No Honor Among Thieves

Chapter 2

2

At a corner table at the Café de la Place, Ben bit off a corner of his croissant and leaned back in his chair to look at Molly. “Well, is this some kind of trick question? You look as beautiful as ever. If you’ve changed something, hell if I can see what.” He smiled, hiding his worry that he had just managed to insult her.

But Molly, bless her heart, was not all that easy to insult. She swooped her head one way and another, then fluffed her hair up with her hands, the red curls bouncing up and springing into the air. “I went to a salon! I usually don’t splurge on haircuts, since why bother, really, it just grows back in two seconds and I’ve never gotten the trick of styling it anyway.”

Ben peered at her hair, then reached a hand over and tucked a springy bit behind one of Molly’s ears. “It looks lovely. As always.”

Molly tipped her head back and laughed. Ben’s sincerity was one of his charms, no doubt, but it also amused her. “Well, the hairdresser put in layers and this and that, and I’m feeling altogether glamorous this morning. Too bad we’re not having breakfast on the Champs Elysées. Anyway, what have we got going on? It’s been ages since we had a decent case to sink our teeth into.”

“Alas, a dearth of murders in Castillac,” said Ben, sipping his coffee.

“Too bad,” said Molly, equally deadpan. “Maybe we should plan our wedding, if we’ve got nothing else pressing? It’s only weeks away, after all.”

Ben took a deep breath. He was intent on marrying his expat Bostonian, but the actual wedding planning filled him with something approaching dread. “Molly, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea—you know I’ve been looking forward to being your husband almost since I met you.”

Molly beamed.

“But weddings—”

“Simon!” called Molly, half-standing up from the table and waving.

Simon Valette, a recent client, was coming through the door with his two young daughters. Fashionable as ever, he wore a very nicely-cut sport coat with a silk scarf. He waved back at Molly and had a word with Pascal, the handsome waiter, before coming over to Molly and Ben’s table.

“Bonjour Molly, Ben,” he said, and the three kissed cheeks.

“Join us?” said Molly.

“Oh no, we need to be off! We just came by to pick up Elise—her mother is home with the flu and we are charged with walking her the three blocks to school.”

“She could walk by herself,” said Chloë. “Grownups always think children are so helpless but we’re not.”

Giselle put a hand on her younger sister’s shoulder and smiled shyly at Molly.

“I wish the two of you could play hooky with me today,” she said to them.

“Molly!” said Simon. “I have enough trouble getting them out the door without your bad influence!”

“How is Camille?” asked Ben.

Simon shrugged. “You know how it is. For some people, life is a struggle.”

Chloë had broken away and was shadowing Pascal as he brought breakfast to a party of six seated by the window. Young Elise appeared and Simon waved to her. “Onward!” he said with a wink, and Molly and Ben watched him leave with the three girls trooping behind.

“Wonder if he’s bored in Castillac,” said Ben.

“Why? We seem to find enough to do. I’m just glad the girls seem to be doing okay. I worry about them.”

“I know you do. I’m glad they have you, even if you don’t see them very often. What if Simon made a mistake, moving his family to the provinces. I know he did it trying to be helpful—but think of what they gave up! A big-shot job in Paris with an enormous income, no doubt, along with a very swank apartment and a host of fancy friends. A whole fancy life, left behind. I can’t help wondering—does he regret it?”

Molly shrugged. “Who knows? Okay, so about the wedding…”

Ben put on his most pleasant face and tapped his fingertips on the edge of his chair. Molly was not fooled for one second, but enjoyed his discomfort in the way that lovers sometimes do when they know that after the teasing, big happiness awaits.