Twilight in Paris

A Collision of Worlds

Lily was three years old, a tiny hurricane of energy with a penchant for wearing mismatched rainboots and demanding croissants at all hours.

​It was the annual Paris International Book Fair, a chaotic event housed in the massive Grand Palais. Charlotte was standing at her publisher's booth, signing copies of her latest solo picture book. She was exhausted, having chased Lily through three different exhibition halls earlier that morning, but she was smiling.

​"Mama, look! A doggie!" Lily shrieked, breaking away from the coloring table Amélie had set up for her.

​Before Charlotte could reach her, Lily barreled straight into the legs of a tall man carrying a stack of hardcover books. The impact sent the books tumbling to the floor.

​"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Charlotte gasped, rushing forward to scoop up her giggling daughter.

​"No harm done at all," a deep, warm voice replied.

​Charlotte looked up and found herself staring into a pair of kind, crinkling hazel eyes. The man was striking, with a slightly crooked smile, broad shoulders, and an easy, grounded presence. He knelt down to pick up his books, and as he stood back up, his gaze caught the name tag pinned to Charlotte's blazer.

​"Charlotte Reed?" he asked, his eyebrows raising in genuine surprise. "The illustrator?"

​"Yes, that's me. And this little menace is Lily," Charlotte said, adjusting the toddler on her hip.

​"I'm John," he said, extending a large, warm hand. "John Sullivan. I'm an author. I actually just transferred to your publishing house's Paris division from New York. Your work on the anthology is the reason I fought for the transfer. You paint emotion better than most people can write it."

​Charlotte felt a sudden, unexpected flush warm her cheeks. John wasn't polished and pretentious like the men from Vance & Co. He was ruggedly handsome, sincere, and wore his success lightly.

​"Thank you, John," she managed to say, shaking his hand. The contact sent a strange, pleasant jolt up her arm.

​"Doggie!" Lily insisted, pointing to the cover of one of John's dropped books, which featured a golden retriever.

​John laughed, a rich, booming sound that made Lily giggle. He handed the book to the little girl. "You have excellent taste, Lily. It was wonderful meeting you both. I hope to see you around the office, Charlotte."