Free A Sunset in Paris by Liz Langdon Page B

relaxing completely and she thought that he must be a very kind man to have such a lovely sweet smile.
    'Oh, mademoiselle , I am so … so happy… that it was not me who upset you. I thought you were angry because of me.'
    'Oh, no, no!' Zoe interrupted, 'It was something else, not you at all!'
    He smiled even more broadly, and said,
    ' Bon ! That is good! Now we can be friends, yes?'
    'Yes, of course, friends.'
    Zoe said, feeling a little awkward now, but relieved that she had not let the waiter leave, believing that he had upset her. They regarded each other for a moment, and then the impatient beep of a car horn made the waiter turn away.
    'Ah, that is my boy, my…ah son. He has come to pick me up to save me the walk home. Good night, mademoiselle , sleep well.'
    ' Au revoir .' said Zoe, 'and sorry again, for…' she gestured with her hand, and he nodded understandingly.
    ' Pas de probleme .' He turned to go, 'Good night.'
    He ran down the stairs and went to a small car, pulling the passenger door open and climbing in. The little car's engine revved then the driver neatly turned the vehicle and drove away. As they went, the waiter leaned across his son to wave at her. She raised her hand automatically, as they turned the corner and were lost to sight. She stared in the direction they had gone for a moment, bemused but glad that she had apologised. A small group of people pushed past her, trying to get into the warmth and light of the hotel, so she stepped back and returned to her parents, who had waited for her.
    She joined them and they ascended, feeling happy and replete. Zoe felt that they were a strong family unit for the first time in ages, despite Jeremy's absence. She even thought, although she tried to repress this awful thought, that she would not be quite so content if Jeremy and Zack HAD been there…

Chapter 3
    The next morning Zoe was up early and showered while her parents were still sleeping. She sat in the lounge area of their suite for a little while, then, bored, scribbled a note explaining that she was going down for breakfast and then would explore a few blocks in each direction. She added that she had her mobile with her, all loaded up with a local sim card and a few euros-worth of credit if they wanted to join her when they got up.
    Then she left the door, making sure it closed firmly behind her. She breakfasted on a delicious freshly made croissant with a cup of hot milky coffee and a glass of fruit juice, enjoying every flaky, buttery morsel. The waiters and waitresses were all unfamiliar to her and she realised that they must be the morning shift, who would have finished work before Zoe's family had even checked into the hotel the day before.
    She drank the last dregs of her coffee and headed out into the bright sunshine of early morning Paris. She had picked up a small map from the reception desk and she spent a few moments working out the orientation of the hotel and making sure she knew which roads ran past the building, then she headed off, choosing to go north for her first foray. Cars whizzed by, seeming to go twice as fast as they did at home, and she was a little bit nervous at first. The narrow pavements did not help, but she soon relaxed as she realised that the drivers were comfortable going at such high speeds because the roads were very wide, giving them plenty of room to manoeuvre.
    North was quite dull, although she did linger as she passed some small boutiques that looked as though they might be fun to pop into later, when they were open. The clothes on display were unique and attractive and Zoe was particularly taken with a dress with a slender, fitted bodice that swirled out into a frothy skirted confection of lace. To the south Zoe could only see ranks of dull office blocks, interspersed with the occasional shop, so she did not venture very far in that direction. Returning to the hotel once more, she set off again, going east this time. After just one block the scene widened out