
read the note you taped to my toe." Lucas pulled out an ornate chair,
expertly signaling for service. "You're one hell of a hostess, Mandy,
leaving your houseguest on the sofa."
    "You looked so cute all curled
up in a fetal ball." She gave him an audacious wink. "Why didn't you
wake me last night? You couldn't have been very comfortable."
    He fidgeted slightly, pulling the
points on the white collar of his burgundy knit shirt. "Your snoring made
conversation impossible." The lie was delivered with ease. "I thought
for sure you'd sleep late."
    "I love coming here early on the
weekends. The Quarter is closed to traffic, the artists display their
paintings, the streets are filled with horse-drawn carriages. It brings back
some pleasant memories."
    Lucas moved his hands to allow space
for the steaming mug of chicory blend and a wax-paper-wrapped beignet that the
waitress delivered. "It does look like Montmartre ." His hand
reached out to tug her copper curls. "Your silly little beret is
missing." He took a careful swallow of coffee; lines traversed his forehead.
"I hope more than the past is pleasant for you."
    Amanda shrugged, pulling absently at
the elbow-length sleeve on her leaf-strewn turquoise dress. "Daydreams are
always water-colored, but I was thinking how true it is that history does
repeat itself." Her fingers curved in appreciation around his white-cuffed
left wrist. "You showed up in Paris that November when I was depressed and
homesick, and yesterday you appeared again when I needed a morale boost. How do
you always know?"
    "You lucked out eight years ago,
Mandy." Lucas tugged his earlobe. "I was in New York. The airport in
Maine was shut down due to snow. I missed the plane to North Carolina to be
with your folks and suddenly found I needed to spend the holiday with a friend
rather than strangers in the snack bar at LaGuardia."
    "Liar." Amanda watched him
eliminate the hole-less doughnut in three substantial bites. Lucas was amazing.
She knew he had canceled plans for a ski vacation in Aspen to cheer her up in
Paris. And now her knight in shining armor had again arrived to rescue the fair
maid.
    Amanda gave him a tremulous smile,
reaching out to let her fingernail dust the powdered sugar from his dark
moustache. "Say, when am I finally going to hear this mysterious
proposition of yours?"
    "You've got a lot of nerve,
kid." Lucas playfully grabbed the lapels on her V neck dress collar, the
soft material soothed his calloused fingers. "You fell asleep last night
and missed my rather nervous dissertation."
    Laughter bubbled in her throat.
"Lucas, I am sorry. Tell me again." She held up her palm. "I
promise not to doze off."
    "I don't know," he hedged,
wiping his mouth with a napkin, then neatly folding it inside the empty mug.
"It may not be the brilliant scheme I first