Chapter 76

DORIS

We were standing outside the hockey arena, but we didn’t go in.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked.

"Nathan’s cousin, Jin-hoon, and his family," Arthur said.

No sooner had Arthur finished saying that, and we looked up, and there was a man who looked a lot like Nathan. He had the same handsome Korean and French features. When he got closer to us, I could see that his eyes were blue. Whereas Nathan’s eyes were brown.

"You must be Jin-hoon," Arthur said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"I am," Jin-hoon replied. They shook hands and then Arthur introduced us, and Jin-hoon introduced his wife, Nancy, and their eight-year-old daughter, Brittney, who was wearing six pink and purple bows in her hair.

"I’ve never been to a hockey game before," Brittney said in perfect English.

"You’ll love it. They chase a puck around with a stick, and then they fight each other but pretend they’re not really fighting," Mia said.

We went inside and watched the hockey game. I could see right away that these two teams were not up to the level of the Arctic Avalanches. But Arthur didn’t have to tell me which player was the one he wanted to talk to. One player on the French team stood out.

Number 33 had the grace and fancy footwork of an Olympian ice skater, the speed of Usain Bolt, and wide shoulders like an American football player.

Number 33 zoomed by like he had little wings on the back of his skates. I got a look at his face. I could tell he was probably about the same age as Arthur. And while most of the game, the teams were neck and neck, it was Number 33 who seemed to inspire his team to work together to get a goal at the last minute.

"Can I, Mommy?” Mia asked me, at the same time the audience broke into huge cheers.

"I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t hear you. What was that?"

"Brittney invited me to go to her lake house cabin for a sleepover tonight. Can I go, Mommy, please?

I looked at Arthur. I didn’t really know this couple, and it wasn’t my decision to make.

"It’s very safe and not that far from here," Nancy said. "We can have Mia back first thing in the morning."

"Of course, you can go, pumpkin. Have a good time."

It wasn’t until Mia left with the Kim family that I realized this meant Arthur and I had the night alone. A night alone in the most romantic city in the world. This would be wonderful.

Arthur and I walked out of the hockey arena, and a limo was ready for us in the parking lot.

"I could get used to this," I said.

"I wanted to give you a perfect date in Paris. We are going to start with dinner at a cozy little bistro in the Latin Quarter."

“That sounds great.”

“Do you want to try escargot?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Snails? I think I’ll pass."

We got to the restaurant. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was romantic, with candles in short French wine bottles on each table.

Arthur and I talked for hours. We talked about hockey (mostly he talked about hockey), Mia’s health, and our dreams for the new pharmaceutical company.

After dinner, we walked along the Seine. It was a beautiful night, and the city lights were twinkling, making everything look extra lively. We stopped to kiss under the Eiffel Tower, and I felt like I was in a dream.

We ended the night back at our fancy hotel.

“You know what I’d like?” I asked. “Can we order room service and watch a movie?”

Arthur laughed.

“What? I’m really in the mood for a decadent dessert.”

I’m just laughing because we’re in Paris, and you want to eat in and watch a film.”

“How about if it’s a French film? Does that make it better?”

Arthur smiled and then gave me a predatory look. “It does make it better. Best of all, after the film, I’ll have you for dessert.”

I blushed.

Arthur gently rubbed his thumbs over my red cheeks. “You know what they say,” he whispered huskily in my ear.

“What?” I breathed out.

“Live large. Eat dessert first.”

I woke up to the sound of Arthur's alarm clock blaring. He was already up and getting dressed, so I knew something was up.

"Good morning," I said groggily. "Where are you off to so early?"

"I'm meeting with the agent to see if I can acquire that hockey player, Pierre LaForce," he said. "I'm hoping we can sign him."

"That would be great," I said. "I know how much you've been wanting to add a new player to the team."

Arthur gave me a quick kiss and headed toward the door. I watched him, feeling proud of him for all his hard work.

A few moments later, Arthur came back into the bedroom.

"Hey," he said. "I was wondering if you wanted to come to the meeting with the agent."

I was surprised. "Really?" I said.

"I think it would be good for you to be there too. You’ve seen the Arctic Avalanches play. You’re great at feeling out people. Your input would be valuable."

Arthur smiled. “Besides, I just want you there. We’re in Paris, and even though this is business, I don’t want to spend any of this special time away from you.”

“Awww, that’s sweet.” I thought about it for a moment. "Okay," I said. "I'll come."

Arthur smiled. "Great," he said. "Get dressed."

We took another taxi to the agent's office, and Arthur introduced me to the agent. The agent was friendly and luckily spoke English.

He seemed impressed with my knowledge of the team.

After a while Arthur and the agent switched to French. It seemed to me that they were haggling over salary and other details.

I kept my mouth shut as I listened to Arthur’s powerful voice and hand gestures.

At the end of the meeting, the agent said he would get back to us soon. Arthur and I thanked him for his time, and we left.

As soon as we got in the taxi to go back to the hotel I said, “Well?”

“I think we have a new team captain. The agent will have to run the details by Pierre, and he’ll have to agree to everything, but I’m hopeful we can have the contract signed before we leave tonight.”

“We’re leaving tonight? Do we have to leave so soon?”

“We do if we want to get you back in time to sing for your gig at The Sultan Room.”

I smacked my forehead. “With all our amazing European travel, I completely forgot.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t.” Arthur smiled at me. He grasped my chin in his hand. “I want to take care of you, Little Dove. That means looking out for you and making sure you get to work on time for the things that are important to you, like your singing career.”

My heart melted. I rested my head on Arthur’s shoulder for a few minutes. When we exited the taxi, I practically floated into the hotel lobby.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Mia said, running up to me. “You won’t believe all the cool things we did.”

“Tell me, sweet girl.”

“Let’s have breakfast here in the hotel café, and you can tell us all about it,” Arthur said.

Arthur turned to Jin-hoon, his wife Nancy, and their daughter Brittney. “Thanks for showing Mia such a good time.”

“It was our pleasure. Please come visit us again.”

“And you come see us when you are in New York City visiting Nathan,” I said.

Arthur, Mia, and I had chocolate croissants in the café. Mia managed to get enough chocolate on her upper lip it looked like a mustache.

Mia pointed to the gift shop across the lobby. “Daddy, will you buy me a present to remember France by?”

Arthur frowned. “Pumpkin, you already have the small puzzle box we bought you at Across The Pond Or Die to remind you of this trip.”

Mia frowned. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.” She looked longingly at the gift shop. In the window I saw a tiny pink Eiffel Tower on a key chain.

“I think we can get her a little something. After all, she’s been on her best behavior all trip.”

“YEAH!” Mia said loudly.

I put my finger over my lips.

“Yeah!” Mia said in a stage whisper almost as loud.

“Let’s be quick about it,” Arthur said. “It’s time to get on our plane and go home.”