Robin Gianna – It Happened in Paris... (страница 1)
When my editor suggested I write a book set in Paris with a Valentine theme, I loved the idea! After all, what could possibly be more romantic than my hero and heroine meeting in Paris and falling in love (even if they know they shouldn’t)?
I had such fun researching Paris and things to do there—though I admit it was a bit of a challenge that it had to be set in February! No spring trees bursting into bloom, no lazing in sunshiny parks lush with the scent of roses, no warm weather strolls along the Seine…
But I managed to find other things for Jack and Avery to enjoy when they first meet—including succumbing to a brief fling! He’s an interventional cardiologist and she’s a biomedical engineer—you can imagine their shock when they discover they’ll be colleagues on the clinical trial they’re in Paris to conduct. A trial that’s extremely important to both of them.
Jack never mixes business with pleasure. Avery knows they might very possibly end up with different opinions on how the research is going. What will happen if Jack finds out that she holds the entire future of his trial in her hands?
If you enjoy Jack and Avery’s story I’d love to hear from you! Find me on Facebook, Twitter, or my website: www.robingianna.com
After completing a degree in journalism, working in the advertising industry, then becoming a stay-at-home mum, ROBIN GIANNA had what she calls her ‘midlife awakening’. She decided she wanted to write the romance novels she’d loved since her teens, and embarked on that quest by joining RWA, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, and working hard at learning the craft.
She loves sharing the journey with her characters, helping them through obstacles and problems to find their own happily-ever-afters. When not writing, Robin likes to create in her kitchen, dig in the dirt, and enjoy life with her tolerant husband, three great kids, drooling bulldog and grouchy Siamese cat.
To learn more about her work visit her website: www.robingianna.com
It Happened
in Paris…
Robin Gianna
For my wonderful children, Arianna, James and George. You three are truly the light of my life.
A big thank you to good friend Steven J. Yakubov, MD, who has been conducting TAVI clinical trials overseas and now in the US for years, and who inspired this story. I so appreciate it, Steve, that you called me to answer all my questions even after you’d had almost no sleep for three nights. Thanks bunches!
Table of Contents
Dear Reader
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JACK DUNBAR STUDIED the map in his hand, trying to figure out where the heck he was in this city of two million people. He was determined not to waste his first hours in Paris, and never mind that he’d only had a few hours of sleep while folded into an airplane seat, couldn’t speak French and had no idea how to get around.
But, hey, a little adventure never hurt anyone. Even getting lost would be a welcome distraction from thinking about the presentation he had to give tonight. The presentation that would begin the new phase of his career he’d worked so hard for. The presentation that would launch the newest medical device, hopefully save lives and change forever the way heart-valve replacement surgery was performed.
Before any sightseeing, though, the first thing on his list was coffee and a little breakfast. Jack stepped into the hotel restaurant and saw that a huge buffet was set up just inside the open doors. Silver chafing dishes, mounds of breads and cheeses, fruits and you-name-it covered an L-shaped table, but the thought of sitting there eating a massive breakfast alone wasn’t at all appealing. He approached the maître d’. “Excuse me. Is there just a small breakfast I can grab somewhere?”
Jack nearly laughed. If that was the small breakfast, he’d hate to see a big one. “Thank you, but I want just coffee and something quick. What’s nearby?”
“Everything you could wish for is right here,
“Yes, I see that, but—”
“I know a little place that’s just what you’re looking for,” a feminine voice said from behind him. “When in France, eat like the French do. And that spread in there is most definitely meant for Americans.”
He turned, and a small woman with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen stood there, an amused smile on her pretty face. He smiled back, relieved that someone might actually steer him in the right direction, and that she not only spoke English, but sounded like she was American, too. “That’s exactly what I want. To immerse myself in French culture for a while. And soon, because I need a cup of coffee more than I need oxygen right now.”
Those amazing eyes, framed by thick, dark lashes, sparkled as her smile grew wider. “Caffeine is definitely the number one survival requirement. Come on.”
Leaving barely a second for him to thank the unhelpful maître d’, she wrapped her hand around his biceps and tugged him toward the door and out into the chilly January streets of Paris. “Just down the street is the perfect café. We can get coffee and a baguette, then we’ll be good to go.”
We? Jack had to grin at the way she’d taken over. Not that he minded. Being grabbed and herded down the street by a beautiful woman who obviously knew a little about Paris was a pleasure he hadn’t expected, but was more than happy about.
“I’m Avery, by the way.”
“Jack.” He looked at her and realized her unusual name went well with a very unusual woman. A woman who took a perfect stranger down the street to a coffee shop as though she’d known him for days instead of seconds. A red wool hat was pulled onto her head, covering lush dark brown hair that spilled from beneath it. A scarf of orange, red and yellow was wrapped around her neck and tucked inside a short black coat, and tight-fitting black pants hugged her shapely legs. On her feet she wore yellow rain boots with red ducks all over them, and a purple umbrella was tucked under her arm. Dull she most definitely was not.
“Nice to meet you, Jack.” Her smile was downright dazzling. The morning looked a whole lot brighter than it had a few moments ago, despite the sky being as gray as pencil lead. “How do you like your coffee? American style? If you really want to be French, you’ll have to drink espresso. But I won’t judge you either way.”
Her green eyes, filled with a teasing look, were so mesmerizing he nearly stumbled off the curb when they crossed the street. “Somehow I think that’s a lie. And while I can handle being judged, I like espresso.”
“I knew you were a man after my own heart.”
He’d be willing to bet a lot of men were after her heart and a whole lot more.
The little coffee shop smelled great, and he followed Avery to the counter. She ordered in French, and the way the words slipped from her tongue, it sounded to him like she spoke the language nearly like a native.
“You ordered, so I’m paying,” he said.
“That’s what I was hoping for. Why else did you think I brought you along?”
“And here I thought it was my good looks and sophistication.”
“I did find that, combined with your little-boy-lost look, irresistible, I must admit.”
He chuckled. Damned if she wasn’t about the cutest woman he’d been around in a long time. They took their baguettes and tiny cups of espresso to a nearby tall table and stood. Jack nearly downed his cup of hot, strong coffee in one gulp. “This is good. Just what I needed. Except there isn’t nearly enough of it.”
“I know. And I even ordered us double shots. I always have to get used to the tiny amounts of espresso they serve when I’m in Europe. We Americans are used to our bottomless cups of coffee.”
“Are you here as a tourist? With friends?” Jack couldn’t imagine she was traveling alone, but hoped she was. Maybe they could spend some time together, since he’d be in Paris for an entire month. With any luck, she was living here.
“I’m in Paris to work, and I’m alone. How about you?”